Eamonn Sullivan

As Chief Nurse, on the board at the Royal Marsden, Eamonn represents the Trusts 1400 Nurses, Therapists and Pharmacists and is responsible for the patient safety and patient experience portfolios. The Royal Marsden is Europe’s largest cancer centre with the third largest cancer research portfolio globally. It is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the NHS regulator, the Care Quality Commission.

At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, Eamonn was called upon to become the Director of Nursing at NHS Nightingale London – part of a five person leadership team charged with designing, building and operating the world’s largest temporary Critical Care Unit built at the Excel conference centre, which become operational in just 9 days. Fortunately, Nightingale London was not used to its full capacity, but still cared for 55 critically ill Londoners, becoming at that time, Europe’s largest temporary Critical Care Unit.

Prior to his current role, Eamonn held a number of positions in prestigious NHS Trusts, including – Deputy Chief Nurse at University College London Hospitals and Deputy Chief Nurse at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals.

Eamonn spent much of his clinical career in Adult Critical Care, he holds an MSc in Critical Care from Kings College London. In 2017 he was honoured to become a Florence Nightingale Leadership Scholar.

Outside of the NHS, Eamonn is a Major in the British Army Medical Services (Reserve). He has had the privilege of leading UK and US Army Medical Teams in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, including being appointed as the Officer Commanding Critical Care at Camp Bastion. Eamonn rates these experiences as being pivotal periods in his career.

In October 2020 Eamonn was called upon to become NHS Test and Trace’s first Chief Nursing Officer – he is currently seconded into this position and returns to the Royal Marsden in January 2021.

Eamonn lives in Berkshire with his wife Yamini, an NHS Paediatric Speech Therapist, and their two children.

 

 

 

Andrew Steele

An Olympic athlete, Andrew spent 12 years competing professionally in track and field, specialising in the 400 metres and the 4×400 metre relay for Great Britain. With a well-known career and profile, Andrew is a respected voice in the media on all topics related to sport, fitness, health and wellbeing.

Andrew is a skilled public speaker, writer and presenter, his athletic career saw him work and represent many global brands across a wide variety of industry sectors, from pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Smith Kline to global logistics company CHEP, all the way to consumer brands like Nike and Asics.

He is a passionate advocate for anti-doping and sporting integrity, in 2017 Andrew became an Olympic medallist after he was retrospectively upgraded from 4th place to 3rd from the Beijing 2008 games as a result of the Russian doping scandal.

Andrew’s experience of success and failure as a professional sportsperson led him to discover the DNAFit technology, and as a result has a very personal and passionate experience as to the utility of personal genetics. Andrew has a wide professional experience covering a number of sectors, including: sports apparel, sports commercial, rights and talent management, print and broadcast journalism and even as a professional music producer. As adept at copywriting and designing marketing campaigns as he is at translating genomics API’s and modelling ruleset algorithms, Andrew uses his personal experience as a sportsman to shape, build and represent the best genetic products possible for DNAFit.

Andrew Steele is one of the founding team at DNAFit, with the role Head of Product & Professional Sport. This role puts Andrew in charge of the entire product offering and structure, from consumer to professional sport clients – including working with the Scientific Advisory Board to accurately communicate genetic science into consumer products, designing and overseeing the visual communication of the various products for appropriate audiences, working closely with development team to create both digital and offline products, as well as overseeing the company brand, voice and marketing output. As a founding team member, Andrew also represents the company in media or press opportunities, as well as playing a role in the corporate management and guidance of the company.

 

Andy Torbet

After 10 years in the British Forces Andy left to pursue a career in scientific exploration and film-making. To date Andy has presented on 19 TV series including BBC1, BBC2, CBBC, Discovery US and the History Channel. This has seen him free dive under the Alaskan ice, stand in the middle of a 700 degree fireball, climb a 12 storey glass building, swim with sharks, cave dive inside icebergs and present live on BBC1.

With his background as an ex-Bomb Disposal Officer, Paratrooper and Army Diver Andy uses his own life experiences and love for extreme sports to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible. As part of a TV series called Beyond Bionic, Andy asked contacts within the UK Space Agency to personally build him a set of jet engines that would allow him to fall faster in a skydive. The project eventually led to Andy being involved as a test pilot with the UK’s Space sector in their development of prototype equipment.

As a keen Skydiver and Wing suiter Andy has made various films for TV in the name of science. This has seen him execute a HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) jump for BBC’s Cloud Lab as well as perform a solo jump from 28,000ft over the Arizona desert with various scientific collection apparatus strapped to his chest, whilst racing a Peregrine Falcon – the fastest animal in the world.

