MEDEFER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- People and Performance Director
Originally a Civil Engineer, Avril then taught Oxbridge entrance Physics and Maths for several years while her children were small before, in 1986, starting a boutique Wealth Planning business, which focussed on entrepreneurs, building it to over £500m under advice before exiting in 2007. At her exit, a client asked Avril to take over as CEO of his global banking headhunting firm, where she subsequently managed its turnaround after the 2008 crisis.
Since 2009, Avril has held a number of simultaneous advisory, Non-Exec, and Interim Executive roles, typically involving businesses in high growth phases which need upskilling of the Board and senior team. Sector neutral, the businesses advised on or worked with include physical oil trading, healthcare (IVF and `resuscitation training), FX trading, deep technology, data security, investments, research, and sports. Strongly commercial, Avril specialises in helping businesses and teams grow from good to great.
‘At this stage of my long career, purpose and meaning are paramount. I am exceptionally proud and thrilled to be asked to help Medefer and its team of committed people achieve its mission to transform healthcare, support the NHS, and improve the quality of life for patients.'
Bruce is a private investor based in London, with interests in technology, health and media. He is a non-executive director of Medefer, Support Room, and Life & Soul Pictures. He helps early-stage companies with strategy, finance and fundraising. Previously, he was a Portfolio Manager and a Partner at Verno Capital, a Russia-focused investment fund with a peak of $5 billion under management or advisory. He began his career at Citigroup as a proprietary trader in the FX and Rates division.
Bruce is the author of "Peak Performance of Trading and Investing". He holds a BA from the University of Chicago and a MSc from the London School of Economics.
He has been involved with Medefer since the beginning. He loves that the company is addressing a huge unmet need for society with an innovative technological solution.
Christopher Peters is Medefer's Clinical Lead for General Surgery and was appointed a Deputy Medical Director in December 2021.
He is a London based Clinical Senior Lecturer and Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal and General Surgeon working at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. His specialist interest is Oesophageal and Gastric cancer surgery using a personalised treatment approach. In addition, he has extensive experience of complex benign Upper GI conditions and more general surgical problems such as hernias. He developed his own trusts Virtual Clinic service for General Surgery.
As an Imperial College academic his research programme is built around understanding how we can use innovations to make better decisions about how we treat patients, and he is passionate about determining how virtual platforms can be leveraged to deliver better and more timely healthcare to patients.
Cyril Chantler was Professor of Paediatric Nephrology and Consultant Paediatrician at Guys Hospital until 2000. He was Principal of Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals Medical and Dental Schools (1992 - 1998) and Chairman of the management board of Guy's Hospital (1985-1988). He was Chairman of Great Ormond Street Hospital (2001- 2008) and the Kings Fund (2004-2010).
He received a knighthood for services to medicine in 1996. In January 2017 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) for Services to Leadership in Healthcare. He is an Honorary Fellow and Emeritus Chairman of UCLPartners Academic Health Science Partnership, Non-Executive Director Private Health Information Network, Vice Chairman Stakeholder Council National Maternity Review, and Adviser to the All Party Parliamentary Group "First do no Harm". He has been a Member Advisory Board Medefer since 2019.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- Member of the Executive and Senior Management Team
Bahman is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medefer.
With a deep commitment to patient care and the NHS, Bahman's vision is to completely transform the way that healthcare is delivered by providing patients with the best - timely, efficient and effective - healthcare experience possible.
The considerable potential for Medefer to develop transformative solutions beyond the current scope of activity is a key driver for Bahman in developing and extending his vision to a broader range of transformative healthcare solutions - with a focus on patient safety and increasing organisational efficiency.
With a Medical Degree from University College London, an intercalated BSc in Neuroscience and a PhD in Molecular Biology and Immunology, Bahman continues to practice as Consultant Gastroenterologist in the NHS - maintaining his commitment to, and connections within, the NHS. Bahman has also developed educational programmes for international audiences and published papers in leading journals on his work in the NHS and with Medefer.
Bahman has also been selected on The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Leaders 2021 which showcases the UK's most ambitious business leaders in a tale of resilience, determination, strategic excellence and export success.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive and Senior Management Team
- Primary Care Director
Ed joined Medefer in 2016 bringing his passion for innovation to the team.
Ed qualified as a GP in 2002. With experience in leadership roles in the NHS and as a Member of a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) governing body, Ed developed an interest in the potential for innovation in IT to drive both strategy and healthcare delivery. He represented the CCG as its Clinical Quality Lead for the Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and developed an interest in IT service development and strategy, becoming the CCG's Clinical IT Lead.
At Medefer, Ed continues to develop innovative virtual healthcare strategies. He engages with CCGs and primary care to identify opportunities to support and extend the reach of Medefer's unique virtual solutions within the NHS.
Matt Brown did his initial medical in London graduating with distinction. Matt qualified as a specialist in Pain Medicine at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosciences followed by a Doctorate in Medicine (MD Res) from the Institute of Cancer Research (becoming the first anaesthetist in the Institute's history to do so).
Matt has a longstanding interest in digital health solutions, as a junior doctor he led the development of a tablet-based interface for patients with pain. This novel work was recognised for its quality and impact by nominations for both DigitalHealth.London and LaingBuisson awards.
