Banu Bilgili
Senior Manager - Client Success, Qure.ai

Banu Bilgili is a Senior Client Success Manager at Qure.ai, where she has been managing clinical innovation projects since 2022. With over seven years of project management experience, she currently leads RAPID LC, an initiative accelerating lung cancer diagnosis through AI-enabled clinical decision support for chest X-ray and CT imaging in Wales and Northern Ireland. Her work also involves advancing critical chest X-ray triage and fostering multi-stakeholder collaborations to streamline lung cancer pathways across the UK.

With an academic background spanning molecular biology, psychology, and management, Banu brings a systems-thinking approach to digital health innovation. She oversees strategic partnerships across the EU, supporting the implementation of AI for head CT triage and the transformation of radiology workflows. Her work is rooted in a commitment to improving health outcomes and ensuring equitable access to care through the responsible adoption of AI.

Paulina Pasik
Research Associate, Swansea University

Kathryn Nash
Principal Educational Psychologist, Manager of the Counselling Service, Denbighshire Local Authority

Chris Malone
UK Managing Director, Luscii

Andrew Barber
Senior Programme Manager, National Institute for Health and Care Research

Professor Andrew Freedman
Consultant in Vaccine Clinical Trials, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Clinical Lead, Health and Care Research Wales Infection Vaccine Trial Network; Honorary Professor and Director, International Education, Cardiff University School of Medicine,

Debbie Laubach
Operations Manager, MediWales

Charlotte Thomas
National Programme Lead - Strategic Programme for Mental Health, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement

Charlotte Thomas is the National Programme Lead for Mental Health at NHS Wales Performance and Improvement. She leads strategic work across mental health, homelessness, addictions, learning disabilities, and neurodiversity—driving system-wide improvement and equity across services. With a focus on collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based practice, Charlotte works to improve outcomes and access for some of Wales’ most vulnerable populations.

Paul Broomhead
Head of Site, SGS CDMO Solutions

Asad Javied
Lead Data Scientist, Hartree Centre Cardiff Hub

Dr Bryan Griffiths
Innovation & Growth Specialist, Innovate UK Business Growth

Jessica Atkinson
Research Assistant, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Matt Bambery
Chief Operating Officer, Frontier Medical Group

Laura Luddington
Project Director, Simbec Orion

Laura has over 10 years’ experience in the drug development process including Phase I, (FIH) pharmacology/PK studies and Phase III and IV studies.

She previously worked within the Welsh Ambulance Service where she supported the growth of pre-hospital research in Wales and facilitated the conduct of numerous trials including cardiac arrest, stroke, transient ischaemic attacks, and hip fractures.

Laura has over 3 years of NHS research experience that has also included a role of Clinical Trials Coordinator for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board that included facilitation and coordination of commercial and non-commercial trials across several specialities including oncology, respiratory, surgical and emergency care.

Since joining Simbec-Orion in 2017, Laura has managed and successfully executed a range of study designs including complex and adaptive Phase 1, First In Human/pharmacology, drug-drug interactions, bioequivalence and scintigraphy, as single and multicentred studies, across numerous clinical indications in both healthy and patient populations.

Dr Philip Savage
Consultant in Medical Oncology, NHS

Katie Gilmour
Research Nurse Team Lead, Velindre University NHS Trust

Dr Ceri Bygrave
Consultant Haematologist, Myeloma Lead, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Gabriella Brutto
Early Phase Research Nurse, Cardiff Cancer Research Hub

Claire Lang
Senior Research Nurse Manager, Velindre University NHS Trust

Dr Magda Meissner
Consultant Medical Oncologist, Velindre Cancer Centre

Rhydian Owen
R&D Cancer Strategy Lead, Velindre University NHS Trust

Dr Rob Orford
Lead Tackling Cancer Advisor, Life Sciences Hub Wales

Dr Rob Orford is a senior scientist and has held a number of important roles. Dr Orford is currently the Lead Tackling Cancer Advisor for the Life Science Hub.

