The growing Kestria network extends to an NGO Global Hub
Published
Sept. 27, 2022
Read
3 minutes

The power of combined skillsets

Executive summary

Having long established itself in the realm of international business, Kestria is a proven partner in dealing with stakeholders and communication at all levels of business and society, be it with governments or private entities. This project sees Kestria return to the same large scale, but this time with the Global Infrastructure Hub. After supporting the organisation’s recruitment for a number of years in Sydney, Kestria was engaged to find a Chief Economist and Partnership Manager to be based out of Toronto.

Formed by the G20, the Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub) advances the delivery of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure

The GI Hub acts as a knowledge sharing hub, collaborating with the public and private sectors to produce data, insights, knowledge tools, and programs that inform both policy and infrastructure delivery. These resources aid decision makers, policymakers, and practitioners to create positive impact through infrastructure.

Kestria was first approached by the GI Hub shortly after the organisation had been formed and while its leaders were building its staff and establishing its first office in Sydney. The solid client relationship built during this period continues to thrive, and when the GI Hub later opened an office in Canada, Kestria was engaged on the basis of the relationship and the fact that we had demonstrated representation in Canada. Kestria has now recruited for 12 positions at the GI Hub, from executive to individual contributor roles.

Challenges related to global reach

As with all global projects, this was not without its structural and geographical challenges.

1.

Infrastructure

The agency in question was just being established at the time of the project. This meant that establishing an operational infrastructure and in particular, a remote reporting structure for candidates was necessary.

2.

Global nature

The global nature of the organisation’s work means GI Hub staff and recruits are often located in widely different time zones. Meetings, onboarding and related processes needed to be coordinated across numerous time zones and delivered virtually.

3.

Funding

Being a small non-profit organisation with a commitment to making a big impact, the GI Hub expects and carefully adheres to accurate recruitment plans and budgets.

The power of combined skillsets

All positions have been hired and onboarded successfully with the aforementioned hurdles overcome. The combined skillsets of the project team, which involved upper management from the client and our own public-private framework expert, helped to navigate the complexity of the project showcasing Kestria’s skills in:

 

1.

Working with both government and the private sector candidates from around the world

2.

Creating and managing reference tools and databases to track candidate journey with our client

3.

Broad scale project management from pipeline to relationship management in Sydney and Toronto
 

Kestria global reach making cross border cooperation a breeze 

As described above, Kestria was engaged to assist the GI Hub when it opened its Toronto office. We received the role on the basis that we had demonstrated representation in Canada. Our Toronto office was a fantastic benefit, not just in securing the work but in further solidifying the relationship we have with the client, which continues to thrive. We had built strong commercial and personal links with our partner in Toronto, which made the searches for Toronto candidates run very smoothly. This also helped to streamline the combined approach which minimized any friction in both the search and the establishment and maintenance of future cooperation with our client.

Malcolm Duncan
Kestria Australia, Director

As the GI Hub is a global non-profit organisation, the project involved all of the expected challenges that you find in global agencies, including remote onboarding of people. For Kestria this was a matter of patience and drive to navigate these challenges. Using our skills and resources, we have built interesting and varied talent pools, consisting of candidates from Africa, Asia, France, Latin America and the US, further showcasing Kestria’s ability to support geographically diverse recruitment and, by extension, the client’s inclusive culture.

All roles filled by the team: 

  • African Infrastructure Fellowship Program (AIFP) Manager
  • Partnership Manager – Public Sector (Sydney) 
  • Director, Thought Leadership (Sydney) 
  • Head of External Relations (Sydney)
  • Senior Policy Specialist (Sydney)
  • Partnership Manager – Private Sector (Toronto) 
  • Chief Economist (Toronto) 
  • Chief Content Officer (Sydney)
  • Chief Operations Officer (Sydney)
  • Finance Manager (Sydney)
  • Director of Marketing and Communication (Sydney)
  • Infrastructure Specialist (Sydney)
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