A NEW chairman has been chosen by the Appointments Commission to take over the post at Salisbury health care trust.

He is Luke March (53), who will take up his appointment on January 1, replacing David Noble, who will be retiring on October 31 after eight years at the trust.

Mr March has considerable experience in the financial sector, having served at board level at TSB bank and British Telecom.

He is currently chief executive of the Mortgage Code Compliance Board (the national regulator for mortgages), a position that he has held since 2000.

Mr March also has a wide range of NHS experience, having started as a member of the Winchester health authority in 1988.

He was appointed chairman of the authority in 1993 and was part of the team that successfully steered Winchester Hospital through to trust status.

From there, he joined the East London and the City health authority in 1996, as vice-chairman and, for the past three years, has been a non-executive director and deputy chairman of Barts and the London NHS trust.

Mr March has a wife and two children and lives in Great Durnford, near Salisbury.

Other current non-executive members of the trust board are Sara Willan (who will also be retiring on October 31) David Quayle, Ronald Burrows, Ruth Blacklock and Ian Davies.