Rev Clive Foster MBE – Leadership means listening… even when that’s difficult

From Nottingham Business School Business Leaders · 28:30

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Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ PodcastEpisode 88Rev Clive Foster MBE – Leadership means listening… even when that’s difficultThe Rev Clive Foster MBE may have one of the toughest leadership roles in public life. As Britain’s first Windrush Commissioner, he must hold the Government to account – and secure justice for victims of a scandal that saw British citizens wrongly detained and deported.Clive believes listening is one of the most important leadership skills.In Episode 88 of Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, he recalls rushing to an event in Brixton when a woman stopped him to complain about government policy.Despite being late, he listened to her story. Afterwards, she thanked him.“Sometimes all that people want is that they’ve been heard,” he says.Clive also reveals how he was shaken by online attacks, following his high-profile appointment.“I was not ready for the abuse,” he tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi.“It taught me the importance of resilience.”INTRODUCTION to Clive Foster MBE• Reverend Clive Foster MBE was appointed Britain’s first Windrush Commissioner in June 2025, to oversee the Government’s response to the Windrush scandal• He is Senior Pastor at the Pilgrim Church in Nottingham and Multi-Faith Manager at Nottingham Trent University• The Rev Foster was born in Birmingham in October 1964 to Jamaican parents.• He studied Applied Chemistry at Nottingham Trent University between 1984 and 1988, specialising in analytical chemistry.• After university, he worked for a pharmaceutical company in Loughborough but subsequently developed a career in community leadership.• As Senior Minister at the Pilgrim Church in Nottingham, he combines pastoral work with community and social-justice activity.• He founded the Nottingham Windrush Support Forum, served as vice-chair of the Windrush National Organisation, and has worked on racial inequality, hate crime and health inequalities.• In December 2022 he was awarded an MBE for services to the Windrush generation and broader community• His parents arrived in the UK in 1959, part of the Windrush generation of Commonwealth citizens who came to Britain to help fill post-war labour shortages.• The Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in 1948, carrying 1,027 passengers, mainly from the Caribbean. The ship became a symbol of post-war Commonwealth migration to Britain.• The Windrush scandal was exposed in 2018. Commonwealth citizens who had arrived in the UK during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s had been wrongly detained, deported and denied their legal rights.• Many had the right to live permanently in Britain under the immigration and nationality laws of the time. But some had arrived as children on their parents’ passports and had never obtained individual documentation.• When the Government introduced its ‘hostile environment’ immigration policies from 2012, many members of the Windrush generation struggled to prove their lawful status.• Some lost their jobs, were detained or were deported after living and working in Britain for decades.• On 18 June 2025, Clive was appointed the UK’s first Windrush Commissioner for a three-year term. He has since travelled across the country listening to survivors and communities, pressing for reform of the compensation scheme and greater accountability.HIGHLIGHTS of the podcast conversation with Clive Foster MBE02.15 The Windrush Scandal: British citizens were invited here after WWII, worked here, brought up families here… but decades later were then wrongly detained and deported04.48 “You can’t underestimate the devastation this has caused to the Windrush Generation…”05.30 From chemistry and pharmaceuticals to church ministry and university leadership… to high-profile national leadership08.40 “When I was growing up, I used to enjoy watching the speeches of Dr Martin Luther King… but my dad said: get yourself a trade, son!”11.47 Dealing with social media abuse. “I was not ready for the attacks… I was shaken.”15.12 “If you want change… you have to take some positions where you are virtually on your own. It isn’t always easy.”17.35 “It’s an advantage that Clive Foster is second generation Windrush. That he gets it. He understands it. This is a national, Commonwealth scandal.”18.26 “Authenticity is critical… I can be authentically very upset!”20.06 The Government must learn from the Windrush Scandal – and not repeat the same mistakes.21.57 “[In my leadership career] I’m afraid I’ve got a few things wrong… “LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from Clive Foster MBE1. Adaptability is a key leadership skill.Leaders must be prepared for unexpected challenges, changing circumstances and situations that take them outside their comfort zones. Clive's experience of dealing with online abuse after becoming Windrush Commissioner reinforced the importance of adapting and developing resilience.“One of the most important skills of leadership is adaptability. Can you adapt to a situation?”2. Listening matters…

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