Title

HUMAN RESOURCES

Commercial nous with public service values

The bottom line should never be the top priority, for the private or public sector, writes Yvonne Skingle

Many authorities are now seeking more commercial talent and attitudes in their organisations as they try to do more with less. We focus specifically through our recruitment, to transition private sector candidates to the public sector. What our clients really want, of course, is commercial nous with public service values.

From my six years of working at Penna I know this is possible. We are a recruiter with personality, which means we operate as a collaborative team, with strong commercial knowledge, personal conviction and commitment to the public sector.

For example, I wouldn't be in this job if I didn't win work, but I achieve this by focusing on my passion for improving public services.

Given that we work with elected members and chief executives to appoint to the top roles and then support organisational people trans-formation, we are able to see the impact our work has made on local communities, partners, businesses, operating models, and workforce cultures. This drives my and our success.

I can think of places where our work has helped to transform locality and organisation – through recruitment of new modern leaders who work together to change a place for the better. Our commercial thinking is genuinely enabling public service outcomes.

The bottom line, in our experience, should never be the top priority, for the private or public sector. In our experience, values drive success.

Yvonne Skingle is director at Penna

yvonne.skingle@penna.com

HUMAN RESOURCES

Unitary announces chief executive

By Martin Ford | 01 May 2026

Shropshire Council has announced of Tanya Miles as its permanent chief executive.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Turning the dial on growth

By Mark Bretton | 01 May 2026

Delivering local growth has just got a lot harder, says Mark Bretton. But he believes Business Board leaders can bring value to local authorities, bypass the...

HUMAN RESOURCES

Making the shift

By Christine Marshall | 30 April 2026

As the sector gears up for a new wave of unitarisation, Christine Marshall reflects on the move from districts to a unitary council as executive director for...

HUMAN RESOURCES

Being on the money with finance recruitment

By By Adele Taylor | 30 April 2026

Finding the right person with the right mix is what matters most when recruiting to local finance teams.

Popular articles by Yvonne Skingle