Alastair Henderson has left the building…

Whilst there will be many opportunities in the coming days to wish our much-loved CEO well in his retirement, we are very clear he will be especially missed by the staff team here at the Academy and across the medical royal college community. His encyclopaedic knowledge of health care policy, people (…and stuff) is unparalleled and has helped steer many of the most senior medical leaders through some extraordinarily challenging times in the last 13 years and three months. Before that he did equally good work at Unison, Confed and NHS Employers.

He had many catchphrases. But our favourite, ‘Oh Gawd’ sums up how many of us are feeling on his departure.

We will miss the cheese and onion crisp sandwiches, the horrible orange chair and the never-quite-fastened tie.

Bluntly, we will also miss him very much.

Goodbye Mr Henderson. Enjoy your retirement from all of us here at the Academy!