Today, 31st March 2025, I complete seven years working with Kuljit Sandhu, for the last six of which I have been a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Rise Mutual Board: https://risemutual.org/
It has been an eventful time. When Kuljit first invited me to mentor her, Rise had recently separated from its major partner, an existential shock which left it with an initially strong Balance Sheet but a very weak Profit and Loss account. The rate of losses meant that Rise faced a major challenge – either very rapidly turn the business round or, as some commentators suggested, merge with another organisation.
A slightly tense first conversation saw Kuljit lay out not just the scale of the financial challenge but also her clear vision for the future of Rise, her passion for supporting the service users, clients and staff and her determination to succeed. The combination of clarity of purpose, depth of understanding and determination suggested to me that here was a purpose-driven, socially valuable organisation that we could work together to resolve.
Early years were about survival; ‘right-sizing’ and improving processes to bring costs under control, focusing on delivery and productivity to ensure that income was being earned and challenging loss-making contracts on renewal. We reviewed the shape and spread of products and services, took a more commercially aware approach to bidding and negotiations recognising that ‘turnover is vanity, profit is sanity.’ These approaches, in combination and over time, have restored the health of the business and ensured that we have been able to continue to provide services to those in need.
Focusing on ensuring that our trading activities have been profitable has enabled us to further invest in product innovation, service development, staff development, external accreditation and in continuing growth in two dimensions: physical and psychological. We have grown bigger but we have also grown smarter.
As an employee-owned mutual there is no profit for distribution to shareholders, so we have used our surpluses to invest in our people through learning, development and salaries. After all, it is what the staff do, every day, that makes Rise what it is.
I have been asked ‘But John, why are you standing down?’ – and it is fair to say I am both sad and happy in doing so! Sad because I (still) enjoy working with Kuljit and, particularly, the leadership team and Board and I will miss it. Happy because working together we have achieved a position of strength, have a stable flow of work and a team of people both in delivery every day and in the enabling core of the business who I know have the knowledge, insight and skill to ensure its success.
And THAT is MY success.
I can stand down because I am no longer needed, because the skills which were needed to ‘fix it’ have served their purpose. The Board have elected Andy Champness to be my successor: https://www.champnessconsulting.co.uk/ Andy is established as a NED with Rise and, working with Kuljit and the leadership team he will bring the different skills and approach needed to sustain Rise and ensure success in the longer-term.