For the CIO, digital transformation is the key
For many CIOs, the switch from the public sector to the private sector has seemed like a move that is too big to make comfortably.
Richard Corbridge, now CIO at Boots, encountered this perception himself when he told people about moving to the high-street retailer and pharmacy chain from his previous role as CIO at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in April 2019.
“When it was clear what I was going to do, that I was going to step away from the public sector and healthcare and go to Boots, lots and lots of people got in touch,” he says. “They were saying ‘be careful moving into private sector, it’s fast-paced, how are you going to cope?'”
That kind of perception might put some IT leaders off from attempting to swap sectors. Corbridge suggests there aren’t too many examples of CIOs who’ve made the switch from the public to private sector: one key factor, he says, is fear of the unknown.
“The CIO is worried by that urban myth that going into private sector is going to be so fast and so unbelievably different and terrifying that actually they’ll choose to stay with the public sector. When in reality, once you’re there, that isn’t the case at all.”
Corbridge also recognises the fear-factor goes both ways. While a public sector CIO might be hesitant to make the switch, the enterprise that’s looking for a new IT chief might have their own reservations about appointing someone with no blue-chip credentials.
“My boss kind of took a gamble,” says Corbridge. “He wanted someone who had experienced change and innovation in large organisations that are regulated in a heavy way, and he wanted to bring that skill to Boots.”
Corbridge joined the company as director of innovation, helping to build a creative approach to healthcare and wellbeing capability across the brand. Success here led to another switch in August 2020 – this time to the CIO role he’d held at Leeds, and previously at the Health Service Executive in Ireland.
Through 2020, Corbridge spent the first two lockdowns working on a range of projects for Boots, including the creation of virtual GP services, the implementation of COVID-19 tests at branches, and programmes to support the move to online services. With no previous experience of e-commerce, Corbridge led a 250% year-on-year increase in online trading.
He points out the quality of tech leadership in the public sector that business should be aware of.
“If you’re looking at CIOs of large NHS trusts to go to private healthcare organisations, or other high-street healthcare organisations or pharmaceutical companies, then there’s some amazing talent out there that really should be considered,” says Corbridge.
He argues that digital leadership in the public sector has evolved significantly during the past few years. From online learning to electronic healthcare and onto the development of customer-facing online services, modern public sector CIOs must exploit technology to help their organisations excel operationally.
