Interim Project Managers x 3 – Network Rail – GBRTT
Background Veredus provide interim executive talent across the transport and infrastructure sector, including many of the UK train operating companies, Network Rail and the Rail Delivery Group. We recruit exceptional individuals across all functions, including HR, Finance, Operations, Engineering, Health and Safety, Procurement, Projects and Programme Management. The challenge GBRTT (Great British Railways Transition team) is working on behalf of the government to create a new organisation that will bring together decisions about track and train, provide accountable leadership, and lead the railway forward. Within the organisation the Fares, Ticketing and Retail team (FTR) is committed to delivering on the Plan for Rail. The challenge is to provide clearer pricing, modern methods of payment and straightforward compensation will help us to restore trust and encourage more people to use rail. In order to achieve this GBRTT asked us to provide 3 interim project managers. Our solution: We undertook extensive research across multiple infrastructure, transport, utilities and public sector groups together with engaging with our ‘talent bank’ of existing project managers, to identify available skills and experience for these (initial 6 month) assignments. The search activity generated dozens of potential candidates that we met with to produce a shortlist of 6 for final presentation to the client. All 3 appointments were made and contracts have since been extended.
Interim Project Managers – Network Rail
The client Network Rail own, operate, maintain and develop the railway infrastructure in England, Scotland and Wales. That’s 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. The brief At Veredus, we work for various divisions with Network Rail including GBRTT and GBRX. We have been asked to search for experienced project managers on a large number of occasions and they remain a key client relationship. The projects range across operational issues, customer experience, training and human resources, procurement and health and safety. The process We reached out to our known, tried and tested candidates across all key functions within the rail and infrastructure sector and were quickly able to identify a shortlist of those who matched the requirements. Once we’d established enthusiasm and engagement, and discussed availability and day rates requirements, we presented the shortlist. One of our challenges is to find candidates who are prepared to work one roles that fall inside of scope for IR35 regulation but, over time, Veredus have built a specific database of interim managers who happy to engage with umbrella companies and work inside IR35.
Interim Head of Communications – Technology business
The client Our client is the AI division of the Uk’s largest infrastructure provider. The brief To direct and lead on the development and execution of communications and stakeholder engagement strategy to promote the success of the division, fostering strategic partnerships with external stakeholders including Train Operating Companies, Freight Operating Companies, government ministers, suppliers, and the public. The process At Veredus, we have an established talent bank of candidates across all key functions within the rail and infrastructure sector and were quickly able to identify a shortlist of candidates who could deliver from a technical perspective as well as fit within the existing teams. Once contacted, we discussed our client’s needs extensively as well as their availability and day rate requirements before presenting the shortlist. The results: The successful candidate joined on a fulltime interim day rate contract that has since been renewed
Ministry of Defence – Defence Equipment & Support – CHIEF DATA OFFICER (BATTLESPACE)
The brief Veredus are the executive search partner for Defence Equipment & Support. We were tasked with identifying an experienced CDO who would be able to drive governance and technological controls across the battlespace. This required sound cyber security experience with big data complexities the likes of which are rare in government and private sector. The technological advances in modern warfare and equipment have led to disparity across data standards and network capability. The MoD required a CDO to manage senior stakeholders across the defence enterprise including front line commands and major industrial primes in order to drive a set of new standards and governance across the battlespace arena. The CDO task was to agree standards, regardless of manufacturer or equipment type, such that the real time data could be combined and manipulated to add strategic value to the military stakeholders. A new task force was being set up to achieve this and the CDO was a new post to lead a large team of circa 85 based across MoD departments. Challenges The stakeholders wanted different attributes, as this was a key leader in the battlespace domain. We held briefings with the various stakeholders in order to agree the final specification for the role. Priorities for our search were based around security, scale, complexity and wide technology experience coupled with an ability to negotiate at very senior levels across Government and industry and drive through change, Strong business acumen was also required in order to achieve the value add that the frontline commands required whilst holding tight budgetary constraints in order to deliver the new standards. Security clearance was required to DV which added a further complexity. The Results In stakeholder discussions we managed to get agreement to widen the search net to include large scale data generators within a highly secure critical environments such as Banking, Network Rail, NHS, HMRC and National Power Distributors. We identified 185 CDO’s who met the essential criteria. Our search included targeted headhunting of the 185 CDO’s as well as an advert in “The Times”. During the selection process we examined the candidate’s influencing skills and leadership styles as well as their broad technological experience. We produced a detailed candidate information pack, not only highlighting the EVP. We received 64 applications with a high degree of diversity. Subsequent selection process achieved a shortlist of 5. These candidates were subject to our MoD assessments which are ILA & Staff Engagement exercises. Following final panel presentations and interview 3 candidates were deemed appointable. The successful candidate was a diverse candidate, non-military and was working for EY. We received excellent client feedback on the campaign, having taken the stakeholders from “Must be Military” to having a non-military candidate appointed.