He was Chief Executive for the Moondance Cancer Initiative and the former Chief Scientific Adviser for Health in the Welsh Government and Head of Healthcare Sciences Professions in NHS Wales.

During the Pandemic he led the Welsh Government scientific and technical response, establishing and co-chairing the Technical Advisory Group and was an active member of SAGE. Dr Orford was the Senior Responsible Officer for the Welsh Wastewater Programme (WeWASH) and led the development of the Science Evidence Advice Division in the Welsh Government.

Previously working for Public Health England in rapid risk assessment for emerging health threats at a national and international level.

By background Dr Orford is a laboratory scientist working as post-doctoral research fellows in developmental biology and molecular oncology.

Dr Orford is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Life Sciences and a visiting professor at the University of South Wales.

He was awarded an OBE in 2024 for services to health sciences and health policy.

Luke Burke
Director, Corryn Biotechnologies

Sam Salisbury
Procurement Business Manager, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership - Procurement

Martyn Lewis
Managing Director, Llusern Scientific

Tom Ringham
Business Development Manager, Cyted Health

Victoria Wilbraham-Mitchell
Founder & Managing Partner, UK Discovery Health

Iain Trayner
Service Development and Improvement Lead, Scottish Government

Leanne Waring
Head of Business Development, Cardiff and Vale College

Prof Alan Parker
Co-Director, Wales Applied Virology Unit

Sarah Bolt
CEO, Forth With Life

Paul Hole
Research and Development Manager, Zentraxa

Harriet Coxon-Meggy
Clinical Research Fellow (colorectal surgery), Surgical Registrar, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Harriet has been a qualified doctor for 10 years. After entering surgical training in 2018, she undertook a period of research as a clinical research fellow in 2021. In this post, Harriet has worked on several projects investigating bowel dysfunction following rectal cancer surgery. The POLARiS study (funded by the NIHR) is an observational study with inbuilt RCT, aiming to assess the efficacy of different treatments for bowel dysfunction. In addition to her role within research, Harriet continues to provide emergency surgical care. She returned to full time clinical work in 2024, and has been completing her MD.

Dr Sue Peirce
CEDAR and Cardiff University Research Fellow, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Sue has worked in CEDAR since 2012 and has a background in Medical Physics, physiological measurements, and medical device adoption. She is a Cardiff University employee at CEDAR, who has previously worked across the programmes, on systematic reviewing, health economics, and medical device regulations. She has taught on the Medical Engineering undergraduate and Clinical Research postgraduate courses at Cardiff University. Most recently Sue has been working as a Trial Manager on two Clinical Investigations of unapproved medical devices, both of which involve cardiac pacing technologies.

Adam Bryant
CEO, CanSense

As CEO of CanSense, Adam is committed to transforming cancer detection through innovative diagnostics, and his own recent cancer diagnosis brings unique insight into patient needs. With a PhD in Theoretical Physics, he’s led major research projects and spoken at Parliamentary Groups. Adam has over 20 years of global leadership experience in investing and advising. Now focused on health tech, Adam combines regulatory and commercial expertise with a strong track record in in vitro diagnostics development, and early-stage growth. His calm, pragmatic leadership is backed by a broad network across healthcare, academia, investors, and industry partners.

Suzanne Dawtrey
Regional Sales Manager, Synertec

Suzanne Dawtrey has worked within the healthcare sector her whole career, she began by training as a Radiotherapist and Diagnostic Radiographer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. From there she went into selling Oncology and Diagnostic Equipment with Qados, infection control products at Vernacare and surgical wound care products with KCI/ 3M. She is now a Regional Sales Manager at Synertec, the market leader in document solutions and communications, working with over 150 NHS Trusts.

Brian Murray
Sales Director UK&I, Better

Brian Murray has over 15 years of experience in leading sales teams and delivering innovative digital solutions to the healthcare sector, with a focus on interoperability, low-code platforms, and clinical data repositories. As the UK&I Sales Director at Better, Brian is passionate about improving health and care by simplifying the work of care teams and accelerating digital transformation underpinned by data for life.

