Annual Conference and Exhibition 2025

Adam Sewell-Jones

Chief Executive

East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Adam Sewell-Jones is the chief executive of East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. He has worked in the NHS since 1992 and is passionate about continuously improving services for patients. He has held a number of executive roles before taking the national leadership role of director of improvement and then regional director for the southwest of England. In these roles he led several national programmes, including the Virginia Mason NHS partnership, the culture and leadership programme and aspiring chief executive programme.

Professor Adam Watts

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Adam Watts is professor of orthopaedics at Edge Hill University Medical School and honorary consultant orthopaedic elbow surgeon at Wrightington Hospital. He trained on fellowship in Adelaide, Australia and Wrightington, UK. Adam has over 200 publications in upper limb surgery, has contributed to national guidelines on wrist fractures, lateral epicondylosis, elbow arthroplasty and infection and is a designer of surgical techniques and implants. He is a specialty editor for the Bone and Joint Journal and Shoulder and Elbow Journal, and sits on the editorial board for the National Joint Registry, and is honorary secretary of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society.

Dr Ahmed Mahdi

Consultant in Emergency Medicine

St George's University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Ahmed Mahdi is a consultant in emergency medicine at St George's Hospital, Major Trauma Centre in London, where he has worked since 2016. His passion lies in improving efficiency and direct patient care, to remove the barriers that make it harder for clinicians to focus on patients. He led the largest trial of ambient voice technology in an emergency department to date, published in the Lancet pre-print and he is always seeking new ways to streamline and improve emergency medicine practice.

Alison Cottrell

Non-executive Director

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Alison Cottrell is a non-executive director at the East London NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to this she was the chief executive officer of the Financial Services Culture Board, a not-for-profit body established following the financial crisis to help banks manage organisational culture. Alison began her career as a City economist before joining HM Treasury.

Andi Orlowski

Director

Health Economics Unit

Andi Orlowski is director of the NHS Health Economics Unit and a leading health economist, working nationally and internationally on smarter spending and fairer outcomes. He advises NHS England and the World Bank on prevention, data and population health, and is lecturing and completing a PhD at Imperial College London on health inequalities. Andi is vice-chair of the Healthcare Value Institute at the Healthcare Financial Management Association and deputy chair at Kaleidoscope Health and Care. Away from analytics, he plays guitar in the NHS band the HEUristics and heavy metal outfit the Black Museum. 

Andrew New

Chief executive officer

NHS Supply Chain

Andrew joined NHS Supply Chain as chief executive officer in September 2021 and has focussed on leading the organisation to deliver a broad range of value to the NHS.

Professor Andy Hardy

Chief Executive

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Andy Hardy has been chief executive of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust since 2010, following six years as chief finance officer. He holds roles on several boards, including NHS Impact (deputy chair), University Hospitals Association (chair), and Coventry University's health advisory board (professor). He was named professor of industry at the University of Warwick and awarded an honorary doctorate by Coventry University. Andy is also a former Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and Healthcare Financial Management Association president. He also supports various charities and healthcare improvement initiatives.

Dr Buki Adeyemo

Chief Executive

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Buki Adeyemo was appointed North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust's chief executive in December 2023, having served as interim chief executive from December 2021, and medical director from 2012. Dr Adeyemo graduated from the University of Lagos and started work in the NHS in 1997, working in North Staffordshire. She is a dual qualified old age and adults' psychiatrist and became a consultant old age psychiatrist in 2007. During her career, Dr Adeyemo has specialised in medical education and psychological therapies. She is chair of the Mental Health Network Board at the NHS Confederation.

Rt. Hon Caroline Flint

Chair

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust

Rt Hon Caroline Flint is the chair of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and government's Committee on Fuel Poverty. She features regularly on Good Morning Britain and SKY Politics Hub and she is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and an MP for Don Valley 1997- 2019. Caroline is a minister at the Home Office, health, work and pensions, communities and local government and foreign and commonwealth office. She is also a shadow Secretary of State for communities and local government and energy and climate change. Caroline served on the public accounts committee and the intelligence and security committee.

Christina Helden

Director of Legal Services

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Christina Helden begun her legal career in private practice after qualifying as a solicitor. She specialised in healthcare law before joining East London NHS Foundation Trust in 2019 where she is now the director of legal services.