Director of Ships Operations & Capability Integration (SCS2)
The brief Veredus are the exclusive Executive Search Partner for MoD, DE&S and SDA. As part of our ongoing partnership, we were asked to identify their next Director of Ships. As the role was reporting into Director General Ships it was a Senior Civil Service role level 2 and as such, we had an appointed commissioner to oversee fair and open competition rules were maintained throughout. Challenges The process Specialist Background –We have over 25 years’ experience of appointing to senior executive levels. Our processes comply with Civil Service Recruitment Principles and Civil Service Commissioner’s rules, and we have worked extensively with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Coupled with our extensive database and technology tools we were able to identify a strong candidate pool. Our candidate attraction strategy & tools included: All our assignments are project managed and utilise realtime data capture in the form of Power BI Dashboards. Our MoD client has open access to this data so at anytime they can see progress and get a clear picture of the assignment as it develops. An example screen shot of one of our dashboards is below: Diversity – We pro-actively built a field of target candidates with diverse characteristics. We did this through our desk research and by contacting our trusted sources across the market, expressly asking for recommendations of candidates with protected characteristics. We know this works. Our pro-active approach also extends to attracting candidates who have declared disabilities and engage with the Guardian’s Disability Network which has over 1 million members. We have strong relationships with partner organisations, that are committed to working through empathy, acknowledging and valuing our differences. As part of the search campaign, we proactively networked with a wide range of organisations such as: Security Clearance – Veredus are used to working in the DV/SC secured space, we have our own “Security Watchdog” team that provide security vetting and preparation for DBS Developed vetting clearance processes. We advise all candidates in our search process of the additional personal and professional information that will need to be collated in order for their offer/acceptance to be valid. These extra checks include but not limited too: Check Why? Nationality Verify Passport status Identity & Right to Work Legal requirement Financial Probity (credit check) Verify that applicant does not have CCJs or bankruptcies Criminality Verify that applicant does not have a criminal past International Sanctions Verify that applicant is not on any sanctions lists Directorship Verify that applicant does not have directorships which pose a conflict of interest Adverse Media Verify that applicant has not had bad press exposure Social Media Verify that applicant does not have unacceptable values or behaviours for future employer Qualification Verify that applicant holds the qualifications they state they have on a CV Activity (2 years) Verify applicant’s activity (employment/education) history Results Following a detailed briefing with the Director General and senior stakeholders including the commissioner herself we set out and agreed the timeline and developed a detailed and enlightening candidates data pack with wording to appeal to a broader candidate pool and notably diverse candidates. We were able to assemble a target map of over 145 candidates from across both commercial shipping and navy. After engaging with the targets and sharing the candidate data pack along with clarifying any open questions we closed with 14 applications. After a client review and Veredus selection interviews we shortlisted to 4 candidates. The shortlisted candidates were 50% diverse so we achieved the CEO aim of ensuring a minimum of 30% was achieved and in such a niche role was well received by the Commissioner and Director General. Veredus psychologist team provided the leadership assessment and staff engagement facilitation with detailed candidate profiles and reports as well as direct feedback to the panel prior to final interviews. Following final panel interviews we had two appointable candidates and one appointed. Assignment took 8 weeks from briefing to successful placement. We received commendations from Commissioner and DG following a highly successful assignment. Candidate Care Feedback was rated as “Excellent”.
