Welcome: Michael Milne | EMBL
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EMBL’s new Chief Operating Officer looks forward to establishing organisational systems that match the evolving demands of the institute’s missions
From his first day as EMBL’s new Chief Operating Officer, Michael Milne hit the ground running. His goal is to interact with people at all of EMBL’s sites, in every kind of job, and hear their thoughts on the way EMBL’s infrastructure and systems work, to figure out where there’s scope for improvement.
Milne joins EMBL from the University of Sydney’s Centre in China, where he served as its Executive Director for the past six years. Additionally, his career is rich in experience managing a range of operational concerns for several other organisations, such as the University of New South Wales in Australia, and other entities within the University of Sydney, such as its Brain and Mind Research Institute and its Charles Perkins Centre, which researches chronic disease. While in China, Michael was also a non-executive director on the board of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and chaired its finance and audit committee.
His career has helped him hone an operational approach founded in promoting professional development while establishing a culture of accountability, trust, and shared ownership. And to that end, he intends to engage with all of EMBL. Aptly, he began this process by participating in the Fit for Spring ‘Walk to Work’ with colleagues two weeks after he started at EMBL.
We had the opportunity to hear his thoughts on the importance of listening, what he looks forward to at EMBL, and even a few book recommendations.
What are your immediate priorities as our new Chief Operating Officer (COO)?
Listening. I’m looking forward to getting to know people and learning more about EMBL. These encounters with people – from site and group leaders and their teams to the professional staff at all levels across all six sites – will help me better understand EMBL’s operational needs. EMBL has begun a much-needed modernisation project, and I’ll be continuing that, including implementing the new Enterprise Resource Planning system. I’m keen to hear what staff members think works well, what we need to change, and where we can improve.
What long-term operational goals do you have?
The introductions and organisational education that I am getting now will directly feed into building a longer-term, fit-for-purpose operational model. All the aspects of an organisation’s operations that keep it running smoothly help build a culture where people can be most effective and enjoy the contribution they make to EMBL.
What past experiences do you think will aid your success in this?
For more than 20 years, I’ve worked in transformational roles in complex organisational settings and across many different functional areas in government and research-focused organisations, including international organisations. So, at this point, I’m very comfortable overseeing the operations in international, mission-based organisations like EMBL.
What do you see as your biggest challenges at EMBL?
As the external environment gets increasingly more complex and challenging, we need to ensure that EMBL has the best possible organisational arrangements in place to provide enduring stability that supports its core missions both now and into the foreseeable future. I want to help ensure we have the operational capability to match our missions’ evolving demands and allow for necessary flexibility and adaptability.
What underlying leadership philosophy or vision have you developed along the way?
From a strategic perspective, I’m attracted to a ‘steward’ leadership philosophy because it advocates taking a more ethical, holistic, and longer-term orientation. In mission-based and publicly funded institutions, it’s a good fit because the starting position is that you act as a steward or a trustee, with a responsibility to leave the place in a better state than when you arrived. Also, this approach promotes professional development for staff and seeks to establish a culture of accountability, trust, and shared ownership. On a day-to-day basis, however, I also adopt a situational leadership approach.
How do you see the role of operations in supporting cutting-edge research?
Across all functional areas, the operations team provides enabling support, which is best delivered through collaborative relationships. We need to provide reliable, fit-for-purpose operating frameworks, systems, and processes. The operations function is also responsible for the internal control environment and ensuring that EMBL’s management aligns with member state expectations.
Lastly, what is the name of a favourite book or movie?
Some recent reading I’ve enjoyed is Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, Michel Houellebecq’s The Map and the Territory, Julie Otsuka’s The Swimmers, and Ismail Kadare’s The Palace of Dreams. I’ve had an ageing copy of George Elliot’s Middlemarch from when I was an undergrad and recently decided I should finally read it. Highly recommended.