Listen "Dido Harding"
Episode Synopsis
Health secretary Matt Hancock announced last week that Public Health England will be replaced with a new National Institute for Health Protection. Baroness Dido Harding, who ran NHS Test and Trace in England, will be heading up this new agency too, for now. Who is she? And why are some cynical about whether she'll be able to handle the new role?Dido Harding started out on a pig farm in Dorset, and has spent most of her adult life splitting her time between the corporate world and her beloved horses. Married to Conservative MP John Penrose, she's spent the last three years working in the public sector, and recently been a regular feature at Number 10’s daily coronavirus briefings. Mark Coles speaks to her best friend and former boss, amongst others, to find out more. Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Researcher: May Cameron
Editor: Kirsty Reid
Researcher: May Cameron
Editor: Kirsty Reid
More episodes of the podcast Profile
Karl Bushby
27/12/2025
Mary Berry
20/12/2025
David Harewood
13/12/2025
Zak Brown
06/12/2025
Zarah Sultana
29/11/2025
Marjorie Taylor Greene
22/11/2025
David Hockney
15/11/2025
Afua Kyei
08/11/2025
Andy Burnham
01/11/2025
Sanae Takaichi
27/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.