Ep 15. Angela McConville, CEO National Childbirth Trust: Creating a Movement for Change

“Great Chief Executives... they are not (necessarily) the innovators; they might be the change-makers... its about creating the conditions for the team to thrive and for the movement to thrive...” Angela McConville is the CEO of the National Childbirth Trust, also known as the NCT Charity. In this episode we explore how NCT has created a grass-roots, volunteer-led movement providing services for expectant and new parents. Angela describes how embracing the power of digital during the pandemic actually led to a huge increase in the organisation’s reach and in the uptake of its services. NCT campaigns for change and we discuss some key campaigns the charity has led, including mental health support and provision for new mothers (#HiddenHalf). We also spotlight the important work carried out by MBRRACE-UK on improving maternal mortality rates and outcomes for Black mothers. We discuss community organising and how NCT has seen a paradigm shift in the way it empowers and engages its volunteers, as a result of the pandemic. Angela holds that organisations need to do more to remove barriers to volunteering and to really harness the power of ‘hyper-local’ community engagement. Angela also shares personal stories juggling leadership and motherhood and life. Recorded March 2021.