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Skills for Care appoint John Coughlan CBE as their new Chair of Trustees

18 Nov 2021

2 min read

Skills for Care has appointed former Hampshire County Council Chief Executive John Coughlan as our new Chair of Trustees.

Following a rigorous selection process John will take over as Chair from Dame Moira Gibb who steps down in March next year after seven years.

John is an experienced leader and has led both adult and children’s social care. As Chief Executive of Hampshire County Council, he offered high-quality service delivery and financial stability and successfully led the council through the pandemic.

Prior to that John was Hampshire’s Director of Children’s Services for a decade taking them from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ Ofsted ratings.

John also served as President of the Association of Children’s Services and in 2009 he was awarded a CBE for services to local government.

John Coughlan said:

I’m delighted to be joining Skills for Care at what is a pivotal period of reform for adult social care. If I have learnt anything as a leader of services, it’s that a highly motivated and skilled workforce will be central to progress. I am determined that Skills for Care will play a key role in leading the sector through this critical period. From my time in local government I know how highly regarded Skills for Care is at a strategic level and by social care employers. I inherit a top quality board from Dame Moira, made of experienced leaders who offer so much sector knowledge insight. It’s an honour to follow Dame Moira and I can’t wait to get to work with the trustees and the team at Skills for Care.

Dame Moira Gibb added:

We had a number of very strong applications for this role, but John’s mix of significant leadership experience, particularly during the recent pandemic, and clear strategic thinking around workforce issues made him the selection panel’s choice. I am sure John will enjoy his time at Skills for Care as I have done. He will inherit a great team of trustees and staff who I know will be as unstinting in their support to him as they have been to me.