Our approach
The recruitment ran at pace: the role went to advert and search in early February, running for around three weeks. Sixty-one applications were received; Eastside People put forward a longlist of seven candidates, five went to initial interview, and three progressed to final interview. For the first time, the board also chose to include a behavioural assessment for the finalists, an optional part of Eastside People’s recruitment package for senior leaders. Eastside People sourced and arranged this through an independent practitioner. The panel talked the results through with Lucinda and the practitioner, and each finalist was offered a feedback session on their own profile.
“We wanted to understand how people behave in adverse circumstances, and the assessment was really helpful in making sure we got the right person.” (Zoe Lelliott, Chair, Age UK Sutton)
One of the three finalists was Jack de Montaignac, who came from a commercial background with no previous charity-sector experience, not even as a trustee, an unusual profile for a chief executive appointment of this kind. Eastside People didn’t know him beforehand: he came across the role on a general job board as part of Eastside People’s wide advertising, and it was his cover letter that caught Lucinda’s eye. The board so valued Lucinda’s experience and understanding of their needs that when she made the case for including Jack, they listened. She later helped prepare him for his interviews too, pointing him towards resources on sector governance so he could get up to speed on charities before meeting the panel.
“He was genuinely not an obvious candidate. But there was something in his cover letter: he’d really thought through the read-across between his experience and the role, both the strategic side and the delivery side. I thought, you’ve got something here.” (Lucinda Shaw, Eastside People)
“The real value of specialist recruitment support was not just finding more candidates but finding the right candidates. Alongside invaluable expert guidance throughout the process, Lucinda’s shortlist included exceptional people we probably wouldn’t have included ourselves. She was very persuasive, very polite and gentle about it; she’d pick out things about a candidate that hadn’t come through on paper.” (Zoe Lelliott, Chair, Age UK Sutton)
“Lucinda was honest with me from the start that I was the wild card. But she was on it. She explained the process and what needed to happen when, prepared me for who I’d be meeting and what concerns they might have, and she came back quickly at every point. That showed intent.” (Jack de Montaignac, CEO, Age UK Sutton)
The Outcome
Jack de Montaignac was appointed and started as CEO of Age UK Sutton in April 2026, bringing real commercial experience (having lived through start-ups and closures, and having had to run efficiencies) alongside a strongly personable, relationship-building style that the board felt was just as important as his business background.
“I really liked him. I thought he was smart, personable, had a lot of grit, and that he’d learn quickly. He was respectful from the get-go, and he didn’t underestimate what running a charity actually involves.” (Lucinda Shaw, Eastside People)
Since starting, Jack has settled in well. The team feels the benefit, he’s already making important external relationships for the charity, and the board now has a clearer sense of what’s needed to put Age UK Sutton on a sustainable footing.
“I wanted to do something I valued: an organisation where I could see the difference I was making, on a hyper-local basis. We don’t need 100,000 customers this month. We’ve helped three or four people today, and that’s great.” (Jack de Montaignac, CEO, Age UK Sutton)
Both Zoe and Jack say they’d recommend Eastside People to other organisations facing a similar appointment.
“Lucinda presented candidates realistically, their potential weaknesses as well as their strengths. She definitely went over and above, and it was a really responsive service. I’d recommend Eastside People, and I already have.” (Zoe Lelliott, Chair, Age UK Sutton)
“Would I encourage others to use them? Yes. If I was recruiting for something in the charity sector, Lucinda would be the first person I’d go to. She has that knowledge. They’d have the first go at it; it’d be theirs to lose.” (Jack de Montaignac, CEO, Age UK Sutton)
