Enter the Boardroom with Nurole 146. Dame Marie Gabriel CBE: structuring board meetings, dancing in the boardroom, and taking risks - lessons from an NHS Chair
Oct 29, 2025
Dame Marie Gabriel CBE, a seasoned NHS leader and chair of several prominent health boards, shares her insights on creating a thriving board culture. She discusses the importance of psychological safety and innovative risk-taking in public health. Marie explains her unique approach to structuring agendas, prioritizing resident needs, and managing distractions during meetings. Additionally, she highlights the value of developing junior members and embracing a mindset shift towards viewing risk as an opportunity. Her experiences navigating NHS challenges offer invaluable lessons for leaders.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Dancing To Set Culture
- Dame Marie Gabriel once danced with a young nurse after a phone went off to Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved" at a staff conference.
- She uses playful public moments to signal boardroom culture and encourage joy at work.
Permit Devices With Clear Boundaries
- Allow laptops so board members can follow online papers, but set clear rules against email distraction during meetings.
- As chair, gently call out distracted members to maintain public confidence and meeting focus.
Invest In Relationships First
- Build one-to-one relationships with each board member and attend their organisation's events to understand context.
- Use board dinners and development sessions to foster humanity and shared ambition across the board.
