Dido Harding to become new interim Chair of Board

Baroness Diana ‘Dido’ Harding is to become interim Chair of the Genomics England Board, starting from December 2019, as Jonathan Symonds CBE steps down at the end of November. Our CEO, Chris Wigley, says a few words below.

Jon Symonds will be stepping down as Chair of Genomics England, with effect from the end of November. Jon’s new role as Chairman of GSK means he is not able to continue as our Chair, but we are delighted that he will be staying on as a Board member.

We are very pleased to announce that Dido Harding (pictured, photo credit: NHS Improvement) has accepted the role of Chair of Genomics England on an interim basis. We anticipate that Dido will act in this role for at least six months, whilst we complete our search for a permanent Chair.

On behalf of the Board, our many partners and all of our staff, I would like to thank Jon for his outstanding contribution as Chair of Genomics England. We look forward to our continuing relationship with Jon, both in his ongoing capacity on our Board, and also as he begins a new role as Chairman of GSK. We will continue to build on our shared commitment to delivering sustainable, personalised medicine and improving the lives of populations across the world.

Dido brings a wealth of experience and expertise from both the private and public sectors. Her breadth of knowledge and experience will be invaluable to Genomics England as we broaden our vision and begin our next chapter. Dido is currently Chair of NHS Improvement, the body responsible for overseeing and supporting NHS providers and trusts in England. She also sits in the House of Lords as a Conservative peer and is a member of the Economic Affairs Select Committee. Prior to this she was Chief Executive of TalkTalk Telecom Group plc, between 2010 and 2017.

I firmly believe that with Dido’s support, the exceptional team here, working in partnership with the NHS and many others, will continue to drive a global transformation in healthcare.