GDC appoints new Council member

Following a competitive recruitment process, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Ilona Blue as a lay member of Council.

Ilona is an experienced non-executive director and executive leader with a successful track record in finance, governance and programme delivery in central government and the NHS.  She is a non-executive director (NED) with Accent Housing Group who provide social housing across various locations in England; a non-executive member designate for Frimley NHS Integrated Care Board, where she will also chair the Audit Committee; and a non-executive member of the Audit Risk and Assurance Committee at Defence Equipment and Support (part of the Ministry of Defence). 

Ilona was previously a NED and Senior Independent Director at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Ilona’s executive career began in academia where she undertook public health research with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and South Bank University. She then joined the Civil Service where she spent over twenty years in four departments (HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions, Home Office and Department for Transport).  Her most recent role is Group Finance Director at the Department for Transport.

She is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and holds a PhD in International Public Health, a Post Graduate Diploma in Medical Statistics & Epidemiology and a BA (Hons) in Geography. She completed the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma in 2020.

In announcing her appointment, Chair of Council, Lord Toby Harris said:

“I’d like to welcome Ilona and look forward to working with her. She brings a wealth of experience as a non-executive director and leader, particularly in finance and governance, across a wide range of organisations, and will be able to provide new perspectives and insights in her new role.”