After a thorough national and international search, Providence Health Care has selected Fiona Dalton as its next President & Chief Executive Officer.
With 23 years’ experience in the health care field, Ms. Dalton has deep experience in leading complex and varied health organizations. From 2013 to present, she has been the Chief Executive Officer of University Hospital Southampton NHS (National Health Service) Foundation Trust in the UK – a renowned academic health sciences centre with 10,000 employees and an annual budget of over £680 million (approx. $1.2 billion Cdn).
In making the formal announcement, Chair of Providence Health Care, Eric Harris said during her tenure Ms. Dalton has led and overseen numerous strategic transformation and improvement initiatives, including:
- the development and launch of a new values-based organizational vision;
- being nationally recognized for improving quality and safety;
- improving hospital performance and patient outcomes;
- enhancing research performance and leading the successful application with the University of Southampton to become one of the national Biomedical Research Centres and supporting the new Southampton Centre for Cancer Immunology (£25 million or about $43 million Cdn);
- leading successful staff health and well-being strategies;
- focusing on quality improvement, innovation and digital services (being recognised nationally through the award of the Global Digital Exemplar (£10 million or $17 million Cdn) monies for our informatics programme); and
- delivering a successful capital program, improving and expanding her organization’s facilities for patient care, research and education, with academic, commercial and charitable partners.
Ms. Dalton has a BA Honours in Human Sciences from Queen’s College, Oxford University, and received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by the University of Southampton in July 2017, in recognition of her work in Southampton. Some of Ms. Dalton’s previous roles have included serving as the Chief Operating Officer and Interim CEO of the Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from 2008 to 2013; Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development, at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust from 2005 to 2008; and Divisional Director, Responsible for Surgery, Cancer, Critical Care, Neurosciences, Theatres & Anaesthetics, at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, 2000 to 2004.
Chair, Eric Harris went on to say “To the executive recruitment firm and certainly to the PHC Board members who had the privilege of meeting Ms. Dalton during the interview phase, it quickly became clear what an outstanding candidate we had the pleasure of considering. Ms. Dalton’s varied experience, sectoral knowledge, strategic acuity, respectful communication style, personable character and clarity of thinking were easily evident. What stood out even more was her emphasis on people, collaboration, organizational culture, personal and organizational values, and a strict commitment to performance excellence, with focus on staff/physician engagement and patient involvement”.
“I want to thank PFM Executive Search for all their hard work in making contact with over 300 people as part of their search and for helping the Board narrow down the candidates’ list” said Harris.
In accepting this important leadership role in Canadian health care, Ms. Dalton stated:
“It’s a great honour to be invited to lead Providence Health Care. I am delighted and excited to join an organisation with such a great reputation for values-driven, compassionate and innovative health care.”
PFM Executive Search is a recognized leader in Canada and is know for its ability to facilitate large and complex Selection Committees in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Over 25-years PFM has recruited senior leaders from all over the world is known for its integrity and professionalism.