Heather Smith is expected to take up her new role as Chief Finance Officer in July as current Director of Finance Mike McEnaney retires after 11 years’ service at the Trust.

Heather is the financial board member for DEFRA – a complex £6bn group that she joined in 2018. She is a well-connected member of the government finance function, with a background in UK business and international organisations as well as significant central government experience in HM Treasury.

Heather provided financial leadership as DEFRA rose to the challenges of EU Exit and Covid and is highly skilled in setting strategic direction and leading change.

She has a particular passion for helping people achieve their best, developing talent and improving equality, diversity and inclusion, and is a member of the High Potential Development Scheme, which aims to develop leaders for the most senior roles in government.

At Oxford Health, Heather will be responsible for the operational, strategic financial and commercial leadership of the Trust using an innovative and contemporary approach to enable transformation of clinical services and models of care that utilise resources available as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Central to this work will be enabling the development and implementation of strategies that support the Trust’s journey to becoming an outstanding provider of patient care.

Heather commented: “Oxford Health delivers vital services and clearly has great drive and ambition to keep improving those services and to share learning with others. I very much look forward to joining the NHS and working with colleagues on the journey to outstanding.”

CEO Dr Nick Broughton added: “The Board and executive team are truly delighted to welcome Heather to Oxford Health. She will join us at an incredibly important time given the development of our local integrated care systems and the resulting changes in commissioning for the services we provide. Heather’s financial management skills and expertise will be crucial as we strive to continuously improve the quality of the care we provide to more than two million people.”