Jess Cunningham is an experienced board‑level operational executive and strategic healthcare leader with over 34 years in the NHS, including nine at Board level. She is recognised for driving organisational change, improving operational performance, and leading large, dispersed teams to deliver meaningful improvements in patient care, service delivery, and efficiency.

Jess joined South Western Ambulance Service in 2012 to lead the acquisition of Great Western Ambulance Service—an unprecedented NHS initiative. She authored the integration plan and secured approval for the transaction business case, enabling a smooth transfer in February 2013. She went on to serve four years as Director of Planning and Performance Management, overseeing business planning, contract negotiation, and all tendering and business development activity.

Appointed Executive Director of Operations and Accountable Emergency Officer in 2017, Jess held responsibility for a £315 million budget, more than 5,000 staff, two Emergency Operations Centres managing over one million calls a year, EPRR, HART teams, 700+ volunteers, resource scheduling and the UK’s largest ambulance fleet. She also served as Deputy Chief Executive and has led performance in NHS 111, urgent treatment, out‑of‑hours and patient transport services.

Jess has chaired the Trust’s Performance Board, delivered major rota redesigns, modernised working practices—cutting late finishes by 30%—and led emergency preparedness during the Salisbury nerve agent incident, the COVID‑19 pandemic, and the G7 Summit.

A respected national leader, she was the first female Chair of the National Directors of Operations Group and a strong advocate for women in operational leadership.