June 2025

HR isn’t what it used to be. It’s no longer just a back-office function, it’s at the forefront of driving strategy, change, and culture. And with the pace of transformation today, getting the right HR leader on board is more critical than ever.

At re:find, we’ve spent years working closely alongside companies undergoing everything from quiet restructures to full-scale reinventions. We’ve seen what works and what absolutely doesn’t when it comes to hiring HR leaders who can thrive in uncertainty and actually create meaningful impact.

What Makes Modern HR Leaders Stand Out?

Modern HR leaders juggle multiple critical roles:

• They lead workforce transformation with clear vision.
• They shape organisational culture in real time.
• And they partner with the C-suite to make strategy happen.

But it’s not just about the job title. It’s about how they show up when the pressure’s on, when the brief is loose, and when the organisation itself is in flux.

The Traits That Truly Matter

Over the years, we’ve noticed some consistent traits in the leaders who really deliver:

1. Contextual Intelligence

They don’t just follow a playbook. They read the room, understand the politics, and know how to make things happen in their unique environment.

2. Resilience Over Prestige

A fancy CV is great, but it doesn’t always mean they can fix what’s broken. We value people who’ve rolled up their sleeves and led through the messy middle.

3. Grit + Gravitas

The best HR leaders aren’t just charismatic in a boardroom—they know how to build trust, navigate conflict, and get people moving in the right direction.

4. Strategic Humility

They’re confident but never arrogant. They know the answers sometimes come from listening, not leading.

Where Traditional Hiring Falls Short

Common mistakes include:

• Rushing the brief and skipping stakeholder alignment
• Getting dazzled by slick interviews over real substance
• Overlooking the cultural and political fit

This is where we come in.

How re:find Does It Differently

Our approach isn’t about speed. It’s about precision. Here’s how we make sure you get it right:

1. Discovery That Goes Deep

We take the time to talk to your people. Not just the hiring manager, but key influencers across the business. We unpack the politics, the blockers, and the untold truths.

2. Evaluation Built for Change

We don’t just ask “What have you done?” We ask, “What did you learn? How did it feel?” It’s about how they think, not just what they’ve done.

3. A Top-Tier Candidate Experience

The best candidates are being courted by multiple firms. We make sure your process stands out—with professionalism, consistency, and zero ghosting.

4. Real Partnership

This isn’t a transaction for us. We’re in it with you. We challenge your assumptions and help you refine what “great” looks like.

The Impact of Getting It Right

When you get the right HR leader in post, things move:

• Transformation gathers momentum
• Teams regain focus and energy
• The board sees results, not just reports

Ready to Find the One?

If you’re in the middle of a transformation, about to scale, or dealing with legacy systems that need overhauling, this isn’t just a hire—it’s a strategic move.

Let’s make it count.

Book a consultation with re:find and let’s talk about how we can help you find the HR leader who can take you where you need to go.

Right now, the HR job market feels counterintuitive. On one hand, there’s a surge of available talent. On the other, businesses are still struggling to make the right hire—especially when it comes to roles linked to HR transformation and organisational development.

Hiring briefs are narrowing. Expectations are rising. Decision-making is stalling. And despite the illusion of plenty, the reality is: the best HR leaders—the ones who drive workforce transformation, not just maintain BAU—aren’t applying.

 

The Best HR Leaders Are Rarely on the Market

The top 5–10% of HR leaders aren’t uploading CVs to job boards or responding to cold InMails. They’re embedded in complex change management roles, partnering with CEOs, steering businesses through ambiguity, and defining what the future of work looks like.

They’re not passive—but they are precise. And they’re open—if the opportunity is credible, strategic, and lands at the right time.

That’s where most hiring processes fall short.

The Problem With ‘Safe’ Briefs

In today’s high-stakes environment, it’s tempting to play it safe. To ask for someone who’s “done this exact thing in our exact sector” and has held a change manager role before.

But that rarely leads to the best outcome. It leads to the most obvious one.

By focusing too heavily on experience over potential—and on familiarity over fit—businesses risk missing out on the bold thinkers, the change agents, the HR leaders who stretch the brief and bring transformative value.

 

Why ‘What Good Looks Like’ Has Changed

With so many HR professionals available, the challenge isn’t availability—it’s clarity. It’s understanding what “good” looks like in the context of HR transformation. And what your business truly needs to evolve.

