Ade Odunlade joins South London and Maudsley as new Chief Operating Officer
Ade Odunlade is joining South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust as the new Chief Operating Officer in November.
Ade joins from Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust where he has served as the Chief Operating Officer since 2021. He brings more than 30 years of experience to our Trust, in clinical leadership, clinical transformation, workforce development learning and development, and senior management roles. He continues to chair the NHS Providers Chief Operating Officers Network.
A nurse by background, Ade trained at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. He has spoken about his passion for clinical work in mental health settings, having spent time as a mental health nurse in acute inpatient wards, community teams and young offenders' institutions and as a therapist supporting people with relationships and sexual dysfunctions.
I trained over at Oxleas, and my first main job was at South London and Maudsley. But at that point it was just called the Maudsley. I was at the Maudsley for a considerable number of years, working on Eileen Skellern 2, and as part of the community mental health teams in Peckham and Camberwell so I know the area well. While at the Maudsley, I also worked as a sex therapist as well as working as a primary care facilitator, focusing on the alignment between primary care and secondary care in Peckham. I’m looking forward to rejoining the Maudsley and seeing people who I worked with many years ago.
Ade also recently authored a book called ‘Living with Fear’ alongside other healthcare professionals, university lecturers and students, which was a reflection on the challenges and trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During Covid, I knew a lot of people who died, and there was a lot of trauma amongst key workers and healthcare workers, including students. I called a number of people together and we wrote a book called ‘Living with Fear’ which is dedicated to everyone who worked throughout the pandemic and tries to make sense of the fear and anxiety which arose during that challenging time. We wrote it in conjunction with lecturers from the University of Buckinghamshire and various organisations and all of the proceeds go to charity.
In September, Ade was awarded a Mentoring and Coaching Champion Award by the APNA NHS Network for his efforts to coach and mentor aspiring leaders from diverse backgrounds to create a workforce leadership pipeline for the future.
Kirsten Timmins will serve as Interim Chief Operating Officer until Ade joins the Trust in November. During this interim period, Sabrina Phillips and Mark Pattinson will be acting as Deputy Chief Operating Officers.
Commenting on his new role, Ade Odunlade said:
A great privilege to be joining a great institution and the foremost mental health organisation in the world. As I am embarking on a new journey with enthusiasm, I believe that in the uncharted waters of a new job, you'll discover the winds of opportunity that carry you to positive places you've never imagined. Success in our new roles is not just a destination; it's a journey of unity, where we work together, hand in hand, for the well-being of our patients, embracing inclusivity every step of the way.
David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:
I am delighted that Ade is joining us as our new Chief Operating Officer. His clinical background coupled with extensive management experience will be crucial to the successful operation of our Trust as we work to deliver outstanding mental health care. Welcome Ade!
