Mark Fisher CBE, Chief Executive of NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board, has announced he is to retire following more than four decades of public service.
Mark will leave NHS Greater Manchester at the end of March next year having completed 42 years full-time public service earlier this summer. He was appointed Chief Executive of NHS Greater Manchester when it was established in July 2022.
Mark described his tenure as NHS GM’s Chief Executive as one of his “great privileges”. He said: “My career has taken me through many corners of public life, and I’ve had the honour of working alongside inspiring people in roles focused on employment, social action, youth policy, and civil society.
“But it is here, in Greater Manchester, that I have felt most at home. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to serve as Chief Executive of NHS Greater Manchester. The spirit of this place - its people, its purpose, and its passion for doing things differently - has made this role unlike any other.”
Under his leadership, Greater Manchester has delivered tangible improvements across the health and care system. The region is now one of the most improved ICBs nationally in elective care, exceeding national standards in cancer care, ambulance response times, and dementia diagnoses.
Sir Richard Leese, Chair of NHS Greater Manchester, commented: “Mark has brought exceptional leadership, clarity and compassion to NHS Greater Manchester during a time when our health and care system faces challenges more complex and acute than ever before. His ability to unite partners around a shared vision for integrated care and population health has left a lasting legacy. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Mark for his outstanding service and unwavering commitment to the people of Greater Manchester. We wish him the very best for the future and look forward to appointing a successor who can build on the strong foundations he has helped to establish.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and co-chair of the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, added: “Mark has been a true public servant and a powerful advocate for Greater Manchester. His leadership of NHS Greater Manchester has helped drive real improvements in the health and wellbeing of our residents, and he’s done it with a deep understanding of what makes this place special. Mark has always put people first – whether in national roles or here in Greater Manchester – and I want to thank him personally for his service and wish him all the very best for the future.”
Mark’s career spans senior roles across government and the civil service, including Director General in the Cabinet Office, Director of the Office for Civil Society, and Secretary to the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, before taking on the role as Chief Executive for NHS Greater Manchester. He was awarded a CBE in 2010 for services to public life.
Recruitment for the next Chief Executive will begin shortly, with the post advertised nationally.