Simplyhealth has appointed experienced board director Rita Clifton CBE as its new chair, succeeding Mike Hall, who has been a member of the Board since 2011.
Clifton is the deputy chair of the John Lewis Partnership and has 20 years of experience in retail, healthcare and financial services brand strategy, governance and leadership. Clifton, who is involved in mentoring and sustainability, was awarded a CBE in 2014 and joined Oxford University as a Visiting Fellow in 2019.
Clifton will take over as chair in March this year, overseeing the health plan provider Simplyhealth and dental payment provider Denplan. Her background will assist Simplyhealth in expanding access to healthcare, especially as issues with dental care and employee illness increase.
Clifton says: “I’m excited to take up the position of Chair of the Simplyhealth Group. Simplyhealth’s purpose to improve access to healthcare for all in the UK has never been more important and I am looking forward to working with the Board and helping the team drive the strategy forward. The organisation’s unique history, purpose and ownership model, with its strong values, has also been a great attraction.”
Senior independent director Duane Lawrence says: “I’m delighted to welcome Rita to Simplyhealth as our new Chair of the Board. Rita is deeply experienced in building high growth organisations as both an Executive and Chair. She is a gifted strategist and brand expert and has an excellent understanding of, and experience with, commercially focused product led organisations. Critically she also brings a fundamentally purpose driven value system which aligns strongly with Simplyhealth.
“Rita’s extensive track record of success across a variety of market sectors makes her well placed to play a significant leadership role and help guide Simplyhealth forward as it works to improve the health of the nation. I also want to thank her predecessor, Mike Hall, for his leadership and service during his tenure as Chair and I look forward to continuing to work with Mike in a NED capacity for the foreseeable future.”
