Imperial College London Rector appointed non executive director of new Trust Board

Sir Richard Sykes has been appointed as a non-executive director of the new board of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

News Release issued by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

For immediate release
Thursday 11 October 2007

Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial College London, has been appointed as a non-executive director of the new board of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

Sir Richard is the fifth non-executive director to be appointed to the board of the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC), which came into being following the merger of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and St Mary's NHS Trust and integration with Imperial College London on 1 October 2007.

The appointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments' (OCPA) Code of Practice. All non-executive appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if any declared) to be made public.

Lord Tugendhat, Chairman of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, welcomed the appointment and said,

"We are privileged to benefit from Sir Richard's wealth of experience, which adds further strength to our talented group of non-executive directors. The new Trust offers dynamic opportunities for innovation, improved patient care and clinical outcomes."

Sir Richard Sykes said:

"The College's founding mission 100 years ago was to apply its science to the benefit of industry and society. Today through the Academic Health Science Centre, Imperial continues to advance science with the aim of bringing a higher quality of healthcare directly to patients."

"It's an exciting challenge to create a completely new relationship between an NHS Trust and a university, but it is also a key step forward in advancing the standard of healthcare in this country."

Notes to editors

1. Sir Richard Sykes DSc FRS FMedSci became Rector of Imperial College London in January 2001. Before joining Imperial, he had a 30-year career in pharmaceutical research and industry with Glaxo, subsequently Glaxo Wellcome, where he was Chairman and Chief Executive, and then GlaxoSmithKline, which he left as Chairman in 2002. He was awarded a BSc in microbiology from Queen Elizabeth College, University of London, a PhD in microbial biochemistry from Bristol University, and a DSc from the University of London. He received a knighthood in the 1994 New Year's Honours for services to the pharmaceutical industry.

Under Sir Richard's leadership, the College has risen to be rated the ninth best university in the world according to the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings.

Sir Richard serves on a number of scientific, higher education and government committees. He is currently Chairman of the UK Stem Cell Foundation and of CATALYST, London's Council for the Advancement of Science and Industry. He is a board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and recently accepted the role of Chair of the WHO International Advisory Board which oversees the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

Internationally, he is Chairman of the Singapore Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council, Director of Bio*One Capital, the investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board, and a member of the International Advisory Panel of Temasek which owns and manages the Singapore Government's direct investments.

Retaining strong links with Industry, Sir Richard is currently Senior Director of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Ltd, Deputy Chairman of Lonza Group Ltd, Chairman of the Healthcare Advisory Group of APAX, Chairman of MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd and Non-Executive Director of Abraxis BioScience Inc. He is also the Chairman of the Advisory Board of Reform.

2. The four other Non-Executive Directors, appointed in September 2007, are :

• Baroness Joan Hanham
• Mr Jeremy Isaacs
• Sir Thomas Legg
• Mrs Ellen Schroder

3. The new Trust Board met for the first time on Wednesday 10 October.

4. Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and St Mary's NHS Trust were recently rated the second and third best hospitals in the country for clinical performance, quality of care and safety. Dr Foster Good Hospital Guide 2006 - How healthy is your hospital (April 2007).

5. Imperial College London is one of Europe's largest medical research institutions and was recently ranked fourth in the world for biomedical research. The Times Higher Education Supplement 2006 world university rankings.

6. It is expected that Imperial College would sponsor an application for the AHSC to become an Academic Foundation Trust in 2008. This would be subject to a separate consultation.

For more information please contact Sarah Prestwood, Acting Head of Communications, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust T 020 7886 7783.

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