Dr Nazik Hammad
Professor, Division of Hematology-Oncology, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto

Dr. Nazik Hammad is professor of medical oncology, at Saint Michael Hospital, Department of Medicine, and University of Toronto. A graduate of the University of Khartoum Faculty of Medicine, Sudan, she completed training in internal medicine and hematology/oncology at Wayne State University, Detroit. She had obtained an M.Sc. Immunology at the University of Toronto and a Master of Education in the Health Professions at Johns Hopkins University.  Her academic and research interests include Breast and GI cancers, medical education and workforce development in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and competency-based medical education in Canada. Other research and academic interests include value-based cancer care, global and local inequities and disparities in cancer, global health and global oncology, cancer in conflict zones, and women as health care professionals. Together with colleagues in Africa, she led the first Choosing Wisely Africa initiative. She is a coauthor in the Lancet Oncology commission for Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa and is a commissioner in the Lancet Commission on Women, Power and Cancer. She is co-chair of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario (BPAO) Network for Advancing Medical Black Medical Learners (N-ABL) and is University of Toronto Department of Medicine Faculty Lead for Toronto Addis Ababa University Collaboration (TAAAC). Dr. Hammad is the previous chair of Education and Training committee of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), previous chair of AORTIC’s Medical Oncology Significant Interest Group and current chair of AORTIC’s Significant Interest Group in Cancer in Conflict Zones and other Humanitarian settings. Dr. Hammad has published widely on medical education including on faculty development, workforce optimization, women and cancer, cancer in conflict zones and among nomadic populations in Africa in addition to other wide range of topics in policy and health system issues in cancer control.

Cheri Lewis
Senior Midwifery Information Officer at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and a Florence Nightingale Foundation Emerging Strategic Leadership Scholar. ,

Dr Ibtihal Fadhil
Founder & Chair, Eastern Mediterranean NCD Alliance, Former Regional Advisor on Non-Communicable Disease, WHO,

Owen Wilce
Public Service Innovation Manager, Cardiff Capital Region

Tom Campbell
CEO, Sotas Group

Huw Griffiths
Head of the Dragon’s Heart Institute, Cardiff and Vale UHB

As Head of the Dragon’s Heart Institute, Huw leads initiatives focused on innovation, sustainability, and health equality in Wales. With experience from the Billions Institute, Huw specialises in scaling innovation and transformational change. He began his NHS career as a physiotherapist before working in quality improvement for the last several years. His leadership combines clinical insight, public health knowledge, and a systems-thinking approach, aiming for meaningful, and equitable, improvements in health and social care.

Bryn Kentish
Spread & Scale Programme Manager / Communications Lead, Dragon’s Heart Institute, Cardiff and Vale UHB

Bryn is the Spread & Scale Programme Manager and Communications Lead for the Dragon’s Heart Institute. He delivers the bi-annual Spread & Scale Academy and also supports with teaching on the Climb Leadership Programme. With a decade of experience in NHS communications and a background in creative writing, he is passionate about storytelling as a leadership tool to inspire meaningful action and drive change at scale.

Louisa Dean
Innovation Support Manager, Digital Health and Care Wales

Danielle Webb
Director of Pharmacology, Simbec-Orion

Nelson Ker
CEO, HOCL Health

Iestyn Foster
CEO, Amotio

Iestyn is CEO and co-founder of Amotio, an early stage company dedicated to the development a precise, patient specific surgical device in orthopaedic revision surgery. With over 35 years’ experience in healthcare delivery and MedTech Innovation, Iestyn brings a wealth of insights to take a device from concept to delivery. He passionately oversees all aspects of the venture leadership, fostering a world-class team, and driving business growth through meticulous planning, strategic fundraising, and collaborative investor relations.

