As we delve ever deeper into the New Year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has moved to bolster its leadership team with a round of new senior appointments.
The newcomers include Professor Jonathan Benger CBE who joins NICE as its new Chief Medical Officer; Helen Brown as new Chief People Officer; and Dr Clare Morgan who is joining as NICE’s new Director of Implementation and Partnerships.
Professor Benger boasts an impressive clinical background with past experience including six years as NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care. Currently, Jonathan still does regular shifts with Great Western Air Ambulance which he helped found as its first Clinical Director back in 2007. He joined NICE earlier this month but for the last six months has been working as NHS England’s interim Chief Clinical Information Officer, which, combined with his previous experience as NHS Digital’s Chief Medical Officer, should give him the right tools to succeed in his new role.
Helen Brown has accumulated more than 25 years of human resource experience, including initial roles in retail before entering the MedTech world in various HR Director positions. Brown is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and also holds a Diploma in HR Management and a BA (Hons) in Sociology and Social Policy from the University of Durham.
Joining from her previous role as Director of Strategy at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where she helped tackle some of the worst health inequalities on the continent, Dr Morgan also boasts a host of clinical experience. This includes her role at the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Clinical Research Network as the National Research Delivery Director, and several other positions in academia and the pharmaceutical industry which further enriched Clare’s knowledge of the clinical research ecosystem.
NICE’s Chief Executive, Dr Sam Roberts, said: "I am very pleased to welcome all of our new appointments to their roles, I know they will make significant contributions which will help NICE continue to get the best care to patients, ensure value for money for the taxpayer, and help us create useful and useable advice for the NHS.
“Jonathan’s extensive experience as a health system leader and frontline doctor in the NHS will be a great asset to our team. Helen is a dedicated and adaptable leader with a proven track record of driving transformation and delivering pragmatic solutions to complex challenges and Clare is a compassionate, wise manager who brings a deep understanding of the realities of the NHS, which I know will be invaluable.
"I would also like to thank Gail for her tremendous work with us; her knowledge, positivity and creativity during her time with NICE proved vital. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Gail as a valued partner in her role at the RCGP."
Other new appointments include The Lancet’s former Senior Executive Editor, Naomi Lee, who joins as NICE’s new Head of Organisational Transformation; Boryana Stambolova who is now interim Director of Finance; and Helen Knight as Director of Medicines Evaluation.
