Recommendations

"D'Arcy ran a strategic away day for our charity to fully explore our options for taking things forwards in an increasingly difficult financial climate. He took on board exactly what we were trying to achieve, undertook the necessary preparatory work and facilitated a very productive day."

Richard Soutar, Manager, Enable Ability

"D'Arcy conducted a thorough and forward-looking Governance Review for us at a time of great change for the charity. His experience to communicate with both Trustees and the Exec team was invaluable and being able to translate this across to our Board away-day made it all come to life."

Steven O'Connor, Director at River & Rowing Museum

"I wanted to write to thank you for your support for Getting On Board during my time there. You have been so brilliant in sharing your expertise, always with kindness and humility. I have also appreciated your flexibility and personally learned a lot when listening to your top tips."

Penny Wilson CEO of Getting on Board

"D'Arcy recently came to lead the first day of a two-day board retreat helping us as trustees to think about the strategic direction of INF/UK. He skilfully led us through a process to explore our vision and mission and what is at the heart of our organisation. Through a mix of presentation, large and small group discussion he really helped us focus on the most important aspects of the day as well as being flexible in his approach to let the agenda flex depending on where the conversation flowed. He is a very knowledgeable and personable with a depth of experience in not only strategy but also fundraising and comms which really support his work."

Rosie Hart, Trustee INF/UK

"D'Arcy spent a day working with our Board of Trustees, BDA Benevolent Fund. With his help we achieved our aims, and he made us all laugh at the same time. Would we work with him again? Most Definitely- yes!"

Shafaq Hussain-Ali Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees BDA Benevolent Fund

"This was the second time we worked with D'Arcy who facilitated our Board Strategy Day in February. It was really helpful to have an independent expert on governance to help us work through our vision, mission, and values which we all agreed upon by the end of the day. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him."

Laura Hannon CEO BDA Benevolent Fund

"Autism Hampshire was introduced to D’Arcy by one of our existing trustees and was the successful candidate that we appointed to the role of Interim CEO.

He took over an organisation that had significant issues:

• High staff turnover
• Low morale
• Disjointed SLT
• Uncertainty as to viability of organisation

I am delighted to say that D’Arcy addressed all these issues and so much more so that today the organization has:

• Clear future path
• United SLT
• Better processes and procedures, especially around governance & finance
• Lower staff turnover
• Architect of what has proved to be the single most successful negotiation with commissioners in the history of the organisation.

He leaves us having more than completed the brief he was given. Some of the attributes and values that he has shown:

• Integrity
• Honesty
• Organized
• Highly personable

Importantly as Chairman I appreciated the working relationship that D'Arcy and I built up over the time together."

Jonathan Hardie, Chair of Trustees Autism Hampshire

"D’Arcy’s mentoring was exactly what I needed to help explore charity leadership. He has helped unlock an appetite for leadership in me, and our discussions around leadership styles were particularly useful. I thought I had a good level of self-awareness, but he helped sharpen that understanding and apply it to my career. Every session was useful and D’Arcy has such an honest and encouraging approach that has helped prepare me for any future leadership challenges."

Olly Du Croz, Marketing and Communications Manager at International Nepal Fellowship (UK)

"D'Arcy facilitated our Away Day in October 2022, leading with some essential strategy questions that every Board should ask. It was very valuable having D'Arcy talk the trustees through the benevolent sector, for context. D'Arcy brought everyone together and everyone felt safe in sharing their opinions which is essential for a day of this kind. He was really good at putting people at ease when considering some important themes. He was supportive in enabling the delegates to clarify their key thoughts and ideas, so everyone was satisfied that their contribution was heard. Thank you, D'Arcy."

Clementine Cowl, CEO The Dance Professionals Fund

"D’Arcy has been acting as an interim CEO for the Percy Hedley Foundation for almost a year. During that time he has engaged well with Trustees and Exec members during some of the most difficult times due mainly to staff pressures caused by Covid. He has brought his experience and understanding of the charity sector and has helped us to improve our governance.
He has been extremely helpful with transition from his interim role to settling our new CEO into post.
Throughout the period he has been thoroughly professional, helpful and a pleasure to work with.
I have no hesitation in recommending D’Arcy to other Charities requiring an interim CEO."

