Case Study | Head of Investment

Client Overview

A specialist student accommodation investor and operator with a long track record in the acquisition, development, and management of assets across the UK, the business was entering a period of significant growth. To support this expansion, a newly created Head of Investment role was established to join the Investment and Development team, sharing workload from the Head of Property and supporting both team leadership and portfolio growth.

The Challenge

As a brand-new role, the hiring team had limited reference points for defining the ideal candidate profile. A short candidate market — where many well-suited professionals were settled in stable positions and reluctant to move — compounded the challenge. Identifying individuals with both the technical investment skills and the appetite for a new challenge required a proactive, consultative approach from the outset.

Our Approach

Leadership The search was conducted on a retained basis. The team's first priority was a thorough briefing process with the client to establish which candidate skills and characteristics were essential versus desirable — building a clear, agreed framework before any search activity began. deverellsmith's Data & Research specialists then supported the mapping exercise throughout.

Methodology

• Talent Mapping
• Consultative Process
• Executive Search Framework

Results

• 148 professionals mapped across the student accommodation and wider investment market
• 12 candidates progressed to interview stage
• 5 candidates shortlisted and formally presented to the client
• 2 candidates progressed to final stage interview
• Both final candidates of sufficiently high quality that the client focused solely on the pair

Key Success Factors

A detailed upfront briefing process ensured the search was built on clearly defined criteria from day one. Combined with a comprehensive market mapping exercise and direct headhunting of passive candidates, deverellsmith identified strong talent within a tight market — delivering a high-calibre shortlist that gave the client a genuinely difficult decision at final stage.