Leadership sits at the heart of Ed’s role. As Chief Executive of NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board and NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, he is accountable for ensuring NHS resources are used to deliver the best possible outcomes for local communities. Alongside this, he acts as lead commissioner for the East of England Ambulance Trust and other regional services.
What shapes Ed’s leadership is a belief that strong outcomes come from strong relationships. He is motivated by getting the best out of people through kindness, collaboration and respect, while remaining ambitious about what the NHS can achieve. Innovation matters to him — but always in service of improving care and reducing inequality.
Since becoming an NHS Chief Executive in 2016, Ed has led multiple organisations through periods of significant change. He previously served as Chief Executive of the Ipswich and East Suffolk, North East Essex and West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Groups, each of which achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating before their closure in 2022. In recognition of his contribution to system leadership, he was awarded an OBE in The King’s first Birthday Honours List in 2023. More recently, NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB was rated by NHS England as the highest-performing ICB in the country in 2025. Ed is particularly proud of work focused on communities with the greatest health needs, including long-term improvement in Tendring, Essex.
Beyond formal roles, Ed places great importance on partnership working and civic leadership. He is a Visiting Professor of Integrated Care at the University of Suffolk and an Honorary Professor at the University of Essex within the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing. He also serves as a Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk. Nationally, he sponsors the Primary Care Network Test Sites programme and the Coastal Navigators Network, both focused on innovation and reducing health inequalities. Earlier in his career, he contributed to major national policy, including development of the NHS Constitution and the 2021 NHS White Paper.
Ed holds a doctorate in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and a first-class degree in History from the University of Sussex. Away from work, he is a proud father of three and a loyal supporter of Northampton Saints RFC.