What does it really take to make a Co-CEO model work?

At People Beyond Profit we recently had the privilege of working with Home-Start UK to appoint their new Co-CEOs, Natalie Acton and Jodie Reed. This wasn’t a typical executive search. It gave us the chance to explore the practical realities and potential barriers of creating a shared leadership model. My colleague Jess Stockford and I learned a lot:– How to frame a Co-CEO opportunity so that it’s both appealing and clear– What concerns and assumptions Boards and candidates bring to job shares– What needs to be in place to make a Co-CEO structure sustainable and successful We spoke with Natalie, Jodie and members of the Home-Start Nomination Committee Lin Hinnigan and Tara Spence to gather their reflections.

Collaboration used to be a strategy tool for leaders. Now it’s a survival skill.

As consultants, we’ve noticed demand on leadership capabilities becoming almost exhaustive (strategic vision, movement building, influence, fundraising, operational and financial oversight) and with resources stretched, many charities and purpose-led businesses are realising that collaboration in leadership isn’t optional — it’s essential.

But collaboration asks different things of leaders:

• The ability to share power and credit.

• Boards confident in joint accountability and shared impact.

• Executives who can keep mission above ego

We work with organisations who are exploring new models of leadership — from cross-sector partnerships to Co-CEO roles.

At People Beyond Profit and Jess Stockford Consulting, we’re seeing boards that embrace collaborative leadership gain resilience and adaptability. But it requires a mindset shift.

For boards, this raises important questions:

• How comfortable are we with shared power in leadership and are we aligned on the concept?

• Do our governance structures support joint accountability and what functional controls do we need to adapt?

• Are we clear on how to measure success when leadership is collective?

We recently completed the search and appointment of Co-CEOs for Home-Start UK and, alongside previous co-appointments and lived experience of co-leadership, we have gained some interesting learning for Boards from the process. You can read more on this in the guide below 👇

💭 If your organisation was to consider a Co-CEO model tomorrow, what questions would your board need to ask first?