Claire Murdoch CBE

Chief Executive

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Claire Murdoch CBE has worked for the NHS for more than 40 years and is a registered nurse. After holding positions in hospital, community, substance misuse and learning disabilities services, in 1999, she joined Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust as director of nursing and operations. In 2007, she became the chief executive, a position she still holds today. Between June 2016 and September 2025, she was also national mental health director at NHS England with oversight of NHS England's learning disability and autism programme. She worked with the national mental health team to deliver the 'Five year forward view for mental health' and more recently NHS England's Long-Term Plan.

Conor Burke

Chief Executive

Urgent Health UK

Conor Burke is a seasoned healthcare leader with over 30 years of experience in the sector. He is chief executive of Urgent Health UK, a partnership of social enterprise NHS providers delivering urgent and integrated healthcare to over 70% of the UK. Conor has been chief executive of three clinical commissioning groups and a primary care trust. He is passionate about improving health outcomes, delivering social impact, and enabling innovation through collaboration. He is also a mentor at EIT Health, a non-executive director at Herts Urgent Care, and a board advisor at Tickets for Good.

Daniel Elkeles

Chief Executive

NHS Providers

Daniel is our chief executive, joining NHS Providers in May 2025. He brings over 30 years of NHS experience, having started his career on the NHS management training scheme in 1995. Daniel has held senior roles across acute, community, commissioning and regional settings, and has been an accountable officer since 2012. Before joining NHS Providers, Daniel was chief executive of London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, where he led major improvements in organisational culture and staff experience, resulting in the trust’s best-ever NHS staff survey results. He previously served as chief executive of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, where he oversaw the creation of a combined acute and community trust and helped lead the development of integrated care. Daniel is passionate about improving workplace culture and inclusivity, and is committed to supporting provider leaders across the NHS.

Diane Hargreaves

National Practice Development Manager

British Red Cross

Diane Hargreaves is the High Intensity Use (HIU) programme delivery manager at the British Red Cross. She is committed to delivering fully person-centred and holistic programmes of support. Supporting and guiding practice across all British Red Cross HIU teams, Diane's role is central to the ongoing delivery of high-quality support. With a career spanning NHS research and development, social care, and panel advisory for a leading foster agency, Diane's experiences and achievements inform her approach to supporting HIU teams as a practice expert.

Emma Lowe

Director of Transformation – Research Delivery Network

National Institute for Health and Care Research

The National Institute for Health and Care Research, Research Delivery Network (RDN) was established in October 2024 to enable the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across the country. As transformation director, Emma is responsible for driving forward the implementation of the RDN and developing its services to meet the needs of partners. Emma previously worked at Department of Health and Social Care, leading on policy for clinical research and economic growth including Research Reset, a system wide programme to recover research in the NHS following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ellie Orton OBE

Chief Executive

NHS Charities Together

Ellie Orton OBE has been the chief executive of NHS Charities Together since July 2018. Under her leadership, the charity has undergone a remarkable transformation, particularly noted for its award-winning Covid Urgent Appeal in 2020. This initiative raised over £160 million to support NHS staff, volunteers, and patients during the pandemic.  Her efforts have been widely recognized, earning her the Charity Times Outstanding Individual Achievement Award in 2021 and an OBE in June 2021 for her services to the NHS.

Francoise Bathews

Director for South East England

British Red Cross

Francoise Bathews is the director for South East England Health and Local Crisis Response at the British Red Cross. She drives sustainable growth and development of health and care services across the area. Francoise's awareness of the complexities of local service provision stem from more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles. Throughout her career, she has been recognised for her commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and currently serves as British Red Cross ambassador governor for the Royal Star and Garter.

Greg Young

Chief Executive

LeaderShape

Greg Young is a global thought leader in leadership development, with a focus on gender-balanced leadership. A coach trained at Oxford, he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and member of the International Coaching Federation and European Mentoring and Coaching Council. With a business background in healthcare and telecoms, he co-founded LeaderShape Global in 2004. As chief executive, he works with senior leaders on organisational transformation, navigating disruption, culture change, and innovation. LeaderShape is now a globally recognised leader in leadership development.

