The most recent appointment is Jennifer Howells, who has been appointed as director of Finance, Strategy and Transformation, with Dr Felix Greaves appointed as the director of Science, Evidence and Analytics in March.
Jennifer Howells, director of Finance, Strategy and Transformation
Currently an independent healthcare consultant working for Deloitte, Jennifer has a strong track record in the NHS, with 16 years’ experience in the health system.
She was most recently a regional director for NHS England and Improvement after working as regional finance director for NHS England. She also has experience as a chief executive and as finance director for several commissioning and provider trusts.
Prior to joining the NHS, Jennifer worked for a number of years in business advisory roles, specialising in mergers and acquisitions in the UK, Europe and USA including advising life science companies.
As well as being the chief finance officer for NICE, Jennifer will bring a wealth of experience in strategic planning and transformation.
She will take over from Catherine Wilkinson, acting director, on 1 September, and succeeds Ben Bennet, who left NICE earlier this year after 13 years in the post.
Dr Felix Greaves, director of Science, Evidence and Analytics
Also joining us on 1 September is Dr Felix Greaves, appointed in March to the new role of director of Science, Evidence and Analytics.
Felix is currently deputy director of Science and Strategic Information and the head of Science and Engineering at Public Health England.
He is already very familiar with the work we do at NICE, as 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 senior clinical lecturer and a registrar, as well as clinical advisor to the Chief Medical Officer and governor of an NHS foundation trust.
Prof Gillian Leng, NICE chief executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome Jennifer and Felix to our senior team at NICE.
“We’re looking forward to implementing changes and developing a new strategy at NICE, and the knowledge and skills that Jennifer and Felix will bring are important in maintaining our position as a global leader in health technology evaluation.”
The new directors will also be working with senior management to lead on delivery of the new NICE strategic plan and on the NICE Connect transformation programme. Their work will encompass a restructure of how we produce and present guidelines, as well as the development of a 5-year strategic plan that will guide our work going forward.