Dominic Hardy, secretary to the Darzi review, DH

The former head of the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit Dominic Hardy was a key player in Darzi’s next stage review. His appointment by health minister Lord Darziand NHS chief executive David Nicholson to lead a central review team within the Department of Health meant working with regional Darzi leads from strategic health authorities every day. The year-long review of the NHS centred on talking to managers and clinicians around the country, with Mr Hardy the gatekeeper of many of those discussions.