Dr Mohammad Alhadj Ali
Consultant Physician and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Dr Susannah Stanway
Honorary Consultant Medical Oncology, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Mark Wyatt
Deputy Fund Manager, Development Bank of Wales

Iwan Palmer
Innovation Specialist, Welsh Government

Matthew Jones
Managing Director, LimestoneGrey

Richard Harris
Head of International Trade, Welsh Government

Radharamanan Hariharan
Director, Maruthi Quality Management Services

Aimee Twinberrow
Digital Innovation Lead, Social Care Wales

Chloe Mangnall
Project Support Officer, North Wales Regional Partnership Board

Natalie Pryor
Innovation and Evaluation Project Manager, North Wales Regional Partnership Board

Louise Baker
Project Lead, Life Sciences Hub Wales (LSHW)

Louise works as a Project Lead within the Innovation and Adoption Team focussing on Digital, artificial intelligence and Robotics. She has 23 years of experience working in Local Authority Health and Social Care front line services. This includes spending three years as a Telecare and Technology-Enabled Care Developer, managing telecare and remote monitoring services and delivering service change within an integrated health and social care community team setting.

Louise also has experience of working with industry to design new technology to support health and social care challenge and promoting the use of technology within the community via training programmes.

Kathleen Withers
CEDAR Deputy Director, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Kathleen is the Deputy Director and Values Based Healthcare lead at CEDAR. She has particular interests in qualitative research and ensuring service user views are represented in healthcare decision-making. She regularly leads research and service evaluations across Wales, and is highly experienced in the selection and use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Her role with the Welsh Value in Health Centre (WViHC) includes working with clinical networks to facilitate PROMs implementation across NHS Wales with almost 50 national PROM pathways now in use. This is providing a rich dataset to support individual care and wider evidence-based decision making.

Dr Daniel John
Research Manager, Cultech Ltd.

Lyba Nadeem
Research Assistant, University of Warwick

Lauren Williams
Research and Innovation Officer, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust

Cendl Xanthe
Clinical Research and Innovation Officer, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust

Kerry Robertshaw
Consultant Paramedic - Urgent Care, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust

Dr Chris Moore
Head of Medicine Management, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust

Jennifer Selby
Senior Product Specialist , Digital Health and Care Wales

Saddaf Shaheen
Head of Research and Innovation, Digital Health Care Wales

Luella Trickett
Executive Director, Medical Devices, Value and Access, ABHI

Victoria Heath
Chief Healthcare Science Officer, Welsh Government

Vicki Heath was appointed as Wales’ first Chief Healthcare Science Officer in March 2025. With over 20 years experience in health and social care, Vicki advises the Welsh Government on the most effective ways to use healthcare science to deliver improved healthcare. As the professional lead for healthcare science in Wales, she represents more than 50 healthcare science professions in Welsh Government.

Vicki is dual registered with the HCPC as a biomedical scientist and clinical scientist, with a background in microbiology and immunology. She is passionate about apprenticeships and is a Lead Assessor for the National School of Healthcare Science. Outside of her role in Government, Vicki is an award winning science communicator with a particular interest in raising the profile of healthcare science careers.

Zohra Omar
Research and Innovation Nurse, Hywel Dda University Health Board

Zohra Omar is our Research and Innovation Clinical Nurse Specialist with over 30 years of experience working within the NHS. A significant portion of her nursing career has focused on the delivery of clinical research within healthcare, supporting both patients/study participants and clinical teams. She has built a wide network of associates both within the NHS and outside including members of the multidisciplinary team, sponsors and industry partners.

At TriTech, she is actively involved in all aspects of research delivery from study set up, to co-ordinating the initiation, management and completion of research, dealing with data collection and ensuring study design is pragmatic and deliverable. She also plays a vital role in the delivery of clinical research.

Gareth Davies
Clinical Scientist, Hywel Dda University Health Board

Dr Gareth Davies is a clinical scientist working at The TriTech Institute in Hywel Dda University Health Board, West Wales. He has a

background in biochemistry, rheology and biomarker development, with a focus on the effect of sepsis on blood coagulation and clot structure,

for which he completed his PhD at Swansea University in 2015.

