Head of Strategic and Financial Planning

A message from Professor Stephen D Hopper, Director

Dear Applicant,

I am delighted that you have expressed an interest in the Head of Strategic and Financial Planning position at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

Kew is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in the field of botanical research. It is first and foremost a scientific institution and its collections of living and preserved plants, plant products and botanical information form an encyclopaedia of knowledge about the plant kingdom. RBG Kew is devoted to increasing knowledge and public understanding of plant and fungal diversity, with a focus on scientific discovery, conservation and sustainable use.

In 2007, we updated our mission statement and began the development of the Breathing Planet Programme which is designed to achieve essential outcomes in global conservation, in helping to reduce the extent and impact of climate change and in sustainable development. The programme sets out how Kew's strategy will help to address the major environmental challenges facing the world. Kew is now extremely well positioned to play a fundamental role in providing a sustainable future for the planet and its citizens.

To deliver Kew’s mission we have created a new role, Head of Strategic and Financial Planning, to provide leadership and oversight of all aspects of strategic, corporate and financial planning to enable the strategic development of Kew and the achievement of the objectives of the Breathing Planet Programme. This individual will also lead aspects of the strategic business change and prioritisation across the organisation.

We are looking for an exceptionally strong leader with the ability to augment relationships across the organisation and drive forward the Strategic Planning Framework, ensuring integration of activities across the organisation to avoid duplication. The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant with significant experience in strategic planning and business change within a complex organisation. We are also looking for a people person - someone who is highly skilled interpersonally with a strong aptitude for communicating strategy and finance to non-financial professionals; resilient and at ease working collaboratively across the organisation and influencing internal and external stakeholders.

If you would welcome the challenge of working for a diverse organisation that is truly passionate about preserving the planet for the future and really can make a difference then please contact Sandra Hamovic, Consultant on 0207 932 4372 or Katy Giddens, Business Director on 0207 932 4206 at Veredus who are acting as our advisors on this appointment.

Best wishes

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
January 2010