The firm now operates scores of practices across Scotland, caring for more than 500,00 people.
What is your business called?
Clyde Munro Dental Group.
Where is it based?
Our headquarters are in Glasgow however we operate 65 practices across Scotland, spanning the Orkney islands to the Scottish Borders. Clyde Munro is very much Scotland’s local community dentist, with branches on high streets and in towns across the country. We also have our Advanced Dentistry and Clinical Skills Centre in Perth with world class digital equipment to support our training and development needs.
What does it produce/do?
Clyde Munro is committed to providing inclusive dental care to both NHS and private patients across Scotland through wide-ranging treatments treatment plans to look after their oral health. Every day, patients enter our practices for a routine check up or with concerns about their oral health, and some may be unhappy with their smiles and feeling that their teeth or smile are affecting their confidence – and they leave with their lives changed and feeling cared for. We’re extremely privileged to be in a position where we can make a real, tangible difference to so many people.
To whom does it sell?
Across the group, we provide dental services for more than 500,000 people across Scotland, looking after around 10% of the Scottish population and making Clyde Munro the largest and most ambitious dental groups in the country. We pride ourselves on delivering best-in-class care to all patients, providing dental continuity and longevity for both urban and rural communities, and from our advanced centres which provide specialist services such as complex implant systems, orthodontics and oral surgery. Care is at the heart of all we do from consultations to advanced procedures, helping patients to make informed decisions about their dental care journey.
What is its turnover?
The group has a turnover of over £70 million – not bad from a standing start 10 years ago.
How many employees?
The group has around 300 dentists and 500 support staff, allowing us to harness skills and expertise from a rich and deep talent pool of professionals across Scotland, with local teams that care passionately for their patients and the communities they serve.
Why did you take the plunge?
I was inspired to set up Clyde Munro after finishing a long and wonderful career with Polaroid; I knew I still wanted to do something that was significant, but it had to be the right opportunity.
I knew the ex-chief dental officer for England, who I’d been working with on a couple of small projects. We discussed the future of dentistry, including the concept of groups making strides in the industry due to their commitment to providing a high level of care for communities, empowering local teams, and providing support and training and development to the dentists, with access to the very latest digital equipment.
In Scotland at that time, this just wasn’t happening; group dentistry was a more common concept south of the border, and there was a real unmet need here in Scotland. I knew it would not only be worthwhile and incredibly interesting, but it would also make a real difference to people’s lives. I was moved by the challenges many families faced in accessing dental care and was determined to do something about that.
What were you doing before?
I often say I’ve been in the ‘smiles’ business for nearly all of my career, as before I founded Clyde Munro, I spent 27 years working around the world in leadership roles at Polaroid. The healthcare market was a significant part of my business responsibility there and even today I still see the dental cameras which were deigned and made by Polaroid in Dumbarton in cupboards at dental practises I visit.
What do you least enjoy?
Hearing about families in distress that cannot access a dentist. I and the teams across Scotland are determined to help as much as we can to address this. We are striving every day to make a difference. This year we have added 15 new dentists to the group, which means around 40,000 more people will get access to a dentist – and over the past 10 years since Clyde Munro was founded, our expert team of dental trainers have helped more than 100 dentists across the group through their vocational training year, playing a vital role in upskilling the next generation of dental professionals. However, there is still so much more we have to do.
What are your ambitions for the firm?
To continue to grow: grow the number of patients and families that we look after, grow the young dentists that join us each year by allowing them to be all that they can be, grow the number of people offering advanced services to meet community needs around Scotland, not just in the big cities, and remaining the leader not just in Scotland or the UK but in Europe.
I am immensely proud to be able to provide the most advanced digital equipment to support our dentists and patients, both NHS and private, and to be independently regarded as the most advanced group in Europe. Our investment in digital equipment has had a particularly positive impact in some of our most rural practices, in areas such as Fort William and Orkney, allowing us to treat patients from a wide catchment area with ease and helping to reduce the need for extensive travel.
What single thing would most help?
Our values as a company can be summed up in one word – care. We care for each other, care for our patients and care for the communities we serve. It is the single biggest thing that binds us as a team to deliver the best possible patient care for the people of Scotland.
Together we are strong and will get stronger as we grow. We are making a difference as a unified healthcare team that recognises the difference strong values and support for each other makes to the levels of care we provide. We will continue to invest in our people and advanced technology to be all we can be.
Scotland faces major challenges with oral health, and we can’t talk about being the biggest dental group in the country without taking responsibility for doing something about the general trend of oral health. That’s one of the key things for the future we need to do more of – continue to grow, but focus on those areas where we can make a massive difference.
I’m determined that with the capabilities and the people we have, we can look forward and continue to drive change. By accessing great technology to support our dentists, and by maintaining our core values of care, we’ll continue to grow and become even more focused on providing the best possible patient experience.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
I have learned that it is possible to be a team that works together for the greater good, although we work in over 65 different buildings and communities that can be hundreds of miles apart. But you have to believe, you have to have a single passion and aligned values. That is what has made Clyde Munro so special and is what I feel so privileged to be part of.
Where do you find yourself most at ease?
On the beach at St Andrews with my four grandchildren, usually with a stop for ice-cream along the way.
If you weren’t in your current role, what job would you most fancy?
My grandfather had a market garden and as a child I loved working there, growing plants for sale or tomatoes to sell. I still like to feel the soil in my hands and be able to smell a change in the weather. So a nurseryman or grower as he used to call himself.
What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most?
“If you find it in your heart to care for someone else you will have succeeded” – Maya Angelou
What is the best book you have ever read? Why is it the best?
Janet and John in P1 at Benhar Primary. I still remember how wonderful it was to read my first book.
What has been your most challenging moment in life or business?
Covid and the associated lockdown was a huge challenge, and one that I will never forget. I’m immensely proud of how we navigated the pandemic. It really concentrated my view of the incredible values we have as a group. We supported each other through some of the most challenging times imaginable in a healthcare business. The fundamental thing about Clyde Munro is that we care – that got us through.
What do you now know that you wish you had known when starting out in your career?
The true value of the care and support from people you work alongside and the lasting relationships you build every day of your journey through your working life. I guess the older you get the more you realise just how important this has been and is going forward.