Client Overview
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is the UK’s leading charity supporting blind and partially sighted people. With a presence across London, Peterborough, Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and a production unit in Gateshead, RNIB employs over 1,300 staff.
RNIB’s mission is to create a world without barriers for people with sight loss. To achieve this, the organisation recognised the critical role that technology must play. As part of a wider transformation effort, RNIB sought to hire its first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to drive modernisation, innovation, and customer-centricity.
The Challenge
This was a pivotal, high-impact hire. For the first time in its history, RNIB was introducing a CTO role at the board level. The goal was to find a transformational leader capable of spearheading the organisation’s digital transformation, modernising its systems, and positioning RNIB as a tech-savvy, customer-centric charity.
The scope of the role was extensive. The successful candidate would be tasked with:
- Driving a full digital transformation: Replatforming legacy systems, migrating to the cloud, and enhancing cybersecurity.
- Modernising customer interactions: Improving customer experience through smarter technology, better CRM systems, and digital accessibility.
- Enhancing governance and safeguarding: Building on improvements made following a statutory inquiry, strengthening systems and controls.
- Enabling commercial growth: Supporting RNIB Enterprises to drive revenue, customer base growth, and product innovation.
- Building external partnerships: Collaborating with technology leaders to create accessible products and software that can change the lives of the visually impaired globally.
Given the scale and complexity of this challenge, cross-industry expertise was essential. The successful candidate would need to bring experience from sectors like technology, retail, or customer-driven industries where transformation and customer-centricity are paramount.
Our Approach
Innovex was tasked with delivering this critical hire. Jake Parish, Innovex’s founder, took a hands-on approach, leading the search from start to finish. Collaborating closely with Matt Stringer (CEO), Sean Mileusnic (Chief People Officer), and the wider Executive Team, Innovex conducted a tailored, transparent, and collaborative executive search process.
- Research & Candidate Identification
- Engagement & Shortlisting
- With an engagement rate of over 80%, the role captured the attention of candidates due to its unique combination of social impact and strategic influence.
- Innovex rigorously assessed each candidate’s track record in driving transformation, modernisation, and stakeholder engagement.
- From the pool of candidates, 6-7 high-calibre candidates were shortlisted for RNIB’s executive team to interview.
- Candidate Assessment & Selection
- Candidates underwent a multi-stage interview process, including in-person interviews with RNIB’s CEO and members of the board.
- Key areas of focus included cultural alignment, transformational leadership, and sector adaptability.
The Outcome
The search was successfully completed with the appointment of Linda Rogers as Chief Technology Officer. Linda brought with her a wealth of experience in customer-centric transformation, large-scale change, and technological innovation — exactly the blend of qualities required to meet RNIB’s ambitious transformation goals.
This search was not just about filling a role; it was about securing a leader capable of transforming RNIB’s digital future. The appointment of a CTO marked a significant milestone in the organisation’s journey toward becoming a tech-savvy, future-ready charity.
