After nine years at NFU Mutual, Chris Pettit, our Head of Strategy, is preparing to hand over one of the most influential roles in the business.
Having spent more than 35 years working across financial services, including senior strategy positions with major banking organisations, Chris joined NFU Mutual looking for something different. In this article, he reflects on a career that has helped shape the organisation's long-term direction and explains why he believes the future has never looked more exciting for his successor.
From major banks to a mutual with a difference
Chris had already built an impressive career in financial services before arriving at NFU Mutual. After spending over two decades developing and delivering strategy in organisations including Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, he was looking for a new opportunity where he could have a really tangible impact.
"What became apparent quite quickly was that this was an organisation already doing many of the things that others were aspiring to achieve," he says. "There was a clear focus on customer experience and deep, loyal customer relationships."
The move also offered something entirely new.
"The chance to move from large PLCs into a mutual organisation was exciting as I hadn’t experienced working in a mutual environment before. That was a genuinely appealing aspect of the role. I thought I'd come here for a couple of years and find out what it was like. Nine years later, I'm still here."
The reason?
"It's been great fun. The people, the culture and the shared objective of making an already successful business even better, have made it a fantastic place to work."
Helping shape the future of NFU Mutual
When asked what he is most proud of from his time at NFU Mutual, Chris points not to a single project but to the role his team has played in helping define the organisation's future.
"We've now got a really clear view of where we're trying to go over the next decade," he says. "I'm genuinely pleased with the part that my team and I have played in developing that direction."
Rather than overseeing a dramatic change in direction, Chris describes strategy at NFU Mutual as "like painting with a fine brush, the details matter". "A lot of what we do already works very well. The challenge isn't about fixing a broken business. It's about taking something successful and making it even better."
That philosophy has helped create the foundations that will guide the business through the years ahead.
"We've got some really strong building blocks and a clear focus on where we want to be, which together will ensure we're in a strong position for the next 10 years and beyond."
What does the Strategy team actually do?
For many people, strategy can sound abstract. In reality, the role sits at the heart of how NFU Mutual prepares for the future.
"The department is responsible for setting the direction of the company as a whole," Chris explains.
Working closely with the Board and Executive Committee, the team continually assesses changing customer expectations, competitor activity, regulatory developments, wider market trends and NFU Mutual’s own performance, to ensure the business remains focused on the opportunities and challenges ahead.
But strategy isn't simply about creating plans.
"One of our key responsibilities is converting high-level ambitions into specific projects and capabilities that can actually be delivered."
This means having closely integrated teams that can both plan and deliver strategy.
"Within the department we have a number of teams and disciplines that complement each other. What's great is that strategists get to understand how plans become reality, while our business architects can see how the work they're doing connects all the way back to the company's long-term ambitions."
It's this combination of big-picture thinking and practical delivery that makes the function so influential.
Why strategy matters
Chris has worked in organisations where strategy was viewed as a formality and others where it genuinely shaped decision-making. He places NFU Mutual firmly in the latter category.
"We take strategy and the future direction of this company incredibly seriously, from the Chairman and Chief Executive down."
Without that focus, he believes the organisation would lose something important.
"We'd be less precise, less focused and less confident about where we were going."
Instead, the strategy function helps provide clarity, purpose and direction, allowing the whole organisation to move forward together.
Why the future is so exciting
For Chris, the most exciting aspect of NFU Mutual's future is the energy that exists across the organisation around its recently launched long-term strategy.
"We've done a comprehensive job of communicating where we're going, and people understand the role they can play in getting us there."
While the strategic direction is clear, there remains significant opportunity to shape how the business achieves those ambitions.
"I wouldn't want anyone to think the opportunity is limited because we have clarity about where we're going," he says. "The opposite is true."
"There is enormous scope for the next Head of Strategy to help define exactly how we get there."
The future will also bring fascinating challenges.
Among the biggest are evolving customer expectations, the growing influence of artificial intelligence and finding the right balance between NFU Mutual's award-winning face-to-face service and its digital capabilities.
"How we blend personal relationships, digital channels and AI while protecting what makes us unique is going to be a really exciting challenge."
Alongside this, opportunities exist to deepen relationships across different customer groups, expand commercial business lines and grow the company's savings, investments and pensions offering.
"It's a really exciting chance for someone to come in and start writing the next chapter."
Who will thrive as the next Head of Strategy?
As he prepares to hand over responsibility, Chris is clear about the qualities the successful candidate will need. First and foremost, they will bring credibility in both developing and executing strategy. But technical expertise alone won't be enough.
"We need somebody who can build strong relationships at every level of the organisation, from the Board and Executive Committee through to colleagues right across the business."
NFU Mutual's collaborative culture is central to success.
"This is a very collegiate organisation. People want to be involved in the thinking. They want to contribute." The successful candidate will therefore need the ability to influence, engage and bring people together around a common vision.
Equally important is understanding what makes NFU Mutual unique.
"We need somebody who can appreciate the culture of this organisation and build on the strengths that already exist here." Those strengths include a strong commitment to doing the right thing for customers and colleagues, and a long-term mindset that reflects the company's mutual status.
A rare opportunity to make a lasting impact
As Chris reflects on his time at NFU Mutual, one message comes through clearly.
For the right person, this is an opportunity to shape the future of a business that genuinely values strategic thinking and gives leaders the platform to make a difference.
"If you want to come to an organisation where you can have a real impact, where strategy is taken very seriously, and where there are exciting opportunities to shape what comes next, this is a tremendous opportunity."
It's a fitting handover from a leader who has helped shape the organisation's direction for almost a decade and an invitation for someone new to help write the next chapter.
What next?
Find out more and apply for our Head of Strategy role.