Former Government Chief Scientific Adviser appointed as new Chair of Imperial College Health Partners 

Dear colleague,

I am delighted to let you know that Professor Sir Mark Walport has been appointed as the new Chair of Imperial College Health Partners (ICHP) and will join later in January when Professor Andrew George's term ends.

Sir Mark may be familiar to you already from his work in North West London, both as a clinical academic and as the Chair of the Imperial College Academic Health Sciences Centre, and of course as the Government’s former Chief Scientific Adviser.

We are extremely pleased that Sir Mark will be joining the ICHP board. He has extensive experience in the life sciences, government and national research and innovation organisations, including as the founding Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and as the Director of the Wellcome Trust. In his recent roles he has provided national and international leadership at the highest level on biomedical research and policy issues.

Andrew has asked me to share with you his reflections on his term at ICHP:
"I am honoured to have worked with ICHP over the years and would like to thank the Board, wider ICHP team and my colleagues across North West London, for their support and commitment to improving the health of our populations through innovation and collaboration. In handing the baton to Sir Mark I’m confident that ICHP will continue to go from strength to strength and I know Axel and the rest of the team are looking forward to working with Mark to tackle some of the most pressing healthcare challenges across our sector and beyond."

This is an exciting appointment for our NHS and university members, our industrial partners, for North West London and for us as an organisation. The team at ICHP know Mark will bring his experience, skills and networks to support the organisation in its role as a catalyst for change, both locally and nationally.

Kind Regards,



Axel Heitmueller,
Managing Director,
Imperial College Health Partners