David Arthur, Chair of Trustees The Percy Hedley Foundation 

"D'Arcy is a generous and supportive coach. When I was making a career transition, he provided a clear structure of regular check-ins, gave assignments to get me thinking and offered valuable wisdom. If you are looking to develop your career in charities, I recommend D'Arcy especially due to his years of experience in the sector."

David Stoker, Senior Communication Officer at Trust Local

"As Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of a large northeast charity, I worked closely with D'Arcy during his time as interim CEO. D'Arcy took over at a troubled time for the charity, with some major issues to resolve, public and private relationships to manage, substantial change within the Board, and much-needed harmonisation of the Executive Directors.
D'Arcy has a very amicable open style of leadership. He ably brings people along with him on a shared journey that he has designed with the team, shared with the staff, and persuaded colleagues of the benefits of changing working practices, communication style, goals, and reporting methods cascaded throughout the organisation.
D'Arcy is transformational, he is a change agent who can make change happen and make staff comfortable with those changes. Delegation of authority and responsibility are core to his approach, yet his hands-on leadership means he is always there to support staff, maintain the message, and ensure success.
D'Arcy has achieved many successes within the charity. His knowledge of charitable organisations, the world within which we operate, and the necessity for service quality are all paramount drivers for D'Arcy.
D'Arcy can communicate easily and openly at all levels of the organisation, and has internally marketed staff success stories across the organisation.
For any company that needs an interim CEO, D'Arcy is a choice that will stabilise, then transform the organisation in terms of culture, operations, targets and successful outcomes. D'Arcy stood out from the crowd when interviewed for the role, and has lived up to that view completely.
I have worked in many organisations across most sectors of industry, but this is my first Charity. D'Arcy has been a great 'mentor' in educating me whenever necessary about protocol, practices and procedures within the charitable sector. He is generous with his knowledge, approachable and friendly, yet always the CEO when required. I recommend D'Arcy to any Charity that requires a CEO to take the organisation forward, and bring the staff together to work towards strategic goals, change working practices, and delivering success."

Dr Bill Snaith, Vice Chair of Trustees The Percy Hedley Foundation.

"As the then Chair of the trustees, I was part of the team that recruited D’Arcy into Percy Hedley as interim CEO and worked with him for 7 months. He is a first-class charity leader and steadied the ship in stormy waters, whilst at the same time introducing critical elements of a culture change programme ahead of a new CEO joining. I found him pragmatic, engaging, and knowledgeable and would have no hesitation in hiring him again."

Jonathan Jowett, Chair of Trustees The Percy Hedley Foundation.

"For almost a year, D’Arcy acted as Executive Secretary to a Presidential Commission set up to undertake a major review into the governance of the Institution of Civil Engineers. D’Arcy provided assured and professional advice on the key principles of trustee governance, winning the respect of Commission members and guiding them in relation to the size and composition of the Trustee Board, the options for appointing and electing its members, and optimising the skills, knowledge, experience and diversity of the board. D’Arcy’s thoughtful and credible approach, coupled with his wide experience of trustee governance, helped the Commission to agree a final report to the Institution comprising 20 significant recommendations."

David Orr, CBE, Chair, Presidential Commission into ICE Governance

“When D’Arcy was appointed interim CEO of Wikimedia UK he arrived at a time of change and uncertainty. During his tenure D’Arcy has dealt most effectively with a number of difficult issues including a full staff restructure with fairness, care and sensitivity, and he has without fuss gained the full support of the board. D’Arcy has been generous with his fundraising experience and his extensive personal contacts, and has all the ease and presence needed to raise the charity’s profile and maintain its reputation with our potential and actual supporters. I can strongly recommend him."

Michael Magg, Chair of Trustees Wikimedia UK

“D’Arcy facilitated a fantastic away day for me, focussed on developing my consultancy and coaching business. He was well-prepared, supportive, challenging and motivating – exactly what I needed. I came away with a clear purpose, masses of ideas on taking my business forward and a real boost in my confidence to do it all. I would heartily recommend D’Arcy to anyone looking to develop themselves or their business. His calm and positive approach is both an antidote to crazy work life and a springboard for ideas and development!”

Emma Ferrey, Owner, Tillian Consultancy

"D'Arcy joined the film and television industry charity the CTBF as Interim CEO at a very challenging time for the Charity. Rather than simply act as a "safe pair of hands" to steady the ship, D'Arcy truly embraced the challenges and set about utilising his great skill, experience and enthusiasm to working across the organisation to set about a transformative change programme from within. He saw the potential of the team, the trustees and the industry and has been instrumental in galvanising that to great effect. A wonderful, thoughtful and quietly determined leader."

