Spire announces new board appointments

Spire Healthcare has announced changes to its board, with Professor Dame Janet Husband set to step down at the company’s annual general meeting on 14 May 2025 after more than a decade of service. Two new non-executive directors, Sir David Sloman and Jill Anderson, have been appointed with immediate effect.

Sir David (pictured) joins as a non-independent non-executive director and will become a member of the company’s Clinical Governance and Safety Committee. He will take over as chair of the committee from Dame Janet on 14 May 2025 and will also become vice chair of the company.

Sir David has held multiple senior positions in the NHS, including chief executive roles at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, the Whittington Hospital NHS Trust and NHS Haringey Trust. From December 2021 to August 2023, he was chief operating officer of NHS England, overseeing operational delivery, including the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He is currently a non-executive director at AXA UK and Ireland, a board member of Health Data Research UK, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a trustee of the Royal College of Radiologists. As a result of his appointment with AXA UK and Ireland, the Spire does not consider him to be independent.

Anderson joins as an independent non-executive director and a member of Spire’s Audit and Risk Committee, which she will chair from 14 May 2025. She will also join the Remuneration Committee. Anderson has 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector, including executive roles in finance, commercial, research and supply chain functions at GSK. She is a trustee of Amref UK, an NGO focused on healthcare in Africa, and was previously an associate non-executive director at London Ambulance Service.

Spire Healthcare’s chairman Sir Ian Cheshire said: ‘We are delighted that both Jill and Sir David have agreed to join Spire’s Board. The breadth of their expertise and experience in healthcare will be a highly valuable addition to our board and the company.’

‘I would also like to thank Dame Janet for her considerable contribution to Spire since the company listed in 2014 and also Debbie White for chairing the Audit and Risk Committee on an interim basis.’