Hardev Virdee

Group Chief Finance Officer

Barts Health NHS Trust

Hardev Virdee was born in Birmingham with strong values around reducing inequalities faced by communities. After completing his degree at Manchester University he gained a place on the NHS finance graduate scheme. With his CIPFA qualification, Hardev worked in various NHS organisations across the West Midlands before moving to London to work at board level across many types of NHS organisations. Currently Hardev is the group chief finance officer at Barts NHS Trust. He is currently the CIPFA junior vice president and sits on the King's Fund general advisory council. Recently Hardev won the HfMA director of finance of the year award which reflected not only his professional contribution to finance but also his support as chair of the NHS National Finance Academy.

Haris Sultan

Joint Non-executive Director

Wirral University Teaching Hospital and Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust's

Haris Sultan is the youngest non-executive director in the NHS, holding board roles across both acute and community trusts. He previously served as a non-executive director on the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and has shaped national health policy through work with NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and think tanks. Alongside his board responsibilities, Haris completed an MBA at University College London and is a fourth-year medical student.

Heather Tierney-Moore OBE

Chair

NHS Supply Chain

Heather Tierney-Moore OBE joined the board of Supply Chain Coordination Limited when it was established in September 2018 as a non-executive director and was appointed chair on 1 November 2022. Heather has worked in healthcare for over 40 years, initially training as a registered general nurse. Most recently, Heather was chief executive of Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, retiring in March 2019 after 10 years in post. She was made Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for services to healthcare in December 2001. 

Helen Sharp

Director

Ideas Alliance

Helen Sharp is an experienced public sector change agent and a founding director of the Ideas Alliance. Previously a frontline worker in the homeless and drugs/alcohol sector, she moved into commissioning at Lambeth Council just as they became co-operative. While there, she gained extensive insight into co-production, collaborative commissioning and community engagement which she still uses today throughout her work at the Ideas Alliance. Helen has had the privilege to work alongside some pioneering practitioners in local authorities, health boards, voluntary sector organisations and communities and travels the country inspiring people to question traditional approaches through training, presentations and communities of practice.

Dr Henk Nies

Former Professor of Organisation and Policy Development in Long-term Care

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Professor Henk Nies, educated as a psycho-gerontologist at Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands) worked at the edge of policy, practice and research throughout his career. He was the chief executive of Vilans, the national centre of expertise in long-term care and endowed professor of organisation and policy development in long-term care at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He currently holds various additional positions, such as chair of the Operational Committee of the National Dementia Strategy and treasurer of Eurocarers, European Association Working for Carers.

Professor Ian Kirkpatrick

Professor of Public Management

University of York

Ian Kirkpatrick is a professor in public management at the School for Business and Society at the University of York. He has considerable experience as a researcher focusing on the management, governance and workforce of public organisations, including in social care and more recently, healthcare. Ian has published widely on these topics, including a well cited NHS Confederation blog series: Is the NHS Undermanaged? In 2007, while at the University of Leeds he co-authored the National Inquiry into Medicine and Management, and later went on to help develop the London Darzi programme.

James Blythe

Interim Group Chief Executive Officer

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group

James Blythe is currently the interim chief executive officer of one of the largest NHS groups in the country, responsible for the services across St George's, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals and community services teams in Surrey and south-west London. With more than 20 years' experience in the health service, James has worked in operational management, system management and policy roles. Most recently, he was the managing director of Epsom and St Helier Hospitals from April 2022 to September 2025. Prior to this, James was the director of commissioning and strategy at NHS Surrey Downs and the managing director at Merton and Wandsworth Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Sir James Mackey

Chief Executive

NHS England

Sir James Mackey took up the post of chief executive officer on 1 April 2025. He is a qualified accountant who joined the NHS in 1990. From September 2021 to March 2025, he was National Director of Elective Recovery at NHS England. From January 2024 to March 2025, Jim was chief executive of Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He was also chair of the NHS Customer Board for Procurement and Supply but stood down on taking up this post at NHS England. From 2003 to 2023, Jim was chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, during which time (2015 to 2017) he was chief executive of NHS Improvement on secondment. He was knighted in 2019 for services to healthcare.

Jason Killens

Chief Executive

London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Jason Killens is chief executive of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and has previously worked internationally as the chief executive of the South Australian Ambulance Service from 2015 to 2018 and latterly in Wales as chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust from 2018 to 2025. He was awarded the King's Ambulance Service Medal in the 2023 Birthday Honours List and assumed the role of chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives in September 2024.

