Our Innovation Leads

Siôn has over 20 years’ experience leading innovation, improvement, transformational change programmes.  He is passionate about delivering cutting-edge services that prioritise patient care and embody co-produced health values.

Siôn is experienced working in a range of complex organisations and environments in multiple and sometimes challenging partnerships with public, private and third sector organisations to deliver national government strategies, services, projects, programmes and service improvements.

His experiences include leading complex multi-organisation collaborations and partnerships, national strategy and policy development, system and organisational change, and building and leading networks to collaborate around common goals.

Siôn led work to develop the NHS Wales Innovation Framework – a systematic approach to creating and managing innovation systems and approaches.

Email: ARCH.PMO@wales.nhs.uk

I work in an exciting new area of work to develop our support for innovation in social care.

The areas I manage focus on building collaborative partnerships, communities for practitioners and exploring digital innovation.

My previous roles include local authority social work and working in the third sector to support women’s mental health and lead a team of mental health support workers.

I went on to work in service development for a local authority on a wide range of activities. These included direct payments, extra care and a review of mental health services in the area.

I’ve been at Social Care Wales since its beginning in 2017. Before that I worked for the Care Council, focusing largely on qualifications and standards.

I’m a qualified social worker, having completed an MA at Cardiff University in 2000.

I’m also studying for a PhD at Swansea University through the All-Wales Intensive Learning Academy. The PhD focuses on innovation in social care.

Email: enquiries@socialcare.wales

Mark is the Assistant Director for Innovation for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board where he works with colleagues and external parties to help introduce and embed stepwise change into the organisation and beyond.

Prior to this, he was Co-Director Midland-Wales Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre, Programme Lead for Advanced Therapies Wales, Precision Medicine Ambassador for the Life Science Hub 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 leading the development and application of enabling and disruptive technologies – primarily for drug discovery, development, safety testing and industrialisation of advanced therapies.

Email: Cav.Innovation@wales.nhs.uk

Amanda is the Assistant Director for Innovation & Improvement in Powys.

As a very rural area with a focus on Primary and Community Care there is significant potential for the transformation of health and care across Powys through better and widespread use of digital technologies and innovation. Our location and health & care landscape means that we work collaboratively and in integrated ways across the whole system.

Digital technology and innovation can help us to transform the way we provide health and care and offer new ways to support people to stay well. It is crucial that we seize the digital opportunities at a time when the healthcare system in general is under pressure and where societal developments mean that there is an increasing need to innovate and transform the way the healthcare system is run and developed. This includes a growing role for technology in supporting people to monitor and manage their own health and wellbeing.

Email: bright.ideaspowys@wales.nhs.uk

Dale Evans serves as the Innovation Lead at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB). With a focus on adopting CE-marked, NICE-approved innovations, Dale supports initiatives that enhance patient care, operational efficiency, and sustainable healthcare delivery across health and social care. Leveraging experience within both the NHS and industry partnerships, Dale works collaboratively with clinical, research, and strategic teams to identify and implement transformative healthcare solutions, aligning with the National Innovation Strategy and Framework for Wales.

Email: ABB.Innovation@wales.nhs.uk

Dr Rachel Gemine is Assistant Director of Evidence, Evaluation and Effectiveness at NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee; Honorary Senior Lecturer at Swansea University, Associate Editor at BMJLeader and a Trustee of the UK Research & Development Forum. Rachel has over 15-years’ experience in Research & Innovation and has collaborated on bids totalling over £20million. Rachel is experienced in qualitative and quantitative research, innovation pathways and use of data in research.  Rachel also has an interest in leadership and management within healthcare and is a keen runner.

Email: rachel.gemine@wales.nhs.uk

Lynda leads the SBRI Centre, working in partnership with NHS Wales and Welsh Government to deliver Challenge Led Innovation in Wales.

With over 18 years of NHS experience, Lynda was instrumental in leading the implementation of SBRI as a mechanism to drive innovation in health and is highly regarded for her expertise in this field, having advised and supported Challenge Led Innovation initiatives across the UK. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, she led the first ‘rapid’ challenge to tackle ambulance sanitisation which was later awarded the St David Award for ‘Innovation, Science and Technology’. Recently, Lynda played a crucial role in initiating the first collaborative challenge between devolved nations, focused on addressing cancer in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Lynda is passionate about harnessing innovation to make positive change for her colleagues and the people of Wales. She is deeply committed to creating sustainable, scalable solutions that improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. Through her leadership, she continues to push the boundaries of what can be achieved through innovation.

Mark has worked in the NHS since 2008, and with Public Health Wales since 2014. During this time he has worked on national and international research projects, and has been the lead for innovation at PHW since 2020.

Email: PHW.Improvement&InnovationHub@wales.nhs.uk

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.

Email: hello@lshubwales.com

Lynne is the Associate Director for Research and Development at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and is responsible for the strategic and operational management of research activity and development for BCUHB. Lynne is a Registered General Nurse and Registered Midwife, and has a Doctorate in Nursing Science.

Lynne has a strong clinical background with special interests in applying research into practice, innovation and service improvement. Lynne is passionate about engaging all healthcare professions in research, and has many years’ experience leading education and professional development for nurses and midwives.

She also has senior management experience in a wide variety of community and secondary care settings, within clinical and corporate departments in strategic and operational/clinical posts, as well as a Nurse Lecturer at Bangor University. Lynne also works in a regulatory capacity for the Care Quality Commission and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Email: BCU.ResearchApplications@wales.nhs.uk

A Registered Nurse who has worked in Acute Cardiology in the UK and the US, before focusing on Clinical Research Delivery.  Zoe initially worked alongside the Colorectal team and Wales Cancer Bank before going on to become the Lead Research Nurse for Breast Cancer. During the pandemic, she established and lead a team which delivered lifesaving COVID-19 clinical research trials.

