The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced the appointment of Ian Trenholm as its new chief executive, replacing Sir David Behan who leaves the regulator in July.

Trenholm (pictured), who started his career in the police service, has been chief executive of NHS Blood & Transplant (a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Health & Social Care) since 2014.

His previous roles include chief operating officer at the Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and chief executive of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.

He was appointed by the non-executive members of the CQC’s board following an open competition.

CQC chair Peter Wyman said that Trenholm’s track record of delivering technological innovation at scale to improve people’s lives was “the deciding factor” in his selection from an “outstanding field”, given the CQC’s strategic focus on delivering an intelligence-driven approach to regulation, and the increasingly central role that technology is having in improving outcomes within health and care.

“I’m confident that in Ian, we have found the right person to lead delivery on the next stage of our strategy – using new technology and new ways of working with the public and providers to continuously improve how we assess performance, encourage improvement and check that people get safe, high quality care,” he said.

Trenholm commented: “I am really pleased to be joining the Care Quality Commission at a time of challenge for both health and social care. I look forward to working with the CQC team to build on the strong foundations already in place, creating innovative methods of assuring safe and effective care for all.”