Dr Richard Thompson
Senior Investment Executive, Development Bank of Wales

Dayne Hodgson
Director, RedKnight Consultancy

Aled Guy
Head of Sustainability & Net Zero Carbon Management, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership

Marie Kathrens
Programme Manager - Innovation, NHS Wales

Dr Rob Orford
CEO, Moondance Cancer Initiative

Dr Rob Orford is the Chief Scientific Adviser for Health (CSA-H)

He is the professional lead for healthcare scientists in NHS Wales. He provides specialist technical and scientific health advice across a range of health sciences and health protection areas. He is a member of the National Diagnostics Board, UK Genome and UK Life Science Advisory Board

During the Pandemic he led the Welsh Government scientific and technical response, establishing and co-chairing Technical Advisory Group and was an active member of SAGE. Dr Orford is the Senior Responsible Officer for the Welsh Wastewater Programme and leads the Science Evidence Advice Division in 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 laboratory scientist working as post-doctoral research fellow in developmental biology and molecular oncology.

Jennifer Brady
Rehabilitation Engineer, Swansea Bay University Health Board

Judith Paget CBE
Director General of Health and Social Services/Chief Executive NHS Wales,

Judith was appointed to the role of Interim Director General of Health and Social Services/Chief Executive NHS Wales in November 2021. Her role includes both supporting Ministerial priorities for health and social care within the Civil Service structures, and the leadership and oversight of NHS Wales.

Judith’s previous post was as Chief Executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. Judith joined the Health Board as Director of Planning & Operations on 1st October 2009 and subsequently became Chief Operating Officer/Deputy CEO before her appointment as Chief Executive in October 2014.

Judith has worked in the NHS since 1980 and has undertaken a variety of operational, planning and commissioning roles in a number of NHS organisations across south, mid and west Wales. Judith was appointed to her first CEO role in April 2003.  Judith has a keen interest in partnership working across public services; primary care and community development; value based healthcare and staff development and engagement.

Judith was awarded a Companionship of the Institute of Health Service Managers in 2012 and in June 2014 won the Institute of Directors – Director in Public Service Award for Wales.  In June 2019 Judith was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to delivery and management in NHS Wales.

Tom James
Head of Innovation Strategy and Policy, Life Sciences and Innovation Division, Welsh Government

Tom has been Head of Innovation and Technology for the Health and Social Services group in Welsh Government since 2014.

Tom is responsible for Welsh health and care innovation policy and development of the Healthier chapter of the Integrated Innovation strategy for Wales. Tom is also the Government’s co-design and funding lead for a range of multi million pound innovation initiatives such as Health Technology Wales and the Accelerate and AgorIP programmes.

Tom recently spent two years on secondment with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board as Assistant Director of Innovation, where he developed a new approach to Innovation for the organisation alongside the Research, Improvement and Value teams.

Tom is currently studying for a Masters degree in Innovation & Transformation with Swansea University.

Rachael Powell
Associate Director of Information, Intelligence & Research, Digital Health and Care Wales

Rachael lead’s the Information, e-Library Services and Research and Innovation teams for Digital Health and Care Wales.  Rachael has worked in the NHS for over 20 years covering Strategic Planning, Service Improvement, Information, Clinical Audit and Research & Innovation across Primary and Secondary Care and also the Ambulance Service.  She has led on strategy development and major strategic change programmes, supporting system changes and service redesign. She is passionate about leading and supporting transformation and innovation through maximising the data and digital offer of DHCW across the system.

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. 

Sean Warren
Business Director UK & Ireland, AliveCor

Sean Warren BSc (Hons) is the UK&I Business Director for AliveCor Ltd and is an advocate for solutions in diagnosis and treatment for Cardiovascular disease. In his previous role as UK&I Country Sales Manager for BTG/Boston Scientific he specialised in both interventional cardiology and radiology treatments for Venous Thromboembolism to support with reducing the risk of stroke. Sean has >10 years experience in leading medical device companies for both primary and secondary specialties that have challenged the standard of care with clinically beneficial innovation.

Siôn Charles
Head of Strategy and Service Planning, ARCH

Siôn Charles is currently Head Strategy and Service Planning at ARCH – a regional collaboration between Swansea University, Hywel Dda UHB, and Swansea Bay UHB.  At ARCH Siôn supports NHS Service Transformation programmes, leads Research, Enterprise and Innovation projects, and develops Workforce, Education and Skills programmes with the University.  Siôn was previously Deputy Director at Wales’ leading health and care think tank where he supported innovation and change projects, and created opportunities for business to collaborate with the NHS to develop new products and services.  Siôn is a member of the Innovation Advisory Council for Wales, currently leading work on innovation leadership.  Siôn Chairs the All Wales Innovation Leads Group.

