This month we say goodbye to retiring Chris Hodgson, our director of estates and facilities.
Chris joined our trust in June 2015, following 10 years as director for estates and facilities at several other large, acute NHS organisations. We chatted to Chris to find out more about him and hear some of the highlights of his long career.
“I left school to become an apprentice electrician and get my vocational qualifications – something that I have continued to amass over the years – and I’ve worked in both the public and private sector on projects including large scale automation projects, building and operating data centres for big tech companies, world class research facilities and complex estates, including defence (operational airfields).
“Early on I realised I wanted to progress into senior leadership, so I’ve always taken opportunities to learn new things and gain additional vocational qualifications along the way to equip myself for that.
“If I could give my younger self some advice, it would be to be clearer about what I wanted to do from an earlier age. Having said that, I don’t regret the route I’ve taken; it has given me so many life skills and I’ve met so many brilliant and inspirational people along the way.
“I never really had a mentor, and I guess it have done it the hard way at times, but I’m hopefully more of a rounded person as a result. My philosophy has been to work hard and take opportunities as they come along, and I would advise anyone to do the same. I’ve tried to be a mentor for others, and in fact some of my favourite times have been seeing people grow and giving them opportunities just as I was given. One thing I’ve realised is that you must keep your feet on the ground and be resilient: do your job well and then success will follow you.
“I’ve had many, many challenges doing this job. For one, it’s difficult to balance budgets while maintaining quality. I’m also proud of many things – I’m not sure there’s any one achievement that stands out above all others, more that there are many highlights. From improving staff experience through refurbishments, to providing more car parking or making a difference to patients through new buildings and refurbishments of existing buildings, it is always a pleasure to see a brighter, cleaner environment.
“One of the things I love is that there’s never a dull day in estates and facilities. There are always new things to learn: the latest technical guidance, new construction requirements, carbon management/sustainability and green plans to name but a few.
“When I look back on my time, I am proud of the team I have built and of what we’ve achieved. I have really enjoyed creating opportunities for talented colleagues and the success of my directorate has been down to them. Seeing people grow and develop is a definite perk of leadership. I’ve also been lucky enough to win awards; it is an honour to have fellow professionals recognise our work, such as reducing our carbon emissions at Eastbourne by over 4,000 tonnes – that’s a legacy that I am proud of.
“As I look ahead to my retirement, those who know me will know that I have a passion for American muscle cars, so there’s no doubt that I’ll be restoring my 1968 Mustang Fastback to the same colour and specification that Steve McQueen drove in the film Bullitt.
“I also hope to travel the world – my wife and I have already booked a 2,500-mile road trip along the west coast of the US: the first of several trips planned for the next 5 to 10 years. There are probably not enough years, or money, to be able to do everything we would like to do, but we’re going to make a good go of it!
“I’m still full of enthusiasm so I’ve no doubt I’ll be dipping my toe in the working world now and again to keep my brain from getting bored. I have no intention of hanging up my hard hat for good just yet!”