NHS Digital appoints Pete Rose as its CISO and deputy CEO

NHS Digital has appointed a new chief information security officer (CISO) who will also serve as the organisation’s deputy CEO.

Pete Rose, who is currently director of enterprise services and deputy chief digital, data and technology officer at the Home Office, will begin his new role on 4 May.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining NHS Digital later in the Spring and contributing to the support of the health and social care system.

“I’ve always been motivated by supporting essential, front-line services to the public through technology, so the opportunity to work in the NHS is a huge privilege and an exciting challenge.

“I look forward to working with, and learning from, health and social care specialists from across the sector, as well as contributing my own experience from other sectors.”

The chartered engineer has a background focused on leading technology operations, resilience and cyber security alongside delivering complex infrastructure programmes.

NHS Digital’s first CISO, Robert Coles, was confirmed in September 2018, though he resigned four months later.

Dan Pearce then took over as interim CISO with NHS Digital confirming Pearce will continue to work for the organisation in the coming months to “ensure a smooth handover” as Rose moves into the role.

Rose will also serve as NHS Digital’s deputy CEO after Rob Shaw announced he was stepping down from the role in October 2019.

Sarah Wilkinson, NHS Digital’s chief executive, added: “Pete’s background in the management of complex national systems, and in particular his extensive experience of managing cyber security and resilience planning, and major incident management, will enable him to bring deep expertise and strong strategic vision to this challenging and wide-ranging role.

“I greatly look forward to welcoming Pete to the organisation.”