Pets at Home Group plc has announced the appointment of Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald MBE as an independent non-executive director with effect from 27 May 2023.

On her appointment, Macdonald will also become a member of the board’s nomination and corporate governance committee and the ESG committee.

Macdonald has chaired Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity, since May 2020 and was chief executive of Sunrise Senior Living UK until 2021. She also sits on the board of Riverstone Living, a retirement living business, and is chair of Voyage Care, a healthcare services company providing support for people with learning disabilities.

Macdonald spent eight years as an NHS hospital physician before moving into the private sector, where she spent 17 years at Bupa in various roles, including managing director of Bupa Health and Wellbeing.

Ian Burke, chair of Pets at Home, commented: “On behalf of the board, I am delighted to welcome Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald MBE to Pets at Home Group plc. Natalie brings an exceptional level of strategic and operational healthcare experience, together with knowledge of complex consumer businesses at an executive and board level, skills which will be valuable as Pets at Home continues to build its consumer-centric, omnichannel, pet care platform. The directors and I look forward to Natalie joining our board of directors and completing our team.”