Gillian Leng
President, The Royal Society of Medicine
Gillian is a clinician by background, with a passion for using evidence to improve care. Her career has covered a breadth of sectors including public health, healthcare, education and social care. She joined NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, in 2001 to establish its clinical guidelines programme. In 2020, she became only its second CEO. She has worked closely with the life science industries, patient organisations, professional societies, academia, plus local and national government across the United Kingdom. She has chaired national and international boards and committees, bringing comprehensive media experience across a range of complex topics. She is now President of the Royal Society of Medicine, chair of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and a non-executive for the Department of Science Innovation and Technology. She retains her interest in the use of high quality evidence and is a trustee of the Cochrane Collaboration and a Council member of Alive, the international Alliance for Living Evidence. In 2024 she was asked by government to lead an independent review into the roles of Physician and Anaesthesia Associates.