The GMC has appointed Professor Peter Rubin as its new chair, taking over from Professor Sir Graeme Catto, who is due to leave in June.
Professor Rubin, who will take up office on 20th April, is professor of therapeutics and honorary consultant physician at Nottingham University Hospitals.
He was chair of the GMC education committee from 2002 - 2008, chair of the post graduate medical education and training board (PMETB) from 2005 - 2008 and dean of the faculty of medicine and health sciences at the University of Nottingham from 1997 - 2003.
Professor Rubin also has experience of other professions and as a board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, he co-chaired the dental joint implementation group and chaired the project group in Nottingham that developed the first new vet school in the UK for over half a century.
He has spent much of his career specialising in the medical disorders of pregnancy and continues to be involved in front line medicine.
Professor Rubin said: “It is an honour and a privilege to become chair of the General Medical Council. The next few years for the GMC will be challenging and exciting as we continue to deliver a major agenda of change.
“The GMC has a hugely important role in maintaining and assuring patient safety through the highest standards in medicine. I am looking forward to working with doctors, patients, employers and educators alike to ensure we continue to fulfill that role.”