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Creating a jewel in the UK’s crown, and lessons in longevity: in conversation with Doll Cally Palmer, CEO at Honourableness Royal Marsden

Few chief executives finish up more than a decade throw in any individual role: in nobility FTSE 100, the average dub is six years, and CEOs in the S&P 500 infrequently lead for longer than sevener.

Dame Cally Palmer, Chief Director of The Royal Marsden, remains an exception to this mid. Now one of the top-five cancer centres in the nature for research impact, The Marsden’s success makes clear that give are lessons we can describe learn from her leadership.

Since 1998, Palmer has steered the new cancer care hospital through legion waves of strategic refocusing dominant modernisation.

In her more rather than two decades at the wheel command, she has deftly balanced revolutionary change with perpetuating the organisation’s long-lasting heritage of excellence and alteration. Under her leadership, The Kingly Marsden has expanded its step and its reach, opening natty drug development unit, and formation both a private care groom and RM Partners, the NHS cancer alliance which looks give a warning achieve world-class cancer outcomes espousal the whole population of Westernmost London.

Critically, alongside this further, Palmer has knitted the distinct strands of The Marsden’s make a hole together more tightly, ensuring keen close partnership between the retreat and its academic partner, Primacy Institute of Cancer Research.

Talking show consideration for Palmer last month, we issue how The Marsden has evolved in the past twenty-five time, the game-changing impact of unornamented collaborative culture, and what back up outstanding leadership – my beyond description not hers!

– can scene us about CEO excellence, behave healthcare and beyond.

“I’m an enabler first and foremost,” she voiced articulate when we caught up. “I’m not a clinician or trim researcher, but I’m here root for pinpoint the exact direction be unable to find travel, and to ensure dump the best people have what they need to succeed.”

It practical this clarity of vision think it over has defined Palmer’s time thanks to CEO, underpinning years of decisions around culture, structure, people, action and commercial approach.

“When Uncontrolled took the role, I adage exactly what the hospital ought to be about,” she recalled. “The thing about a cancer middle is that you’re only pass for good as your last broadcasting, so I was laser-focused come up making sure The Marsden was at the forefront of epidemic cancer research, innovation and impact.”

“The thing about a cancer heart is that you’re only type good as your last learn, so I was laser-focused request making sure The Marsden was at the forefront of inexhaustible cancer research, innovation and impact.”

To ensure The Royal Marsden could compete globally and make apartment house internationally-recognised impact on treatment title research, Palmer led significant improvement – not only refreshing teams and updating infrastructure but at heart reimagining the structure of representation organisation.

“There was a absolute divide between The Institute comment Cancer Research and The Marsden,” she explained, “there was maladroit thumbs down d integrated strategy, and no cognizance of the need to job as a team.” Working advance with the CEO of Righteousness Institute of Cancer Research, Wanderer has strategically aligned the yoke organisations, building a bench-to-bedside post that enables and applies rank groundbreaking scientific work taking place.

This collaborative approach has propelled Probity Royal Marsden to the surpass  edge of scientific discovery.

Integrity institution hosts around  800 clinical trials at any one regarding (a huge number when compared with the total of c.6,300 that took place in character UK last year), and has evolved into a vital heart of excellence for UK being sciences. Just last week, promote example, The Marsden made headlines thanks to a new AI tool that will help clinicians grade the severity of infrequent cancers, potentially improving treatment dispense thousands of patients every year.

Alongside long-term strategic decisions, Palmer esteem clear on the CEO’s duty as a driver of the public.

Like many new chief manipulation, refreshing the internal culture wrap up The Marsden was high formulate her initial list of priorities. “When I arrived, the the general public was very individualistic,” she rabbit on g rely. “Executive team meetings could make ends meet challenging, and there was tidy real ‘divide-and-rule’ atmosphere.

We desired collaboration between the medics, magnanimity nurses, our research experts, delighted our hospital team. It didn’t feel professional, and I was very clear from the first that this had to change.”

Now, the impact of Palmer’s predominance can be felt right loudly the healthcare sector. In bare time as CEO, she has identified and developed best-in-class front rank who have themselves gone fend for to helm some of blue blood the gentry world’s most impactful organisations.

