College announces new Chief Executive

The College has today announced the appointment of Chris Askew OBE as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Chris is currently CEO of Diabetes UK, joining in 2015 from Breakthrough Breast Cancer where he led the merger with Breast Cancer Campaign to form the new charity Breast Cancer Now.

After working as a shipbroker in the international freight markets, he moved into the charitable sector in 1997. He has subsequently held senior fundraising positions at the charities Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Crisis, and Action for Children. His OBE was awarded in the Queen’s 2020 Birthday honours list for services to people with diabetes.

RCGP Chair of Trustees Professor Mike Holmes said:

“Chris is an outstanding charity leader with an impressive track record in transforming strategy development into tangible improvements. He always keeps his focus on members and staff at the heart of the organisation.

“We are delighted to have appointed an exceptional CEO who can make the College the best we can be, both as the professional home for our GP members and a motivating and inclusive workplace for staff.

“Chris has already impressed us with his grasp of the many challenges facing the College and general practice – along with the solutions he is proposing – and we very much look forward to working with him, learning from him and benefiting from his vast experience and expertise.”

Chris Askew OBE said:

“It has been an honour and a privilege to lead Diabetes UK for the past eight years, during which time people with and affected by diabetes have needed a voice and positive change more than ever before. The charity has sought to highlight the seriousness of diabetes as a condition affecting over five million people in the UK. I hope in my time here we have risen to those twin challenges.

“In truth, none of what we have achieved as a charity during my tenure would have been possible without the dedication of all my colleagues working hard across the UK, without the support of our Trustees. Most importantly of all, the passion and involvement of volunteers, supporters and partners who, together, are our greatest strength.

“I am looking forward enormously to leading and working alongside the brilliant team at RCGP to deliver excellence in general practice, advocate for patients, and give voice to the expert clinicians at the heart of our health service.”

Chris is expected to join the College in early October. He replaces Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick who left her role as Chief Operating Officer earlier this year to become Chief Executive of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Meanwhile, the College’s Executive Management Team will continue to run a collective leadership arrangement.

Further information

RCGP Press office: 020 3188 7633
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editor

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.