Announcing several new hires to the Q Board

Q is an ambitious initiative connecting thousands of people with expertise in health and care improvement across the UK and Ireland. It is led by and incubated within The Health Foundation for governance purposes, however as part of ‘future Q’ planning, Q approached Society to recruit new members for an evolved Board.

We supported Q to review the skills and capabilities most needed for the Q Board, and then led an intersectional search focused on approaching those with public health improvement, commercial, strategic communications and organizational development experience.

After the closing date Society presented a varied field of 29 candidates, 50% of which were women, and 29% of which were from a BAME background. Five successful appointments followed, joining a cohort of Q recruited individuals, two members of Q’s Leadership Team and the Health Foundation CEO on the re-shaped Q Board:

• Hesham Abdalla, Consultant Paediatrician and Head of Quality Improvement at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
• Craig Abrahams, Associate Director at CIL;
• Viki Cooke, Co-Founder and Chair of Britain Thinks;
• Malte Gerhold, Former Executive Director and Board Member of the Care Quality Commission;
• Sonya Wallbank, Consultant clinical psychologist and NHS People and OD Director.

Viki, appointed Vice Chair, commented: "I am really delighted to be joining the Advisory Board of Q as Vice Chair.  This is a great organisation that is doing some powerful work to improve health and social care.  Their approach to co-creation and collaboration will, I believe, help us to make real progress on delivering better outcomes.  The Health Foundation should feel immense pride in their achievements in developing Q."