E-zec Medical Transport Services (E-zec), England’s largest independent provider of Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS), is delighted to announce the appointment of Craig Smith as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Craig’s appointment is effective 22 November, succeeding Andy Wickenden who leaves the business after an extended leave of absence.

Craig joins from Falck’s UK Ambulance Division, where as Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for the operational excellence of the business and the implementation of a major transformation programme. Prior to Falck, Craig was Commercial Director for G4S, where he excelled in winning and running large-scale patient transport contracts. Earlier in his career, Craig had 10 years of distinguished service as a commissioned officer in the British Army, where he led teams on a number of UK and Overseas tours of duty.

Craig brings a wealth of commercial knowledge and operational experience to E-zec, gained from across the NEPTS sector. In addition to leading a business with 1,500 employees, 550 vehicles and 31 bases, he will be working with E-zec’s Board to lead the delivery of its growth and development strategy, a major focus for the company during 2022.

Supported by E-zec’s management team, Craig is tasked with providing the strategic leadership to leverage E-zec’s strong market position for further growth. He commented, “I am delighted to be joining E-zec – it offers exactly the type of opportunity that motivates me. E-zec is at a really exciting point in its development with strong investor support and first-rate employees. Together, I believe we can capitalise on these to deliver a consistently outstanding service to our existing service users and grow our market position across the UK. I look forward to leading the next phase of its development.”

Michael Kerins, Chairman of E-zec, said “On behalf of all at E-zec, I would like to thank Andy for his commitment and service to E-zec and welcome Craig to the business. E-zec is a strong business, with patients at the core of what we do, and significant opportunities for transformational growth so I’m confident Craig’s leadership will drive the business forward and help us to capitalise on the many opportunities available to us. I am excited and look forward to working closely with Craig and the rest of the management team to achieve this.”