Professor Cliff Shearman

Independent Non-Executive Director

Professor Cliff Shearman was appointed an independent non-executive director in October 2020.

Current external appointments

• Emeritus professor of vascular surgery, University of Southampton
• Deputy chair of University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Skills and previous experience

Cliff was a consultant vascular surgeon for 26 years, initially in Birmingham and then in Southampton, and professor of vascular surgery at the University of Southampton. His research interests focus on factors that lead to diabetic vascular disease and how to improve the clinical outcomes for people with diabetes.

Cliff was a clinical service director and associate medical director in the University Hospital Southampton. At a national level he was president of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland and was one of the team that separated vascular surgery from general surgery leading to a new speciality, centralisation of services and a new training programme for vascular surgeons. These changes have been associated with dramatic improvements in outcomes for patients. Cliff was a member of the council and a trustee of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, serving as vice president from 2018 until July 2021. He was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to vascular surgery.

Cliff is a member of the Clinical Governance and Safety Committee.