Finding the Right Talent for a Rare and Highly Specialised Leadership Role

Gerard Kerr

About The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI)


The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) sought to appoint an Executive Director responsible for leading significant environmental policy initiatives and investment programs.


The role was central to advancing environmental stewardship, innovation and long-term sustainability outcomes across Queensland.


This executive leadership position carried responsibility for strategic environmental programs, stakeholder engagement and the administration of major government investment initiatives.

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The Hiring Requirement



DESI required an executive leader capable of providing strategic leadership across:

  • Catchment resilience policy
  • Water and wetlands initiatives
  • Environmental markets
  • Natural capital investment strategies
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Environmental program delivery


A significant component of the role involved oversight of the Land Restoration Fund, valued at approximately $500 million, along with collaboration with industry partners to co-invest in environmental projects.


The role demanded both specialist environmental expertise and strong executive leadership capability.


Role We Hired

Executive Director

Channels We Used

Executive Search and Targeted Advertising

The Challenge

The assignment presented a highly specialised executive recruitment challenge.


DESI required a candidate who could combine:

  • Environmental policy expertise
  • Executive leadership experience
  • Program management capability
  • Stakeholder engagement skills
  • Industry partnership experience
  • Strategic investment oversight


The rare combination of technical knowledge and executive capability significantly narrowed the potential talent pool.


Identifying and attracting suitable candidates required a targeted and highly informed executive search strategy


Our Objective

Kingston Human Capital's objective was to secure an outstanding executive leader capable of delivering complex environmental programs while supporting DESI's broader strategic mission.


The successful candidate needed to demonstrate:

  • Extensive experience in environmental policy
  • Leadership of complex programs and initiatives
  • Strategic decision-making capability
  • Experience working across government and industry
  • The ability to influence diverse stakeholder groups


The goal was not simply to fill a position, but to identify a leader capable of advancing significant environmental outcomes for Queensland.


Our Strategy

Deep Stakeholder Consultation

Kingston Human Capital adopted a collaborative consulting approach throughout the assignment.


Drawing on extensive executive search experience and professional networks developed over more than two decades, the team conducted detailed consultation with DESI stakeholders to fully understand:

  • The technical requirements of the role
  • Organisational priorities
  • Leadership expectations
  • Stakeholder expectations
  • Program delivery requirements



These discussions helped shape a highly targeted recruitment strategy.

Tailored Market Search


Our recruitment approach was specifically aligned to DESI's mission of environmental stewardship and scientific advancement.


The search focused on identifying individuals with:

  • Relevant environmental expertise
  • Executive leadership experience
  • Program management capability
  • Investment management skills
  • Strong stakeholder engagement experience


The approach prioritised quality and alignment over volume, ensuring the role reached the most relevant candidates in the market.



Leveraging Executive Networks


Kingston Human Capital utilised its established professional networks and executive search expertise to engage highly specialised candidates who possessed the rare blend of technical and leadership skills required for the position.



This targeted approach expanded access to talent beyond traditional advertising channels and strengthened the quality of the candidate field


The Appointment

Through a targeted and consultative executive search process, Kingston Human Capital successfully identified a highly qualified candidate with a unique industry background.


The successful candidate demonstrated:

  • Significant environmental leadership experience
  • Expertise in managing complex programs and initiatives
  • Strong stakeholder engagement capability
  • Experience working across government and industry environments
  • Proven delivery of large-scale environmental projects

The appointment provided DESI with an executive leader capable of advancing critical environmental priorities while building productive partnerships across government and industry.


What the client valued most?

The success of the assignment was driven by:

  • Deep understanding of the environmental sector
  • Extensive stakeholder consultation
  • Strong executive search capability
  • Access to specialist talent networks
  • A highly tailored recruitment approach



The process ensured the recruitment strategy was closely aligned with DESI's strategic objectives and long-term environmental priorities.


Impact Delivered

✅ Successfully recruited for a highly specialised executive leadership role

✅ Secured access to a difficult-to-reach talent market

✅ Matched technical expertise with executive leadership capability

✅ Supported management of a $500 million environmental investment portfolio

✅ Strengthened environmental leadership capability

✅ Contributed to the delivery of significant environmental policy and program outcomes

Ready to Appoint Your Next Executive Leader?

Gerard Kerr, Co Founder and General Manager of Search and Selection at Kingston Human Capital, Queensland Government Executive Recruitment Services

Meet Gerard Kerr

Gerard Kerr is Co-Founder and General Manager of Search and Selection at Kingston Human Capital.


With more than 20 years’ experience in recruitment, Gerard has deep networks and extensive expertise managing complex search and selection projects across a range of sectors including local state and federal government, statutory authorities, government-owned corporations and ASX-listed companies.

We work as an agile team across retained recruitment projects, ensuring we can commit the time and effort of our entire search team. This allows us to reach further into the market, which means we get to evaluate more candidates and get high-quality results.

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