Jenny Simpson

Senior Advisor

Newton

Jenny Simpson started her career as a doctor, later moving into an acute paediatric position at Sheffield Children's Hospital. Jenny then set-up and ran the British Association of Medical Managers, working closely with clinical leaders, Secretary of State,  Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as well as various NHS bodies to bring clinically driven improvement and change across the NHS.  She subsequently joined the DHSC's modernisation board, where she worked with the chief medical officer on his Review of Medical Regulation, and led parts of work on regulatory reform for doctors.  In 2015 Jenny joined Newton as part of the senior advisor team, supporting on projects across the company including strategic thinking and future planning for the organisation. 

Professor Kamaraj Karunanithi

Director of Research and Innovation

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust

Professor Kamaraj Karunanithi is a director of research and innovation with a robust academic background and extensive experience in haematology/oncology. His achieved fellowship of the Royal College of Pathology and Royal College of Physicians. As consultant haematologist at the University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust, throughout his career, he has held several significant appointments. He is the lead clinician for myeloma and he was the clinical director of haematology and oncology. He is currently director of research and innovation and director of North Midlands Commercial Research Delivery Centre. Professor Karunanithi also serves as chief and principal investigator for various national and international clinical trials.

Kate Rowbotham

General Manager

Roche UK

Kate Rowbotham has been general manager of the Roche UK affiliate since May 2025. In this role, Kate provides vision, financial stewardship, and strategic focus to approximately 1,500 employees across multidisciplinary functions for pipeline and marketed products within the UK. Most recently, Kate led the customer engagement organisation at Genentech, Roche's US subsidiary, overseeing roughly 1,400 employees across multiple national, regional, and local teams that engage with healthcare providers, patients, payers, distributors and other Genentech customers.

Dr Lade Smith CBE

President

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Dr Lade Smith CBE is president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and visiting senior lecturer at King's College London. She has led national policy, developed the community mental health framework, and contributed to the Independent Mental Health Act Review, including the patient and carer race equality framework and advance choice documents. Awarded a CBE in 2019, she is recognised for work in forensic psychiatry and mental health equality.

Manjula Halai

Health System Partner

Roche UK

Manjula Halai is a highly accomplished strategic healthcare partnerships specialist and registered pharmacist, leveraging two decades of experience across clinical, commercial, and academic sectors. She is dedicated to improving community-based care and optimising local patient access through strategic initiatives. As a healthcare system partner at Roche UK, she cultivates crucial relationships with key strategic health organisations to accelerate patient access to innovative therapies.

Dr Mark Davies

Consulting Chief Health Officer

IBM Healthcare and Life Sciences

Dr Mark Davies joined IBM as chief health officer initially for Europe, Middle East and Africa in 2018 and took up the global role in 2022. He has over 20 years' experience as a general practitioner in the NHS. He has a long-standing interest in informatics, health policy and system redesign and this has led him to work nationally for 15 years in a number of clinical leadership roles at the Department of Health and Social Care, Cabinet Office and as executive medical director at NHS Digital.

Matthew Taylor

Chief Executive

NHS Confederation

Matthew Taylor has been chief executive of the NHS Confederation since June 2021. Prior to this he was chief executive of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) for 15 years. During his tenure, Matthew transformed the RSA into a global institution, with 30,000 fellows and a high profile and influential research programme. Before the RSA, Matthew was chief adviser on political strategy to Prime Minister Tony Blair and he also ran the Institute for Public Policy Research for five years. He was commissioned by the Conservative government in 2016 to carry out an independent review into modern employment practices.

Matthew Winn

Chief Executive

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Matthew Winn is the chief executive of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust. He has been the NHS England national director for community health, leading on virtual wards, NHS Long Term Plan for older people, and integration with social care. On behalf of partners, he chairs the urgent and emergency care boards in both Norfolk, Waveney, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. 

Merron Simpson

Chief Executive

The Health Creation Alliance

Merron Simpson is chief executive of The Health Creation Alliance (THCA), the leaders in health creation. She has senior-level experience spanning professional domains and leading and shaping the health creation narrative to enable the adoption of community-led health. A former head of policy at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), Merron has influenced national policy and local practice across housing, health and planning. She has worked with and authored publications for THCA, CIH, The Health Foundation, NHS England, NHS Property Services and The King's Fund among others.

