The former BBC journalist and King's Fund head has added a no-nonsense edge to the GMC since he became its chief executive last year.
Charged with overseeing the eventual introduction of revalidation, his influence over general practice will loom larger and larger in the coming year.
His time will also be taken up with the GMC's first major review of its Good Medical Practice guidance for five years, and in ensuring the GMC's warnings about the pitfalls of plans to abolish SHA-based postgraduate deaneries are heeded.
This article appeared as part of Pulse's list of the top 20 most influential non-GPs of 2011. The full list can be found here.