Professor Dean Harris
Consultant colorectal surgeon in Swansea Bay University Health Board and honorary professor at Swansea University ,

Professor Dean Harris is a consultant colorectal surgeon at Swansea Bay University Health Board, subspecialising in advanced rectal cancer. He is Lead Clinician of the Colorectal Cancer MDT and clinical lead for the Wales Cancer Industry Forum. He is on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme since 2020 fuelling his interest in MedTech innovation.

In 2013 he became an honorary clinical professor in Swansea University Medical School with research interests in early detection of cancer and personalised cancer treatment, and has won over £2M in academic funding towards this.

He is co-founder and clinical director of CanSense, a Swansea University spin-out company, translating a reagent-free colorectal cancer serum diagnostic for the NHS to address cancer inequalities. CanSense won the St David Award for Science and Technology (2023), Wales Start-up of the year award for MedTech (2021) and the Institute of Physics Lee Lucas Award for Healthcare in 2021.

Professor Peter Groves MD, FRCP, FLSW
Chair, Health Technology Wales

Professor Groves has led clinical innovation and provided national and local leadership in medical technology development. He has led academic and research initiatives, chaired medical technology professional advisory committees at MHRA and NICE and is the inaugural Chair of Health Technology Wales. His expertise throughout has been founded on the perspective of a Cardiologist and clinician who has used emerging medical technologies in day-to-day clinical practice and who has guided the establishment of technology-based clinical service developments.

Chris Subbe
Consultant Physician, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Annette Thomas
National Point of Care Clinical Lead, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Annette Thomas is a Consultant Clinical Biochemist at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board with over 40 years’ experience in Laboratory Medicine, over 20 years of which has been as Director of Weqas, a well-respected International EQA provider and Reference Measurement Laboratory.

Annette is also the National Point of Care (POCT) Clinical lead for Wales, a seconded position to the Wales NHS Executive responsible for delivering the strategy plan for POCT.  She represents POCT on Welsh Government advisory Committees and chairs the National POCT Strategic Board and the POCT Delivery Group.

She is a member of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Task Force on Global Lab Quality and past chair of the IFCC Committee on Analytical Quality.

She has previously held posts on the Executive Board of the European Committee for External Quality Assurance Programmes in Laboratory Medicine (EQALM), chair of the All Wales Clinical Biochemistry Audit Group and chair of the National Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (ACB) Audit Committee in the UK.

 In 2019 she received the EQALM Adam Uldall Award for her contribution to promoting quality in laboratory medicine and the Healthcare Science Lifetime Achievement award from the Welsh Government.

Dr Philippa Morgan-Jones
R&D Manager, Scienap

Dr Sian Moynihan
Consultant Community Pediatrician, Cardiff and Vale and Swansea Bay

I am a Consultant Community Pediatrician working in  Cardiff and Vale and Swansea Bay. I lead on  Weight management Service for children and young people in both health boards.  I am delighted to share the outcome of our Bevan Commission Planned Care Improvement Project: Value based weight management for children with BMI>98^th centile using virtual ward and wearable technology.

This project is working to prevent and improve childhood obesity rates, reduce waiting lists, provide low cost solution and  best care for patients. A service cheaper than what we are currently delivering per patient that is scalable and sustainable by implementing a virtual ward platform (app) that supports a consumer grade  watch- a fit bit. I can share our experience of delivering service differently, digitally.

Dr Anna Graham
CAVHIS Expansion Manager, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Callum Allen-Ridge
, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Ian Newington
Assistant Director, Innovations, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

Professor Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff
Chair, Bevan Commission

Dr Savita Shanbhag
GP Cancer Lead, Hywel Dda University Health Board

Dr Savita Shanbhag is Hywel Dda University Health Board’s GP Cancer Lead, whose role includes promoting early diagnosis in patients with cancer and improving communication between Primary and Secondary Care. Savita has experience in leading and managing Research and Innovation projects in the Health Board, that involve changes to cancer pathways. Some examples include the successful launch of the Rapid Diagnosis Clinic (RDC) for vague symptoms in 2021, and the award-winning lung cancer symptom assessment line (LUMEN) project in 2022. Savita is currently leading a work package on CRUK-funded Rapid access prostate cancer diagnosis pathway (2023-24). She has been a co-investigator in various research and innovation projects, represents Primary Care views on oncology pathways at Health Board and Wales-wide meetings and is an NHS Wales Digital Champion. Savita has recently been awarded Emerging Researcher Award by Health and Care Research Wales.

Julie Russell
Business Development Manager, Welsh Government

Mike Emery
Chief Digital and Innovation Officer (Health and Social Care), Welsh Government

Delia Ripley
Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales, Welsh Government

Jennet Holmes
Head of Innovation , Velindre NHS University Trust

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

Dr Tom Powell
Head of Innovation, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

Tom is an experienced health and social researcher and innovator with a breadth of knowledge and experience following various roles across academia, the NHS and civil service, including clinical research, provision of national statistics, health economics, informing national policy development and health service delivery.