The big interview with Malcolm Miller, Chief
Executive
Malcolm
Miller has overseen the growth of The London Clinic from revenues
of £22m to £115m in 2010, whilst net book assets have risen from
under £1m to £150m in the same period. At the same time the Clinic
has established an international reputation in the acute care of
patients.
Mr Miller’s retirement will be late in 2011 depending upon the
selection process for his successor. In the meantime he has
committed to fulfill the role right up to his departure date with
no diminution in effort and no decision making being put off or
delayed – it will be business as usual!
But, with the search for his successor already underway and Mr
Miller already starting the initial preparations for a detailed and
thorough hand-over, he has taken some time out to talk about his
achievements and special memories from the past 20 years.
See some of the major milestones
during Malcolm's leadership
Q. Your announcement to retire came as something of a
surprise to many of your staff but had you been planning it for
sometime?
It was always my intention to retire from my position of Chief
Executive following the completion of the cancer centre. I’d been
discussing my intentions with my family and of course, our Chairman
for about a year but it’s important to keep these personal
decisions private until the time is right.
Q. What do you feel have been your three biggest
achievements since “taking the helm” at
The London Clinic?
It’s hard to pinpoint, as I’ve been fortunate to work on a wide
range of important and exciting initiatives and seen so many things
change and progress over the past 20 years. However, I am
particularly proud of the fact that when I first took up my post,
the Clinic was close to going into administration. It took 2 to 3
years to ‘get it right’ and to turn things around but we achieved
our business goals and it has continued to grow ever since.
I’m also pleased to be leaving an impressive legacy of year-on-year
growth across the board, by 10-fold. We’re 10 times bigger in terms
of activity, profitability, square footage and in fact, everything
we do.
Finally, the completion of our £90 million cancer centre was a
major milestone in both my career and the history of The London
Clinic and is something that I was always committed to seeing
through to completion. There was some doubt as to whether we’d ever
gain planning permission to develop such a huge building in the
heart of Harley Street but thanks to the dedication of our
specialist team, we now have one of the top cancer centres in the
world, offering revolutionary treatment and clinical trials,
attracting experts from across the globe. And, a year on from
opening, I’m delighted to say that the feedback – from patients and
consultants – has been very positive.
Q. Has there been one ‘special’ moment that has really
stood out during your time as Chief Executive?
Again, it’s so hard to single out just one moment from my career at
the Clinic but I’ve tried hard to narrow it to 2 examples.
I was very proud and privileged to have been involved in the case
of “Child B” in 1995 – which attracted international media
attention. Thanks to our pioneering work into cancer at the time –
as well as our charitable status – we were able to offer this
desperately ill 10 year old radical treatment which helped to
prolong her life by a year. 15 years on, the treatment – which was
being developed by one of our consultants – has now become a gold
standard for children suffering from the same condition and is now
helping to save lives of many young people.
My other
significant memory is of meeting Her Majesty The Queen – which I
have been lucky enough to do more than once. The most recent time
was at the official opening of our world class cancer centre [March
2010]. Her visit was a great occasion that I shall always remember
and I’m sure it will be a memory for many of our staff, too.
Right: Malcolm Miller meeting Her Majesty The Queen
Q. In an ever competitive private healthcare
market, what do you think makes The London Clinic “stand out above
the crowd” in Harley Street?
I honestly believe it’s due to the fact that we put care above
profit – our patients above pounds. With our charitable status, The
London Clinic’s Charter has always been that the patient is Number
1, 2, and 3 – a luxury we can afford as we’re not driven by profit.
This attitude is shared by everyone within the hospital. I don’t
really think this ethos exists anywhere else in London and I know
our Board of Trustees is determined that it stays this way.
Q. What would you like to be remembered for, when you
step down later this year?
As I’ve already alluded
to, when I first took up the post of Chief Executive, we were a
struggling hospital on the verge of closing down. But, together
with my team, we developed a strategy that has now led us to become
a world renowned, centre of excellence for healthcare and at the
forefront of a new era in techonology.
Q. What advice would you give to your
successor?
Stay committed to our caring culture. Keep
looking for new ways and opportunities to expand and remember it’s
vital to listen to your doctors and to stay in touch with what’s
going on with
them and what’s happening in healthcare globally. I’ve spent
a lot of time travelling to places such as China, the US and Europe
and I’ve been able to learn so much and share so many ideas with my
international contemporaries.
I find it criminal that major technological advances, such as
CyberKnife – are still not widely available in the UK. I believe
that more needs to be done to increase mainstream access to cancer
treatments and drugs.
Q. So, the big question! What do you intend to do with
your time once you’ve started this new chapter of your life and
have stepped away from what must have been a very intense and
time-consuming role?
This one’s easy to answer – although I do think it will take me
little while to adapt to my
new lifestyle. I will still maintain an active interest in charity
healthcare and plan to become a Trustee in one or two national
organisations, but I am so looking forward to be able to spend more
time participating in my many hobbies. I think it’s important to
enjoy an active retirement and my 
wife and I
are looking forward to playing more tennis and golf (possibly
together), going to the gym, travelling the world, as well as
spending time in my second home in Tuscany.
Right: Malcolm training alongside
GB Rowing members Frances Houghton and Chris Bartley
And, if I’ve got any time left after that, I’d like to improve
my Italian and perhaps take up the guitar and piano again (which I
haven’t played since I was a child!).
However, I know I am truly going to miss my colleagues, staff,
doctors and patients alike at The London Clinic – especially my
loyal PA, Charmian, who has worked with me for all these years. The
Clinic is all about our people and it’s going to be hard to say
goodbye.
Find out more about Malcolm's
annoucement to retire