New Chief Executive at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital

Mark, who will take up the role in the spring, is currently Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations and Planning at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

His arrival in Shropshire will see him succeed John Grinnell, who has been Acting Chief Executive since the start of October. John will resume his duties as Director of Finance.

Mark said: “I am proud to have been offered the job of Chief Executive at such a fantastic hospital.

“The demanding recruitment process allowed me the opportunity to meet some of the excellent staff at the Trust. I was hugely impressed by their commitment for delivering great care to patients. Alongside the staff; the patients, governors and volunteers I met demonstrated a real passion for their hospital.

“I will be joining the Trust in a few months at a challenging time for the NHS. However the Trust has many strengths to build on and I believe if we listen to our patients and staff we can continue to improve our services now and in the future."

Mark joined the Countess of Chester Hospital in May 2013, having worked in a number of NHS management posts over the last 20 years.

His first Board Director appointment was in Liverpool, where he went on to be Assistant Chief Executive in the primary care trust before he was invited to work in a national role at the Department of Health.

Before making the move to Chester, he had been working with Hywel Dda Health Board in Wales, in a role that encompassed the operational responsibility for four hospitals and commissioning responsibility for the population.

RJAH chairman Frank Collins is delighted to have reached a successful conclusion to the recruitment process and believes that with Mark, the Trust will be in safe hands.

He said: “I am delighted that Mark has accepted our invitation to become our Chief Executive. He impressed us all with his knowledge, enthusiasm and vision, and I look forward to working with him over the coming months and years.

“I would really like to thank the patients, staff and partners who were involved in this intensive recruitment process. This involved staff and stakeholder panels and values-based interviews to provide candidates with an opportunity to gain a deep understanding of our organisation, and vice versa.

“I would also like to thank John Grinnell for his sterling work and leadership in the role of Acting Chief Executive over the last few months, which have served up a number of challenges. John will remain in post until Mark takes up his duties in the spring, and will then continue to be a key member of our team in his substantive post as Director of Finance.”