NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) has appointed Leanne Cooper as Executive Managing Director of the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Liverpool Women’s University Hospital.
Leanne joins the organisation as an experienced NHS senior leader with over 15 years of operational and strategic leadership, including three years in her current role as Chief Operating Officer at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
Prior to joining Airedale, Leanne was Deputy Chief Operating Officer at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Leanne has a strong track record of delivering significant improvements in quality, performance, productivity, and financial sustainability across acute, community, system‑wide services, and women's and children's services. Her leadership has driven major programmes in urgent and emergency care, elective recovery, digital transformation - including executive responsibility for Electronic Patient Record deployment - and large‑scale estates and safety programmes such as the RAAC mitigation programme and maternity service estate improvements.
Following her appointment, Leanne said: “I am delighted to be joining the Group at such an important and exciting time. The establishment of the new Hospital Leadership Team for the Royal Liverpool and Liverpool Women’s University Hospitals represents a real opportunity to strengthen how we work together across both sites. I am very much looking forward to meeting colleagues, building relationships and supporting our teams as we continue to improve the quality of care and experience for our patients and communities.”
James Sumner, Group Chief Executive of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, said: “We are delighted to have appointed Leanne, who will bring a wealth of operational and strategic leadership experience to this new role across the Royal Liverpool and Liverpool Women's University Hospitals. Leanne's extensive board level experience and focus on quality care will be of great value to the patients and staff across these two hospital sites within UHL Group.”
Leanne will commence her role in June 2026.