HPA announces non executive appointments

25 March 2010

The Health Protection Agency's (HPA) Board has this week welcomed the appointment of three new non-executive Board members.

The agency is also pleased to announce the reappointment of the current Deputy Chairman Professor Charles Easmon.

From 1 April 2010, Dr Tim Wyatt, who will be the Board's Northern Ireland representative, and Dr Dipti Patel will join the Board.  Professor William Gelletly, who has previously held the role of Advisor to the HPA Board, has also been appointed a non-executive director from 1 April 2010.

The new directors take up the posts vacated by Dr Vanessa Mayatt and Dr Paul Darragh, the previous Northern Ireland Representative, who have served on the Board since 2003.

Dr David Heymann, Chairman of the HPA Board, said: "non-executive directors play an extremely important role in working alongside the Executive Board members to establish the overall strategic direction of the HPA, and we're fortunate that they bring a wide range of experience.

"I'm delighted that the Appointments Commission has reappointed Professor Easmon to his position, and he will continue in his role as Deputy Chairman. I have no doubt that the experience the new non-executive directors bring will be a great asset to us and I'm very much looking forward to working them.

"Dr Mayatt and Dr Darragh have brought a wealth of expertise to the agency's Board over the past seven years and I'd like to thank them for the huge contribution they have made."

Professor Charles Easmon CBE, MD, PhD, MRCP, FRCPath, FMedSci, is Deputy Chairman of the Health Protection Agency. He is Visiting Professor in the Division of Surgery at Imperial College. He trained as a microbiologist and was Fleming Professor and Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology at St Mary's Hospital Medical School.

Professor William Gelletly OBE, PhD, CPhys, FInstP held the role of Advisor to the HPA Board before being appointed non-executive director and is Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey. He was previously Head of the Physics Department and Head of the School of Physical Sciences at the University of Surrey. He is a member of a number of international committees concerned with nuclear physics.

Dr Dipti Patel MBBS MRCGP MFOM LLM MFTM RCPS (Glasg), is Director of Clinical Services for the Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad and is Clinical Advisor to the Statutory Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. She also holds the post of Specialist Occupational Health Physician for both a branch of the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Her previous roles include Consultant Occupational Health Physician at the BBC and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in Occupational Medicine at Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dr Tim Wyatt B.Tech, PhD, CBiol, FIBiol, FRCPath, MIHM is Consultant Clinical Microbiologist at both Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Public Health Agency (formerly Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre NI). He also advises the National Institute of Health Research Investment for Innovation, is a member of the CJD Incidents Panel and is already familiar with the HPA as a member of the Agency's Laboratory Exposures Task Force. Dr Wyatt was Scientific Adviser to the Chief Medical Officer of Northern Ireland in addition to his present Consultant Clinical Microbiology roles.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. 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.
2. The appointments have been made by the Appointments Commission in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice.
3. Each of the appointments will run from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2013.
4. All non-executive directors will receive remuneration of £7,882 per annum. The successful candidates hold no political affiliations and, with the exception of Dr Wyatt, hold no other ministerial appointments. Dr Wyatt holds a ministerial appointment as a member of the CJD Incidents Panel but does not receive payment for this.
5. For more information about the HPA Board, go to:  http://www.hpa.org.uk/board
6. For further enquiries please contact 020 8327 7751/7750.

 

Last reviewed: 25 March 2010