Former head of Reckitt Benckiser Rakesh Kapoor joins NHS England board

FORMER chief executive of Reckitt Benckiser Rakesh Kapoor has joined the board of NHS England.

Kapoor,62, stepped down as the CEO of the UK multinational consumer goods company in September 2019. He was one of the top paid executives in the UK.

"For over seven decades, the National Health Service has provided high quality, affordable care to the British people. It employs around 1.3 million people and spends around £130 billion each year, making it one of the largest organisations in the world and one that plays a huge role in our lives," Kapoor wrote on LinkedIn.

"There are unprecedented challenges to our healthcare system-dealing with the backlog of healthcare needs from the pandemic, while creating a system that addresses the ongoing issues of health and social care equitably.

"I am hugely honoured to play a small role in helping shape the strategic agenda to tackle these challenges and contribute to a sector that I am passionate about."

Born in Bareilly, India, Kapoor was educated at Modern School, New Delhi, India. He has a BE (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, and an MBA from XLRI- Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, India.

He joined Reckitt & Colman in 1987, before the merger with Benckiser, serving in various roles. In January 2019, the company announced that Kapoor is set to retire by the year end.

Laxman Narasimhan, PepsiCo's chief commercial officer, has succeeded Kapoor as CEO in September 2019.

Kapoor is an accomplished bridge player and a keen football and cricket fan.