Exec leaves £3bn trust to run regulator

A major London acute will see both its chief executive and deputy chief executive leave post this year, as the latter has been named the new boss of a regulator.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust’s deputy chief executive, Lawrence Tallon, has accepted the post of chief executive officer of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, HSJ has learned.

He will move to the new role next month.

This news comes a month after GSTT — the largest trust by income, with nearly £3bn turnover — announced its long-standing chief executive, Ian Abbs, will be leaving later this year. 

Mr Tallon, who has been at Guy’s for the past five years in his post as deputy CEO, had been one of several senior figures in the health service linked with the top job at the trust. No successor has yet been named.

However, Mr Tallon will now take over at the MHRA from Dame June Raine, who announced her intention to step down in February last year. She has stayed in post while the government looked for her successor, initially expecting to leave the agency in the autumn of 2024.

Mr Tallon leaves Guy’s after a tenure involving considerable change and disruption, including the absorption of tertiary provider Royal Brompton and Harefield FT, the trust’s servers shutting down during a heatwave in 2022, and a major cyber attack last year.

Amanda Pritchard, who last week resigned as NHS England CEO, was GSTT’s chief executive before joining the national organisation.

A Guy’s spokesperson said: “We are grateful to Lawrence for the enormous contribution he has made to our Trust and wish him every success in his new role.  

“Thorough and considered recruitment for senior leadership roles in any organisation takes considerable time. Recruitment for our new chief executive is currently underway and Professor Ian Abbs will remain in post until his successor starts.”