News 2009 News ->BME
Women ready to "Step up to the Board" in Public Appointments
BME Women
ready to "Step up to the Board" in Public
Appointments
19 November 2009
Many
of London's leading professional women attended
the 'BME Women into Public Appointments' seminar
held on Wednesday 18 November 2009 in London which
was sponsored by the Council for Ethnic Minority
Voluntary Organisations (CEMVO). They had gathered
to hear the experiences of Naaz Coker, Chair of
St George's NHS Trust whose career spans 38 years
in the public sector; Sukhvinder Kaur Stubbs,
Chair of Volunteering England and previously Chief
Executive of Barrow Cadbury Trust for eight years
and Parminder Vir OBE, a film producer and media
consultant currently serving as a Non-Executive
Director at the Department of Culture, Media &
Sports.
Janet Gaymer CBE, the Commissioner
for Public Appointments, set the scene by explaining
the role of the OCPA (Office of the Commissioner
for Public Appointments) in regulating the 30,000
Ministerial Appointments made each year in the
UK. Seema Malhotra, co-project leader for the
Government Equalities Office and the Cabinet Office
outlined forthcoming plans for mentoring schemes
and the current diversity targets set for public
appointments. The event closed with a Q&A
session chaired by Lopa Patel MBE, who is a Non-Executive
Director at Becta (British Educational Communications
and Technology Agency).
A Public Appointment is an
appointment made to the public body. Most public
bodies are led by a board comprising non-executive
chairs and other Board members, and are categorised
as Executive NDPBs (Non-Departmental Public Body);
Advisory NDPBs, Public Corporations, Utility Regulators,
NHS Trusts, Primary Care Trusts, School and Educational
establishments, Conservation Bodies and other
organisations such as the Charity Commission,
Gambling Commission and Arts Council England.
Types of Public Appointments
include: Chairs, Board Members or Board Directors,
Non-Executive Board Directors, Commissioners and
Finance & Audit Committee Directors. The roles
can be remunerated or unremunerated and most are
likely to be part-time. The primary role of the
Board is governance, financial control, providing
strategic direction and risk management.
NHS Trusts are a major part
of the Public Sector -with nearly 18,500 Public
Appointments each year to over 1,200 public bodies
- a market sector heavily dependent on talent,
experience and skills.
Attendees at the BME Women
into Public Appointments seminar expressed some
frustration at the lack of information about appointment
vacancies (useful links are given below). Janet
Gaymer suggested signing up to the free appointments
alert services available and reading 'The Sunday
Times' jobs section where the majority of appointments
are advertised.
Women made up 33.3% of public appointees (women
represent 51% of the UK population)
Disabled people made up
5% of public appointees (the disabled represent
20% of the population)
Ethnic Minorities made
up 5.7% of public appointees (minorities represent
11% of the population)
In April 2009, the Rt. Hon.
Harriet Harman QC MP tabled The Equality Bill,
designed to make Britain stronger, fairer and
more equal. The aim is that by 2011, 50% of new
appointments will be women, 14% will be disabled
people and 11% will be ethnic minorities.
"Clearly, this represents
a significant opportunity for BME Women to adapt
and learn a new set of skills by applying their
own experience and talent for the benefit of the
public" explained Mrs Lopa Patel MBE, Founder
of Redhotcurry.com, "but we need to not only
inspire individuals to apply for posts, but also
to give a much clearer picture of what to expect
and how they can ensure they provide the best
return-on-investment for the taxpayer who funds
the Public Sector".
Patel has been working with
the 12-strong Hindu Council UK Public Appointments
Taskforce and the Council for Ethnic Minority
Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO) to help
clarify the Public Appointments process for minority
ethnic applicants and encourage experienced individuals
to apply.
"This part of the debate
elicited most response", she explained, "the
reason is that Public Appointments look for broader
strategic and management skills rather than specific
academic or educational qualifications where BME
candidates are traditionally strong".
She summarised the "general"
set of skills required for most Public Appointments
as:
Skills
required for a Public Appointment
Senior level experience (@ 10 - 20 years)
in finance, governance, the commercial or private
sector, the voluntary sector or community service
experience.
Strategic Thinking
Planning
Providing Purpose and
Direction
Effective Influencing
and Communication skills
Ability to Monitor and
Challenge results
Ability to lead Organisational
Development and Cultural Change
Team Working
Self belief and drive
Specific expertise may
be required for finance and audit role
"Applying for a public
appointment is not like applying for a job"
said Janet Gaymer, "although you may be asked
to attach your CV, most positions require you
to complete an application form demonstrating
your skills and experience". Janet advised
potential candidates to conduct a "self audit"
to determine if they have the necessary experience
and the requisite time commitment to take up an
appointment before applying for a Public Appointment.
