Board Announcement – CEO Departure
15 December 2021
The Board of Trustees of Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) announce that, after more than three years as Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Cake is leaving HDR UK on 26 January 2022 to start the next chapter of her career in a new role at Oxford Science Enterprises.
Graham Spittle, Chair of Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) Board of Trustees, said:
“Over the course of the last three years, Caroline has made an exceptional contribution to the development of Health Data Research UK and our mission to unite the UK’s health to enable discoveries that save people’s lives. We are sad to see Caroline move on and wish her all the best in her new role at Oxford Science Enterprises.”
Since being established at the national institute for health data science in 2018, HDR UK has developed rapidly and become a crucial part of the UK health research landscape. Caroline’s work has been integral to the growth of the organisation, working with teams across the UK to deliver nationwide programmes including on COVID-19 and the UK’s pandemic response through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Data and Connectivity Study, the development of the UKRI/ Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Health Data Research Hubs, the Health Data Research Innovation Gateway (the ‘Gateway’) and the recently established UK trusted and connected Data and Analytics Research Environments (DARE UK) programme.
Over the next few weeks, Andrew Morris (Director, HDR UK) will be working with the HDR UK Board, Executive Committee and Research Directors to put in place the plan for how HDR UK organises itself to deliver on its mission in its next phase of development.
To ensure a smooth transition, Andrew has taken on the responsibilities of CEO and David Seymour (Executive Director, UK Health Data Research Alliance), has taken on the role of Chief of Staff on an interim basis.
Everyone at HDR UK thanks Caroline for her leadership and wishes her good luck in her new role.