New search for HSE chief technology officer following withdrawal of candidate

The HSE will undertake a new recruitment campaign for the permanent position of Chief Technology and Transformation Officer (CTTO) following the withdrawal of a successful candidate for the position last year.

The HSE confirmed to the Medical Independent (MI) that it intends “as soon as possible and practical” to begin a search for both a permanent CTTO and a permanent Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

According to minutes of the HSE board meeting in November, the HSE CEO Mr Bernard Gloster informed board members that “the successful candidate for [the] CTTO post has withdrawn”. Mr Gloster was due to discuss this issue further at the December board meeting.

Asked whether the successful candidate had given reasons for their withdrawal, a HSE spokesperson told MI that it “does not discuss individual HR matters”.

The spokesperson said that the HSE “has not yet launched a new recruitment campaign” for a permanent CTTO and CISO.

“It is the intention to fill these posts as soon as possible and practical,” the spokesperson said.

They confirmed that the current interim CISO is Mr Puneet Kukreja. The interim CTTO is Mr John Ward.

The creation of the positions of CISO and CTTO was recommended by the post-incident review published in the wake of the May 2021 cyberattack on the HSE.

In March 2022, the HSE informed this newspaper it intended to fill both of these positions by the end of 2022.

However, the search was delayed until 2023 “following the completion of a final review of the job descriptions”.