A tribute to Nicola Close MBE
It is with huge sadness that I write this month’s blog in tribute to Nicola Close MBE – our outgoing CEO – who died from cancer last week.
Nicola, who was due to retire next month after nearly 20 years of steering the ADPH ship, made an extraordinary impact on public health. She became ADPH’s first staff member in 2007 and built the organisation from the ground up into the highly respected national organisation it is now.
As a result of her leadership, ADPH has consistently provided valuable input from Directors of Public Health (DsPH) on national public health policy while also supporting the development of our members through a programme of comprehensive sharing and networking opportunities – a legacy which will make a difference for years to come.
By establishing regional ADPH networks, for example, she cultivated a culture of collaboration and development which has not only helped strengthen the public health system throughout the UK, but also played a pivotal role in responding to emerging health emergencies. This is perhaps best exemplified by the Covid-19 response, where ADPH quickly swung into action to arrange regular meetings for members to discuss what was working well locally, and build a collective bank of evidence to support calls to central Government for changes in approach at various stages of the unfolding disaster – shared intelligence which ultimately helped protect thousands of people.
As a boss, Nicola was generous, fair, and trusted, pioneering flexible working long before the days of Zoom and Teams, an approach which has fostered an incredibly effective and driven ADPH staff team – something I and the rest of our members are extremely grateful for.
This dedication, commitment, and energy has without a doubt improved our profession and therefore, also helped improve countless lives – a contribution which was formally recognised last year when Nicola received an MBE for services to public health.
Behind all of these attributes and achievements was a truly remarkable person, and someone I had the privilege of coming to know long before us working together at ADPH. Nicola had a fierce reputation for capably and deftly defending public health principles and the role of DsPH. And as I got to know her, so that turned out to be. She was exceptional, fearless, and never short on wisdom and experience, and she is someone I am immensely proud to have known.
As we learn to navigate life without Nicola’s wise and steady counsel, our thoughts are very much with Nicola’s friends and family.
We have not just lost our CEO, but also our friend and confidant – someone whose approval we relished, and whose disapproval – shown affectionately through her infamous ‘Paddington stare’ – was nearly always deserved!