In his current role Gareth works with multidisciplinary teams of health care professionals, academia and industry to develop and evaluate new

technologies and software tools with the aim of providing innovative and effective health care solutions. He has a particular interest on the

impact of technology and AI on value for both patients and the health care system.

Matthew Lawrence
Deputy Head of the Tritech Institute and Innovation, Hywel Dda University Health Board

Dr Matthew Lawrence is Deputy Head of TriTech and Innovation for Hywel Dda University Health Board, UK. He has over 15 years of experience working in medical research. Matthew’s main area of focus during his research career has been in translating knowledge and technical know-how from engineering and the physical sciences into advances in healthcare technology.

As part of his research, Matthew has working within a clinical environment – bridging the gap between health, science, and engineering. His primary research focussed on developing new technologies for measuring haemostasis and blood flow in relation to health and disease, particularly in respect to how clotting characteristics are altered by treatment and disease progression in vascular inflammatory disease. As a result, he has authored a wide range of peer reviewed articles on several different disease states.

During his career, Matthew has developed expertise in study design, project management and statistical analysis. Furthermore, he has gained a strong understanding of the regulatory and governance processes in health research in the UK and is currently the Chairman of Health and Care Research Wales’ research ethics committee Wales REC 6.

Sarah Yellen
Assistant Head of Procurement, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership - Procurement

Tom Kahan
Chief Financial Officer, IQ Endoscopes

Jennifer Waterman
Clinical Fellow Colorectal Surgery, University Hospital of Wales

Rachel Savery
Head of the programme, Advanced Therapies Wales

Rachel Bruton
Programme Manager, Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre

Rachel Bruton is the Birmingham MW ATTC project manager. She has been working in University research management for more than 15 years. Initially providing support to the Lead for Clinical Academic Training, developing  the integrated academic training pathway for junior clinical researchers in Birmingham. In 2013 Rachel moved to the role of Senior Research Facilitator in the School of Cancer Sciences and was responsible for overseeing all aspects of Research administration for the School. She spent 9 months on secondment supporting the Interactive Studies Unit before taking up a  role in post award research administration. In 2025 she took up her current role of MW ATTC project manager.

Jemin Popat
Patient Representative - Lived experience ,

Jemin Popat is an entrepreneur and business leader with over 20 years’ experience supporting high-growth companies across Wales, the UK, and internationally. Based in South Wales, Jemin has worked with more than 4,500 businesses across sectors, from start-ups to established enterprises, offering deep expertise in leadership development, business growth, and operational improvement. His experience spans markets in the UK, South Africa, Myanmar, and China.

Jemin also lives with Beta Thalassemia Major, a lifelong inherited blood disorder that has required regular hospital admissions and blood transfusions for over 40 years. As a chronic and life-limiting condition, it presents ongoing health challenges, but Jemin has never allowed it to limit his ambitions. He has built a successful business, visited many countries, and raised a family — all while managing the demands of his condition. His lived experience has shaped a deep passion for helping others and promoting a positive, resilient mindset in the face of adversity.

John Lewis
Project Manager, Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre

John Lewis is a Project Manager who started working with the Advance Therapies Wales Programme in February 2023. With extensive experience in managing projects and teams within the fast-paced industrial sector, particularly in achieving net-zero targets and industrial decarbonization, John brings a wealth of knowledge to his role. He has successfully overseen the completion of multi-million pound projects and managed dynamic collaborations between academia and industry. More recently, John applies his expertise to healthcare projects with the Midlands Wales Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC), leading on Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement for the ATTC network. John is keen to align strategically with leaders in the system across the UK to support in the delivery of the MW-ATTC objectives and the Delivery Plan for Advanced Therapies in Wales. The delivery plan is the first of its kind from any UK nation, focussing on creating the optimal environment in which the advanced therapies ecosystem can grow in Wales.

