1. insight
Plural roles in the boardroom
The profile of executives is changing according to PSD Group’s Flemming Hansen. Here he explains
how this affects the make-up of non-executive positions in the powerhouses of businesses across the
country and how anyone wanting such a post can make the most of the opportunities that await
During the past few years we have seen a
numberof‘out-of-sector’appointmentsto
key board positions, eg, Stephen Murphy
atByron,AllanLeightonatWagamamaand
Debbie Hewitt at TRG, often replacing
industry veterans.
As the hospitality and leisure industry
changesandpreparesforchallengesahead,
theprofileofexecutivesischanging.Many
conventional hospitality business are
becoming multichannel retailers thus
changing the nature of the executive role.
This, in turn, is changing the profile of the
non-executive roles. So what do the next
generationofnon-executivesneedtodoto
set them-selves up for a successful plural
career given this trend?
To develop a strong platform for a plural
career,executivesfromwithintheindustry
mustensuretheyhavethebreadthrequired
to add value to future strategic challenges.
They must prioritise and embrace innova-
tion in particular. Who would have envis-
aged that unmanned gyms, pod hotels,
self-service casual-dining restaurants and
Michelin-starredpubswouldbethetrends
of today? Business leaders must advance
theirservicemodelsandbrands,embracing
the next generation of customers and
trends as well as creating efficient outlets
tocopewithchallengessuchasrisingrents
and legislation.
Furthermore, they must ensure digital
channels perform and add value because
digital engagement is an important part of
the customer experience. The customer
journey, with the impact of social media,
starts before the customer arrives on site
today, particularly for a new generation.
Success on the plural route
Withsuchchallenges,the‘customerexperi-
encedirector’functionisemerging,follow-
ing the trend of multichannel media
companies, linking marketing, service,
development and trading into one board
role. It is appointments such as PizzaEx-
press’s customer director from Mastercard
that will present a challenge for executives
from within the sectors vying for the same
non-executive post in the future.
Successfulexecutivesintheindustry,who
master the art of leading traditional disci-
plinessuchasfinanceandoperationsaswell
as embracing innovation, will have a much
stronger opportunity to go down the plural
route. However, to secure such a role in an
increasingly competitive market place, it is
recommended to plan for this transition as
early as possible because it is unlikely to
occur without preparation or thought.
Important to any executive wanting to
advance their career is to understand their
motivations.Arethemotivations:work-life
balance, more control of time, the oppor-
tunity to ‘give something back’, working
withnewsectorsorsimplycareeradvance-
ment? In addition to this, they will need to
be sure to consider their own personal
financialpositionastheremunerationwill
be less or even pro bono.
Consider the skills gap and try to under-
stand any personal development needs.
Discussthesewithmentorsandothernon-
executives to get their opinion on areas to
strengthen within
the needed skill set.
Once areas for
development are
identified, it is
important to focus
ontheseandsetout
to improve them.
This can be ach-
ievedthroughNED(non-executivedirece-
tor)courses,mentoringandcoaching,and
will be complemented by the increasing
stretchoftheexecutiverolegiventhechal-
lenges mentioned earlier.
Through such dialogue, the strengths of
any executive will also be identified. Being
clear on how these strengths can add value
to a board is key because the first appoint-
ment is likely to be closely linked with the
core experience of the executive career.
Therearemanywaystoprogresswithnon-
executive roles and understanding where
one wants to position a plural career will
help to focus where one needs to develop.
Be discerning over offers
They say getting the first role can be the
most difficult. That may well be the case.
However,donotunderestimatetheimpor-
tance of choosing the right role, not neces-
sarilythefirstroleonoffer.Donotbeafraid
to decline an opportunity, be as selective
with non-executive roles as with roles in
the executive career and do ensure every
roleaddsvaluetothelong-termplan.Keep
the end goal in mind.
It is important to do due diligence, not
justcorporategovernanceandcompliance,
but also regarding culture. Corporate gov-
ernance and compliance are the primary
responsibilitiesoftheboardandwillreflect
directly on your reputation when consid-
eredforotherroles.Aswithanyotherrole,
itisimportanttobeculturallysuitedtothe
business,beitaPLC,privateequitybacked
or privately owned company.
Be open minded, while in an executive
roleitmaybesensibletoconsiderthethird
sectorandworkingwithorganisationswith
a social purpose or significant personal
interest.Thiswillalsoenableanyexecutive
to hone influencing skills and use their
emotionalintelligencetoinfluencenot-for-
profitexecutiveswhosecoreobjectiveswill
be different to most objectives in industry.
Doing so will be very different to leading
commercialexecutiveteamsbutthelearn-
ing can be pivotal to the success in a non-
executive capacity.
Thetransitiontoapluralcareerisagrad-
ual process, be patient and realistic about
the time it will take to adapt. Effectiveness
in the role is of high importance. The non-
executive role will be working with a more
complex framework of peers, and poten-
tially new sectors. Do not underestimate
the amount of learning such a role will
require, as well as the emotional energy
needed.Therolemayfeeloutofyourcom-
fortzoneinitially,buttakethetimetosettle
in,observeandlearn.Understandingboard
dynamics and the business before impart-
ingadviceorlookingtoinfluencewillprove
very valuable in the long term.
Gather knowledge
Many experienced plural directors com-
mentthatanon-executivedirectorwillnot
beaseffectiveintherole,iftheyholdmore
than one non-executive post at first, while
also in a demanding executive role.
Finally, reach out to the network, engage
withheadhunters,mentorsandothernon-
executiveswhoareabletoshareknowledge
and experience as well as provide valuable
insight and advice along the way.
As traditional hospitality and leisure
businesses evolve at pace, so must the
executiveswholeadthem.This,combined
withpreparationandplanningforthelatter
stagesofacareerwillensuretheexecutives
of today are better suited to the demands
of the non-executive of the future.
■ Flemming Hansen is the director of
hospitality and leisure at recruitment firm,
the PSD Group
Flemming Hansen
Do not be afraid to decline
an opportunity, be as selective
with non-executive roles as with
roles in the executive career,
and keep the end goal in mind
image:shironosoviStock/thinkstock.co.uk
May 2016www.mca-insight.com l l 5
Thoroughly
modern:
non-executives
must be
multifaceted in the
skills department