Guidance executive

Our guidance executive meets weekly to consider and sign off guidance and other products for publication.

It's made up of executive directors, guidance centre directors and senior team members.

The current membership is:

Dr Sam Roberts, chief executive

Dr Sam Roberts

Dr Sam Roberts is the chief executive of NICE.

Before joining us in February 2022, Sam was the managing director of health and care at Legal and General, a financial services firm. In this role, she had responsibility for identifying promising areas for investment across health and care.

Prior to that, Sam was the first chief executive of the Accelerated Access Collaborative. This is a national umbrella organisation for health innovation, hosted by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI).

She originally trained as a doctor and practiced medicine in South Africa, the UK, and Australia before undertaking an MBA. She then joined McKinsey and Company, where she worked in a wide range of industries before specialising in healthcare.

After McKinsey, Sam moved into the NHS as a senior manager at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She was also a director in UCLPartners, an Academic Health Sciences Centre and Network. Last year, she took on the role of director of innovation, research and life sciences at NHSEI.

Over the last 5 years Sam has become involved in research, working with health economic models to inform evidence-based policy at the London School of Economics. She then moved to the University of Oxford where she undertook a DPhil (Doctor of Philosophy).


Elaine Cartwright, associate director, resource impact assessment

Elaine Cartwright

Elaine joined us in September 2019 as the associate director for the resource impact assessment team. She was previously a chief finance officer within Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board, where she oversaw the finances for one of the acute hospitals in North Wales and also for managed clinical services across North Wales.

Elaine has extensive experience in finance within the NHS, having also worked for a large acute trust in England. Before working in the NHS, she worked for major international chemical companies and was heavily involved in the flotation of one of these companies on the US stock market.


    Mark Chapman, interim director of medical technology and digital evaluation

    Mark Chapman

    Mark joined us in 2022 as interim director for medical technology and digital evaluation. This includes diagnostics, digital and medtech that can be implantable or assistive. Mark has 30 years of experience in the medtech arena. He initially trained as a Clinical Physiologist, and worked for 10 years within the UK NHS, Tertiary Cardiac Care, with a specialist interest in complex cardiac devices.

    Moving into Industry in 2001, holding various clinical and commercial roles. In parallel, he has held roles, including committee member on our technology appraisal programme. Is a past member of the External Advisory Board, University of Leeds EPSRC Centre for innovative Manufacturing of Medical Devices. Mark has also undertaken secondment within the UK Government, Office for Life science, Department of Business, as MedTech Policy Advisor. Since 2014 Mark was the Director of Health Economics and Commissioning for UK & Ireland at Medtronic.


    Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the Centre for Guidelines

    Dr Paul Chrisp

    Paul has been with us since March 2009, where he was responsible for setting up our accreditation programme for guideline developers. More recently, he was programme director of the Medicines and Technologies Programme.

    Before joining us, Paul spent over 20 years in international medical publishing and communications, focusing on evidence to aid healthcare decision making and the adoption of new medicines.

    Paul trained as a pharmacist and is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.


    Rebecca Smith, associate director, media relations – Communications

    Rebecca Smith

    Rebecca joined NICE in 2016 having spent 15 years working as a journalist, including as medical editor of the Evening Standard and Daily Telegraph.

    Having written about NICE’s work for ten years Rebecca understands the impact our guidance has on patients, the health and care sectors and industry.

    Rebecca joined NICE as head of media and now associate director for the external communications team.


    Dr Felix Greaves, director of science, evidence and analytics

    Dr Felix Greaves

    Felix joined us in 2020 in the new role of director of science, evidence and analytics. He was previously the deputy director of science and strategic information and head of science and engineering profession at Public Health England. He has been closely involved in the development of our public health guidelines.

    With 16 years’ experience in the health service, Felix has worked as a clinical advisor to the chief medical officer for England, a medical officer at the World Health Organization, and governor of an NHS foundation trust. Felix is a consultant in public health medicine and continues to work part time as a public health academic at Imperial College London.


    Gail Allsopp, interim chief medical officer

    Gail Allsopp

    Gail joined us in 2022 as interim Chief Medical Officer. Her medical career spans 25 years across primary, secondary care, research, education and health policy.

    Initially training as a surgeon, she subsequently trained in primary care and is now a fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

    Alongside her role with us, where she will provide medical advice to the board and executive team, Gail will continue to work as a frontline GP in Derbyshire, as a clinical academic focusing on research and in clinical policy with the Royal College of General Practitioners.


    Judith Richardson, acting director of health and social care

    Judith Richardson

    Judith is responsible for leading the implementation of guidance and quality standards across health, public health and social care. She joined us in 2007 and, as well as being our deputy medical director, has held roles with the clinical guidelines team, managed the development of NICE Pathways and led a portfolio of programmes including quality standards and indicators.

    Judith originally trained in medicine in London, completing further training in public health and general practice. She then worked in public health for 15 years, holding a range of positions at local, regional, and national levels. She continues to have a training role in public health.