Professor Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff – Chair, Bevan Commission
Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff is a Welsh doctor, professor of palliative medicine, and Crossbench peer in the House of Lords. Appointed Wales’ first Consultant in Palliative Medicine in 1987, she is a professor at Cardiff University and consultant at Velindre Cancer Centre. She has shaped palliative care services, influenced legislation on smoking and organ donation, and led inquiries on end-of-life care. A Vice President of Marie Curie, she has received multiple honours, including Welsh Woman of the Year.
Dr Helen Howson – Director, Bevan Commission
Dr Helen Howson is Director of the Bevan Commission, an independent health and care think tank in Wales. She leads the Bevan Commission Academy and helped establish the Commission, develop prudent healthcare principles, and launch Bevan Innovators. Previously, she was a Public Health Consultant with Public Health Wales and held senior Welsh Government roles in health policy. Her career includes advising governments, working with WHO, and contributing to Heartbeat Wales to reduce heart disease through innovation.
Rhys Williams – Wales Reporter, ITV News
Rhys Williams is a Wales Reporter for ITV News, covering national and regional stories across politics, public policy and communities. He joined ITV after reporting roles with BBC News and BBC Cymru, and holds a postgraduate journalism qualification from Cardiff University.
Nygaire Bevan – Bevan Commissioner
Nygaire Bevan is a Bevan Commissioner, Board Member at Codi Group, and an Inspector for Care Inspectorate Wales. She is the great niece of Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS, and began her career as a nurse before qualifying as a social worker in the 1980s. She has more than 40 years’ experience in health and social care.
Professor Spiros Denaxas – Professor of Biomedical Informatics, University College London
Professor Spiros Denaxas is Professor of Biomedical Informatics based at the Institute of Health Informatics, and Associate Director at the British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre, leading the Computational Phenotyping theme.
His research (http://denaxaslab.org) focuses on creating and evaluating algorithms for phenotyping, risk prediction, data modelling, and disease subtype discovery in structured electronic health records, clinical and omics data.
Professor Kelechi Nnoaham – Bevan Commissioner
Professor Kelechi Nnoaham is a senior public health leader with extensive NHS and local‑government experience, including serving as Executive Director of Public Health at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board from 2016 to 2022. He trained in infectious diseases medicine, he has broad public‑health expertise and has held honorary professorships at Plymouth and Cardiff universities. His work focuses on integrating health services with community and third‑sector partners to improve population health and reduce inequalities.
Dr Dheepa Rajan – Health Systems Specialist, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
Dr Dheepa Rajan joined the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies in July 2022 after more than 15 years at WHO headquarters, where she worked across national health planning, health system performance, participatory governance, and primary health care. She has led major WHO and Observatory publications, including the WHO Handbook on Social Participation, the Primary Health Care Primer, and Health System Performance Assessment: A Framework for Policy Analysis. She holds an MD from the University of Göttingen, a Master’s in health economics and policy from the UK, and a doctorate on traditional medicine in India.
Victoria Southam – Healthcare Technology Strategists, Microsoft
Victoria Southam is a Healthcare Technology Strategist at Microsoft, supporting the NHS with digital, cloud and AI strategy. She works with senior leaders to build trusted technology foundations across complex health systems, with a strong focus on responsible AI, digital inclusion, and supporting women in technology.
Kevin Moss – Founder, Important Small Things
Kevin is co‑founder of Important Small Things, a digital prototyping studio that turns early ideas into fundable, procurable, and pitch‑ready products. With decades leading complex creative and technical programmes, he works at the intersection of design thinking, emerging tech, and healthcare innovation. As Product Director at Rescape, he delivered the UK’s first Class I VR medical device, now used in more than 250 hospitals. His career spans founding and selling one of the UK’s earliest digital agencies, leading design for the European launch of PlayStation’s online platform, and earning a BAFTA nomination for a digital storytelling app. He brings rare, hands‑on expertise in healthcare VR, clinical governance, and user‑centred design, with a track record of turning ambitious ideas into scalable products.
Professor Joanne Davies – Director of the Simulation and Immersive Learning Centre, Swansea University
Professor Joanne Davies is the Founding Director of the Swansea University Simulation and Immersive Learning Centre and programmes (SUSIM) and Head of Simulation-Based Education. She has an extensive career spanning clinical practice, education, and leadership, and has worked nationally and internationally on major start-up projects, including the opening of high-technology hospitals and simulation centres. Through this work, she has utilised simulation-based learning to train multidisciplinary healthcare teams and to system-test facilities and services, supporting improvements in patient quality and safety. Professor Davies is also leading research into technology enhanced education methodologies and supports Master and PhD students in this field. In recognition of her career-long dedication to Innovation, Science and Technology, Professor Davies was recently awarded the St David Award by the First Minister of Wales.
James Maskell – Author, Speaker, Health Economist, Community Builder and Healthcare Entrepreneur
James Maskell is an innovator working at the intersection of functional medicine and community, drawing on his background in health economics and his international upbringing. He has built companies, created widely shared content, and spoken on six continents. A former member of an intentional community, he now lives in Northern California with his family and enjoys cricket, horseback riding, and exploring ideas about human potential and planetary survival.
