Past Speakers & Testimonials

HETT - the leading event for the healthcare technology ecosystem - welcomed renowned healthcare experts, influencers and occasionally professional athletes to speak on it’s stages

Speaker Name Speaker Bio Speaker Testimonial
Sonia Patel Sonia Patel is the interim Government Chief Technology Officer, seconded from her previous role as CTO at NHS England. With a career rooted in frontline NHS digital leadership, Sonia has been a driving force behind the UK’s 10-year health plan, leading the development of national technology blueprints and secure, resilient digital infrastructures. Her current work focuses on government-wide technology architecture and the delivery of the national Digital Identity Programme. A recognised leader in the DDaT profession, she also serves as President of the Association of Professional Healthcare Analysts and is a dedicated advocate for the Shuri Network. “Well done to the HETT team. Given conference season it can get crowded. This year’s HETT really stood out. The buzz in the room and the power conversations between the NHS, industry and patients made it a valuable couple of days. The real #HETT2025 headlines was in the buzz of the exhibition hall, something deeper stirred: power conversations, purposeful connections, and shared goals across NHS and industry partners to deliver better and meaningful health and care.”
Nishali Patel Nishali is a Cancer Pharmacist and Clinical Lead in the Digital Medicines Programme at NHS England. She recently led the national delivery of ‘Digital Prescriptions’ in the NHS App and is driving efforts towards enhancing prescription tracking as the next feature on the roadmap. She is also involved in increasing adoption of the Electronic Prescription Service, and previously led the COVID-19 Digital Test programme. Nishali is a Darzi alum with a passion for healthcare leadership, digital transformation through delivery of user-centred products and championing equality and diversity. "It's been really nice to kind of connect with lots of people, I've been to some really good sessions. The buzz and energy here has been really exciting, and I think there's been a lot of excitement this year around some of the innovative things that we've just talked about and I think there's going to be a lot of interesting discussions that will come off the back of it."
Douglas Hamandishe Douglas Hamandishe is a Deputy Mayor of Medway, Chief Clinical Information Officer and registered nurse that brings invaluable insights to HETT North 2025. With over two decades of experience leading digital transformation in healthcare roles from Chief Digital Officer, Clinical Lead, Expert Advisory Board for the NHS and private health technology suppliers, Douglas has enhanced NHS systems knowledge in patient flow, cybersecurity, and user centred design. A social media and branding expert, Douglas is renowned for creating #1 trending LinkedIn videos and specializes in dynamic content strategy and personal/corporate branding. His expertise in using social media to promote health information makes him a key contributor to discussions on leveraging digital platforms for population health. Douglas's role as a collaboration maestro, known for uniting stakeholders with innovative methodologies, and his advocacy for mental health and IT in nursing, underscore his ability to drive meaningful dialogue on the impact of social media in healthcare. His vision for NHS transformation through advanced technology further amplifies the panel's focus on delivering effective population health advice via digital channels. "HETT is fantastic for connecting with people, engaging. Not only do you find out what the latest innovations are, but you can actually have more deeper, involved conversations with fellow clinicians and vendors at the same time in one confined space. And also, most importantly you've got excellent exhibitions and informative talking sessions."
Mayur Vibhuti Mayur Vibhuti is a General Practitioner and innovative healthcare leader with over 20 years of NHS experience. As CCIO for NHS Kent and Medway, he leads digital transformation initiatives serving 2 million people. As an NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur, he created the Medway Innovation Hub, a system wide multi-organisational innovation pathway across the Integrated Care Partnership. He has created a virtual network of over 100 primary care digital champions and drives digital transformation across the Integrated Care healthcare system to fit new models of care. As GP Associate Dean Lead for Kent and Medway ICS Primary Care Training Hubs and as a Visiting Reader in Medical Leadership at Canterbury Christ Church, University of Kent, he has pioneered innovative training programmes and personally delivered multi-professional leadership courses for the last seven years. "It's been fantastic the last two days. I think it's really great to get out of the office from behind the laptop, talk to people and see what's out there with all the stands. There's always something that's surprising and new and the idea is to take that back and have in the back pocket, so when we're thinking about 'could we do something differently?', there'll be something there that you can reach back in your mind to go 'oh, actually we should think about this."
