The NHS Transformation Unit (TU) has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer to lead the specialist healthcare management consultancy through its next phase of growth.
Having co-founded the TU with Leila Williams, Alex Heritage was on 25 September formally appointed by the Board to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer. Leila continues in the role of Chief Transformation Officer.
From the organisation’s beginnings more than a decade ago in Greater Manchester, the TU has grown rapidly over the last three years, having transformed into a successful NHS consultancy providing advice and support to major change programmes in the NHS.
This growth has seen the creation of an independent Board, an expansion in the number of organisations it works with and a significant increase in team members, including nine new recruits in the last eight weeks.
Hailing from Stockport, Alex has worked in the public sector for over 15 years across a range of services and roles, including as part of the leadership of the ‘Healthier Together’ programme which achieved one of the largest public consultations responses in the NHS, resulting in 12 clinical commissioning groups’ unanimous decision to change health services in Greater Manchester.
Chair of TU Phil Huggon said: “We’ve achieved an incredible amount over the last three years, stemming from strong leadership delivered by both Leila and Alex, alongside a growing team which demonstrates its passion and commitment with each step we take in our growth.
“Alex brings a wealth of expertise and energy to the TU and its clients, and he is unwavering in his commitment to transforming health and care for the benefit of patients the length and breadth of the UK. I am very confident that under his stewardship, the TU will continue to flourish and support our country’s most valued asset: the NHS.”
Chief Executive Officer Alex Heritage said: “Our first three years as an internal NHS consultancy have been highly successful. We are now well-placed to take forward our ambitions and embark on the next phase of our development, with our longer-term vision for our future.
“The UK’s health and care sector has to plan strategically for the long-term and – so we can continue to provide a high-quality service to our clients – so must we. But in doing so, we will not lose sight of what makes us different and sets us apart from our competitors, we are run for the NHS, by the NHS. How we work is critical to everything we do: our values of being people-focused, driven, empowering and acting with integrity at all times will not change.”
Alex was shortlisted for the Health Service Journal’s Rising Star Award in 2014 and completed the NHS Leadership Academy’s Director Programme in 2016. As one of the NHS’s youngest chief executives in post, Alex is seen as one of the next generation of leaders to take forward the long-term sustainability of the NHS. He continues to be supported by an experienced and highly proficient Board and his mentor, cross-bench peer and social entrepreneur Lord Andrew Mawson.
