Update, 3 January 2023 - Rob Okunnu appointed as CEO.
Rob has led the College’s policy and external affairs functions and latterly membership services and events since 2019. He has 20 years’ experience across a mix of organisations and sectors, including health and care. Rob will serve as Interim CEO while the College’s Board of Trustees leads the appointment process for a permanent CEO [3].
Rob Okunnu, Interim CEO of the RCPCH said:
It’s a great privilege to lead RCPCH during this time. The College continues to be at the forefront of paediatrics and child health in the UK and internationally. We have a clear mission and vision and an exciting strategy to help guide our activities, which is so important in realising our ambitions. I very much look forward to working with our members, Senior Officers, Trustees, Senior Management Team and College staff as we position for the future.
Joanne Shaw, Chair of the Board of Trustees said:
Rob brings solid experience that will support the College as it leads the way in children’s health. He has successfully directed the College’s membership, policy and external affairs work and has made an outstanding contribution since he joined in 2019. He carries the full confidence of Trustees, Council and colleagues as he takes on this important responsibility. I am delighted that he has been appointed and the Board of Trustees look forward to working with him.
Dr Camilla Kingdon, President of the RCPCH said:
I have worked closely with Rob for the last two years. I am delighted that he has been appointed into the interim CEO role. He doesn’t just have a strong track record of leadership over many years, I am very confident that he also has the skills and personal qualities to navigate the College through this transition period. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to work with him as we tackle a whole range of challenges in the next months. With the support of the Board of Trustees, I am sure we will rise to the occasion and continue to maintain the position of RCPCH as a trusted voice for paediatricians and child health at home and abroad.
Notes
[1] Rob Okunnu is a strategic communications leader with over 20 years’ experience across a mix of organisations and sectors. He has been with RCPCH since 2019. As Director of Membership, Policy & External Affairs at the College, he oversaw the College’s teams covering membership, marketing, events, media, public affairs, policy, campaigning, digital and creative media. His extensive experience spans prior leadership roles in private and public sector organisations such as Water UK, Tesco PLC, the pharmaceutical company MSD, and the British Medical Association.
[2] Jo Revill has left The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to pursue new ventures. Jo Revill was CEO and Company Secretary of the College from June 2018 until October 2022. In that time Jo led the College as a highly professional, well run membership body, supporting the field of paediatrics and child health across the UK and overseas. She leaves the College with an impressive record of success having overseen a period during which membership grew by more than 12 per cent, creating the foundations for long term financial sustainability and modernising our governance. With her senior communications and policy expertise, Jo worked with the Board and two Presidents as well as many other stakeholders to give the College a strong national profile and voice, positioning it to be influential and impactful on behalf of all those who work in paediatrics and child health.
Jo built up strong teams across the College, which reformed our performance management and pay systems, restructured the organisation and led the redevelopment of the offices in Holborn. She worked with colleagues to formulate our 2021- 2024 strategy with a number of important priorities and led the College’s 190 staff to support our 21,000 members, and through them hundreds of thousands of children and young people.
Jo demonstrated energy and professionalism and under her leadership, with the President and the Board of Trustees, the College achieved a huge amount in recent years and weathered the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[3] The College’s Board of Trustees is working with Perrett Laver in the search for a permanent CEO. Further details are available on the website.