Gwyn Tudor
CEO, MediWales

As CEO of Mediwales for nearly 19 years, Gwyn has overseen a transformation of the forum to its current size, influence and corporate structure. Gwyn works with the directors and members of MediWales to develop the forum’s future strategic direction. His in-depth knowledge of the life science sector allows him to represent MediWales’ members’ interests on a number of Welsh and UK government panels and boards. Gwyn’s career has developed over twenty years from being a front line product designer working in a number of sectors, including the development of medical devices, to his current managerial role. 

Zoe Hilton
Innovation Program Manager, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Zoe is the Innovation Programme Manager for C&V UHB. A nurse by background having previously worked in a number of critical care areas in her early career and focusing on delivering clinical research for seven years prior to her current role. During her time as a Senior Clinical Research Nurse she was the lead Breast Cancer Research Nurse for C&V UHB only leaving to establish and manage the COVID19 Clinical trials delivery team In the University Hospital Llandough throughout the pandemic which contributed to the discovery of life saving treatments.

Dr Mick Button
Clinical Oncologist and Associate Medical Director, Velindre University NHS Trust

Mick is a consultant clinical oncologist at Velindre Cancer Centre. specialising in the care/treatment of patients with lung cancer. He’s also the Associate Medical Director (workforce) at Velindre University NHS Trust. Alongside his clinical role, he is involved in education, innovation, research, leadership and collaborative working. He’s aligning all these interests through his Bevan Commission Fellowship and his PhD – researching novel approaches to healthcare innovation by applying staff wellbeing models to innovation, with the aim of creating practical improvements to both healthcare innovation and staff wellbeing.

Professor Chris Hopkins
Consultant Clinical Scientist, Head of the Tritech Institute, Hywel Dda University Health Board & President-Elect, UK Academy for Healthcare Science, Hywel Dda University Health Board

Professor Hopkins is a Consultant Clinical Scientist and an Honorary Professor in both the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science at Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He is currently President Elect of the UK Academy for Healthcare Science, Head of TriTech & Innovation at Hywel Dda University Health Board and Clinical Director at the Assistive Technologies and Innovation Centre, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

He holds fellowships from the Learned Society of Wales, the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) and the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM). He is a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Engineer, and plays key advisory roles as a member of the MHRA expert advisory committee and the Health Technology Wales appraisal panel. Additionally, he is Deputy Director of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Research and Innovation Council at IPEM.

His contributions to healthcare science have been recognised nationally, including being awarded the Excellence in Healthcare Science Research and Innovation Award at the NHS England Chief Scientific Officer’s Excellence in Healthcare Science Awards 2022.

He is actively engaged in translational research and real-world evaluations of medical technologies and clinical pathways through collaborations with Higher Education Institutions across Wales and the UK. Working with multidisciplinary teams of professionals from NHS, academia, and industry he champions innovation, inclusivity, and diversity in healthcare science, firmly believing these values are critical to the field’s ongoing advancement.

Read more about Professor Hopkins’ work

https://tritech.nhs.wales

Rhodri Griffiths
Innovation Adoption Director, Life Sciences Hub Wales

Rhodri joined Life Sciences Hub Wales as Innovation Adoption Director in September 2020, following a three-year term serving the organisation as a board member. He’s held a variety of senior management positions in the commercial, public and voluntary sectors working with and for healthcare providers, pharma and medtech internationally, delivering public private partnerships, major transformation programmes and new technology and service adoption programmes.

 His past roles include Director of the National Botanic Garden of Wales and General Manager of Current BioData, a knowledgebase supplier to global pharma. Rhodri also co-founded Societas Management and was an investor advisor for over a decade supporting development to exit, managing relationships with co-investors and advising on strategy for a diverse healthcare portfolio including joint ventures with the NHS.

Jennet Holmes
Head of Innovation , Velindre NHS University Trust

Jennet was appointed to the role of Head of Innovation at Velindre University NHS Trust in June 2023.  Her role provides a corporate function for innovation across the two divisions of the Trust, at the Velindre Cancer Centre and the Welsh Blood Service.  Jennet’s role currently focusses on building the infrastructure for innovation, providing leadership and oversight for Innovation, as well as building the capability and capacity for innovation across the Trust.  Jennet is also playing a lead role in establishing the New Collaborative Centre for Learning and Innovation.

