Paycare chief executive stepping down

Kevin Rogers said: “It’s time for the next generation to step up and shine.”

He is set to continue in post for now, but to ensure a smooth handover made the announcement to his team on January 25 so they can begin preparing for his departure later in the year.

Mr Rogers had previously reduced his hours to allow his senior team to take on more responsibility and it was known he was preparing to retire at some point.

When it comes to why he made the decision that 2022 would be his year to hand the baton over to a new CEO, he blames George Clooney.

“George Clooney and I were born within days of each other,” he explained.

“I saw an interview recently where he was asked what projects he’d got lined up for the coming year. His reply was that he’d probably got 20 years left of good health, so he was going to do more of what made him happy in that time. He said he might take on some projects, but his priority was enjoying life. That got me thinking.

“It’s time now – the worst thing I could do would be to block the development of the team. From the beginning, I’ve wanted to allow people the autonomy and space to develop their skills. By trusting them to get on and do amazing things, we’re now in a position where Paycare is in extremely capable hands going forward."

Mr Rogers almost didn’t join the health cash plan not-for-profit, let alone become its CEO – his early career was in finance but the 2008 recession saw him made redundant. He spotted a hree-month temporary job at Paycare but his recruitment agent didn’t think he should go for it.

Luckily, Mr Rogers managed to persuade them to submit his application and he was later to take on a permanent role as operations director. Four years after that, the organisation was taking applications for CEO – and, after sizing up the other candidates, Kevin decided he could give the job a try.

“I was recently asked if I wanted the Paycare team to continue my legacy and I said no, they need to create their own legacy now," he said.

“When I took the role of CEO, I decided to try and create the kind of culture I’d always wanted in previous workplaces – where we focused on people, where nobody had that Sunday evening feeling of dread about work the next day, and where everyone was treated with respect.

“Supporting and trusting in the team has allowed us to develop into the organisation we are today. We’ve always tried to bring new team members in who share our values – you can teach people skills, but you can’t change them as a person or change their value system.

“The amount we’ve been able to give back to the community has been the biggest source of pride to me during my time at Paycare.

“It’s a strange feeling having made the decision – but I’m absolutely sure the organisation is in good hands. It’s time for the team to take it to the next level; as we approach 150 years in business, I know what’s to come will be very exciting as we continue to evolve while maintaining that steadfast commitment to meeting the needs of the people who are at the heart of our organisation," he said,

Mr Rogers is expected to leave later in 2022 once the new management team is authorised by the organisation’s financial regulators, and intends to spend more time concentrating on his roles as chairman of Wolverhampton Foundation and trustee of Wolverhampton LGBT+, with a few rounds of golf planned too.

Anthony Burns, Paycare’s current commercial director will be following Kevin in the role of chief executive subject to regulatory approval.