Nichola Thompson

Director of Health and Care Integration (Director of Adult Social Services and Deputy Place Lead)

Rochdale Borough Council

Nichola Thompson is the director of health and care integration at Rochdale Borough Council. This is a joint role across council and Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Nichola holds the statutory role of director of adult social services and deputy place lead for health in Rochdale. Nichola is also a policy co-lead for the national Association of Directors of Adult Social Services on health and care. Nichola has 36 years' experience in local government and specialises in strategic commissioning.

Dr Notisha Massaquoi

PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Society

University of Toronto

Dr Notisha Massaquoi is currently an assistant professor in the department of health and society at the University of Toronto. She is the founder and director of the Black Health Equity Lab which conducts community-based health research and works with black communities to develop advocacy tools, strategies and programs to improve health outcomes. During her early health leadership career, she served for over two decades as the executive director of women's health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre in Toronto – the only community health centre in Canada specializing in primary healthcare for black and racialised women.

Professor Paul Corrigan CBE

Non-Executive Director

NHS England

Dr Paul Corrigan CBE has had four careers, starting in 1972-84 he taught and researched social policy at Warwick University and the Polytechnic of North London. He then worked as a senior manager in London local government at the Inner London Education Authority, and the Greater London Council Camden and Islington. In both 1997-2001 and 2009-2024 Paul worked as a management consultant working with public sector reform. In 2001-2007 and 2024-25 he worked with three Labour secretary of states for health and the Prime Minister Tony Blair on implementing reform in the NHS. He is now non-executive director at NHS England.

Dr Peter Reading

Chief Executive

York Ambulance Service

Dr Peter Reading is chief executive of Yorkshire Ambulance Service and former co-chair of the Disabled NHS Directors Network. A polio survivor since he was a baby, Peter joined the NHS in 1984 as a national management trainee and has spent over 25 years as chief executive of major London and provincial teaching hospitals, and mental health and acute trusts. He has also been a management consultant (both freelance and with PwC) specialising in academic health science centres and special measures trusts.

Dr Richard Haddad

Chair

Bradford Care Alliance CIC

Dr Richard Haddad qualified from Leeds in 2002 and joined the Bradford GP training scheme, working in Bradford ever since. He now splits his week between core GP and clinical leadership. He has worked for the Clinical Commissioning Group and started the Trust Primary Care federation. Richard is now the chair of Bradford Care Alliance CIC, providing GP services across Bradford.

Richard Kirby

Chief Executive Officer

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Richard Kirby took up his current post as chief executive officer of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in March 2018. In this role, he is the lead for the Birmingham & Solihull Community Care Collaborative developing partnerships to deliver integrated care in neighbourhoods and localities. Richard is chair of The Community Network and a Fellow of the Sciana Health Leaders Network. In 2024, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Aston University.

Dr Saritha Arunkumar

Chief Technology Officer NHS Account, IBM Technology and Master Inventor

IBM

Dr Saritha Arunkumar is a thought leader with over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, driving innovation and shaping security strategies across emerging and cutting-edge technologies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering, a master’s in operations research, and a PhD in mobile security. Saritha currently serves as chief technology officer for the NHS account within IBM Technology. In this role, she acts as the strategic bridge between IBM and the NHS, leading the technical strategy that underpins the organisation's digital transformation.

Simon Morioka

Co-Founder and Joint Chief Executive

PPL

Simon Morioka is co-founder and joint chief executive at PPL, with over 25 years of experience in helping organisations and government to design and implement major changes to the way in which they work. Simon began his career in global management consultancy, working with clients based in Europe, Asia and the US. He joined the UK public sector in the early 2000s, and has subsequently worked as a Local Authority, NHS and VCSE Director, as well as an advisor to National Programmes. In 2007, he co-founded PPL, a Social Enterprise and B Corp, and currently leads the organisation’s work on neighbourhood health at a national, regional and system level, including with NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, Integrated Care Systems, Providers and Local Authorities across England. He is lead sponsor for PPL’s volunteering programme and in his spare time volunteers with St John Ambulance and the Metropolitan Police.

