NHSBT appoints two new Directors

NHS Blood and Transplant has completed a reshuffle of its top team with two new appointments

Katie Robinson moves from NHS England to join the Executive Team as Director of Strategy and Transformation, and David Rose leaves his Customer Engagement and Loyalty role at Starbucks to become NHS Blood and Transplant’s Director of Donor Experience.

The two new roles were identified following a review of NHS Blood and Transplant’s operating model(1) and a restructure of the Executive Team.

Betsy Bassis, Chief Executive said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Katie and David at this important time for NHSBT.

“NHS Blood and Transplant is great place to work and there was a considerable interest in these roles. David and Katie won through a tough open competition which attracted a strong field of diverse applicants. They both bring a wealth of experience and knowledge and will make fantastic additions to our Executive Team.

“Katie’s strong networks will enable us to develop closer links across the health system. As Director of Strategy and Transformation she will be looking at how we can best respond proactively to external trends, harness new technologies and re-imagine how we operate so that we can save and improve even more lives in the years to come.

“As Director of Donor Experience David will be working with the team to inspire the public to be donors and create a lifetime donation experience that delivers the diverse donor base that patients need now and, in the future. 

Katie will join NHSBT on Tuesday 26^th May. She is moving from NHS England and NHS Improvement where she has held a number of roles, most recently as Deputy Director, Provider Policy.  She has worked across a number of high-profile programmes in the NHS including development of the NHS Long Term Plan, and working with North London Partners in Health and Care on their Long Term Plan response. Katie was also responsible for establishing the NHS England European Transition Unit and work to prepare the NHS for EU exit. 

Prior to joining NHS England Katie held a number of roles across the Civil Service, including as a Senior Civil Servant at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.  

Katie says: “I’m really excited to be joining NHSBT as the new Director of Strategy and Transformation. I am looking forward to working with you to start a conversation across the organisation about our big strategic questions, risks and opportunities so that we can best maximise our value to the NHS and help save and improve even more lives”.

David joins NHSBT from Starbucks Coffee Company where he was the Director, Customer Engagement and Loyalty, responsible for the business success of Starbucks’ digital customer experience and engagement across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He will be joining on Monday 3 August.

Previously, over 10 years at Virgin Atlantic Airways, David held several leadership roles in the UK as well as abroad in Africa and Asia, where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of the airline’s services to new audiences and diverse cultures around the world. David started his career as an infantry officer in the Territorial Army, serving in Afghanistan shortly after graduating, before joining the HALO Trust, a landmine clearance charity based in Angola. He is a mentor at SwiftScale, supporting high growth start-ups through advice, guidance and networking.

David says: “NHSBT is an amazing organisation and I am looking forward to working with the team to raise awareness across all forms of donation, to ensure we have the donors we need to meet patient needs. I am really excited about having the opportunity to lead the newly formed Donor Experience directorate into the next stage of its strategic development”.

Notes

1. An internal review of the NHSBT’s operating model took place over the summer of 2019. This identified the need for a new Strategy and Transformation Team and also resulted in the merger of the Donor Relationship Services and the Communication and Marketing functions to create a new Donor Experience Directorate.