Director WARHEAD DELIVERY (SCS2)
Background Our client is a Ministry of Defence department that are tasked with maintaining the UKs deterrent capability, current and future. Veredus were engaged by the client to provide a full executive search & selection service to identify their next Warhead Director at SCS level 2. As this was a Senior civil service role at level 2, we had a commissioner assigned to the selection panel board to oversee “fair and open competition”. Following a detailed brief from the MoD and senior stakeholders, together with the commissioners’ input, we agreed a tight timeline and commenced our target mapping of aligned domains and sectors; we also developed a compelling candidates data pack. Challenges Solutions Timeline Pressures: We are used to agile working and in this case we had to review or normal timeline (as per attached example timeline) and increase research capacity to allow us to reduce the overall assignment time by 2 weeks. We appointed a senior consultant as project manager to ensure all aspects of the search & selection process remained on track and communicated progress with MoD and Commissioner. Highly Specialised role: Nuclear and defence is a prime area of activity for Veredus. This particular role combined both. We focussed on Cat A government programmes both current and past and identified a cross over between Major Projects delivery and those candidates that had worked in the Trident programme previously or currently. We included Nuclear New builds as well as Expat community living in US currently working on a replacement programme. It’s a very close community so we keep in close dialogue with client stakeholders to review interested candidates at a very early stage as we knew a number would be “known” to our client. This helped us reduce selection process time by removing non suitable candidates early in the process. Internal Candidates: It is normal practice for us to include internal candidates within our selection process, however on this occasion the Commissioner mandated that a tight control and restrictions were placed around internal candidates to ensure they did not receive any additional insight beyond that of external candidates. We therefore had to ensure all internal candidates received a “restrictive notice” as soon as they applied which outlined that they could not approach or contact any of the selection panel and were prohibited in doing their own research into the role whilst on site. This effectively meant they had to come through us to ask questions the results of which were shared with all applicants. Security Clearance: Veredus are used to working in the DV/SC secured space, we have our own “Security Watchdog” team that provide security vetting and preparation for DBS Developed vetting clearance processes. We advise all candidates in our search process of the additional personal and professional information that will need to be collated in order for their offer/acceptance to be valid. These extra checks include but not limited too: Check Why? Nationality Verify Passport status Identity & Right to Work Legal requirement Financial Probity (credit check) Verify that applicant does not have CCJs or bankruptcies Criminality Verify that applicant does not have a criminal past International Sanctions Verify that applicant is not on any sanctions lists Directorship Verify that applicant does not have directorships which pose a conflict of interest Adverse Media Verify that applicant has not had bad press exposure Social Media Verify that applicant does not have unacceptable values or behaviours for future employer Qualification Verify that applicant holds the qualifications they state they have on a CV Activity (2 years) Verify applicant’s activity (employment/education) history Results Given the specialism of the role, the seniority required and the security clearance requirement (DV) the mapped target field was limited to 125 potential candidates across the UK. We engaged with the targets and promoted the role and challenges along with the career benefits and high profile of the role itself. We managed to get 29 applications which following our own selection interviews and profiling was reduced to a shortlist pool of 5. Commissioner was extremely satisfied with our control processes in place that no internal candidate had received any advantageous treatment or data. Veredus psychologist team also provided our inhouse leadership profiling and assessment for each of the 5 shortlisted candidates and produced a detailed summary report and a verbal feedback session with the panel prior to final interviews commencing. The final Panel chaired by the commissioner concluded that 3 of the 5 were “above the line” as appointable with one being an outstanding appointed candidate. A successful outcome concluded in under 7 weeks from briefing to offer.
