Vivienne Cox
It was DfID’s “incredibly important” work which tempted Vivienne Cox, former chief executive of BP Alternative Energy, to become a government non-exec: “I think if I’d been asked by any other department I probably would have said no,” she tells CSW.
Cox, who now works for venture capital firm Climate Change Capital, says international development – “particularly making that development sustainable for the long term” – has long been of interest to her, and links it to her concern about “climate change and sustainable development in its broadest possible sense”.

On her appointment, secretary of state Andrew Mitchell said Cox – who has nearly 30 years’ experience at BP, where she set up a number of new business operations – will be a key player in efforts to develop “a new culture of private sector-led development at DfID”.

At BP, Cox was known for her commitment to work-life balance, her calm manner and her skill for delegation. She comments that “often, too much of a directive approach can be unhelpful. If I had to describe my management style I would say it is very much about trying to bring out the best of an organisation and learn from, rather than tell to, an organisation”.

As a non-exec, she sees her role as standing back from the organisation to ask: “What’s really important here? What is really going to deliver success? What does success look like?” She goes on to emphasise the importance of effectively measuring performance. However, she cautions that while corporate metrics are essential, target structures can have “massive unintended consequences”, so “being really thoughtful and getting real buy-in to the metrics and processes you use is really important”.

Doreen Langston
An accountant by training, and with experience as a financial director and audit manager in several companies, Doreen Langston has been a non-exec at DfID for two years and chairs its audit committee. She serves on a number of other public boards and has chosen to continue working on DfID’s board because, she tells CSW, she believes “I have much more to give in supporting them in their delivery of the priorities of the new government. Plus I really enjoy it!”

After two years working with DfID, Langston is impressed by the calibre and commitment of many of the staff, describing their achievements as “often breathtaking”. She adds, however, that abilities are not universally high across the public sector; there is a need to develop “strong leadership, motivational and performance management approaches”.

As chair of the audit committee, Langston will be involved in assessing risk. She comments that “you can’t meet challenging objectives without taking some risks, but these need to be understood, mitigated against, tolerances set and risks managed accordingly.” Even if that’s all done correctly, she adds, “We need to work out a way to explain failures better to the public.”

Written by Civil Service World