If you could only listen to one playlist for the rest of your life, which ten songs would you choose? Professor Dr Stephen Dunn shares his ultimate playlist with Martine Silkstone, and explains the significance of each track in his life.

Professor Dr Stephen Dunn was appointed chief executive at West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust in 2014 and says it’s his ambition to make it the best hospital in the NHS – a plethora of qualifications and his impressive career to date provide ample faith in his ability to succeed.

Born in Warrington in 1972, he grew up on the “mean streets of north west England” where he developed a passion for economics, Manchester City FC and music - in fact, as a teen Stephen joined a band and was described by a local newspaper as “very Mick Jaggeresque”.

He spent the 1990s at the University of Leeds where he completed a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in economics, before getting his PhD in 2001. It was at university that he met his future wife Lucy who is from Suffolk and, following a series of moves which took them via Tunbridge Wells and the US, it was her roots in the county which eventually brought the couple to Bury St Edmunds.

Before joining West Suffolk Hospital, Stephen held a variety of top positions including Senior Strategy Advisor and Head of White Paper Policy for the UK Department of Health. He also spent time at Stanford University in California as a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow and remains a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and University of West England.

In 2012, he was named 78th most influential person in the NHS and this is just one of his many accolades – he is also rather proud of his Duke of Edinburgh bronze, silver and gold awards. Despite all of these academic and career based achievements, not to mention writing a few books, he says his proudest moments have been the births of his three children Harry, Alex and Katie.

Follow @Stephen_P_Dunn on Twitter for Friday music recommendations

Prof Dr Stephen Dunn’s Ultimate Playlist

1. Jungleland – Bruce Springstein

I’m a big Springstein fan. I grew up in the north west and this reminds me of my working class northern roots. I love how he sings about the challenges of blue-collar workers in the US and their passion for their country.

2. Kill Your Sons – Lou Reed

I love artists that focus on lyrics and story telling and this is a great articulation of growing up in a middle class environment in New York. An ability to tell stories which people can understand is so important when you are working as a leader – it drives how they respond to you.

3. Fool’s Gold - The Stone Roses

I was 17 in 1989 when the Manchester scene broke and it was a hugely exciting time. I saw The Stone Roses at Spike Island - it was my first all day festival and we were carried away with the euphoria of the event. I think their first album is one of the best of all time (although Ian Brown is not the best singer live!)

4. Beat Surrender – The Jam

I met my wife Lucy at a night club in Leeds where we were both at university and there was a club night called Beat Surrender where they played a variety of mod/rock classics. We have now been together for nearly 25 years and this will always remind me of her.

5. Beautiful Day – U2

I was a big U2 fan as a teenager. Our first child Harry was born in Leeds in the early hours of the morning and when I got home at around 5am, I listened to this as I wound down from the night’s excitement.

6. Rodeo Suite, Hoe-Down – Aaron Copeland

In 2003/4 I did a Harkness Fellowship and spent a year at Stanford University and the University Of California in San Francisco exploring health policy in the USA. It was a hugely enjoyable year and our second child was born out there. We found out a lot about the cowboy history of California and this music is very evocative of westerns. It always reminds me of my time there.

7. Gonna Fly Now – Bill Conti (Theme from Rocky)

This song is from a great film about the underdog and tenacity. It gets you ready for life’s challenges and being a leader in the NHS, it’s important to be resilient. You need to be a bit of a street fighter. It’s so motivational that I sometimes play this at important NHS meetings to break the ice and get people going.

8. Make Your Own Kind Of Music – Mama Cass

I don’t think it is always easy to live life your own way - having to navigate through other perspectives and stakeholders - but you can be true to yourself. Many people choose My Way by Sinatra to demonstrate this attitude but this song conforms to my California rock interest – and I don’t like to be cliché.

9. Mr Brightside – The Killers

This is one of the best tunes of the Noughties. My whole family love The Killers and this song reminds me of the children growing up.

10. Kids - MGMT

My kids love this song. It appears on the FIFA Playstation game which they have all played in their time. It’s a great song and always makes me think of them.