Professor and Head of Pharmacy Practice
The client: Teesside University The project: Professor and Head of Pharmacy Practice The brief Teesside University retained Veredus to recruit a Head of Pharmacy Practice for their School of Health & Life Sciences. This newly created role is part of Teesside’s ambitious plan to establish a School of Pharmacy and a future School of Medicine, reflecting the university’s commitment to advancing health education and research. The role is pivotal in shaping the future of pharmacy education at Teesside, with the postholder responsible for developing and delivering the pharmacy curriculum, recruiting the first cohort of students, and guiding the School through the accreditation process with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Teesside University is in the midst of a significant transformation, driven by a £300 million investment aimed at enhancing the Middlesbrough Campus. This investment includes the creation of a new School of Pharmacy, which aims to integrate elements of chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmaceuticals into its program, with an initial student intake planned for September 2025. The Head of Pharmacy Practice was sought as a key member of the Pharmacy Senior Leadership Team, with responsibilities including: • Developing and delivering the pharmacy education programme. • Recruiting and leading the first cohort of undergraduate and MPharm students. • Supporting the School through GPhC accreditation. • Promoting research-led practice within the School. The ideal candidate would be a GPhC registered pharmacist with a first degree and a Master’s in a relevant discipline, practical experience in the pharmacy sector, and significant leadership experience. A PhD was highly desirable, particularly for candidates with a strong track record in research and funding. The process Veredus was briefed by senior stakeholders at Teesside University, including members of the School of Health & Life Sciences, and tasked with generating a strong and diverse candidate pool for the role. We collaborated closely with the University’s HR team to develop an effective attraction strategy, which included an advertising campaign, a candidate briefing pack, and a targeted executive search. We launched an advertising campaign across various platforms and handled all candidate responses and queries. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the UK pharmacy education landscape and context to identify potential candidates, focusing on those with relevant experience in pharmacy practice education, research and leadership. We targeted both active and passive candidates, using personalised communications to highlight the unique benefits of the position and the strategic vision of Teesside University. Diversity and inclusion were integral to our approach. We designed a recruitment strategy that was inclusive, unbiased, and proactive in engaging a broad field of suitably qualified candidates, including those from underrepresented groups. The recruitment process elicited 8 applications for the role. Veredus assessed all applications against the person specification criteria and provided Teesside University with a Shortlist Report, including our ABC rankings and assessments. We presented our findings to the selection panel and met with them to discuss our comments, agree on the list of candidates to be progressed to interview, and collate feedback to unsuccessful candidates. The results Two candidates progressed to the final panel stage. The final selection process included formal interviews with the selection panel and informal discussions with the University leadership. Veredus conducted referencing and due diligence, ensuring a thorough evaluation of each candidate. Both candidates were identified as appointable for the role and the preferred candidate accepted the offer based on our careful management of expectations at all stages. The recruitment process concluded with the successful appointment of the Head of Pharmacy Practice. Veredus ensured that all candidates received constructive and developmental feedback, reinforcing a positive experience of the process and Teesside University. This case demonstrates our commitment to delivering high-quality, inclusive recruitment processes that align with the strategic goals of our clients.
Speak Out Champion
Client: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales, with circa 7,000 employees across 14 main sites. The CPS is responsible for reviewing evidence from police, deciding whether to prosecute, and presenting cases in court. The CPS operates independently to ensure fair and impartial application of the law. Role: Speak Out Champion Client brief: The CPS sought to appoint to appoint an exceptional individual for the role of Speak Out Champion. As a part time role (six days a month), the Speak Out Champion is responsible for providing an independent and impartial route for CPS employees to raise concerns about inappropriate behaviour or treatment they witness or experience by individuals, teams or the department. As the Nominated Officer for whistleblowing concerns, the postholder signposts individuals to potential routes of resolution, undertakes wider work in raising awareness via communications and staff engagement, as well as supporting wider cultural change through the provision of insight and feedback to the CPS Board. The process: Veredus delivered a wide-reaching executive search process, looking at Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion leaders (EDI) and influencers, capable of taking a person-centred approach to supporting individuals raising concerns, as well as using intelligence and insight to advise the board and leadership team on themes related to culture and inclusion. During the search phase, we identified and approached over 200 individuals. The role was advertised on the CPS and Veredus websites, with additional marketing on LinkedIn. Through the combined search and advertising strategy, we generated 68 applications, with diversity represented across all protected characteristics. Of the applications received, six were longlisted and invited to preliminary interview with the Veredus Team. Our preliminary interviews created a positive environment for candidates from different backgrounds to present themselves and their credentials relative to the brief. The four shortlisted candidates were invited to attend a Staff Engagement Exercise, led by the Veredus Team, and rigorous referencing and due diligence checks were completed at this stage. The results: The search concluded successfully with a diverse, high calibre shortlist, from which two candidates were considered appointable. The successful candidate offered lived experience, broad experience of providing person-centred support to individuals with concerns, and deep expertise in creating inclusive workplaces. Take-aways: • This unique, special role attracted high engagement from EDI leads across the breadth of the public and private sectors. • Taking time to build our understanding of the nuances of the role, and its independent nature was critical in assessing the experience and attributes of candidates from quite different backgrounds would bring to the role. • EDI-focused market mapping enabled us to attract a diverse field of candidates across all protected characteristics.
