Justin Ash, Spire Healthcare

Justin Ash was appointed as chief executive of Spire Healthcare in October. In the Midlands, Spire Healthcare runs Little Aston Hospital, as well as Droitwich Clinic, Malvern Clinic, Spire Parkway Hospital in Solihull and Spire South Bank hospital in Worcester. Mr Ash was previously chief executive at Oasis Dental Care where he built the UK's first national consumer dental brand. He led the sale of Oasis to BUPA. Before Oasis, he was managing director of Lloyds Pharmacy where he grew the estate from 1,250 to 1,750 outlets.

Peter Axon, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Peter Axon is chief finance officer of the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust and is the trust's interim chief executive. He joined BCH in 2009. The trust is responsible for community care across the West Midlands, be it in the home, in health centres, clinics or in an inpatient environment in community hospitals. Mr Axon is due to step down from his interim role in 2018 when a new chief executive, Richard Kirby of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, will take up the post.

Prof Charles Craddock CBE, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Professor Charles Craddock CBE is director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Professor of Haemato-oncology at the University of Birmingham. He is a recent president of the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and chairman of the UK Stem Cell Strategy Oversight Committee. He leads an active clinical trials programme to develop new drug and transplant therapies to combat leukaemia. Mr Craddock trained in London, Oxford and Seattle, USA.

Prof Pamela Kearns, University of Birmingham

Pamela Kearns is professor of clinical paediatric oncology in the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham. She is also an honorary consultant at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Ms Kearns is director of the Cancer Research UK clinical trials unit in the School of Cancer Sciences. She is a senior clinical advisor to Cancer Research UK and is on the executive board of the academic consortium, Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer.

Professor Pamela Kearns, University of Birmingham
Professor Pamela Kearns, University of Birmingham

Prof Deidre Kelly CBE, Birmingham Children's Hospital

Professor Deirdre Kelly set up the world-renowned liver unit at Birmingham Children's Hospital in 1989. Since then, it has carried out more than 1,000 liver transplant operations including the first ever infant liver transplant operation. Calcutta-born Professor Kelly leads a team of 50 physicians, surgeons, nurses and health professionals and is at the forefront of research to advance diagnosis and treatment using genetic technology. Her team have transformed survival rates of child liver transplants from 40 per cent to 90 per cent. She sits on the General Medical Council and is a deputy lieutenant for the West Midlands.

Toby Lewis, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust

Toby Lewis was appointed chief executive of the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust in 2013. Before his appointment, he was deputy chief executive of Barts Health NHS Trust. He has spent nearly 20 years in the health service, initially in mental health - he holds an MSc in organisational psychology - and then in hospital management. His current post is his fifth appointment on an NHS board, having held senior posts in London and Yorkshire. He spent two years in the Downing Street NHS Delivery Unit.

Sarah-Jane Marsh, Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospitals

Sarah-Jane Marsh is chief executive of Birmingham Children's Hospital, a post she took up in 2009. She added the chief executive role at Birmingham Women's Hospital in 2015. Before that, she was chief operating officer at the hospital and director of planning and productivity at Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust. She is also chair of the NHS England Maternity Transformation Programme board. Ms Marsh has degrees in history, healthcare management and Russian and Eastern European studies.

Sarah-Jane Marsh, chief executive of Birmingham Children's Hospital and Birmingham Women's Hospital
Sarah-Jane Marsh, chief executive of Birmingham Children's Hospital and Birmingham Women's Hospital

Dame Julie Moore, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Dame Julie Moore has been chief executive of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust since 2006. She was also appointed also interim chief executive of the Heart of England NHS Trust in 2015. Last year, she was included in the first BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour list of the 100 most powerful women in the UK. A former graduate nurse and clinician, she has lead teams to turn round hospitals in poorly performing NHS trusts in special measures. She is a non-executive director of the national Precision Medicine Catapult and is a founding member and past chairman of the Shelford Group - the ten leading academic hospitals in England. She is a member of several health bodies and advisory boards and holds honorary doctorates from the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University.

Karen Prins, BMI Healthcare

Karen Prins is the recently appointed chief executive of BMI Healthcare. The independent health provider has 59 hospitals and clinics throughout the UK with more than 6,000 specialist consultants. BMI treats more than 275,000 inpatients and 1.5 million outpatients each year. BMI is owned by South Africa's Netcare where Ms Prins previously worked as operations director.

Richard Samuda, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust's new hospital - The Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick - is due to open for patients in September 2019. It is currently being built by Carillion and will be the closest adult hospital to the centre of Birmingham. Richard Samuda has been chairman of the trust since 2012. He is also chairman of property company Hortons' Estate and a former non-executive director of the Heart of England NHS Trust. A chartered accountant by profession, he is an advisory partner with KPMG and led the firm's development of advisory services to the public sector.

Jacqui Smith, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Former Redditch MP and Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Jacqui Smith is chairman of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Heart of England NHS Trust. She is also chairman of Sandwell Children's Trust and is a trustee of The King's Fund. In addition, she is chairman of The Precious Trust, a charity she co-founded to support girls and young women at risk of gang-related violence. She also holds a number of other consultancy positions and since July this year has been chairman of the Lunar Society.

Jacqui Smith, chairman of two NHS trusts
Jacqui Smith, chairman of two NHS trusts