Jennet’s previous post was at the Civil Service, as Head of Innovation for the Health and Social Services Group of Welsh Government.  Jennet joined the Civil Service in 2013, leading on Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy strategy and then subsequently held key roles as Head of Compliance and Efficiency, Head of Transport, and COVID response roles, prior to returning to her substantive role as Head of Innovation.

Jennet previously worked in the private sector for over a decade, primarily in Wales and Europe supporting industry and the public sector within consultancy-based roles on a broad range of environmental, quality and health and safety initiatives.

Jennet is currently implementing the ISO 56001 innovation management system at the Trust, as part of her work to develop the supporting infrastructure for innovation and transformation.

Dr Shawnea S. P. Ting
Research Fellow, Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick

Shawnea Sum Pok TING is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick, UK. She engages with interdisciplinary, qualitative research in healthcare. She currently works on risk negotiation and decision making in the dispatch of prehospital critical care, using Interactional Sociolinguistics (which combines conversation analysis with ethnography) and other qualitative approaches to study communication practices as well as policy documents. For her PhD, Shawnea investigated lived experiences in patient communication between ethnic minorities and healthcare providers in Hong Kong from a (Medical) English as a Lingua Franca perspective.

Gareth John
Head of Information Delivery, Digital Health & Care Wales

Gareth has over 20 years of experience working with health information in Wales, in which he has headed up teams responsible for managing the development and maintenance of NHS Wales’ national data warehouse, currently hosted by Digital Health & Care Wales, and teams responsible for the analysis and publishing of NHS Wales data.
Gareth has used his background in statistics and research to support a number of major NHS Wales projects, including the South Wales Programme, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Amber Review, and NHS Wales response to COVID, using a variety of advanced analytical techniques such as machine learning, modelling and simulation.
In addition, Gareth has been responsible for the development of a range of different record linkage algorithms, allowing NHS analysts to track patient (or citizen) journeys through the whole health system, whilst safeguarding patient confidentiality through techniques such as pseudonymisation. Gareth’s NHS number matching algorithm remains one of the cornerstones of Swansea University’s world-renowned SAIL databank.

Professor Nigel Rees QAM
Assistant Director of Research & Innovation, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust

Nigel is a Paramedic, has worked in ambulance services in Wales since 1989, and is a former Wales Council member of the College of Paramedics. His research interests include clinical trials, qualitative research, and the use of drones and artificial intelligence in technologies in prehospital care. Nigel has collaborated to secure over 15 million in Research and innovation (R&I) funding and has been Chief and Principal Investigator on large-scale R&I trials and projects. He has led and contributed to many book chapters and over one hundred peer-reviewed articles including New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet publications.

Nigel is Associate Editor of the journal PARAMEDICINE, peer reviewer and member of many groups, including the Bevan Commission, NHS Wales R&D Leadership Group, Wales Innovation Leads, and the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment Funding Committee for Clinical Evaluations and Trials. Nigel is a Fellow of the College of Paramedics and was awarded the Queens Ambulance Medal in the 2017 New Year’s Honours.

Professor Jo Angouri
Pro-Vice Chancellor: Education and Internationalisation,, University of Warwick

Professor Laurie Rowe
Founder & Director, Medical Device Consultant, Red Medtech

Professor Laurie Rowe, founder of Red Medtech, offers comprehensive technical, regulatory, and quality consulting services to medical device designers, developers, and manufacturers. With over 20 years of hands-on experience in design, engineering, manufacturing, and compliance, Laurie specializes in medical technology. Her expertise spans engineering, quality systems, and compliance in businesses of all sizes, covering a wide range of device types and technologies. As a Notified Body trained lead auditor and experienced manager, Laurie has held strategic positions, overseeing technical development and program governance. Prior to establishing Red Medtech, she spent 15 years in product development, quality engineering, regulatory management, and project leadership roles with leading medical device and biopharmaceutical companies. Currently, as director and medical device consultant, Laurie applies her expertise to support innovation-led micro and SME companies and lead global technical teams. Her specialist knowledge and practical experience drive the success and compliance of medical device solutions, contributing to the advancement of healthcare.