Head of School of Engineering, College of Science and Engineering
The client: University of Edinburgh The project: Head of School of Engineering, College of Science and Engineering The brief Veredus were retained by the University of Edinburgh to support the recruitment of a new Head of School of Engineering after the initial recruitment process led by another search firm failed to appoint. The School of Engineering is one of the largest Schools at the University with 430 staff, 550 postgraduate research students, and 2,100 undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, and £25 million in research awards. Candidates were expected to demonstrate an international research reputation, a commitment to teaching excellence and significant management experience. They had to have proven ability to provide both academic and executive leadership and to act as the external advocate of the School to a range of stakeholders, nationally and internationally. We were briefed by several senior university stakeholders including the Head of College, the Provost and others to ensure we were clear on the key priorities and objectives of the post and the core competencies and achievements that the successful candidate had to demonstrate. The process We worked closely with the university HR team to devise an advertising campaign and created the candidate brochure for the role, providing input into its content and wording. We launched the advertising campaign, liaise with the media via our advertising agency, and handling all candidates’ responses and queries. At the initial stage of the executive search campaign, we undertook an in-depth analysis of the global HE market, identifying relevant institutions and potential candidates within those. We targeted high-performing, research intensive, large and complex institutions in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Western Europe that have successful schools/faculties of engineering that have gone through significant growth and improvements in research rankings, with a reference to various league tables such as QS, The Guardian and The Times Higher Education. We also referenced academic research databases (i.e. Research Gate, Orchid, Google Scholar, PubMed) and Research Councils’ funding/grants portals to ensure the candidates we were identifying had the required track records of research and grant capture in addition to leadership capabilities. We then undertook a programme of engagement with our networks to garner recommendations and with potential candidates. We acted as Edinburgh’s representatives in the market, ensuring each interaction we had reflected positively on the university. We used a range of innovative attraction techniques, targeting both active and passive candidates. These included our networks, referrals/recommendations, proprietary database search, fresh desk research, professional forums and social media. Our approach involved crafting personalised communication that highlights the unique benefits and opportunities of the position and the institution, ensuring that our tailored messaging resonated with the candidate’s career goals and values, which has significantly increased engagement and positive response. Diversity and inclusion were key, and our recruitment strategy was inclusive, unbiased and proactive in engaging the broadest possible field of suitably qualified candidates, including those from underrepresented groups. We engaged with a range of organisations concerned with equality and diversity to identify suitable candidates, drawing on strong connections we have forged with groups such as Association for Women in Science, Cambridge Association for Women in Science and Engineering, the Black Women in Science Network, IET Women’s Network, Academic Network of European Disability Experts and others. We provided Edinburgh with detailed weekly updates during the executive search campaign outlining who was engaged, what the likely pipeline of candidates was going to be and key themes from market feedback and any issues arising. We also held weekly catch-up meetings to discuss progress and any issues arising. As a result of our activities, we elicited 26 applications for the role. After the closing date, we provided the University with a detailed written analysis of each application, assessing them against person specification criteria. We divided applications into A (strong fit with the person specification), B (partial fit with the person specification) and C (weak/no fit with the person specification) categories. We then presented our findings to the selection panel in a Longlist Report and met with them to discuss our comments, agree the list of candidates to be progressed to interview, and feedback points for the unsuccessful candidates. Following the longlist meeting, eight candidates were progressed to Veredus preliminary interviews. During those, we assessed candidates against the essential skills/experience for the role and tested their transferability into the position and the cultural and values fit to the University. We then prepare objective appraisal reports will, drawing out their strengths, experience and areas for consideration, their motivation and relevant logistical factors such as salary expectations, location, notice period etc. These were compiled into a Shortlist Report which we presented to the selection panel at the shortlisting meeting where we also provided further insight into our findings from the preliminary interviews, answered the panel’s questions and helped them identify a shortlist of four candidates for the final stage of the process. We provided comprehensive, and constructive feedback to all candidates that were not progressed at this stage. We conducted due diligence on shortlisted candidates which included ID/nationality check, LinkedIn CV check, internet trawl, media and social media activity checks, flagging any issues identified to the university. The final selection process included candidates meeting with the university leadership and staff groups. The candidates then attended formal interviews with the selection panel where they were asked to make a presentation. The results As a result, three candidates were deemed above the line and appointable by the panel and the preferred candidate (a female BAME Professor and Head of Engineering from a leading Australian University) was appointed to the post. Veredus followed up with constructive and developmental feedback to all candidates, ensuring they had a positive experience of the process and Edinburgh. The client was delighted with the service that we provided, and the quality and diversity of the shortlist generated. All the external longlisted and shortlisted candidates applied for the role as a result of our proactive approaches as opposed to advertising.
