£1bn+ teaching trust gets new chief exec

David Probert is moving to University College London Hospital Foundation Trust in the summer, the trust announced today.

He is returning to the £1.2bn trust after a five-year absence running the neighbouring Moorfields Eye Hospital FT. He was UCLH’s director of strategic development until spring 2016, when he took on the chief executive role at the specialist trust.

During his time at Moorfields, Mr Probert oversaw the development of a major transformation project, Oriel, which will move the trust from its current home near Old Street to a new specialist centre in St Pancras with University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology.

This will put it closer to UCLH, Great Ormond Street Hospital FT and research centres, including The Francis Crick Institute, in what has been termed Camden’s “Knowledge Quarter”.

Mr Probert will replace Marcel Levi, who has been UCLH’s chief executive for four years. On 31 March, Professor Levi will return to the Netherlands to take up the chief scientific officer role in the Dutch government, as well as chair and chief executive of the country’s research council.

Deputy chief executive and chief financial officer, Tim Jaggard, will act as UCLH’s chief executive between April and the late summer when Mr Probert will take on the role.

In a statement, UCLH chair Baroness Julia Neuberger said: “David joins us at a time of unprecedented strain on the NHS. I have every confidence that he will inspire our teams to continue to meet the challenges of the pandemic head on, lead the hospital into recovery mode, and also build on our strengths as a leading academic and research-driven healthcare institution.”