In December 2020, the Public Chairs’ Forum (PCF), in collaboration with the Cabinet Office and the Officer for the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), launched the Public Appointments Mentoring Programme.

A number of PCF members volunteered to participate and were paired with aspiring public sector non-executive directors (NEDs) and chairs. Throughout the year, the Mentor/Mentee pairs have connected and PCF have been involved in organising several masterclasses. 

We asked Alan Coppin OBE (Hon Member of the PCF) and Alain Clapham to share their experiences of the past year. 

Why did you join the mentoring programme? 

Alan Coppin: As Chair (now former Chair) of an Arm’s-Length Body (ALB) and an independent panel member for public appointments (I have been on 11 panels), I have been concerned for some time at the lack of diverse applicants for public sector boards. Furthermore, I have thought that the methodologies for recruiting candidates from diverse backgrounds were not proactive enough, mainly relying on ads on government websites. As a Chair I was actively involved in trying to remedy this situation for my own organisation. When I read about the diversity mentoring programme I thought it could help to address the issue and, hopefully, could be expanded across Government Departments to make a real difference. 

Alain Clapham: A few years ago I was encouraged by Mark Pallis (who was then Head of Project Engagement at the RSA) to consider joining the board at The Tate. Applying to become part of such a prestigious institution was something I had never previously considered. I sent in my application and proceeded through the various interview stages – eventually being shortlisted to the final two. Despite being unsuccessful, the experience opened my eyes and gave me the confidence to believe that I had something of value to bring to public life. My application brought me to the attention of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), so when they set up a pilot programme to support promising board candidates they reached out to me via email. 

What parts of the programme have you enjoyed the most? 

Alan Coppin: Without doubt my meetings with Alain. They have not only been incredibly enjoyable – in my view both parties having fun should be an objective built into the scheme – but I have also learnt a lot from him. When describing the scheme to other people I call it a co-mentoring programme. Despite being from different backgrounds and different age groups I consider we are united by shared values and beliefs and senses of humour! Whomever paired us in the first place did a great job! 

But it hasn’t always been enjoyable – Alain’s application for a large public body, although he seemed a perfect fit, was not successful (he was not even invited for interview) and we both had to try to understand why and deal with the fall, which we did and we moved on. 

Alain Clapham:  I have greatly valued the whole mentoring journey with Alan Coppin. Right from the very beginning he was enthusiastic, encouraging and eager to help. Our relationship has far exceeded my expectations. Alan always goes above and beyond the requirement. We communicate every week via email, phone, video call or SMS to share ideas, discuss possible opportunities and chart general progress. Alan has also been most generous with his contacts, introducing me to an array of people in his network to help further my cause. 

Beyond the 1-2-1 mentorship I have greatly valued the masterclasses. All of them have been beneficial – particularly Cindy Buws’ session which proved to be highly informative – thanks to her mix of inspirational energy, practical advice and invaluable professional insights about how best to navigate the application and interview process. 

Did you find anything surprising? 

Alan Coppin: Apart from Alain not getting an interview for the ALB Board role mentioned above, the main surprise was (and is) the incredible range of ability of Alain and how much I would learn from him. I would encourage PCF members to check him out, e.g. by accessing these two links: How to Build a Hub Using Creativity as the Currency TED and BMT: The ‘Awesome Everyday’ Stories of Black Men.  

Other Chairs might want to use his storytelling and facilitator talents. Helen Whitehouse, then Acting Director of Museums and Cultural Property at DCMS did this and rated a presentation to her staff given by Alain as ‘great and very uplifting.’ I would be most happy to put PCF Chairs in touch with Alain. If you’re interested, please contact me.  

Alain Clapham: I was surprised to see how effectively the programme worked online, as it was originally intended to be delivered in person (prior to the pandemic). The transition was smooth and the team at DCMS were hands on and highly supportive. Lucinda McDade has been particularly helpful in providing guidance and encouragement throughout the pilot programme. 

I was also happy to discover that the mentoring process was a two-way street. It was great to have opportunities to share my insights and skills sets, as it made me feel that I too was contributing something of value to the relationship. Although most of the exchanges happened online, myself and Alan were finally able to meet up in London over the summer; it was great to make that connection in person.  

What is the main thing you will take away from the experience? 

Alan Coppin: Alain is currently being considered for an ALB board position. Obviously, I hope that he will be appointed as I am convinced that he will add significant value. In terms of Alain and my work together, this is the real test of the diversity mentoring programme. To get to this position has entailed quite a lot of work from both Alain and I and I think the main takeaway is that it is necessary for both mentor and mentee to put in the effort and be determined to achieve the end goal. I hope that when this initial diversity mentoring scheme officially comes to an end that we will keep in touch. I also hope that any review of the scheme is undertaken with a positive mindset – how can it be tweaked to work and rolled out across the public sector. Alain and I would be most pleased to help with this by sharing how we have approached and developed what I consider is an incredibly positive mentoring relationship. 

Alain Clapham: 1) Programmes like these matter and need to be supported. I personally want to advocate for the great work that has begun with this pilot, so we can grow this initiative and increase its reach and impact. 2) A good mentor from outside of your discipline can inspire and makes a world of difference to your practice. I cannot thank Alan enough for his continual efforts to support me. 3) There are some amazing people out there all keen to contribute to public life. Supporting their efforts is essential to the betterment of society as a whole as its going to take all of us to make the change.