Stabilising risk, strengthening governance and creating a clear, board-ready digital roadmap.

The organisation was a national Regulatory Body with a statutory remit and a long history of doing things carefully and correctly. Its systems, however, told a different story.

Over time, technology had grown organically around the organisation rather than by design. Core platforms for case management, registration, complaints handling and reporting were functional, but fragmented. Staff relied heavily on manual workarounds, data was held in multiple places, and reporting required significant effort to produce even basic insights.

Externally, expectations were changing.

Members. industries and stakeholders increasingly expected:

  • Faster, more transparent processes
  • Clearer digital journeys
  • Better communication and status visibility

Internally, staff were spending disproportionate time navigating systems rather than applying regulatory judgement.

Senior leadership knew digital change was needed - but also knew it carried risk. This was a regulated environment where:

  • Service continuity was critical
  • Data integrity was non-negotiable
  • Public and political scrutiny was ever-present

A mis-step would have serious consequences.

Why an interim, not a permanent hire

The initial question for us was whether to recruit a permanent digital leader. But, following a meeting with Anna and the interim team, the organisation recognised that what it needed first was deep, situational expertise, not a long-term role shaped around business-as-usual.

Their challenge was time-bound and specific:

  • Assess the current digital landscape honestly
  • Define a realistic transformation roadmap
  • Stabilise delivery while change was planned
  • Support senior leaders through high-risk decisions

This pointed towards an interim.

With Anna's support, they appointed an experienced digital transformation specialist with a background in regulated and public-facing organisations. Crucially, this was someone who had:

  • Led complex system change in risk-averse environments
  • Worked alongside boards and audit committees
  • Balanced pace with assurance, rather than disruption

The interim was given clear authority, direct access to the executive teams, and a tightly defined mandate.

What our interim actually did

The first few weeks were deliberately diagnostic rather than disruptive.

The interim:

  • Reviewed existing systems and contracts
  • Mapped critical regulatory processes end-to-end
  • Identified risk hotspots and single points of failure
  • Spoke extensively with operational teams, not just leadership

This created a shared, evidence-based view of reality - something the organisation had not previously had.

From there, the focus shifted to pragmatic delivery:

  • Prioritising improvements that reduced risk quickly
  • Setting realistic milestones rather than ambitious promises
  • Strengthening governance around digital decision-making
  • Translating technical issues into language boards, could confidently act on

Importantly, the interim did not attempt to “own” the transformation indefinitely. Part of their role was to leave the organisation stronger than they found it.

The outcome?

Within months, the organisation had:

  • A clear, board-approved digital transformation roadmap
  • Improved confidence in data quality and reporting
  • Reduced reliance on manual workarounds
  • Stronger internal capability to manage suppliers and change

Perhaps most importantly, senior leaders were able to make informed decisions about the future - including whether a permanent digital leadership role was required, and what that role should actually look like.

When the interim assignment concluded, the organisation was no longer facing an undefined digital problem. It had a structured plan, improved resilience, and the confidence to move forward at a pace appropriate to its regulatory responsibilities.

The key lessons for regulated organisations

For regulators, digital transformation is rarely about speed for its own sake. It is about assurance, continuity, and credibility.

This organisation’s experience highlighted why interim expertise can be so effective:

  • It brings immediate, proven capability
  • It avoids long-term commitments before the problem is fully understood
  • It supports leaders through risk-heavy decisions
  • And it creates space to build sustainable, permanent solutions

In high-scrutiny environments, sometimes the safest way to change is to bring in someone who has done it before - temporarily, deliberately, and with a clear exit in mind.

Talk to Anna more about what an interim can achieve for your organisation.