Mark Smith has been appointed as NHS Arden & GEM Commissioning Support Unit’s new Director of Finance, bringing 20 years of senior financial leadership experience within the healthcare sector.
Mark will be responsible for all areas of corporate finance including maintaining strong financial controls, business planning, commercial strategy and partnership development.
Mark joined Arden & GEM, in December 2020, from Optum, where he was Director of Finance LPF, following four years at NHS North Derbyshire CCG where he was most recently Acting Chief Officer and Accountable Officer.
Mark’s career also includes finance and performance roles in Primary Care Trusts and Health Authorities giving him a holistic view of the financial challenges facing health and care systems including integrating teams and processes, delivering turnaround plans and achieving financial targets.
Mark said, “I am really pleased to join Arden & GEM and look forward to spending time getting to know my new colleagues.
“The NHS has undergone massive changes throughout my career, and the changes continue with the formation of Integrated Care Systems and Primary Care Networks. This year the health service has also had to deal with the pressures of COVID-19 and Brexit. My aim is to ensure that Arden & GEM continues to anticipate market changes and adapts its services, where necessary, to support customers in improving the health and wellbeing of their populations.”
Mark replaces the organisation’s previous Director of Finance and Deputy Managing Director, Gill Scoular, who is retiring after dedicating 40 years of service to the NHS.