Movers and Shakers news roundup

Our last Movers and Shakers news roundup of 2021 features a new appointment at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and a new general manager for the UK and Ireland at Allscripts.

Sarah Thompson was appointed CCIO at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust in November 2021. She was previously the trust’s head of clinical digital optimisation, a position she had held since August 2019.

Also in November 2021, Anna Awoliyi joined Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust as CNIO. Previously, she was Chief Allied Health Information Officer at Kettering General Hospital.

London Ambulance Service (LAS) has appointed Roger Davidson as its new director of strategy and transformation.

Davidson will join the service in January 2022 and is currently director of system partnerships at NHS England where he is working to join up health and care and improve population health through development of integrated care systems (ICSs) across England.

His new role at LAS will involve developing a strategic vision for London Ambulance Service to build beyond the existing organisational strategy which comes to an end in 2023.

Davidson said: “As a Londoner, I am excited to be joining one of the most visible healthcare providers in the capital and making a positive difference to the lives of patients.

“It’s a challenging time to be joining and I am looking forward to working with dedicated colleagues to help build the ambulance service London needs in the years ahead.”

Paula Ridd has been appointed general manager for the UK and Ireland at Allscripts.

She was previously director of professional services at the company but took up her new role on 1 December 2021.

In her new role, Ridd will oversee business development in the UK and Ireland, as well as being accountable for the implementation of all projects in the region.

She said: “I’ve had the pleasure of working for Allscripts for some time now, and I’m excited for a fresh challenge. I am passionate about healthcare delivery and making a difference to people working in our healthcare system.

“Being part of a company that prioritises clinically driven digital maturity means I get to work on delivering transformational projects every day. In my new role I will be partnering with our NHS customers to tackle national challenges such as the backlog and inspire the kind of leadership needed to build a robust health and care system.”

Digital mental health platform provider, Kooth, has appointed Dr Tim Budden as its chief technology officer (CTO).

Dr Budden will be responsible for the further development, and innovation, of Kooth’s products and services.

He brings more than 26 years of experience in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data science, natural language processing and building privacy-by-design platforms.

Tim Barker, CEO at Kooth, said: “Tim’s deep expertise in machine learning and natural language processing is pivotal in helping us build this future. I couldn’t be more excited to have Tim lead our team to create the future and make effective, personalised, mental healthcare available to all.”

Healthtech company, Huma Therapeutics, has appointed Shahram Sharif as its chief business officer.

Formerly CEO and Founder of LindaCare, which specialises in remote cardiac monitoring software, Sharif joins Huma to lead the company’s business development activities for its digital companion app product.

Dan Vahdat, CEO and founder of Huma, said: “Shahram’s extensive experience in the field of remote patient monitoring, software and digital companion tools in the medical device market will help us meet this demand and we are delighted to welcome him to Huma.

“At Huma, our team is our greatest strength, so we are focused on hiring experts like Shahram who share our passion for helping people live longer, fuller lives using technology.”