White (pictured), who has been HRD at Westminster City Council for the past four years, left his previous role at the end of last week,and has already joined his new organisation.
Speaking exclusively to HR magazine about the role, he said: "It's been a fabulous four years at Westminster - but I'm looking forward to the new and exciting challenge."
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals is the regional teaching hospital working across two sites: the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.
The Brighton campus includes the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital and the Sussex Eye Hospital, and the Haywards Heath campus includes the Hurstwood Park Regional Centre for Neurosciences.
White hopes to relocate to Brighton to be walking distance from work.
He said:"Throughout my career I have always sought out opportunities to show the contribution real HR can make. I have joined Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (BSUH) at an exciting time in its development. The vision of the Trust is to be locally and nationally renowned for delivering safe, high quality and compassionate care. This vision requires the dedicated professional teams to be supported by excellent HR support that puts people first.
"The HR team are supporting the process very well and I am privileged to be able to join them and share their goals and aspirations. BSUH is determined to become the regional centre of clinical and academic excellence and I am just as determined to ensure the HR team is part of that challenge.
"I am sorry to be leaving Westminster City Council, I have had an amazing time there and worked with an incredibly professional HR team and workforce who have delivered a remarkable set of initiatives that prepare the council well as it now moves into implementation of the first elements of tri-borough. I know have the opportunity to lead another great team and I am in no doubt they are up for the challenge ahead."
In 2010, White jumped nine places up HR magazine's most influential ranking of practitioners to number 14, not least because of his decision to publish the salaries of 30 members of its strategic board on its website and intranet site as part of a policy of openness.
As part of a de-layering exercise in the organisation, the salaries and benefits of the council's chief executive and senior officers have been published on a PDF document that members of the public are able to download.
At the time he told HR magazine: "We are pretty certain we are the first local authority to do this. Everyone else has run for cover on the subject of pay, and I think the more you hide it, the more confusing it becomes."
White has almost 30 years' worth of experience in HR in policing, heavy engineering, manufacturing, hauling, central government and local government.
He joins a string of high-profile HR director departures after Clare Chapman left her role at the NHS, Angela O'Conner departed the NPIA, Martin Tiplady left the Metropolitan Police Service and Stephen Moir said good bye to Cambridgeshire County Council.
