The chairman of the new Surrey and Sussex Health Authority will be Terese Hawksworth.
Mrs Hawksworth, 44, from Chelwood Gate, is currently chairman of West Sussex Health Authority.
Mrs Hawksworth has a background in personnel and training and currently runs an executive support programme.
She was formerly chairman of Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust.
Her new job carries a salary of £19,825 a year and the appointment is for a four-year term.
The newly-merged Sussex and Surrey Health Authority is one of 28 new health authorities which take over power from April 1, 2002.
It will replace five health authorities currently operating in the two counties.
Sir William Wells, chairman of the NHS Appointments Commission, said: "These new health authorities will play a crucial role in the National Health Service and I believe we have appointed men and women of a very high calibre who will be able to provide strong leadership to the health service."
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