Meet the team

Our Executives

Hitesh Thakrar

Chair

Hitesh Thakrar is an experienced investor in the technology sector, having spent over 25 years investing in public equities in the life sciences, information technology and innovation sectors. Since 2015, he has moved into early stage venture investing. Hitesh is currently a Partner at Syncona Limited (a Wellcome Trust backed early stage venture fund), a Governance Board Member of KQ Labs at the Francis Crick Institute, an accelerator with the Turing supporting next generation businesses in data science and life sciences, and the Chair of the Investment Committee for Newable Ventures (a pre-Series A deep tech fund). Hitesh is also an advisor to UKRI’s Science and Technology Funding Council (SFTC) that helps early stage companies spin out from UK universities, He recently joined as a Trustee of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity. Previous NED roles include work with Desktop Genetics and Tropic Biosciences, both companies using CRISPR technology in gene editing. Prior to 2015, Hitesh has worked at various public market institutions in global equity research and fund management including at ADIA (Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund), JP Morgan, Aviva Group, Dresdner Bank and New Star Asset Management. Hitesh has a degree in chemistry from Kings College, London, an MBA from Cranfield University and a CFA from the American Association of Investment Analysts and has previously held a position as Innovation Fellow at the University of Cambridge.

Rishi Das-Gupta

Chief Executive

Rishi Das-Gupta is Chief Executive of the Health Innovation Network. He has worked to improve healthcare, patient experience and outcomes for over 20 years in a variety of roles focused on shaping and implementing government policy, working with health and care providers and redesigning services. He is passionate about the use of technology to enable clinical and operational change and to empower patients to manage their own conditions. Rishi’s experience spans UK and US healthcare systems and he is a fellow of the Sciana programme collaborating with German and Swiss healthcare leaders. Prior to this role he has held executive roles at NHS trusts as CITO, Director of Innovation and as Director of Operations and worked as a medical doctor. Rishi also has experience working as a strategy consultant at Oliver Wyman and McKinsey and Company. In addition to his primary medical qualification (M.B.,B.S.). Rishi holds an M.A. in law (University of Cambridge) and an M.B.A. (London Business School).

Amanda Begley

Director of Digital Transformation (Interim)

Dr Amanda Begley is interim Director of Digital Transformation, on secondment from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Amanda’s focus is on building partnerships and expertise to deliver innovation at scale and pace for patient, staff and population benefit. She co-founded the award winning NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA), and – whilst on secondment to OneLondon – helped establish the Health Data Research UK Hub for Cancer - DATA-CAN, where she worked as Director of Strategy and Partnerships. Following her PhD, Amanda joined the NHS as an Assistant and Trainee Clinical Psychologist. She has worked as a commissioner and senior manager across primary, community and secondary care in south East London, as Head of Innovation at London’s Strategic Health Authority and Director of Innovation and Implementation at UCLPartners.

Anna King

Commercial Director

Originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she advised health and social care clients such as GSK, Roche and Aventis; Anna has previously held number of senior NHS regional commercial and improvement roles, including Commercial Programme Director at the London Commercial Support Unit. Joining HIN in 2013, Anna’s focus has been building relationships between NHS and industry. A founder of DigitalHealth.London, she also developed the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator Programme.

Dr Natasha Curran

Medical Director

Natasha is Medical Director at the Health Innovation Network & Consultant in Pain Medicine at University College London Hospitals. She leads the implementation and involvement team of the Applied Research Collaboration South London and is Vice Chair of London’s Clinical Senate. Natasha is an Expert Adviser to the NICE Centre for Guidelines and to the British Journal of Pain and Perioperative Medicine. She has previously served NHS England’s Clinical Reference Group for Specialised Pain and gained significant commissioning experience on Wandsworth Clinical Commission Group’s Governing Body. Her clinical and research interests are in the biopsychosocial field of complex pain.

Mark Edginton

Director of Operations

Mark’s career has focused on health and social care improvement, with over 10 years management experience working with local, regional and national health bodies to drive improvements in service delivery. He has a keen interest in public health and has held various roles at the London Ambulance Service, South East London ICS, NHS England and the Department of Health before joining the HIN.

Senior Leadership Team

Andrea Carter

Programme Director, Musculoskeletal and Healthy Ageing

Andrea worked in NHS management in London for 20 years, including as Directorate Manager at Chelsea and Westminster and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, before joining the HIN in 2013. As well as her MSK role, which has seen her successfully drive the development and national scale-up of ESCAPE-pain with its creator Professor Mike Hurley, Andrea also plays a key role in developing the internal health and wellbeing programme for staff.

Aileen Jackson

Head of Mental Health

Aileen is Head of Mental Health at HIN. She has worked extensively in the health and social care sector including: commissioning, service development, workforce development and social work management and delivery. She is also a qualified trainer and a registered social worker.

Dan Dartington

Head of Finance and Corporate Support

Dan is Head of Finance and Information with additional responsibility for a range of bank office functions. He has been with HIN since June 2014, prior to which he was at the NHS London Strategic Health Authority and worked on the South London Healthcare Trust transition programme.

