LHSC addresses leadership changes after departures of several executives
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) held a press conference Thursday afternoon to address several changes in leadership over the past few months.
The hospital system, the largest in southwestern Ontario, has seen five executives leave their posts in recent months.
The latest was the vice-president of finance and chief financial officer Jacqui Davison, who announced her departure in an online post. The hospital confirmed that Davison had resigned earlier this week.
Previous to Davison’s departure CTV News London reported the sudden departure of two more top executives earlier this month.
Neil Johnson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, as well as Susan Nickle, executive vice president, general counsel and chief people officer were announced to no longer be employed by LHSC on June 9.
The firing was without cause, and the decision was made by Interim President and CEO Jackie Schleifer Taylor, who informed the board of directors after the decision had been carried out.
“I certainly made those decisions, and advised the board of my decisions and they did support the reasoning and rationale for the leadership restructuring going forward.”
Schleifer Taylor says work is underway to find interim replacements for the senior leadership team that will last until the end of the year.
“I’m not going to make any permanent recruitment decisions for this role. We need to ensure, as a hospital that there is some nimbleness, for a new permanent CEO that the board selects to have full freedom to recruit the talent they feel is appropriate for the organization.”
Johnson worked at the hospital in various leadership roles over 33 years and recently oversaw the mass vaccination clinic at the Western Fair District Agriplex.
At the time of their departure several questions from CTV News London including issues related to severance pay were not answered by the hospital.
LHSC released a brief statement confirming the departures and thanking the pair for their service. The full story and statement can be found here.
The departures come following a tumultuous year for the hospital which saw former CEO Paul Woods let go for travelling to the U.S. during the pandemic.
Woods maintains his travel was within the rules and that board was aware of his trips. He then filed a $3.5-million lawsuit against the hospital following his contract’s termination.
Schleifer Taylor says she is not involved in the search for a permanent CEO, as it is being carried out by an external company.
When asked if she has applied for the post she responded, “to my knowledge that hasn’t been a call for, or an invitation for applications, so no, I have not.”
An email statement from the board of directors at LHSC says they were apprised of Schleifer Taylor's restructuring.
"The board is fully supportive of the changes that have been made at the senior leader level and believes the reconfiguration of the leadership team will enable the organization to continue to meet COVID and non-COVID care needs, and support LHSC through the expected recovery phase."
With files from CTV's Daryl Newcombe.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.