Chair in Commercial Law and Chair in Energy & Climate Law, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, QMUL School of Law
The client: Queen Mary University of London The project: Chair in Commercial Law and Chair in Energy & Climate Law, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, QMUL School of Law The brief The School of Law at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) sought to appoint two Chairs in strategically important areas: Commercial Law and Energy & Climate Law. These positions were part of a larger initiative to strengthen the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS), which offers over 200 courses in commercial law and is housed at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields campus. These two posts were launched alongside a third Chair position as part of the School’s broader expansion strategy under the leadership of Ioannis Kokkoris, the recently appointed Head of School. The appointments were critical to enhancing the School’s research output, expanding its academic team, and raising its profile within the global academic community. Veredus was retained to conduct a global search to identify and attract exceptional talent, ensuring that the new professors would contribute to the School’s long-term strategy and growth. The School of Law at QMUL, home to over 130 academic staff and 2,000 students, has a strong global reputation. The CCLS is a postgraduate law centre with specialisations in all aspects of commercial law. However, after internal reviews, Ioannis Kokkoris, Director of CCLS identified gaps in core areas of Commercial Law and the need to develop the emerging field of Energy & Climate Law. 1. Professor of Commercial Law. The objective was to rebuild a team around core areas such as Contracts, International Trade, and Procurement Law, where expertise had diminished in recent years. The role required a leader who could expand research, attract funding, and develop a first-class commercial law capability. 2. Professor of Energy & Climate Law. This position focused on strengthening the School’s Energy Law Institute, with a particular emphasis on climate change law. The new Professor would develop partnerships, secure research funding, and enhance the School’s standing in the energy law field, particularly in contracts related to the oil and gas sectors. Role Requirements Key requirements for both roles included: • A strong research trajectory with the ability to significantly increase high-quality research output and attract funding through grants or commercial sponsorships. • Experience in team leadership and a proven ability to build and manage academic teams, fostering a collegial environment. • Expertise across multiple legal jurisdictions, ensuring a global perspective and the ability to attract international collaborations. • The ability to contribute to teaching and curriculum development, especially in core commercial law and energy law. • A commitment to expanding the School’s reputation and impact, contributing to the School’s ambition to develop its international profile. The process Veredus designed a global search strategy, combining targeted headhunting and a multi-channel advertising campaign across digital platforms and social media to attract both active and passive candidates. The strategy highlighted the School’s outstanding and highly regarded international law programs, research excellence, inclusive approach, and the opportunity to shape the future of legal studies in these key areas. We worked closely with the School’s leadership team to design and produce a compelling candidate briefing pack. We managed the advertising campaign and handled responses and enquiries. We added particular value with our detailed analysis of the relevant legal academic markets globally across the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Western Europe, to identify and engage world-leading senior academics within the relevant fields. The campaign attracted 56 applications for the roles both from the executive search and advertising. Veredus assessed applications against the criteria laid out by QMUL and provided detailed Longlist Reports, including our ABC rankings and individual candidate assessments. The shortlisted candidates were selected based on their research credentials, strategic track record, leadership potential, and ability to contribute to both teaching and the wider goals of the School. The results For the Energy and Climate Law role, five candidates were shortlisted, while six candidates were shortlisted for the Commercial Law position. The final selection process involved psychometric assessments which were conducted by a Veredus Business Psychologist, followed by panel interviews. Our psychometric assessments provided the interview panel with a detailed overview of their strengths and areas for consideration, including candidate rankings based on the agreed criteria. Following the panel interviews, two appointable candidates were identified for each role. After internal discussions, offers were extended to the preferred candidates. Veredus supported the offer negotiations, and both candidates successfully accepted their positions. The recruitment of Professors in Commercial Law and Energy & Climate Law was a strategic success for QMUL, allowing the School to strengthen its research capabilities and global reputation in these areas. Veredus conducted a thorough and inclusive search, securing high-calibre candidates aligned with the School’s vision for future growth.