Sally Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Huyton, was appointed chair of the Trust on 1 January 2017.
Baroness Morgan was made a life peer in 2001. She has served as minister of state in the Cabinet Office, political secretary to the prime minister and director of government relations at 10 Downing Street, chair of Ofsted and board member of the Olympic Delivery Authority.
Bob Bell, chief executive, said: “I very much look forward to working with Baroness Morgan. She brings skills and experience that will be extremely valuable during the months and years ahead.”
The Trust’s council of governors commented: “The NHS is experiencing a period of continuing challenge as demand for services rises exponentially. Challenging times require confident and talented leaders and that is exactly what we have in Baroness Morgan. She brings extensive experience at board and advisory level in the public, private and third sectors, along with political acumen.”
After serving as a local councillor and working as a secondary school teacher, Baroness Morgan worked for Tony Blair when he was leader of the opposition. Following the 1997 general election she was appointed political secretary to the Prime Minister and head of the Prime Minister's political office. She then served as minister of state in the Cabinet Office before returning to Downing Street as director of government relations.
Since leaving government in 2005, Baroness Morgan has held a number of appointments in the public and private sector. She was the chair of Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education) from 2011 to 2014 and sat on the board of the Olympic Delivery Authority for its six year duration. She is currently a member of the House of Lords Science & Technology Select Committee.
Baroness Morgan has been a lay member of the Council of King’s College London since 2013, and was appointed vice-chair in September 2016. She is also a member of the Council's Estates Strategy Committee and the Fellowships and Honorary Degrees Committee.
Currently she is chair of Ambition School Leadership (a UK education charity) and board adviser to Ark, which runs academies in the UK and works internationally in education. She is a non-executive director of Dixons Carphone plc and senior independent non-executive director of Carillion (integrated support services).
Baroness Morgan commented: “I am delighted to be taking on the role of Chair at Royal Brompton & Harefield which has a local, national and international reputation for patient care and for research. Specialist trusts make a vital contribution to pushing the boundaries of modern medicine, developing new treatments that both improve lives and save lives. I am passionate about the NHS and patient-focused research, and very much look forward to building on my experience in business, politics and education to help guide the Trust successfully through a challenging period.”