‘Many health conditions disproportionately affect those patients least able to express their unmet need' - Matt is a firm believer that technology will democratise access to health care and improve outcomes both at a clinical and societal level.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive and Senior Management Team
- Chief Medical Officer and Responsible Officer
Matthew is Medefer's Clinical Lead for Respiratory and was made Deputy Medical Director in September 2020.
Matthew was Associate Postgraduate Dean for Medicine at the postgraduate school of Medicine based at Health Education East of England in Cambridge (2017-20) and was the head of department of respiratory medicine at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
He was the Royal College Tutor for Medicine at West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust from 2016 to 2020. During the Coronavirus outbreak of 2020 he established and led the COVID Virtual hospital in Hertfordshire.
Matthew has a clinical interest in chronic cough, unexplained breathlessness, cardio-pulmonary exercise testing and upper airway allergy. He has been actively involved in research into emergency pleural disease management and out of hospital care for acute respiratory conditions.
Matthew was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2020 for his services to healthcare, in particular for his work with COVID-19.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Non - Executive Director
Justin is an experienced FTSE 250 Non-Executive (and ex-CEO of a FTSE 250 healthcare Plc) with an extensive knowledge of public and private healthcare, business services and overseas business activities and marketplaces including in the Middle East, North America, Far East, Australia and New Zealand.
Justin has chaired various healthcare organisations over the past 20 years and has connections and contacts with the NHS, DoH, CQC Monitor and various healthcare think tanks.
He is a member of the CCG quality committee, ENHerts CCG E-consultations project, Cancer Steering Group and PCN cancer group and was also involved in the ICS development in Hertfordshire and the Patient Safety initiative 2021.
Justin has 3 sons and 3 grandsons plus Megan a Welsh Springer spaniel. He enjoys skiing, slowly, and running, even slower.
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief Financial Officer
Laurence is finance professional (ACA) with over 16 years' experience working in the UK and internationally. Laurence has specialised in working with SMEs both in practice at PwC and in industry, having worked at three VC/PE backed companies with high growth subscription-based business models in a range of sectors including a data-based tech / SAAS business, a flexible office provider and a disruptive energy retailer. Laurence has broad experience across a number of roles including M&A, fundraising, financial control and FP&A and enjoys working with senior management teams to bring the finances to life.
Job Titles:
- Director at the Department of Health
- Independent Management Consultant
Professor Sir Mike Richards was a hospital physician for more than 20 years. After a variety of training posts, he was a consultant medical oncologist between 1986 and 1995, and Professor of Palliative Medicine at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals between 1995 and 1999.
In 1999 Sir Mike was appointed as the first National Cancer Director at the Department of Health. He led the development and implementation of the NHS Cancer Plan in 2000, the Cancer Reform Strategy in 2007 and Improving Outcomes: A strategy for cancer in 2011.
He became CQC's first Chief Inspector of Hospitals in July 2013 and led the development and implementation of a new approach to hospital inspection. Sir Mike retired from this role at the end of July 2017.
Sir Mike was awarded a CBE in 2001 and appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2010
He has recently led two major reviews for NHS England: A review of adult screening services (published 2019) and a review of diagnostic services (published October 2020). This recommends a major expansion of diagnostic capacity and a new model of service delivery.
In 2022 he was appointed Chair of the UK National Screening Committee.
"Medefer has the potential to transform pathways to diagnosis for a very large number of patients, thereby improving patient experience and clinical outcomes. I am delighted to be a member of the Clinical advisory Group."
Michael is currently an Independent Management Consultant working with integrated care systems in the UK and globally, specialising in management and leadership, innovation, and public policy. He splits his time working with innovative suppliers and corporate partners to health systems such as Pfizer, Novartis, Medtronic, but also new start-ups and social enterprises, along with a lifelong commitment to the mental health, charitable and sporting sectors. He is also the Pro Chancellor and Chair of Council at Keele University.
Michael was previously a semi-professional football and cricket player, former Interim Chair and substantive vice chair of Sport England, Former chair of Swim England, former National Tsar for Health, Sport and Physical Activity.
"I have been hugely impressed by Medefer's commitment to a shared purpose with the NHS, being joined at the hip to secure the best care for patients and the population but crucially, bringing innovative approaches into clinical pathway management that enable the NHS to achieve the triple aim of better health, better care and sustainable use of resources."
Job Titles:
- Senior Independent Director
Job Titles:
- Service Delivery Director
Tony has a wealth of experience gained in strategic and operational roles within NHS Trusts. Having started his professional healthcare career through the NHS graduate scheme, Tony has since been instrumental in delivering numerous large scale change programmes across the NHS. His passion however is for delivering outstanding clinical services underpinned by an ethos of continuous improvement.
In Tony's most recent Director position at an ‘Outstanding' Acute Trust, he was proud to hold leadership accountability for eight diverse clinical services ranging from Cancer and Oncology to Pathology and Elective Access & Outpatient services. He is known as a versatile, progressive and competent operational Director with an empathetic and collaborative approach.
‘As the NHS faces one of its greatest challenges since its inception, I just knew it was the perfect time to join Medefer. I'm looking forward to using my skills and expertise to deliver an exceptional outpatient service that is fit for the 21st century and to help establish Medefer as a long-term partner of the NHS.'