Despite the technical and extreme nature of the work he undertakes, Andy maintains a deep interest in academia. With a degree in Zoology and a Masters in Archaeology, Andy’s academic interests are as varied as his extreme skills. He has a keen interest in science and engineering and he’s a member of Mensa, the High IQ Society – “For every hour I spend in the gym I’ll spend three reading a book”.

Most recently Andy has become involved with elements of the UK Space community assisting in the design and testing of space exploration equipment.

Gregg Wallace

A high-profile presenter on UK TV, Gregg came to prominence as the co-host of MasterChef, Celebrity Masterchef and Masterchef: The Professionals alongside John Torode. The show has versions in over 25 countries, earning its reputation as the world’s biggest food programme.

Gregg began his career as a greengrocer at Covent Garden Fruit and Veg Market and in 1989 he started George Allan’s Greengrocers, a company that built up to an eventual turnover of £7.5 million and boasted over 500 restaurant clients.

Based on his business success, he was invited to co-present Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Charlie Hicks, which lasted for seven years. In 2002, he was the original presenter of Saturday Kitchen, a show he still features on to this day. Other food-related TV projects include: Eat Well for Less, Inside the Factory, Turn back Time, Harvest and Supermarket Secret.

Along with various food and cookery shows Gregg has appeared on everything from Who Do You Think You Are? to 8 Out Of 10 Cats and also had a stab at Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. Away from the media, Gregg formerly owned a restaurant and was also Managing Director of an online farm shop and distributor of home grown produce to the public and restaurants. He also regularly writes for Good Food and Olive magazine.

Iain Hennessey

Share

Iain Hennessey currently leads an Innovation Team which is working with world leading companies and local small businesses, using gaming technology, sensors and cognitive computing to predict the progression of illnesses and plan individualised treatments.

He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with honours degrees in Medicine, Surgery and Anatomical sciences, before going on to train as a paediatric surgeon in the United Kingdom and Australia. He has always been interested in innovation, helping found a startup surgical simulation company as a trainee and then progressing to become the clinical director of innovation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Notable achievements have included forming partnerships with large multi national companies such as Sony and IBM, building a unique underground 1000sqm innovation facility for collaboration with the tech sector and developing a team of clinician entrepreneurs to drive change within the NHS.

He founded the world’s first cognitive hospital AI project for patient support. This was a healthcare innovation ecosystem at Alder Hey, centred on a 1000m2 health innovation hub which also featured an award-winning team.

As Director of Innovation Iain is passionate about working with companies who are at the leading edge of technology; for example, trying out new kit such as virtual reality headsets, or visiting a super computer to see how it crunches data to produce the best care plan for a patient.

Alder Hey is pioneering the use of 3D printed body organs which can be taken into operating theatres, to help guide surgery; and they are helping to develop gaming and the use of artificial intelligence to communicate, entertain and reduce stress in child patients.

He is currently developing a long term strategy to build the worlds first “Living hospital” by adapting emerging technologies to enable the building to care for the children within it, both medically and holistically.

In 2017, he was presented with a gold award for his pioneering leadership of innovation. In 2020 Iain was appointed Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Liverpool.

TALK TOPICS INCLUDE:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Living/learning from mistakes
Human factors in the operating room
Creating a culture of innovation
Dealing with fear

 

Steve McCulley

Steve switched to motorpsort as a second career and made an immediate impact. He has competed in over 50 races in the last four years, with a 50% podium finish rate, and is an ARDS ‘A Grade’ Instructor.

Prior to his motorsport career, he was a commissioned officer in the Royal Marines for seventeen years, where he served in all the Commando Units and deployed all over the world, including operational tours to Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan, before his career was cut short.

Whilst in command of 175 marines on his second operational tour to Afghanistan in 2011, during an extremely hostile period in Helmand Province, his leadership and management skills were fully tested in the most dire of situations. Whilst operating in an area that at the time was considered to be the most dangerous square mile on Earth, he was very seriously injured by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), which put him in a coma for three weeks and physical rehabilitation for over two years.

Whilst in rehab he soon realised that his military career was over and, faced with great adversity, he turned his passion for cycling into a business and established a custom carbon bike building company – LIOS Bikes (abbreviated from the names of his children, Lily & Oscar). In November 2018 Steve won the ‘Heropreneur of the Year’ award, an inaugural event aimed to shine a spotlight on the business achievements of Armed Forces personnel who have founded their own companies.

