GoldFern is named after its founders. It’s a statement of intent because our reputation is the only guarantee we need to offer.
The name started simply enough. Gold from Goldstone. Fern from Fernando. But a fern means something too.
Across cultures it’s a symbol of new beginnings, of resilience, of something tightly coiled finally being given the space to open up. That felt right for what Maurice and Lester were building and for the people and organisations they’d spent their careers trying to help.
Because that’s what this has always been about. Whether it’s a new chapter for a leader or a stronger team for a public body, a charity, or an organisation serving its community, finding the right person for an organisation and trying to do something that matters.
Because that’s what this has always been about. Whether it’s a new chapter for a leader or a stronger team for a public body, a charity, or an organisation serving its community, finding the right person for an organisation and trying to do something that matters.
Let’s get you to the right service
Meet the teamThe Founder's Story
Maurice Goldstone and Lester Fernando spent years working side by side, long enough to know they saw the world the same way. The same frustrations, the same standards and the same belief that the organisations doing the most important work in this country deserved better than they were getting from the people supposed to be supporting them. So, they did something about it.
GoldFern takes its name from both of theirs. Gold from Goldstone, Fern from Fernando. When your name is on the door, everything that walks through it reflects on you personally. That’s the whole point.Between them they bring decades of relationships, hard-won sector knowledge, and a network built on trust over transactions. They started GoldFern because they believe that the right people in the right organisations positively influence communities those organisations serve. They knew that had the determination, values, connections and love for the sector to help these organisations thrive. That belief hasn't changed. It's just got its own front door now.
GoldFern takes its name from both of theirs. Gold from Goldstone, Fern from Fernando. When your name is on the door, everything that walks through it reflects on you personally. That’s the whole point.Between them they bring decades of relationships, hard-won sector knowledge, and a network built on trust over transactions. They started GoldFern because they believe that the right people in the right organisations positively influence communities those organisations serve. They knew that had the determination, values, connections and love for the sector to help these organisations thrive. That belief hasn't changed. It's just got its own front door now.
“The best thing about Lester, beyond his great dress sense, is that he always shows up. He is laser focused on doing right by his clients and candidates and for anyone who needs him. He’s spent years earning a reputation in his markets and he protects it fiercely because he cares.”
Maurice Goldstone
Founder
Maurice Goldstone
Founder
"The best thing about Maurice is that he makes everyone around him feel like they matter. Clients, candidates and colleagues – he's invested in all of them. Genuinely. That's rarer than people think. And he has pretty good taste in music."
Lester Fernando
Founder
Lester Fernando
Founder
The reason we exist and the principles driving everything we do.
We aim to strengthen organisations that serve the public good
We do this by backing our judgement, protecting our reputation, and only ever putting someone forward we’d genuinely stand behind.
We’re in this for the long game
Lasting placements is what we care about. We invest the time to get to know your organisation, culture, pressures and ambitions because results that don’t last aren’t results at all.
We do right by the sectors we serve
We never underestimate the pressure that public sector and not-for-profit organisations are under. Every person we place carries a piece of our reputation into an organisation that is trying to do something that matters. That responsibility sits with us and we want it to.
Relationships first
We’ve built our careers on really knowing people, properly. What drives them, what they’re capable of, where they’d thrive. That kind of knowledge takes years to build and it’s what makes the difference between a placement and the right one.
Straight talking
We'll always tell you what we think and if we can't help, we'll say so. If we think you're looking for the wrong person, we'll tell you that too. Honesty isn't always comfortable but it's the foundation everything else here is built on.
