HCA Healthcare UK has recruited four inaugural members to its new advisory board.

The board, chaired by former NHS Improvement chairman Ed Smith as announced in March, will support the company’s agenda around quality care and sector-wide collaboration.

Four founding members have now been announced: Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, Professor Sir Robert Lechler, Professor Dame Shirley Pearce and Beverley Aspinall.

Keogh was NHS England’s medical director and professional lead for NHS doctors until the end of last year. Formerly, he was director of surgery at the Heart Hospital and professor of cardiac surgery at University College London.

Lechler has been president of the Academy of Medical Sciences since 2015, and, until recently, was vice-principal (health) at King’s College London. He was a founding partner of MedCity, which facilitated collaboration between industry and research within the NHS.

Pearce is chair of council at the London School of Economics and a former vice-chancellor of Loughborough University. She has held academic positions at University College London and the University of East Anglia, and has had non-executive roles with the Healthcare Commission, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and Health Education England.

Aspinall is a former managing director of Peter Jones, was appointed managing director of Fortnum & Mason from 2004 until 2012, and has since served on the boards of Foyles and Aspinalls Group.

Mike Neeb, chief executive HCA Healthcare UK, commented: “[The board’s] collective expertise and insights across the healthcare, public and commercial sectors will be a great asset to HCA UK as we continue to focus on delivering the highest-quality patient care, and look ahead to the future development of our network of hospitals and facilities.”