Highly respected senior ambulance professional Martin Flaherty OBE has been appointed as the new Director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE).
Mr Flaherty is currently Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service, having joined as an Ambulance Technician in 1979. He has enjoyed a varied and high profile ambulance career and was responsible for coordinating the emergency medical response to the 07 July bombings in 2005, which contributed to the award of an OBE in the 2006 New Year Honours List.
Spells as Interim Chief Executive of both the Irish Ambulance Service and Great Western Ambulance Service followed, before he returned to London in November 2011 as Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Chief Executive.
AACE Chairman Anthony Marsh welcomed Mr Flaherty’s appointment, saying:
“As an organisation that exists to co-ordinate national strategy for the ambulance service at the highest level, it is vital that AACE has an experienced and well respected individual leading it on a day-to-day basis. Martin is a strong leader with a track record of success in the ambulance service, but importantly, he also has the right contacts and credibility to help us move forward quickly. I look forward to working with Martin to establish AACE as an effective body to sit alongside our emergency service partners, especially ACPO and CFOA.”
Mr Flaherty, who is married with one son and lives in London will become acting Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service on 10th September 2012, following the departure of the current Chief Executive Peter Bradley. He will take up his new AACE role at the end of November 2012.
Commenting on his appointment to the AACE Director role Mr Flaherty said:
“I am delighted to be appointed to the role of Director of AACE. It is an exciting time for ambulance trusts and indeed for AACE and I will be working closely with the Chair Anthony Marsh and the Chief Executives and Chairs of Ambulance Trusts nationally to continue to develop the Association so that it provides both a coordinating function around national policy and a highly respected national voice for ambulance services. I have 33 years’ experience in London Ambulance Service and beyond, and I am absolutely committed to the profession and to its future development. This exciting new opportunity will allow me to continue to contribute to this development at the highest level over the coming years.”