Matthew Evans Matt Evans is techUK's Chief Operating Officer and leads our Market Programme teams. The Market Programme teams help techUK members apply innovative technology solutions across a range of sectors, including the Public Sector, Telecoms, Climate, Financial Services and Cyber. Matt also leads our Nations and Regions work. Matt sits on a number of industry bodies, including the UKspace Executive Committee and the Task & Finish Group on Industry Resilience for Critical Minerals. Matt has previously represented techUK on the Steering Board of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, Digital Framework Task Group and the advisory board for the Prospering from the Energy Revolution industrial challenge fund. "It's been a really good day, I've seen some fascinating technologies and had some fascinating conversations with clinicians about how they're using technology as well, and it's just a really good sort of passionate event."
Angela Maragna Angela Maragna is a professional with extensive experience in various industries, including healthcare, technology, and charity. She currently holds strategic advisory and partnership roles at Liaison Group and Community Partners, respectively. Angela is also actively involved in promoting diversity and inclusion in health innovation through her leadership roles at One HealthTech. Prior to her current positions, she held significant management roles at organizations such as NHS England, NHS Digital, Care Quality Commission, and Emmaus UK. Angela's strong background in change management, program leadership, and relationship management make her a valuable asset to any organisation she is a part of. "HETT is a wonderfully inclusive and warm community. I met so many people who openly helped others whether finding new roles, sharing contacts and expertise or celebrating successes of others. I love seeing all the posts on LinkedIn where everyone is lifting each other up."
Anita Chinda Anita has worked across the public sector in both England and Scotland for over two decades, in a range of senior corporate management, performance improvement, and business / digital transformation roles. She is currently leading on the setting up and deployment of a national centre of expertise, as part of NHSE’s £2Bn Frontline Digitisation programme, to support the successful implementation of Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) and wider clinical transformation in NHS Trusts across England. She also freelances as an Associate Consultant undertaking investigative analysis work on organisational issues primarily in the voluntary and academic sectors. "Fantastic two days at #HETT. As usual lots of ideas, innovations, collaboration, vision and aspiration. Great to meet up with colleagues, stakeholders and like-minded people invested in, and committed to, patient-centred digital transformation."
Nasser Arif Nasser is a cyber security professional with a strong interest in all things tech, transformation and wellbeing. He has only worked within the NHS since 2018 but his dedication and out-of-the-box thinking has helped him progress rapidly over the years through multiple roles starting as a volunteer IT Engineer to now the Cyber Security Manager at his NHS Trust. He has a strong educational background in Aeronautical Engineering which has equipped him with important transferrable skills that have been invaluable within his cyber security roles. Nasser is passionate about the human element of cyber security, and is an advocate for encouraging peers to always aim high and break through any glass ceilings that they encounter. "An absolute pleasure to chair a panel about 'Future proofing' cyber security in health and care during Day 2 of HETT Show. Also a huge thanks to the entire HETT team for all you do in bringing us together to have these important conversations."
Ronke Adejolu Ronke Adejolu is a multifaceted experienced senior digital healthcare professional, a Nurse, with a background in health services management. She was previously the Associate Chief Nursing Information Officer - Community Nursing at NHSX. With 29 years of experience, she has an incredible portfolio of work, with her career spanning both operational and leadership roles across the NHS, Private Healthcare, AHSN, Management Consultancy and the Telecommunications sector. "It’s a wrap for HETT Show in London, and what an extraordinary two days it has been! This year’s event brought together the very best in digital health and care visionary leaders, industry leaders system innovators, health care system partners, technologists, clinicians, patients, administrators, politicians, start-ups, policy and change-makers from across the sector. The atmosphere was electric, a true celebration of collaboration, innovation, and impact. Dr Avi Mehra and I (HETT Show steering committee co-chairs) extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who made #HETT2025 such an incredible success."