Cameron Saunders, MD UK Theatrical 20th Century Fox, Trustee CTBF

"D’Arcy is an excellent facilitator. He brings imagination and insight to the task and knows how to engage a group, when to stay silent and when to intervene. The result is that people feel encouraged and enabled to work as a team, focus on the task at hand and come up with solutions."

Simon Whittle, Chair of Trustees Time and Talents

"I have no hesitation in recommending D'Arcy to any senior position. He has considerable vision, is able to communicate and take forward the most difficult concepts. D'Arcy is a charismatic leader, able to unite people working with him into efficient teams. Diplomatic but always totally honest."

Muriel Simmons, Chair of Trustees AllergyUK

"Concise advice, that is useful and articulated to a high level. D'Arcy has provided true value in a professional and approachable manner."

SJ Davis, CEO Parity Trust

"D’Arcy helped our small charity at a time when we welcomed a number of new trustees to the Board and were on the cusp of reviewing our strategy and future. As well as delivering well-researched and relevant content to our organisation, D’Arcy spent some time getting to know our work and our aims in advance and then, on the day, struck the right balance between strategy and real-world planning for a small charity like ours. D’Arcy was able to expertly lead and facilitate an away day that was well received by all and marked the start of a pivotal period for our charity and he helped us on the road to finding our new direction."

Nicola Miller,  Charity founder & leader, A Mile in Her Shoes

"D'Arcy joined the SBA at a time of significant change and with some immediate challenges that needed addressing head-on. His leadership steered us through these and enabled the team to refocus. His time with the charity has seen the dawn on a renewed strategic vision. I highly recommend D'Arcy."

Zoe Holland FRSA , Vice Chair Board of Directors at SBA The Solicitors' Charity

"At an unexpected time of uncertainty for SBA D’Arcy stepped in as our Interim CEO. With his experience and enthusiasm he quickly got to grips with the issues, guiding the board and supporting the staff. Whilst the board prepared to recruit our next CEO D’Arcy ensured that we delivered our objectives and maintained our relationships with key stakeholders”

Matthew Robbins, Senior Partner Jasper Vincent, Chair Board of Directors at SBA The Solicitors' Charity

"D’Arcy joined the research-funding charity ‘MQ: transforming mental health’ after we had suddenly lost a CEO and were setting about recruiting a new permanent CEO. D’Arcy was recruited to help us through the interim period. He succeeded in undertaking a much needed staff restructuring while also raising the morale of the staff within the new structure. As I write we are soon to recruit the next CEO, who will find MQ in a much more robust state than it was when D’Arcy came on board. I commend D’Arcy for his sound leadership skills and his ability to sustain and build the trust of staff and trustees  when difficult changes are needed."

Sir Philip Campbell, Chair, MQ: transforming mental health, 2015-19

"D’Arcy Myers served as interim CEO of MQ, a mental health research charity of which I am a Trustee, from January - June (2019). During this time he worked with the board to plan and execute a major restructure of the senior leadership and fundraising teams, providing thoughtful and professional support to the HR Manager and staff members involved. He led the board through the transition to a new Chair, and supported key board meetings on both immediate operational needs and future strategy. D’Arcy provided a mature, calm and experienced presence during a time of considerable transition for the charity. He is a reflective leader who has provided useful points on how the charity’s governance can evolve into the future. "

Helen Munn, Trustee at MQ

D’Arcy was my valued mentor and coach as I navigated my first year of leading my first organisation, – and also my transition from board member of the charity to its CEO.
He is highly skilled and empathetic, builds trust quickly and offers practical advice and wider developmental steers. His wide-ranging experience from the charity sector, along with his strong intuition, enables him to ask the right questions at the right time and to gently support with problem-solving and teasing out ways forward. D’Arcy is a great sounding board and is able to draw on a wealth of examples that bring scenarios to life and help grow understanding and knowledge.
He is also an excellent group facilitator and has been invaluable as an anchor for several board strategy sessions and team building days I have collaborated with him on over the years. He’s very skilled in assessing group dynamics, bringing out the best in participants and moving groups forward.
I highly recommend D’Arcy as a mentor, coach and facilitator."

Sarah Gibb, Director, Time and Talents

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