CEO Today United Kingdom Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com 34 CEO Today United Kingdom Awards 2018 CHARITY activities are designed to be thought-provoking and promote peer discussion but are not intended to be so emotive as to cause distress. The conclusion of every session provides information for young people on where they can access help and support both inside and outside of school. Spectrum also delivers training for school staff and governors about understanding the impact of domestic abuse on a child and raises awareness by looking at a whole school approach to tackling domestic abuse. We recently secured additional funding to build the excellent work of our Men’s Shed Project, which is designed to bring together men across Wales and provide an informal, friendly setting for them to socialise and learn from each other. The project is based on several successful projects from around the world – including the pioneering Australian Men’s Shed Association and the Irish Men’s Sheds Association, who provided support to the Men’s Sheds Cymru to enable us to get the project off the ground. The programme is based on the idea that “men don’t talk face to face – they talk shoulder to shoulder,” and helps to provide them with an environment in which they can get together over enjoyable, mutually- agreed activities. The sheds are open to all men, regardless of age, background or ability, and are places where men can share skills and knowledge with others, develop old skills and learn new ones. In what ways have you influenced or aided Hafan Cymru since you became CEO in 2016? Previously, the business had been run like a cottage industry and it had not moved with the changing landscape nor had it changed its business model to reflect the move away from ‘grant in aid’ to open and competitive tendering. Somewhere along the way, something broke and there was a disconnect between the leadership’s concept and what staff did with that concept. Complacency had set in, processes and procedures were not followed, a blame culture had evolved, and bullying was evident! When I joined the business in January 2016, I did not expect to find a business that was failing due to lack of leadership, financial controls and complacency. It was clear to me that between the reality of the marketplace and the business’s ability to act within that reality, something fractured until it was nearly too late to fix. It was a difficult time, particularly the first 12 months, and I experienced a lot of barriers and blockages from the then leadership team. However, I did successfully tackle the cash flow issues with the support of the Head of Finance, who in my opinion had not been allowed previously to implement much needed financial controls in order to ensure there was tight cost management and transparency. Together we introduced new financial processes and procedures to tighten up the cost expenditure of the business as we were bleeding money! My next approach was to review the organisational structure and reduce the high overheads that Head Office was carrying. I worked closely with the Board of Management to agree on an organisational structure that would ensure we had the right skills in the right place with the right processes and procedures. I involved the trade union to ensure they understood the drivers for change, notified the Welsh Government of the plan that had been developed to help turn the financial situation and met with our Bank to ensure they were on board as we were facing severe cash flow issues and at real risk of going out of business. Thankfully, we now have a business that thinks and behaves commercially, we are winning new lucrative contracts, recently achieved investors in people standard and received a glowing report from our external auditors and all this has been achieved within an 18-month period. It was a very challenging 18 months but also exciting and incredibly fulfilling. It has been extremely rewarding to see a business that was almost dead kept going and one that continues to move in the right direction, going from strength to strength. Clearly, we are still working on the culture but everyone that has remained with the business happily confirms how it has improved; this has also been evidenced recently from our IiP achievement. For me, ensuring that the business continued and we were able to save jobs has been the ultimate pleasure; when you get to see people realise their jobs are secure, and see them get excited again about the business that they are part of, it is an incredible feeling. What does a typical workday entail for you? I like to arrive at work earlier than everyone else to give me the peace and quiet I need to plan out my day, however, no two days are the same due to the nature of our work and you never know what can happen so 9 times out of 10 my original plan has to change! Some days I have the space to be able to read through legislative documents and respond to consultations, however themajority of my days are usually spent in meetings with partner organisations, holding meetings with my executive team and meeting with staff (which I find inspiring as I am able to check in with specific projects and learn new perspectives). I also need to prepare regulatory responses, write papers for our Board of Management and attend external meetings and conferences of note. From the moment I start working until I leave the office in the evening, I am usually inundated with emails from management, executives, and partner organisations or stakeholders. However, I realise I am extremely lucky as I have an Executive Assistant who manages my diary, reminds me of important phone calls and meetings, supports me in my role as Company Secretary and reminds me where I need to be and when! There are times when there are not enough hours in the day, particularly if we have a number of events taking place across Wales, tenders be developed, Board or Committee meetings and the AGM taking place, and this can mean juggling a lot of balls in the air at the same time, but luckily, I thrive on challenges and thoroughly enjoy my role. If I am travelling I take my