NHS Digital appoints new CISO

NHS Digital has appointed Pete Rose as its chief information security officer (CISO) and deputy chief executive, a year after the departure of the previous postholder.

Reporting to NHS Digital chief executive Sarah Wilkinson, Rose will begin work on 4 May 2020 and until then, interim arrangements will be in place with existing staff.  Rose is currently director of enterprise services and deputy chief digital, data and technology officer at the Home Office.

Wilkinson said about the appointment: “Pete Rose’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.”

Rose’s 30-year professional background has focused on delivering mission-critical digital and technology services, programmes and business change. Before working at the Home Office, his career included senior roles in the public and private sectors, following time with the Royal Air Force.

He said: “I have 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.”

Rose’s appointment follows the departure of the previous CISO and deputy CEO, Robert Coles, in January 2019. Coles had joined the organisation only four months earlier and left for personal reasons. Since leaving the NHS, Coles has focused on consulting and advisory engagements.

The NHS’s decision to hire a CISO followed the lessons learned after the WannaCry ransomware attack, which cost the health service more than £90m and impacted 80 hospital trusts – one-third of all the trusts in England. More than 600 primary care organisations were also affected.