Kerry Beadling-Barron

Director of Communications

Kerry has 13 years’ experience in the NHS, having worked in hospitals and at a system level focusing on strategy, marketing, digital communications and stakeholder management. She is passionate about demonstrating how clear communications can deliver strategically important campaigns which improve people’s lives.

Darragh Twomey

Head of Digital Transformation & Technology

Darragh has worked in the NHS for the last ten years, having previously held technology management roles in both the private and public sector. He has experience in transforming organisations using digital, also programme management and building user engagement. Darragh leads the Digital Transformation & Technology team at the HIN, providing expertise in technology selection, deployment and governance, and also change management.

Oliver Brady

Programme Director, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Mental Health

Oliver has worked in healthcare since 2006, most recently leading the diabetes transformation programme at South West London Health and Care Partnership. He has an interest in digital health and long term conditions and led the South London “You & Type 2” project under the NHS Test Bed Programme. Previously he has worked in operational management in the NHS and a health tech SME.

Andrew Walker

Head of Evaluation and Implementation Science

Andrew is a physiotherapist by training and has a PhD in implementation science. His role at HIN as Head of Evaluation and Implementation Science involves helping to build the evidence and practice of implementing innovation and evidence-based interventions across health and care in south London (and beyond). He is also a Board member for the UK Implementation Society.

Sara Nelson

Programme Director, DigitalHealth.London

Sara has worked in the NHS for over 30 years in both clinical and site management roles. As a senior nurse for digital at Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT), her work centred on “bridging the gap” to support the cultural change needed for digital transformation, and more recently she was Deputy Chief Nursing Information Officer at NHS England, with responsibility for strategy, education leadership and innovation. She is passionate about bringing the benefits of new technologies to patients and professionals from across health and care quickly and safely.

Alison White

Head of Patient Safety

Alison has extensive experience in NHS clinical leadership and management over 20 years. A state registered dietitian with an MSc in Nutritional Medicine. She was dietetic lead at Guys & St Thomas’ NHS Trust worked clinically as a specialist dietitian in numerous areas including intestinal failure and gastroenterology. More recently Alison has delivered a number of at scale transformation programmes across south London in long term conditions and mental health.

Our clinical directors

Neel Basudev

Clinical Director, Diabetes

Neel qualified from University College London and is a GP at Springfield Medical Centre in Lambeth. He is also the Diabetes Lead for Lambeth CCG and a GPSI in Diabetes for the Lambeth Diabetes Intermediate Care Team.

Cleo Butterworth

Associate Clinical Director, Patient Safety

Cleo is currently the Associate Clinical Director for Patient Safety at the HIN. Her ambition is to promote collaborative and partnership working across traditional boundaries for sustainable change. With a background in pharmacy she is passionate about medicines optimisation and its potential to deliver truly patient-centred, safe and effective coordinated care.

Caroline Chill

Clinical Director, Community and Care Homes

Carrie is a freelance practicing GP in Merton. Her previous clinical leadership roles include developing the local end of life care strategy for Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust and the Nelson Practice; and the Clinical Director for Unplanned care and Older and Vulnerable adults.

Dr Roy Jogiya

Clinical Director, Cardiovascular

Dr Roy Jogiya is a consultant cardiologist trained with sub-specialists interest in disease prevention, heart rhythm disorders and imaging. Alongside his work at the HIN, Roy practices clinically at St Thomas Hospital and Kingston Hospital. He studied at Imperial College and graduated with Honours in Cardiovascular Science (BSc) and Medicine (MBBS). He has published in a number of leading international journals and presented at international conferences. During his training he gained a PgDip in Medical Law and Ethics and completed a PhD in computational accelerated cardiac imaging at Kings College London. He has held a number of senior roles including the Royal College Physicians Tutor, IMT Training Programme Director and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Kings College London.

Sophie Harris

Clinical Deputy Director, Diabetes

Sophie is a Diabetes and Endocrinology specialty trainee and completed a PhD investigating barriers to structured education for adults with Type 1 Diabetes (the BUD1E study). She led the co-creation of t1resources.uk and inputs into local and national expert groups on structured education. She is also a member of the young diabetes and endocrinology forum (YDEF).

Mujtaba Husain

Clinical Director, Mental Health

Muj is a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at King’s College Hospital. He is interested in areas where mind and body illnesses overlap or co-exist. He also specialises in persistent physical (including medically unexplained) symptoms at the Maudsley Hospital’s Persistent Physical Symptoms Unit. He is a former NHS Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow and past Chair of committees for doctors in training at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Nicola Reynolds

Deputy Children & Young People Clinical Director, Mental Health

Nicola is a Principal Clinical Psychologist in Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Lead for the ASD and ADHD pathway​. Nicola has worked in CAMHS and Specialist Children's Services for over ten years. Previously a Fellow on the Digital Pioneer Fellowship, Nicola has a keen interest in developing digital ways of working.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Our team


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