Peters becomes Cerner boss for the UK

Cerner has appointed a new leader for its UK business, including the National Programme for IT in the NHS and other aspects of healthcare IT.

Emil Peters, who is joining Cerner from the Trizetto Group, but who worked for the company for much of his career, has been appointed as vice-president and general manager for the UK and Ireland.

He replaces Alan Fowles, who left Cerner in October having worked for the company for 11 years, and having overseen some of the very first installations of its systems in the NHS.

Matthew Swindells, Cerner’s senior vice president, population health and global strategy, has been acting as interim general manager, but will now go back to his global role full-time.

Swindells runs Cerner’s population health organisation, which is focusing on the long-term challenges facing global healthcare and how technology can be used to promote wellness and avoid illness.

The project reports directly to Cerner’s headquarters in Kansas City. Peters will report to John Peterzalek, senior vice-president, east region, who is also based in Kansas City.

Peterzalek said: “Emil’s understanding of global healthcare, combined with a first-rate track record on delivering results, will ensure that both the UK and Ireland continue to produce strong growth as an integral part of the Cerner business."

Peters worked for Cerner for 14 years, where he helped to establish its European business in Brussels, before working on pathology and radiology in the UK, and then establishing Cerner Iberia. He returned to the US in 2009.

He said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to work in the UK again and look forward to continuing Cerner’s partnership with the NHS which began over a quarter of a century ago.

“Our teams in the UK and Ireland have extensive expertise and experience and I’m relishing the challenge as we continue to transform healthcare.”