At Re:find, we help clients cut through the noise by asking the right questions:

• What does success actually look like in this role?
  
• Where are we in our organisational development journey?
  
• Who will drive—not derail—our change agenda?

That’s what guides the search, not just a recycled job description.

 

What We Do Differently at Re:find

We don’t just fill roles. We help businesses design a recruitment process that identifies the people capable of leading transformational change in ambiguous, political, or dysfunctional environments. Here’s how:

1. Market-Led Advisory

We’re in ongoing conversations with senior HR leaders—not just those who are available, but those who are delivering impact in workforce transformation projects across industries.

2. Clarity-Led Briefing

We dig deeper. We challenge assumptions. We help you redefine the brief to attract strategic operators, not just safe pairs of hands.

3. Nuance-Driven Shortlists

90% of our placements come from our network—not job ads. This means you’re seeing candidates who aren’t active but are deeply relevant.

4. Speed Without Compromise

Our average time-to-hire is 40% faster than traditional retained search. Because we know this space—and we don’t waste time.

 

Real Results from Strategic Hires

A recent example: a senior HR leader driving integration during a high-profile M&A. Not on the market. Not searching. But the right conversation, positioned with credibility and context, turned into a move that transformed both their career and our client’s HR transformation journey.

This is modern hiring: nuanced, informed, and rooted in understanding.

 

If You’re Serious About Hiring Right

You don’t need 20 CVs. You need the candidate.

Partner with someone who:

• Understands the nuance of change management roles
  
• Can challenge and refine the brief
  
• Is focused on long-term impact, not just placement

Talk to us about your next leadership hire really needs to look like.

Hiring the wrong HR leader doesn’t just hurt your bottom line—it shakes the very core of your organisation.

Selecting the right Chief People Officer is one of the most strategically significant decisions a business can make. The right individual will drive cultural alignment, support transformation, and guide leadership through change.

Yet too often, this appointment is approached like any other, with CVs, interviews, and a checklist of qualifications. But CPO hires demand more. They require a long-term view, strategic alignment, and cultural fit.

At re:find, we specialise in helping organisations make the right HR leadership hire, first time.

 

The real cost of a bad HR hire

According to research compiled by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), replacing a senior executive can cost upwards of £250,000 when you factor in:

• Recruitment fees and onboarding costs
• Lost productivity and strategic drift
• Culture damage and team disengagement
• Interim cover or re-hiring efforts

But that’s just the financial hit. What about the cultural fallout?

A misaligned HR leader can:

• Undermine trust at board level
• Stall transformation programmes
• Create political chaos across business units
• Push out top-performing talent through poor decisions or tone-deaf policies

In short: a bad HR leader poisons the well.

And when these mis-hires occur in C-suite hiring—where leadership influence is at its peak—the risks compound quickly.

 

A smarter, data-backed way to hire

At re:find, we don’t just fill roles—we de-risk your executive search from day one.

Our process is different because it’s built for leadership recruitment in complex environments:

✅ Stakeholder-driven briefing

We speak with the people your hire will impact most—not just the hiring manager. We ask what success really looks like and where others have failed.

✅ Behavioural & cultural alignment

We map your leadership values to candidate profiles—ensuring every shortlist is aligned with your C-suite hiring standards.

✅ Rigorous assessment

Every candidate is tested for more than just delivery experience. We assess emotional intelligence, resilience, and transformation muscle.

✅ 98% success rate

Yes, really. We fill 98% of the roles we take on. And not just quickly—but with leaders who last.

This isn’t volume-driven talent acquisition. It’s precision executive search for when the stakes are high.

And when your business is navigating change, hiring right the first time is crucial—not only for immediate results but for long-term organisational development.

 

Why it matters now

As organisations shift toward transformation, agility, and hybrid models, HR leaders have become business-critical.

Poorly scoped change management roles can stall growth, delay transformation goals, and reduce team cohesion. That’s why aligning every hire with the business’s workforce transformation agenda is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Don’t trust that search to a generalist.

Trust it to a partner who obsesses over getting it right.

 

Let’s fix the costly hiring mistake (before it happens)

If you’re hiring an HR leader in 2025, talk to us first.

We’ll show you how to avoid the £250K mistake. And why CPOs, CHROs, and transformation directors across the UK trust re:find to get it right—every time.

Book a confidential discovery call