Paula Bobbett has been Chief Digital Officer of Boots UK since December 2020. In November 2022, she became an independent Non-Executive Director of Spire, one of the UK’s largest providers of private healthcare.

In this interview, she shares some enlightening insights and useful advice around the process of moving into NED roles from a digital background with Andrew Demetriou, Associate Partner in our Executive Search, Transformation, Digital & Technology practice.

AD: Paula, how did you become a Non-Executive Director?

PB: Well, it was more by luck than judgment I’d say. I’d been thinking about it and felt that I should probably investigate the idea at some point, then I was contacted by a headhunter on LinkedIn. They said that Spire was looking for someone quite specific; a person in digital technology, with current executive experience, and knowledge of healthcare would be an advantage.

Everyone tells you that the first NED role is the hardest to secure, so I didn’t expect to get it – especially as  I didn’t have any PLC experience, but it fitted really well with my current position, so I applied.

AD: What were your expectations going into the role? And how similar or different was the reality?

PB: To be honest, I think I went in with my eyes half shut! I understood that an NED role is very different to an exec role. You’re not driving decisions; you’re there to advise, to ask probing questions, to make sure that the business is delivering for shareholders and customers, and that the exec are doing what they said they would.

I didn’t really appreciate the sort of structures that come with being on a PLC board. I still remember my training: “Don’t do this or you’ll go to jail; don’t do this or you’ll go to jail…”

It has definitely been a learning curve. From the perspective of a) learning about how a listed company operates, what they value, what’s important to them, and b) although my role specifically is to give input on technology and digital, that covers such a broad range of subjects. For me, learning how to ask questions about subjects that I’m maybe not an expert in, to get the right outcomes, has been an interesting process.

AD: How has having a background within digital helped you in your NED role?

PB: It has definitely been helpful because Spire were looking to go through a process of digitalisation. They were looking for specific experience of that, and it had been recognised that they didn’t really have anyone in that space from an NED perspective.

They had a lot of people with really strong clinical knowledge, and others with strong financial PE knowledge – because Spire often gets approached to be bought – but not really anyone from a technology point of view. There is definitely a drive for boards to bring in more people from a digital and technology background.

AD: Has your work as an NED influenced the way you go about your day-to-day role?

PB: It has been really eye-opening to see how a different board and executive team interact which has definitely given me opportunities to implement things I’ve learned. It’s also helped to inform some of the conversations we have internally at Boots, and I understand more about why something might be the way it is, or why those questions are being asked.

You go from being the person who’s directing things and being asked questions to being someone in the position to ask those questions which gives you a little more knowledge about what to expect.

AD: If people are looking at NED roles, what would you say are the key considerations they need to think about?

PB: I’d say that you have to understand whether or not you have the bandwidth available. Although on paper it might say the role takes up a certain number of days, there’s a lot more to it -the reading of the board papers can take a while!

There’s also something that maybe I hadn’t factored in, which is the time needed to really understand the business. In this case that means going out to hospitals, going to clinical steering meetings, meeting the ExCo, finding where you can add value.

You should also be clear about what you want to get out of it. For me, it was about learning how I might eventually get on to a board, and what experience I might need.

It’s important to think about what areas you want to actually be in. Going forward, which areas are going to be of most interest to you? You should think about it almost as you would a career.

AD: What advice would you give to someone who’s in a C-level role in digital technology and leadership and wants to make that step to NED?

PB: Definitely make sure you are really informed as to what it entails. Go and read and understand what the organisation in question is really looking for, so that you can demonstrate that you fully understand what the role involves. It’s probably useful to have had a similar role in a charity or a board of governors, so you have some experience of being in that space.

I think I was lucky, in that Spire wanted my particular skillset. They were aware I had no NED experience; but you can demonstrate you’ve learned things in other ways so that you can use your skills and experience even if you haven’t been on a full board before.

It’s helpful to have a good network too. If you know people who have NED roles, or people who can think about you in that context, it can help you to get a foot in the door – which can be the hardest part of the process. Having a range of people who can help you along that journey is really powerful.

I’ve also been lucky that there are a number of people on the Spire board who have offered to mentor me in my first NED role. Once you’re in, finding someone who has been there before is definitely worthwhile. It helps to be able to bounce ideas off others and to understand when to ask questions, when not to, and how to approach things. I’ll certainly be happy to do the same for others in future.

Many thanks to Paula for joining me for such an absorbing and insightful conversation. If you are looking to add to your Digital & Technology team on a permanent or interim basis, we would love to hear from you, so please do get in touch and watch this space for further blogs.