As he could no longer compete on two wheels, and being a petrol head from a young age, he gravitated towards four wheels and an engine. After being introduced to Mission Motorsport in 2013, Steve soon found himself involved with the forces’ motorsport charity whilst in its infancy and at the beginning of 2014 he was selected to race in the 2014 Caterham Academy.

In 2017 Steve had a 70% podium finish rate in the Caterham 310R Championships and in 2018 he is aiming to translate that success to British GT, where he will be racing a Jaguar F Type SVR GT4 in British GT for the Invictus Games Racing Team. With the ambition to continue competing at the highest levels, he continues to build upon his motorsport career in order to enhance his experience as a talented racing driver, coach and instructor.

Steve is also a polished inspirational speaker. He highlights his experience in leadership and management whilst serving in the marines and setting up a new business. Steve also speaks insightfully about the adversity he faced in overcoming life-changing injuries and he shares his passion for motorsport, that fuels his drive to succeed.

 

Stephanie Davies

Stephanie has over 12 years experience working in the public and private sector and is recognised as one of the UK’s leading voices in happiness humour and laughter.

In past 12 years Stephanie has worked on projects and events developing everything from creating happy spaces and environments in schools and health settings to motivating and inspiring individuals and teams in large blue chip organisations as well as working on government initiatives to promote positive, happy lives and work.

Stephanie’s unique combination as an award winning stand-up comedian and her expertise and knowledge in psychology and business makes her one of the most sought after speakers on the business and after-dinner circuit.

Qualifications include: An M.A in The psychology of humour and laughter for personal growth; Dip1 CBT, Health psychology and Analytical psychotherapy B.A Hons in Community Arts; Advanced Skills in Creative business and Cognition, JMU; Graduate of The Health Care Intensive Programme, with Patch Adams MD USA; Graduate of Dr Madan Kataria’s Laughter Techniques Programme; NLP Practitioners Diploma; and is qualified in cognitive behavioural psychology and health psychology.

On top of her busy schedule, Stephanie is often asked to contribute to popular television programmes, such as Trisha, The Bank of Mum and Dad, BBC’s Heaven & Earth and ITV’s Stand-up Jenny. She is also a regular on BBC Radio. Her book, “Laughology: The Science of Laughter”, has received excellent reviews on Amazon, The Guardian Book website and Watkins book review.

Simon Shepard

Simon has been described as a nuisance. A Chartered Physiotherapist by profession, he is a disruptor who has worked in professional sport since 1991, predominantly at Lord’s cricket ground. In 2008 Simon co-founded Optima-life, a company that combines technology, training and coaching.

With a mission to provide a symbiotic learning culture between the sporting, corporate and health worlds, Optima-life has built up a significant client base in a variety of sectors and has worked on six continents. Work with clients challenges individuals and teams to assess their performance behaviours in a salutogenic manner.

Simon brings firsthand experience to his speaker roles and, with over 1.3b data points at his disposal, underpins content with psychophysiological data that brings the concept of KHPI (Key Human Performance Indicators) to life.

He regularly works with organisations who believe that their people are an essential catalyst for performance, productivity and purpose.

Dr. Dorian Dugmore

Dr. Dorian Dugmore is an expert in Cardiovascular Health. He has been working in Cardiovascular Medicine and Wellness for 30 years and has written extensively on health, exercise and heart disease.

He is the Director of Wellness International which he founded with adidas UK to pioneer a new concept in Preventative Medicine and Wellness. The ‘adifit for LIFE’ programme has received World and European Best Practice Awards for Corporate Wellness.

Dorian has been featured on TV a number of times, including – ‘Tonight with Trevor McDonald’, focusing on stress, heart disease and football league management and BBC’s ‘Working Lunch’ focusing on the health of Chief Executives. Dorian is a renowned speaker at professional conferences as well as a Wellness coach for business organisations which have recently included Everything Everywhere, Sky, Greene King, Sodexo and Causeway.

Dorian is himself a former athlete and coach at National and International level; he has run 19 full marathons and coached the British World Student Games Soccer team at four consecutive World Games.

Dorian presents a compelling case for taking a preventative approach to health and wellbeing. His message is hugely motivational, as he outlines the changes that can be made to our lifestyle habits in order to avoid the health risks that will occur if we don’t. Dorian examines in particular the impact of poor lifestyle habits on cardiovascular health (as well as diabetes, cancer, etc.) in order to illustrate the impact that nutrition, exercise and stress play in relation to our wellbeing.