Countess of Chester appoints former NHS chief exec as chair

Sir Duncan will join the board in November from cancer specialist FT the Christie, where he has been a non-executive director since 2008 and deputy chairman since 2009.

According to a statement issued by the Countess, he joined the NHS in 1963 as a graduate trainee, working his way up from senior administrative assistant to regional general manager of the Mersey Regional Health Authority and ultimately to NHS chief executive from 1989-1994.

“Since retiring from that role,” it adds “he has served on a variety of public and private sector boards, including Chairman positions at the Academy for Healthcare Science, Her Majesty’s Courts Service, Skills for Justice, the Parole Board for England and Wales and Synergy Healthcare.  Sir Duncan also has a wealth of international health consultancy experience from assignments in Europe, South America and the Middle East.”

He takes over from retiring chairman Sir Jim Sharples, who has served in the role since the Countess achieved foundation status in 2005.