You
don't need to tick all the boxes, just the right
ones!
"A poorly completed
application form is the most common reason why
many candidates don't make the shortlist"
added independent assessor and mentor Lily Sergermen
Peck, who has been involved in the selection process
for hundreds of candidates. "Candidates need
to spend a considerable amount of time answering
the questions and should specifically explain
what they have done to build, guide or direct
the organisation. Avoid generalities like 'I was
involved with' and use stronger, positive language
like 'I increased sales by …' or 'I realised
an efficiency gain of…".
Janet Gaymer described how
research has shown that women are unlikely to
apply unless they can meet 100% of the role specifications,
whereas men are likely to apply if they can meet
between 60% - 70% of the requirements! "It
isn't necessary to be able to tick all the boxes"
she advised "just the right ones in relation
to the advertised role. This can be determined
by reading the role specification document".
The OCPA regulates the public
appointments process to ensure that appointments
are made in accordance with a Code of Practice
encompassing the seven principles. The process
is monitored by Independent Public Appointments
Assessors, many of whom will a member of the interview
panel for candidates.
"Public Appointments
are about leadership skills and the ability to
monitor the performance of the executive team,
so it is important to leave 'ego' outside the
door" explained Naaz Coker. She explained
how her feisty nature, otherwise described as
"self belief and drive" in the core
skills required (above) helped her attain her
role as Chair of the St George's NHS Trust. "You
need proven judgment and you need to practice
conflict management skills as being a public appointee
involves a lot of team work".
1. Find yourself, know your 'whole'
self and bring that 'to the table'
2. Know what you are good at and get depth into
your skills set
3. 'Invest in a cup of coffee' - network, build
knowledge and contacts
4. Have courage
5. Leave your ego at the door
Many of Naaz's suggestions
were echoed by Sukhvinder Kaur Stubbs who became
one of the youngest appointees of a Black Country
regeneration fund. She attributed her success
in the public sector to "working harder and
smarter" and looking beyond the "local
politics". She advocated not "micro
managing", as most boards are there to give
strategic direction and challenge the executive
team rather than manage the organisation.
The seminar ended with a
general discussion on the most commonly held myths
about Public Appointments.
1. Public Appointments
are for the politically active. Although application
forms do ask for a candidate's political activities
Public Appointments are open to all.
2. Public Appointments
are for "the Great and Good". Although
some key appointments are made directly by a Minister,
the majority of the 30,000 Public Appointments
are made by a panel and then approved by the Minister.
3. An approach by a head-hunter
secures an appointment. A proportion of Public
Appointments are outsourced to specialist recruitment
agencies, commonly known as "head hunters".
However an approach by a head hunter is merely
an invitation to consider applying and candidates
should perform their own "self audit"
before applying.
4. The Commissioner makes
appointments herself or is part of Government.
The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates
Public Appointments and ensures that the process
is open, fair and meets the OCPA Code of Practice.
The Commissioner does not make appointments herself.
5. You should expect a
"tap on the shoulder" about an upcoming
appointment. The OCPA ensures that Public
Appointments are open and fair and widely advertised,
so a "tap on the shoulder" is unlikely.
Most candidates were urged to look at appointments
in the sector that interests them the most and
to follow the application guidelines.
6. There is discrimination
in Public Appointments. The OCPA Code of Practice
was specifically sets out the Seven Principles
that are the foundations of the public appointments
process, namely:
Ministerial
Responsibility - the ultimate responsibility
for appointments is with Ministers.
Merit-
All public appointments should be governed
by the overriding principle of selection based
on merit, by the well-informed choice of individuals
who, through their abilities, experience and
qualities, match the need of the public body
in question.
Independent
Scrutiny - No appointment will take
place without first being scrutinised by an
independent panel or by a group including
membership independent of the department filling
the post.
Equal
opportunities - Departments should
sustain programmes to deliver equal opportunities
principles.
Probity
- Board members of public bodies must be committed
to the principles and values of public service
and perform their duties with integrity.
Openness
and Transparency - The principles of
open government must be applied to the appointments
process; its working must be transparent and
information must be provided about the appointments
made.
Proportionality
- The appointments procedures need to be subject
to the principle of proportionality, that
is they should be appropriate for the nature
of the post and the size and weight of its
responsibilities.
7. You need a recommendation
or strong testimonial to get your first Public
Appointment. This was condemned as being false.
Recommendations and testimonials should not be
included with an application form as this may
negate the candidate's application. Two suitable
referees are all that is required for an application.
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