Simon Stevens
Simon Laurence Stevens, Baron Stevens of Birmingham (born 4 August 1966) is Chair of Cancer Research UK and an independent member of the House of Lords. He served as the eighth Chief Executive of NHS England from 2014 to 2021.
The Lord Stevens of Birmingham | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 5 July 2021 Life peerage | |
| Chief Executive of NHS England | |
| In office 1 April 2014 – 31 July 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Sir David Nicholson |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Pritchard |
| Lambeth Borough Councillor for Angell Ward, Brixton | |
| In office 7 May 1998 – 2 May 2002 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Simon Laurence Stevens 4 August 1966 Shard End, Birmingham, England |
| Political party | None (crossbencher) (2021–present) |
| Other political affiliations | None - previously Labour Party |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford (MA) University of Strathclyde (MBA) |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor |
He joined the NHS in 1988, and worked at the Department of Health and 10 Downing Street, as well as internationally, including in Guyana, Malawi, and in the United States. A former member of the Labour Party, Stevens was an elected councillor in Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth from 1998 to 2002. He served as a senior executive at the UnitedHealth Group from 2004 to 2014, an American health care company. He was a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics from 2004 to 2008.
Stevens was appointed as Chief Executive of NHS England after a worldwide competitive search, and served under Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson. During his tenure as Chief Executive, Stevens was annually ranked the most influential person in UK health.
Upon the announcement of his retirement as head of the NHS, he was hailed by the Health Service Journal as the most important figure in NHS history since Aneurin Bevan. On 5 July 2021, he became a crossbench Member of the House of Lords before stepping down from NHS England after seven years on 31 July 2021. He was succeeded by his deputy, Amanda Pritchard.