Avi Mehra A medical doctor turned digital health leader, Avi is currently an Associate Partner and CSO for Healthcare and Life Sciences at IBM. He is also the Co-Founder of Doctorpreneurs, a pioneering global community for medical innovators and entrepreneurs. With extensive experience in healthcare technology supporting clients across 22 countries, Avi specialises in the responsible application of Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies across health and care. His previous roles include Global Clinical Adoption Leader at IBM Watson Health and Digital Health Clinical Lead at Bupa. Avi is a Fellow at the World Economic Forum and British Computer Society (BCS), Digital Health Advisor and Guest Lecturer at leading Universities in the UK and internationally. His contributions to healthtech were recognized with the UK Asian Tech Pioneer Award (2022) by Diversity UK. "I was blown away by the energy, optimism, and genuine sense of community that filled HETT Show this year. As we all know the NHS faces significant challenges. But what really stood out was a shared determination, that even in tough times, there’s a collective belief in building something better together. That’s why I believe events like HETT Show aren’t just about the content or insights, they’re about the connections, relationships, and shared community that keep us all moving forward."
Reena Patel Reena is a highly experienced pharmacist leader and healthcare consultant, skilled in population health management and developing the enabling capacities in workforce and digital to tackle health inequalities and transform services. She has an extensive background in leading high performing teams and capability development across systems. Reena is experienced in utilising a data-driven approach to encourage collaboration in redesigning services and testing innovation to overcome barriers and improve patient care. Reena has been the portfolio lead for a digital remote monitoring pilot project across Leeds. Reena’s role has provided system clinical leadership in healthcare strategy & transformation. "HETT once again delivered powerful conversations, practical insights, and a real sense of shared purpose, driving better outcomes through collaboration, technology, and compassion."
Sonja Marjanovic Dr Sonja Marjanovic is Director of RAND Europe’s portfolio of research in the field of healthcare innovation, industry and policy. Her work provides decision makers with evidence and insights to support innovation and improvement in health and care systems. She is also a member of the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research, an expert advisor to the NHS England cancer innovation programme, a Trustee of the Nuffield Trust and on the advisory board for the Centre for Healthcare Innovation Research (CHIR) as City, University of London. Sonja is the RAND Europe lead for Decide, a new rapid evaluation centre focused on technology-enabled remote monitoring in health and care. Funded by the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) programme, Decide is a partnership between the University of Oxford and RAND Europe. Sonja received her Ph.D. from Judge Business School, Cambridge University. "It was really great to participate in this year's HETT Show, in my opinion the best one yet, delving deeper into discussions about what it will really take to transform our health system and to implement the ten year plan. It was a pleasure to be part of a panel discussing this together with Samantha Roberts Malte Gerhold William Smart superbly chaired by the diplomatically provocative Dr Avi Mehra."
Claire Dellar Claire Dellar is a distinguished leader in digital health with over 22 years' experience in accessible IT and digital transformation. She is also neurodiverse, a wheelchair user, and living with multiple disabilities, giving her unique insights into the challenges faced by patients with access needs. Serving as Accessibility Ambassador and Lead Product Manager at NHS England, Claire advances life-saving technology across health and care. Claire's expertise in co-design and trauma-informed user research is instrumental in ensuring national digital services are not only robust and accessible but also truly valuable to patients and staff. Claire's commitment to public engagement and addressing health inequalities is evident through her role as a Trustee at Building Self-Belief CIO, helping children and young people achieve their potential. Combining professional expertise, personal experience, and dedication to inclusive design makes Claire uniquely positioned to lead discussions on public engagement in digital service development and addressing health inequalities. "HETT Show - you guys believed in me and gave me and the NHSE Lab volunteers the opportunity to bring accessibility to the stage in a truly interactive way. I know it was not the easiest session to stage, but it got great feedback!""