Ronke Akerele is Director of Culture Transformation at NHS England.

The scope of Ronke’s role includes supporting the NHS system to create an inclusive and compassionate culture that enables a great work experience for staff and therefore a great care experience for patients and carers. She leads on developing national strategy in response to improving people practices and new ways of working on speaking up culture, flexing working practices, seamless staff movements across organisational boundaries and implementation of the retention ambitions of the UK Government’s healthcare workforce manifesto commitment.

She is responsible for developing and implementing the NHS reward and recognition strategy including interventions that enables organisations to leverage the value and benefits of the NHS employment offer to attract and retain staff across the NHS workforce.

Prior to her current role, she had spent the previous eight years as a Board Executive Director across various NHS Trusts leading culture change, innovation, quality improvement and business transformation functions that has resulted in improved service outcomes for service users and families.

Before her executive director roles, Ronke spent thirteen years of her career in management consultancy working on roles in strategy execution, information technology, performance management, change and programme management within the private and public sector organisations.

She has held senior positions in Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust, Imperial College Health Partners, BUPA, Career Quality Commission (UK), NHS Croydon, NHS Westminster, Barking, Havering, Redbridge NHS Trust, Accenture, PWC and HealthGravitas.

She holds a Doctorate in Organisational Change, executive MBA, MSc in Information Technology, BSc in Economics and has undertaken Executive Education programmes both in London Business School and Harvard Business School.

Ronke is a Council Board Member of Goldsmiths, University of London, Associate Professor at Anglia Ruskin University and an honorary lecturer at Imperial College, London.