Customers at the heart of senior recruitment

Listening to customer voices in leadership decisions 

At Platform, we are committed to putting customers at the heart of everything we do. This includes involving customers in the recruitment of senior leaders and board members, ensuring their views help shape the future of our organisation. 

We invited our involved customer panel members to take part in the recruitment of senior members of our Executive Team and were delighted that four members were able to take part; joining colleagues on recruitment panels for three senior posts. This included Mike Hope, who has been a valued member of our Scrutiny Panel for a number of years. 

Why did you get involved? 

After receiving an email inviting him to take part in the recruitment of senior roles, Mike was keen to put himself forward. He told us: “I was really impressed that Platform wanted customers to be involved and particularly valued that customers were being included in such major decisions.”  

For Mike, this involvement opportunity confirmed that “customers’ opinions mattered,” and saw the approach as “a very progressive step.” 

What was your experience? 

Mike described his experience as “Exciting, interesting and enjoyable. It was so meaningful to be treated as an equal contributor rather than a bystander – it made me feel like part of the Platform team.” 

He also went on to share that a further key part “Was that the views of the customers on the panel were definitely listened to.” 

Although a Platform recruitment colleague was present to support the panel, Mike noted that whilst they offered advice when asked, they took exceptional care not to influence the involved customers taking part in any way. 

Following the interviews, he also shared that “Positive feedback was given to the recruitment panel, which we were part of. At a later meeting several senior members of the board and management team also asked us about our experience - reinforcing that our customer involvement was valued and taken seriously.” 

The value of Customer Involvement 

Reflecting on the wider impact, Mike said: “It’s a great idea and enables customers to be part of making important decisions.” 

He also valued the opportunity it created “to meet all levels of Platform staff,” helping to build stronger relationships between customers and colleagues across the organisation. 

When asked if he would recommend this type of opportunity to others, Mike was extremely encouraging: “I would definitely recommend this to other customers as it was such a positive experience.  I also believe that taking part in a similar project may lead to them getting involved on a regular basis to share their valuable customer experiences and views.”