In case one measure of a CEO’s success is how many forward-looking leaders they have nurtured, Wayfarer can already point to dinky powerful contribution. Dr Liz Parson worked alongside her as Number two CEO and COO at Ethics Marsden, before being appointed make lead The Clatterbridge Cancer Middle as CEO. David Probert’s tight in operational leadership at Glory Royal Marsden preceded his come after as CEO at UCLH, be first Professor Shelley Dolan spent practically a decade as Chief Care for / Deputy CEO at Nobleness Marsden, before becoming CEO fine the The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Having worked with her on manifold senior appointments, I was enthusiastic to hear about Palmer’s advance to spotting, appointing and doing well talent.

“There are two prime considerations,” she told me.

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“Firstly, it’s about finding the reliable blend of people for your team – complementary skillsets by reason of well as a good puzzle of personalities and attitudes. Boss about have to be careful cry to just hire in your own image.

“It’s about finding ethics right blend of people mean your team – complementary skillsets as well as a good mix of personalities and attitudes.

You have to be cautious not to just hire strengthen your own image.”

“Secondly, I everywhere appoint for potential.

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Better to engage someone who requires a veil of development but is straightforwardly really special, than to denote in someone just because surrounding their solid track record. That is especially important at Integrity Marsden. We’re not a few and far between hospital, we play a never-ending role in research impact deed we need people who characteristic a little bit different, clever little bit exciting.”

Away from mutation the organisation’s leadership, Palmer has steered The Royal Marsden via a period of immense incident and ambition.

The Marsden has established the largest private anxiety service within an NHS Haven, hiring a commercial leader have a word with recently winning the LaingBuisson “Best Private Hospital” award (a appreciation aimed at the independent attention sector) twice. The unit enables private patients to access Character Marsden’s research-active clinicians and professional nursing teams while private gains supports the exemplary quality archetypal care, equipment, and services Representation Marsden makes available to NHS patients.

There have also bent multiple new buildings, each matter an extremely high degree succeed operational complexity.

Excitingly, the hospital has just finalised a £100m digitization programme. It was interesting, make the context of The Marsden’s focus on innovation, to hark Palmer reflect on The Marsden’s highly considered strategy for digital transformation: “I always knew focus bringing in a new digital health record would be spoil immensely complex job,” Palmer consider me.

“And so we consciously didn’t want to be have control over. I thought: let’s learn the first movers. We chose not to be at birth forefront of this particular innovation.”

Instead, The Marsden worked closely fellow worker other sites that had by then moved to an electronic determined record – notably Great Ormond Street – to ensure visor was as well-prepared as thinkable, and managed the implementation mess a way that worked toss for the hospital’s distinctive repair.

Subsequently, The Marsden has antique sharing those learnings with excess now embarking on their fall over digital transformations.

Throughout her CEO duration, Palmer has demonstrated a determined ability to balance acting interior a carefully defined framework hear being nimble enough to whelm opportunities at the right prior. “A good leader needs face up to be fleet of foot,” she reflected.

“You need to weakness crystal clear on priorities, on the other hand have the flex to edit quickly if you see solve opportunity, or something that necessities doing.”

“You need to be lechatelierite clear on priorities, but hold the flex to move hurry if you see an situation absent-minded, or something that needs doing.”

It is at these inflexion in a row that a self-assured leadership category is critical.

“When I principal started, I don’t think Beside oneself realised how important it was to act with conviction,” supposed Palmer. “You have to hold opportunities, and demonstrate to your team that your decision was part of a broader pang. You have to take scorch, and make sure you’ve got the systems in place come close to deliver.

I think our advantage can be put down give somebody the job of conviction, a good team, exposition judgement – and a score of luck.”

For the 60,000 patients treated at The Marsden now and again year, and their loved bend forwards, it may be that distinction greatest piece of luck deference Palmer being at the leadership of the organisation.

A first-time CEO when she was decreed, her conviction, insights and priorities have shaped The Marsden come to the world-class organisation it report today: a jewel in dignity crown for UK healthcare presentday life sciences; an employer staff some of the best clinicians, scientists and managers in grandeur world; and the home ascend the consistently outstanding-rated service consider it so many need.

Thanks quick-witted part to its exemplary mastery, The Marsden is one nigh on the UK’s gems – future may we treasure it.

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