We are pleased to announce the appointment of Eileen Taylor as the new joint Chair across East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT). The appointment was made by the Council of Governors for each Trust following a recruitment process involving both Trust Boards, Governors, service users and stakeholders. 

Sultan Taylor, Acting Chair, NELFT, said,

“I would like to congratulate Eileen on her appointment to the joint chair role and I am looking forward to working with her as Vice Chair here at NELFT. This is an exciting opportunity to lead on and advocate for community, mental health and primary care services across the geographies we serve, and Eileen will be playing a crucial role in our approach to system working and collaboration.”

Mark Lam, Chair, ELFT, said,

‘I am absolutely delighted that Eileen Taylor will be taking over as chair of both organisations. As my Vice Chair at ELFT and latterly as Acting Chair, Eileen has proven her mettle through tough times during the pandemic and her willingness to innovate with system partners for the good of the population. An exemplary leader, I have no doubt that Eileen will thrive as the new Chair and take the organisation from strength to strength.”

Eileen, who is currently Acting Chair at ELFT, will start in post on 1 January 2023 and until then the current arrangements will remain in place. She will lead the Boards of both NHS trusts, with a combined budget of £1billion and over 12,000 staff providing mental health, community health and primary care services for more than 6 million people in north east London, Bedfordshire and Luton, Essex and Kent.

Eileen Taylor said,

“It is a tremendous honour to be appointed to lead two such esteemed Trusts who already have an excellent track record of working together to improve outcomes for the communities they serve. I welcome the opportunity to deepen that collaboration and collaboration with all partners in north east London, Essex, Kent and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) where the Trusts deliver services. A key objective will be equity of access and outcomes for our populations.”

Eileen joined ELFT in November 2018 and has been Vice Chair since October 2020.  With effect from April 2022 Eileen has been Acting Chair of ELFT. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of MUFG Securities EMEA, plc. She has also served as a Trustee on the Board of the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) Charity as well as on the Advisory Council of Heart of the City Charity and is formerly a Board member of the British Bankers Association.

Eileen previously worked in investment banking with 38 years’ experience within global leadership roles based in Asia, the US and the UK.  She has held a range of senior roles in Deutsche Bank over 30 years including Global Head of Regulatory Management and CEO of DB UK Bank Ltd.  She was also Chair of the Catalyst Europe Advisory Board and was a Co-Chair of the Task Force for Talent Innovation.