Posted on: 3 February 2023
Our Council of Governors has appointed Tom Kibasi as our new Chair, succeeding Professor Dorothy Griffiths.
Professor Griffiths – Dot – has been the chair for almost 10 years and retires at the end of March.
Tom was born and raised in north London, studied at the University of Cambridge, and now lives in central London with his fiancée Emma and their cat Aya.
On his appointment, Tom said:
“I am honoured to be appointed Chair of CNWL. I am passionate about what our Trust does, the brilliant people who work here and all those who use our services.
“We help some of the most vulnerable in society at the most difficult times in their lives. Our wonderful staff are truly committed to delivering high quality care for all our patients, service users, and carers, especially during these challenging times. The Board exists to help the organisation achieve its full potential.
“My priority is making sure we bring the best of CNWL to all our patients and carers, all of the time—no matter who you are or where you live, you should expect the very best of our Trust.
“There are big shoes to fill as our exceptional Chair, Professor Dot Griffiths moves on, and I am enormously grateful to the Governors for the confidence they have placed in me.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with Claire Murdoch, the Executive and Non Executive Directors, and all colleagues at the Trust, as well as our partners and stakeholders.”
Appointing (and removing) the Chair is one of the most important responsibilities of the Council, which is mainly composed of elected representatives, with some appointed by partner organisations (like Councils).
The Chair Selection Process is run by CNWL’s Lead Governor, Councillor Ketan Sheth, who chairs the Appointments Committee.
The robust process generated a strong pool of candidates.
The Council had the final say at its meeting on Tuesday 31 January 2023.
Councillor Sheth said, “Congratulations Tom! There was no doubt in our minds that you were the best candidate for this demanding role, best for our patients and staff, but also leading CNWL into the wider waters of the partnership system in the NHS.”
Professor Griffiths said, “I want to add my own congratulations to Tom, who has already contributed much to the strategic thinking of CNWL and the quality of our services to patients and carers. This is a great decision. I would also like to extend my thanks to the Governors who devoted many hours to this selection process and to Ketan, who has led it so well. Thank you all.”
Penny Dash, Chair of North West London Integrated Care Board said: “We welcome Tom to the Chair group across North West London and look forward to him supporting the greater integration of services between providers, to the benefit of patient care.”
Claire Murdoch, Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations Tom and based on what I already know of you and your record in healthcare, this is a great appointment to the experienced team that leads CNWL; for the almost 10,000 people who work here and for our patients and carers. The future is full of challenges with many difficult times no doubt, but the future is bright!”
More about Tom Kibasi
Tom has been a Non Executive Director of CNWL since the summer of 2016. He is Deputy Chair of the Trust and has been Chair of the Quality Committee since 2019.
Tom has dedicated his career to improving healthcare. He currently works for Flagship Pioneering which conceives, creates and scales biotechnology companies to transform health.
He was previously Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research. While at IPPR, Tom founded and chaired the Commission on Economic Justice and a major review into the future funding of the NHS which helped to secure the multi-year funding settlement.
Tom co-founded the non-profit Innovations in Healthcare which supports social entrepreneurs around the world.
He has written for the Lancet, the Washington Post, and regularly for the Guardian newspaper.
Tom spent many years at McKinsey & Company where he was a partner in the healthcare practice in London and New York and focused on improving the integration of care.
During his career, Tom has worked in 20 health systems and for international organisations including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Early in his career, Tom worked at the Department of Health as Senior Policy Adviser to the NHS Chief Executive and to Lord Darzi for his landmark review of the health service.
He led the team that developed the integrated care pilot for elderly people and people with diabetes and the Better Health for London report of the London Health Commission.