Emily Miles appointed Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced the appointment of Emily Miles as its new Chief Executive.

Emily Miles will join the regulator in the autumn from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where she currently serves as Director General for Food, Farming and Biosecurity. She will succeed interim Chief Executive Dr Arun Chopra, who will return to his substantive role as CQC’s Chief Inspector of Mental Health.

Before joining Defra, Miles was Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency, where she led the organisation responsible for food safety and consumer protection across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The appointment follows a recruitment process led by the CQC’s Interim Chair, Kay Boycott, involving members of the regulator’s Board, representatives from stakeholder organisations and regulators, and Baroness Julia Neuberger, the government’s preferred candidate to become the next Chair of the CQC.

The regulator said Miles brings extensive experience in leading public sector organisations, regulatory oversight and organisational transformation at a time when the CQC continues work to improve its performance and restore confidence in its regulatory role.

The announcement follows the government’s recent confirmation that Baroness Julia Neuberger is the preferred candidate to become the next Chair of the CQC, subject to the appropriate appointment process.

Emily Miles is expected to take up the role later this year.

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