AI Magazine Issue 1 2018

20 Acquisition International - Issue 1 2018 RAFT is a medical research charity that carries out research to improve the quality of life of people whose lives have been severely impacted by injury. We invited CEO, Leonor Stjepic to provide us with an overview of the company and the role that she plays in its success. AFT has its own scientists and surgeons working in all of their laboratories. In the last 30 years, RAFT’s research has had a lasting impact and over 100 of its research projects are now in hospitals around the world. Leonor starts off by outlining her role as CEO, explaining how it is her job to ensure that patients are delivered the best possible service and solutions possible. “As CEO, my role is to ensure that our research is delivered to patients. I work to ensure that the quality of our research is the highest possible; ensuring that our limited resources are used in the best way possible and directing the raising of funds (RAFT receives no state funding). I see myself as a facilitator; it is my job to make sure that everything comes together so that the organisation can deliver the positive impact that will change people’s lives.” Having achieved considerable success in her role as CEO, Leonor is quick to praise her staff and team members. Throughout the company, staff have considerable access to be free and achieve their potential, as everyone works together, and if a mistake is made or an issue arises, someone is always there to catch them on the other side. “The only way I can achieve this is by having a great team. One of the things that I have proven I am good at is spotting hidden talent in people and then encouraging people to move out of their comfort zone by trusting them to take on challenges. I see it akin as to when I was taught how to ride a bicycle as a child. I thought I was peddling on my own and it felt a little scary but exhilarating when I did it; what I did not realise was that my father was running beside me in case I fell off.” Describing what has made her so successful in her role, Leonor points out that she has unrivalled motivation and ambition in many aspects, commenting Company: RAFT Contact: Leonor Stjepic Contact Email: [email protected] Address: Leopold Muller Building, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 2RN, UK Phone: 01923 844 760 Web Address www.raft.ac.uk PioneeringTreatments toRestorePatients’ Qualityof Life R 1801AI32 on the fact that she is incredibly driven and strives to make a difference. “Fundamental to my accomplishments, I love a challenge, and this has been what has driven my career to date. It has not been a traditional route to the CEO role. I had to go to work to earn a living, so I had to take my business degree (and then MBA) whilst in full time employment. I have worked in merchant banking and in antique transport; in academic publishing; worked for a major record label as an administrator of their record studio; been a part-owner in a Knightsbridge art gallery and owned my own consultancy business. It was not until after I returned to the UK, from working as a volunteer with children and women who were victims of the Balkans war, that I entered the charity sector as a full-time employee. Even then I started as a receptionist just to get my foot in the door before working my way up to CEO.” Working her way up the ladder, Leonor also cites her experience of having worked in an assortment of roles and sectors as integral to her and the company’s success. She emphasises how important a good working environment is to the success of a company, and RAFT clearly has a thriving internal culture in which everyone works together and gets on. “Having performed a variety of roles and worked in so many different sectors, I have been able to take the best from each sector and bring it to each company that I have run. I have also learnt what not to do, and there is one thing that I will not tolerate in any organisation that I run and that is office politics. We do not do office politics at RAFT, and it is the one rule that we make sure all new staff understand because it is part of their induction. Our core values of teamwork, flexibility, professionalism, entrepreneurialism and innovation were chosen by our staff and they are not just words. We live and breathe them. They are one of the sets of criteria we use in the recruitment process for new staff and we use them in our staff training and team building. I believe in leading by example and being transparent. I do not hide bad news from staff and am prepared to admit when I have made a mistake or failed. By doing this, I hope to encourage a ‘no-blame’ culture and a culture where staff are “Work to be the best version of yourself that you canbe rather than try to copy someone else.”