Question: Tell us about your current role (please provide your job title) and what you enjoy most about it?
Answer: My current job title is Improvement Director in the National Recovery Support Team at NHS England. My role is to support challenged organisations and systems that are in NOF 4 and the Recovery Support Programme (RSP) to improve and sustainably meet their RSP exit criteria and move into NOF 3. It’s an incredibly motivating role as I passionately believe in what our team is trying to achieve. I’m currently supporting Devon in their improvement journey, and this feels all the more real and important as my brother and sister-in-law live in Devon. I want to do my bit to mean that the health service they receive is the best it possibly can be. I also want a “win” for the NHS staff in Devon who have been in some sort of regulation for years. There are so many fantastic teams and improvement work and I’m determined Devon gets recognition for all that hard work.
Question: Can you describe your career story?
I studied Biological Sciences at University and after a summer in Sweden studying evolutionary sexual selection in chickens I knew academia wasn’t for me. Somehow I ended up applying for a graduate training scheme at KPMG to become an accountant. I was obsessed with the West Wing as a teenager and I think I had visions that if I went into a career focussed on public sector one day I would be as glorious as Allison Janney and her character C.J. Cregg. Long days spent in Reading doing housing benefit audits weren’t quite as glamorous as the White House but I have a lot to thank KPMG for. I met my husband and some lifelong friends but also it gave me a fantastic grounding in finance and I soon started to specialise in health. My move from KPMG was a bit unexpected. I was sent a role from a recruiter saying “Do you love Sport?”. The same day my husband was sent a role saying “Do you love the NHS?”. We swapped roles and bagged two referral fees. I have been at Monitor/NHSI/NHSE since 2012 and during that time I have had 7 different roles and 2 children. As an organisation it’s been incredibly supportive of the challenges of being a working parent with young children and I think that’s been a large part of why I have stayed for so long. That and genuinely interesting and motivating work and some fantastic colleagues.
Answer:
Question: Were there any role models who gave you a sense of what it is to be a leader or helped you on your journey?
Answer: My parents were both officers in the British Army and I’m sure have had a significant impact on who I am today. Public service, integrity, courage, leading by example, discipline, hard work and focussing on your team. My mother has also been a huge inspiration to me on the inclusion agenda. She was recognised with an OBE in 2022 for championing women working in the defence sector.
Question: What are the top 3 attributes you value most in a leader?
Answer:
- Respect: Nothing will wind me up quite like someone in a position of responsibility being rude, a bully, disrespectful, constantly late or cancelling with no apology. Treat everyone with respect and set the tone that is what you expect and don’t walk past anything that counters this.
- Compassion: For me this is creating a safe space for colleagues to be open, share ideas, issues and problem solve. Really listen.
- Clarity: Make a decision, be clear, communicate it.
Question: What barriers have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them?
Answer: I have been incredibly fortunate in my career to have great opportunities and support networks. My barriers have probably been self-inflicted and juggling work and life. I think working as a woman in finance I have been given well meaning career advice in the past to get more gravitas and be more dominant and authoritative. The majority of senior NHS finance leaders were (and still are) men. This advice was pitched and how to be like them to progress. It took a while to recognise the value in my strengths and authentic style. Also working when you have small children is tough. No matter what job you have its hard to feel sometimes that you need to work like you have no children and mother like you have no work. My mother gave me good advice on this. “Only wash the kitchen floor when you stick to it”. Meaning you’re never going to achieve perfection and you have to just let some things go.
Question: How have you balanced the competing needs of a modern leadership role? How would you define a modern leadership role (e.g. what skills are required)?
Answer: I’m not sure I like the term modern leadership. For me there are leadership styles that we have learned from and moved past and then what we do now. It’s a continuous evolution and refinement as times change. All leaders have a responsibility to keep learning and evolving.
Question. The theme for International Women’s Day this year is #InspireInclusion – How are you inspiring inclusion?
Answer: “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world” is a quote by Hilary Clinton that resonates with me. Our work in the NHS is so important and we can’t afford to leave any talent on the sidelines. On a personal level I have two young daughters, age 4 and 7 and inspiring them to be brilliant women is my number one job.
Question. What advice would you give to finance staff in furthering their careers and becoming leaders?
Answer:
- Its not a race. Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s.
- Seek feedback and really listen to it. Don’t gloss over the areas of strength and only focus on the development areas. Really dig into what your key strengths are and think about what is your authentic leadership style, what is your USP. That will be the way you will have the most success in the long run. There isn’t one way to be a leader.
- When it feels right for you then go for it. Back yourself. Put yourself forward for things, find a mentor, a support network, and go for it. Apply for that role that feels a bit scary, you will probably end up being brilliant at it.
Question. What do you enjoy doing outside of the working week?
Answer: I moved to the seaside post COVID and live in Southsea on the south coast. So weekends are spent with the usual rounds of swimming lessons and children’s parties but also walks on the beach with my silly fluffy little dog.