New appointments to Public Health Wales executive team

Professor Jim McManus will be joining Public Health Wales as its new National Director of Health and Wellbeing in the autumn. Jim joins Public Health Wales from Hertfordshire County Council where he has been Director of Public Health for more than 11 years. He brings substantial experience in strategic working in public health and a significant track record of working at a national, United Kingdom and international level in recent years in his role as President of the UK Association of Directors of Public Health.

Jim also has a background working in Crime and Social Policy in the Home Office and as Co-Founder of the UK-wide Behavioural Science in Public Health Network. Jim is also a Fellow of the International Society of Science in the University of Glasgow and a Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Life Sciences since 2012.

Claire Birchall will also be joining Public Health Wales as our Acting Director of Quality, Nursing and Allied Health Professionals for 12 months from 25 September 2023.  Claire has substantial experience in NHS leadership roles across a breadth of portfolios and across a range of organisations. Claire joins Public Health Wales from the NHS Executive where she leads the National Wales Cancer Network and, prior to the establishment of the NHS Executive, was also the Professional Lead Nurse for the NHS Collaborative.

Angela Cook, Public Health Wales’ Assistant Director of Quality, Nursing and Allied Health Professionals, will be acting into the role until Claire starts in September.