James Hindley
CEO, ImmunoServ

Dr James Hindley is an experienced biotechnology entrepreneur. He has spent more than 10 years in senior leadership roles establishing and growing life science companies in the UK and overseas. James has a PhD in Immunology and a BSc in Biochemistry both from Cardiff University. He has an extensive national and international network in the biotech sector and has managed several EU and national collaborative innovation projects, overseeing the development and commercialisation of numerous products and services.

James has established a deep understanding of the life sciences sector, remains abreast of the latest developments in immunology, and continues to contribute to cutting edge research in these fields. He is particularly keen to drive the success of the life sciences sector in Wales through the creation of successful businesses and fulfilling jobs, as well as the adoption of innovative and cost effective technologies within Wales.

Lydia Vitolo
Senior Research Manager, Health and Care Research Wales

Julie Russell
Business Development Manager, Welsh Government

Julie works across industry sectors assisting companies looking to set up or expand into Wales to access UK and international markets.

Julie has been promoting Wales in international markets and providing advice on support for business development for over 20 years.  Working with both the public and private sectors, her international experience spans Europe, the Americas and Asia.

In 2019, Julie was named in the India Inc top 100 list of key influencers in UK – India relations.

Dr Rhys Morris
Director of CEDAR and Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Rhys is the Director of CEDAR and Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering at Cardiff and Vale UHB. A Consultant Clinical Scientist, he specialises in vascular ultrasound, pressure therapies, thromboprophylaxis, vascular access for haemodialysis, and peripheral vascular disease. For 30 years, he has collaborated with industry on the design, evaluation, and research of therapeutic and diagnostic medical devices. He teaches at Cardiff University and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Engineering and Technology. Under his leadership, CEDAR has expanded partnerships with the NHS, research groups, and industry in medical technologies, surgical interventions, and healthcare services.

Ed Harry
Professional Development Lead - Advanced Practice, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust

Carys Thomas
Head of Policy (R&D Division, Health and Social Care), Welsh Government

Keir Lewis
Professor at Swansea University & Clinical lead for Respiratory Medicine, Hywel Dda Health Board

Keir is Professor of Medicine at Swansea University & Clinical Respiratory Lead for Hywel Dda Health Board, Wales. He trained in London & Wales (with stints in India & Nepal). He has lectured worldwide, published over 200 papers, 4 text books & been lead or co-applicant on grants worth over £27M. He reviews for various journals & advises funding bodies including the MRC, HTA & Welcome. He has advised Welsh & UK Governments on lung disease, smoking cessation & their COVID enquiries. As well as working with large pharma & SMEs, he has supported 3 company spin-outs. As co-founder and Clinical Lead for Tritech, he will advance their work testing new technologies & changing pathways for better patient outcomes, as well as boosting investment into Wales.

Mark Briggs
Assistant Director of Innovation, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Mark Briggs is the Assistant Director for Innovation for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and the Precision Medicine Ambassador for the Life Sciences Hub Wales.  Prior to these roles he was Co-Director Midland-Wales Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre, Programme Lead for Advanced Therapies Wales and both Head of Cell and Gene Therapy for the Welsh Blood Service and Head of Strategy for Research, Development and Innovation for the Velindre Cancer Centre within the Velindre University NHS Trust.

Before to moving to the public sector Mark spent more than 20 years within R&D in the commercial Life Sciences industry in a series of senior roles leading the development and application of enabling and disruptive technologies primarily for drug discovery, development, safety testing.  In his latter corporate years, he focussed upon the industrialisation of advanced therapies with a view to enabling safe and robust, turn-key production of both genetically and non-genetically modified cellular therapies.