Email: Cav.Innovation@wales.nhs.uk

Vision: To be an International Beacon for innovation in Cancer and Blood Services.

Mission: To drive continuous improvement and breakthrough innovations in cancer and blood services by fostering a culture of innovation, creativity, collaboration, and excellence.

Velindre Innovation’s remit is to work across the Trust with our workforce, our patients, donors and key partners to support the development and delivery of innovation. Our vision includes building a collaborative innovation ecosystem where staff, healthcare providers, researchers, academia, industry, patients, donors, and community partners work seamlessly together to drive innovation, address healthcare disparities, and create healthier communities. We are building an innovation ecosystem that supports and strengthens the capability and capacity for the Trust to innovate.

For more information about how we can support you with a project idea, or if you are an existing supplier or entrepreneur with an innovative solution, please contact the Innovation team using the form below.

Email: Velindre.innovation@wales.nhs.uk

Chris is a Consultant Clinical Scientist, an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science at Swansea University, and an Honorary Professor in the Wales Institute of Science and Art. He is currently Head of TriTech & Innovation in Hywel Dda University Health Board, and Clinical Director within the Assistive technologies and innovation centre, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.

Holding fellowships from the AHCS and IPEM, he is also a Chartered Scientist and a Chartered Engineer. Chris is a member of the expert advisory committee within MHRA, a member of the Health Technology Wales appraisal panel and was awarded the Excellence in Healthcare Science Research and Innovation Award at the NHS England Chief Scientific Officer’s Excellence in Healthcare Science Awards 2022.

Collaborating with various Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Industry across Wales and the UK, the team conducts research and real-world evaluations on medical technologies, services, processes, and pathway models. The team is composed of individuals holding dual NHS/HEI honorary contracts and encompasses a variety of backgrounds including NHS, HEI and industry. Engaging with this talented group of professionals has reinforced his belief that achieving greater inclusivity and diversity within the sector is not only achievable but also essential for its future prosperity.

Email: tritech.hdd@wales.nhs.uk

Dr Tom Howson’s academic background is grounded in the study of bio-medical sciences, having graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2013. This provided him with a broad understanding of physiological systems, alongside the underpinning drivers of disease in human populations. Following this Tom completed his PhD at Swansea University Medical School, which focussed on innovation management across health and life science sectors. Tom is currently the head of innovation and transformation for the Bevan Commission, Wales’ leading independent think tank for issues related to health and social care, with responsibilities including the delivery of the national Bevan Exemplars innovation programme. Alongside this, Tom is an Evidence Reviewer for the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research, a member of the Health Foundation’s Q Community and chair of a maternal and neonatal health charity.

Email: bevan-commission@swansea.ac.uk

Tom is the Welsh Government’s lead for healthcare innovation policy and led the development of the Health and Social Care component of Wales Innovates: the 2023 Welsh Government Innovation strategy for Wales.

Tom is also the Welsh Government’s co-design and funding lead for a range of multi-million pound innovation programmes such as Health Technology Wales, the Bevan Commission, Accelerate and AgorIP.

An alumnus of the Civil Service Fast Stream, Tom has worked in Innovation policy for a decade, recently spending 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 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This included the 2021 NHS Wales Covid-19 Innovation and Transformation Study, for which he won a 2022 Swansea University Research and Innovation awards for an Outstanding response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tom is an Honorary Innovation Fellow with the University of South Wales and is currently finalising his PhD by Research in Innovation with Swansea University.

Rachael lead’s the Information, e-Library and Research and Innovation teams for Digital Health and Care Wales.  Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) is an expert national body and part of NHS Wales, working in partnership with NHS Wales colleagues and other key stakeholders to provide national digital and data services which support the delivery of health and social care in 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.

Email: DHCW_R&I@wales.nhs.uk

Dr Tom Powell is the Head of Innovation for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and Regional Innovation Lead for the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership Board.

Email: CTM.QualityImprovement@wales.nhs.uk

Matthew is a Principal Researcher in health economics at Health Technology Wales (HTW). HTW is a national body working to improve the quality of care in Wales. We are funded by Welsh Government and hosted within NHS Wales, but independent of both. We review and critically appraises evidence on the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of non-medicine health technologies. We then issue independent, authoritative guidance based on the best available evidence and expertise to support decision makers and commissioners in NHS Wales.

Email: healthtechnology@wales.nhs.uk

Ambulance services internationally are facing increasing and unremitting demands for their care. This positioning is not sustainable and efforts have been targeted toward caring for more people remotely and in the community. WAST has many partnerships and seeks to collaborate further with individuals and groups on innovations aimed at tackling demands for services and providing high-quality and sustainable care.

Email: am_research.development@wales.nhs.uk

Saddaf has over 12-years of research and innovation experience in the NHS and is experienced in working with NHS organisations, academia and industry in supporting with innovation pathways and guidance on research regulation. Saddaf has experience delivering the R&I strategies for and acute hospitals embedding research in clinical care and growing research capacities and capabilities. Saddaf is leading on delivering the R&I strategy at DHCW, with a focus on developing the infrastructure for supporting R&I, partnerships and culture.

Email: DHCW_R&I@wales.nhs.uk

Gwyn has over thirty years experience of working on creative projects in the science and technology sector. He is an innovation specialist. He is CEO of MediWales. He is an Assessor for Innovate UK and is Editor for Welsh Goverment’s science and technology journal Advances Wales.

Email: info@mediwales.com