NMC welcomes Professor Dame Janet Finch as new Chair to lead Council

From 1 January 2015, the new Chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Council will be Professor Dame Janet Finch. 

Dame Janet brings substantial experience to the NMC which she gained as Vice Chancellor of Keele University from 1995-2010 and subsequently, in a number of non-executive director roles. She is currently a member of the Medical Research Council and Science and Technology Honours Committee, amongst other roles. 

She also led the group on Expanding Access to Published Research Findings, which culminated in the Finch Report in 2012. 

Commenting on her appointment as Chair, Dame Janet said:

“I am very pleased to be taking up the role of Chair of Council as the NMC moves into an exciting new period in its development.

“I am looking forward to working with the other members of the Council, with colleagues in the executive team and with the NMC’s stakeholders in order to continue the good progress that has been made.”

Jackie Smith, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, said:

“I am delighted to welcome Dame Janet to the NMC. Under her leadership as Chair of Council, I am confident that the NMC will continue to develop as an organisation focussed on protecting the public and maintaining confidence in the professions we regulate.”

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 Notes for editors

1.   We are the nursing and midwifery regulator for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Islands. We exist to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public. We set standards of education, training, conduct and performance for nurses and midwives, and hold the register of those who have qualified and meet those standards. We provide guidance to help nurses and midwives keep their skills and knowledge up to date and uphold our professional standards. We have clear and transparent processes to investigate and deal with nurses and midwives who fall short of our standards.

2.   Mark Addison, the current Chair of Council, steps down at the end of December 2014.

3.   For media enquiries, please contact Madeleine Childs, NMC media team, at media@nmc-uk.org or on 020 7681 5936. Photos of Dame Janet will be available from the autumn.

4.   About Dame Janet:

   4.1.   Since leaving Keele University, where she was Vice Chancellor from 1995 - 2010, Dame Janet has worked in a number of non-executive director posts and senior appointments.

   4.2.   She is currently a Chair (Social Sciences) for the Research Excellence Framework for Higher Education, Chair of the Council of Ombudsman Services and the Chair of the Strategic Advisory Committee of The Life Study. She is a member of the Medical Research Council and Science and Technology Honours Committee. Dame Janet is an honorary Professor of Sociology at the Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships, University of Manchester.

   4.3.   She has also held roles as a Non-Executive Director of Her Majesty’s Passport Office, Co-Chair of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, Chair of Trustees of the National Centre for Social Research, Governor of Manchester Metropolitan University, Non-Executive Board member of the Office for National Statistics and Chair of the Equality Challenge Unit for Higher Education.

   4.4.   Dame Janet also chaired the Group on Expanding Access to Published Research Findings, which culminated in the Finch Report in 2012 and recommended a move towards open access research publication.

   4.5.   She was awarded a DBE in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Social Science and Higher Education.