PCI Board begins search for next CEO as Julia Beart announces she is to step down

Seven years after joining Primary Care International, where she has built the organisation from a small start-up into a leading social enterprise in primary care globally, the Board are saddened to announce that our CEO Julia Beart is stepping down from the role in September.

Julia has achieved a huge amount during her time with PCI, leading the organisation through multiple phases of growth and development, navigating the hugely challenging Covid-19 pandemic, reinventing the organisation through learning technology, and expanding its influence and network globally. Julia’s leadership, perseverance and commitment to PCI has been hugely valued, and will be missed. The Board wish her every success in her next endeavours and will work hard to ensure her legacy of a diverse, adaptable and resilient organisation will continue to thrive under new leadership.

Our search for a new CEO is being led by Society Executive Search: further details are available here.

Meanwhile, the Board would like to take this opportunity to thank Julia for all that she has done and achieved during her tenure. Additionally, the Board would like to thank the whole team, Clinical Associate network, and wider programme partners, for their enduring support for and collaboration with PCI. We look forward to developing new opportunities and horizons in the next phase of PCI’s development.

Of the transition, Julia says:

“I’m immensely proud of everything that we’ve achieved over the past seven years. Since I joined the organisation when it was just 18 months old, PCI has built up an impressive portfolio of partners and co-designed innovative intervention models, working in 28 countries to strengthen primary healthcare. In doing so, we’ve built a fantastic team of staff and Associates, a really strong, diverse and values-led Board of Directors, and latterly, an incredible multi-disciplinary Global Advisory Council. We’re now starting to disseminate evidence and learning from this body of work as we seek to catalyse impact on a wider scale. Although it was an incredibly hard decision to step down, I instinctively know that the time is right; I have achieved all that I set out to achieve at PCI and I leave the organisation with strong foundations and huge potential for the next CEO to build upon. I’m now really looking forward to taking some time out to explore fresh challenges and opportunities.”