Siva Anandaciva

Director of Policy Events and Partnership

The King's Fund

Siva Anandaciva is the director of policy, events and partnerships at The King's Fund thinktank and an associate non-executive director of Barts Health NHS Trust, one of the largest hospital groups in England. Before being appointed director, Siva was the chief analyst in the policy team, leading on projects covering NHS funding, finances, productivity and performance. Prior to joining The King's Fund in 2017, Siva was head of analysis at NHS Providers. He has also worked on medicines policy and urgent and emergency care in the Department of Health and Social Care in England. In 2020, 2023 and 2024 Siva was included in the Health Service Journal list of the 50 most influential ethnic minority figures in English health care.

Thea Stein

Chief Executive

Nuffield Trust

Thea Stein is currently the chief executive of the Nuffield Trust – a health and social care think tank. She started her career as a clinical psychologist and family therapist, before moving into leadership within the public sector in both England and Scotland. Thea has held several chief executive positions: Carer's Trust, a UK wide charity supporting carers, Yorkshire Forward, a regional economic development agency, and most recently chief executive of the Leeds Community Healthcare Trust for nine years, where she led a range of work looking to integrate services across primary, community and third sector organisations.

Sir Terence Stephenson

Chair

NHS Providers

Professor Sir Terence Stephenson is Nuffield Professor of Child Health at UCL’s Great Ormond Street Institute. He chaired the UK GMC (2015 to 2018), the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (2012 to 2014), and was president of the Royal College of Paediatrics (2009 to 2012), and chair of the Health Research Authority until January 2025 and became chair of NHS Providers in February 2025. He was knighted in 2018 and has been a senior NIHR investigator since 2022. He has authored over 330 publications and seven textbooks, with £15m in research funding. He’s held academic and leadership roles in Nottingham and London, and has been an elected honorary fellow of 11 international colleges or academies.

Therese Patten

Chief Executive

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust

Mental Health Leaders co-chair.

Thomas Goromba

High Intensity Use Programme Delivery Manager

British Red Cross

Thomas Goromba is the High Intensity Use (HIU) programme delivery manager at the British Red Cross. He supports HIU teams across the south of England. Thomas' more than 15 years' experience in health and social care spans frontline, homeless, and mental health services across London. He was also pivotal in the development and management of the Bromley High Intensity Use service, and is now employing his expertise, commitment and determination to support the growth of HIU services provided by the British Red Cross in the Southeast.

Tom Hinchcliffe

Deputy Place-Based Lead for Health and Social Care Integration

NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care

As the deputy place-based lead for Manchester at NHS Greater Manchester, Tom Hinchcliffe is a central part of the City's integrated health and care system. Tom is responsible for convening the place-based subcommittee of the integrated care board, chairs Manchester's joint commissioning board and is a member of the city's provider collaborative. He was previously a senior civil servant, and most recently led the public services team at the Cabinet Office, leading on health and social care integration and the recovery of public services following Covid-19. Tom has led on place-based policy and funding for three communities secretaries, and on local economic growth and regeneration within HMG's Cities and Local Growth Unit. Tom is also the senior responsible officer for the healthcare-led regeneration of North Manchester, and a board member at Manchester Active. 

Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz

Executive Director of Public Health and Strategic Partnerships

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz is the executive director of public health and strategic partnerships at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board covering Gwent, and president of the Faculty of Public Health. She is an expert in public health who has worked in a variety of leadership roles across health, social care, community voluntary sectors and civil service. Tracy's specialist areas are tackling inequalities, the humanitarian aspects of recovery following major incidents, safeguarding against vulnerability and building resilient communities.

Vanessa Gardener

Chief Delivery Officer

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Vanessa Gardener is chief delivery officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. She is responsible for oversight of hospital and community delivery across the trust, including emergency preparedness, estates and facilities management, and approach to improving services. Vanessa is passionate about transforming services to deliver the best possible care for patients. Her aim is to ensure that everyone has the right support and resources to carry out their role in order to fulfil their potential and is an advocate of learning from each other so that the trust can continually improve, delivering even better outcomes. 

Wendy Korthuis-Smith

Executive Director

Virginia Mason Institute

Wendy Korthuis-Smith, executive director of Virginia Mason Institute, brings 30+ years of global experience leading large-scale healthcare transformation. She provides strategic leadership, guiding engagement services and operational excellence. Drawing on Virginia Mason's renowned management system, she drives innovation and value. Formerly with Deloitte Consulting and a professor at Chapman University, Wendy blends practical improvement methods with academic insight. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership focused on organisational development and partners with healthcare leaders worldwide to deliver meaningful, sustainable change.