Leadership roles with a difference

My biggest reason for working for NHS Blood and Transplant is what we do. We are not here to make a profit, we are here to save lives.
Dean Neill

Head of Region North Blood Donation

Dean's story

I left university with a law degree but decided a legal career wasn’t for me. I took a job at NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) as an administrator and thought I’d only be here for six months. That was nearly eight years ago.

I’ve worked my way up from an administrator to Head of Region. There is a great development programme and the organisation has invested a lot in me, both in terms of my training and experience. NHSBT is people orientated. It’s about donors, patients and staff. That’s what motivates me to be here. Everyone is aligned to a shared purpose and knows exactly what they’re here to do.

I quickly realised that NHSBT was a great organisation to work and progress in. I have been stretched and developed throughout my career, it’s been fantastic.

Throughout my career here so far, I’ve been set some tough operational challenges and targets. But I’ve been given the freedom to overcome them. As an Area Manager, I had the opportunity to substantially improve a struggling area and turn it into a high performer. I’m really proud of that. But my biggest reason for working here is what we do. We are not here to make a profit or fill shareholders’ pockets. We’re here to do a positive thing and save lives.

A career at NHSBT is fast paced and you need to bring energy to the role. But there are lots of opportunities for people who are willing to put in the effort.