Denise Hampson – CEO, Desire Code
Denise Hampson is a behavioural economics and experience‑design expert who has worked with hundreds of organisations across the UK and North America. A sought‑after speaker, she has presented at major events including TEDx, SXSW, Interface Health, and the UK House of Lords. Before her design career, she was a member of the Great Britain Track Cycling Team and a former British Women’s Sprint Champion. She previously worked as a Systems Engineer at BAE Systems on the Eurofighter Typhoon, where her fascination with human‑centred design began.
Dr Amy Lloyd – Research Fellow, Wales Centre for Public Policy
Dr Amy Lloyd is a Research Fellow at the Wales Centre for Public Policy and DECIPHer, where she leads work supporting the Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration and strengthens links between research, policy and practice. She previously worked at the Centre for Trials Research, generating evidence to inform healthcare policy and serving as deputy lead of the qualitative research group. She holds a BA (Hons) in Sociology, an MPH, and a PhD in Health Services Delivery.
Professor Donna Hall, CBE – Non-Executive Director, Mutual Ventures
Professor Donna Hall is the former Chief Executive of Wigan Council and also chaired both the New Local Government Network and Bolton NHS Foundation Trust. Widely described as a public‑service pioneer, she created major community‑focused reforms including The Wigan Deal and The Chorley Smile. She received a CBE in 2009 and was named Transformational Leader at the 2017 Northern Power Women Awards. Donna is also an Honorary Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester and advises Birmingham City Council and NHS England, driven by her commitment to person‑centred public services.
Professor David Blumenthal – American Physician and Health Care Policy Leader
Prof David Blumenthal is a physician and national health‑policy leader known for advancing a more coherent and humane U.S. healthcare system. He led the country’s transition to electronic health records during the Obama administration and later, as president of The Commonwealth Fund, championed research on equity and system performance. Throughout his career, he has bridged clinical practice and policy, driven by a belief in thoughtful, achievable reform.
Professor Isabel Oliver – Chief Medical Officer, Welsh Government
Professor Isabel Oliver is a leading UK public health physician and epidemiologist who has held some of the most senior scientific roles in the country. She currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, a position she began in 2025, where she provides independent clinical and public‑health advice to the Welsh Government and leads national efforts to improve health outcomes.
Dr Helen Brown – Managing Director, BIT UK
Dr Helen Brown, BIT’s UK Managing Director, is a dedicated champion of applying behavioural science to society’s most complex challenges. With over seven years at BIT, her contributions span our portfolio, consistently prioritising social impact, robust evaluation, and innovation.
She has previously held the roles of Director of BIT UK’s Health and Education teams, where she oversaw the enhancement of domestic social policy, and Director of BIT’s International Programmes team, leading ambitious initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Helen is deeply committed to designing and rigorously testing evidence-based interventions that deliver tangible improvements for the communities we serve.
Prior to joining BIT, she accumulated more than five years of postdoctoral research experience at the University of Cambridge, specializing in Behavioural Epidemiology. Helen holds a PhD in Public Health and Epidemiology from the University of Queensland.
David Suddock – Strategic Transformation, Operational Excellence, Executive Leadership, Mentor, Board Advisor, Retail, Manufacturing
David Suddock is a UK retail executive known for senior leadership roles within the John Lewis Partnership. He has served as a Transformation Director at John Lewis & Partners and previously sat on the board of Herbert Parkinson, the company’s manufacturing arm. Beyond retail, he contributes to business‑support and charitable organisations, including Be the Business and the charity Missing People.
Jamie Tucker – Associate Designer, Arup
Jamie Tucker is lead designer at Arup specialising in urban design and large‑scale master planning. With nearly two decades of experience across public‑ and private‑sector projects, he has worked on national design policy, major regeneration strategies, and co-authored the People, Place, Health research with the Bevan Commission. He trained at the University of Sheffield and contributes to postgraduate design education as a visiting lecturer and reviewer.
Kathryn Foskett, Head of Partnerships and Solutions – Northern Europe, GE Healthcare
Kathryn Foskett is a senior healthcare executive leading strategic partnerships, government engagement, and large‑scale transformation across the NHS, UK, Ireland, and Northern Europe. She provides leadership at the intersection of policy, clinical pathways, and technology to deliver sustainable system change, modernised diagnostics, and improved operational performance. Kathryn is recognised for shaping high‑value alliances, accelerating early‑intervention models, and driving measurable impact across complex health systems. She also delivers board‑level insight, cross‑sector coordination, and forward‑looking strategies that improve patient outcomes, enhance efficiency, and support the resilience of health systems.
Paul Billington, Senior People Partner, Health and Wellbeing Lead, Admiral Group
Paul Billington leads on Health & Wellbeing at Admiral. He and his team are responsible for the creation and delivery of the company strategy around the holistic wellbeing and welfare of all colleagues in the UK. He has an extensive background spanning HR, operations and facilities management.
Professor Donald M. Berwick KBE MD – President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement and International Bevan Commissioner
Professor Donald M. Berwick, KBE, MD, MPP, FRCP, is a leading expert in healthcare quality and improvement. He co-founded the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and served as its President and CEO for 19 years. Appointed by President Obama, he led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2010-11. A Harvard professor, he has shaped global health policy and was honoured with a KBE for his work with the NHS. He has authored over 200 articles and six books.
