Transforming Tomorrow Through Leadership and Improvement Today

Samantha is an experienced NHS Chief Executive and joined the North East and North Cumbria to set up the ICB in January 2022.

In addition to her NHS career, which spans nearly 30 years, Sam is also the National Director for Management and Leadership at NHS England and Chair of the Health and Care Women Leaders Network for NHS Confederation.

Julian joined The Dudley Group from Royal Liverpool where he was deputy medical director. A consultant cardiologist by background, Julian has had extensive experience in medical management roles.

Michael West CBE is Senior Visiting Fellow at The King’s Fund, London and Professor of Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, Visiting Professor at University College, Dublin, and Emeritus Professor at Aston University.

He graduated from the University of Wales in 1973 and was awarded a PhD in 1977 for research on the psychology of meditation. He has authored, edited and co-edited 21 books and has published more than 200 articles in scientific and practitioner publications on teamwork, innovation, compassionate leadership, and culture, particularly in healthcare. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association (APA), the Academy of Social Sciences. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and an Honorary Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. He is a member of the Advisory Council of The Global Compassion Coalition.

He co-chaired with Dame Denise Coia, the two-year inquiry on behalf of the UK General Medical Council into the mental health and well-being of doctors Caring for Doctors, Caring for Patients (2019). He led the review for The King’s Fund (commissioned by the RCN Foundation) into the mental health and well-being of nurses and midwives across the UK, The Courage of Compassion: Supporting Nurses and Midwives to Deliver High Quality Care (2020). His latest book (2021) is Compassionate leadership: Sustaining wisdom, humanity and presence in health and social care (London: Swirling Leaf Press). He supports many health care and other public sector organisations internationally to develop compassionate, high quality care cultures.

He was appointed a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020 for services to compassion and innovation in healthcare.

Hannah joined North West Anglia Nhs Foundation Trust in September 2023 with a significant focus on developing an improvement culture – empowering staff to make change, developing visible, connected leaders at all levels and encouraging partnership across sectors to deliver the highest quality care for our growing and diverse population.

Prior to her appointment she was Acting Chief Executive at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. She has extensive experience in the NHS, joining in 1997 as a Management Trainee and working across all sectors holding a diverse range of executive portfolios.

Hannah spent 10 years working in Chief Operating Officer positions at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, as well as Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, where she later took up the role of Director of Improvement.

More recently, she was the Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust where, in a joint role with local commissioning groups, she led their provider collaboration and clinical strategy work.

Ivan Hollingsworth is the founder and director of Centric Consultants, a business dedicated to helping individuals and teams thrive through the development of trust, connection, and psychological safety. With over 16 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Ivan has worked with a wide range of organisations across both the public and private sectors – including ITV, AstraZeneca, and multiple NHS Trusts – bringing a deep understanding of how to build high-performing, resilient teams.

What sets Ivan apart is not just his professional expertise, but the powerful personal journey that shaped it. As a father to Seb, his now 16 year old son who underwent open-heart surgery twice – once as a baby, and again as a teenager – Ivan spent long periods immersed in hospital life. There, he observed more than just clinical excellence; he witnessed the impact of team culture at its best. What stood out was the way healthcare teams worked together—demonstrating psychological safety, vitality and growth through learning. He credits this culture not only with supporting the wellbeing of the staff but also playing a vital role in Seb’s extraordinary recovery.

Motivated by this experience, Ivan has become a passionate advocate for creating work environments where people can truly thrive. Alongside his consultancy work, he has raised over £500,000 for charity through a series of endurance challenges and serves as chair of the Board for CHUF (Children’s Heart Unit Fund) and as a board member of the North East and North Cumbria Congenital Heart Disease Network.

Ivan’s sessions are rooted in lived experience, delivered with authenticity and insight, and designed to equip audiences with practical, actionable tools to foster resilient, thriving teams. His unique perspective, combining professional insight with a deeply personal narrative, offers a powerful message on leadership, culture, and the human impact of truly effective teams.

Aqua’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Susy Cook, is a dedicated and innovative Executive and Board member who brings a wealth of experience across 25 years in the NHS and academia in varying roles from Manager, Director, Coach, Leadership and Organisational Development Lead, and Improver.

Prior to joining Aqua in September 2024, Susy was the Group Chief People Officer at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and started her career as a biochemist and researcher in 1997.

With a deep commitment to healthcare excellence and a track record of effective leadership in the NHS, Susy will further develop a shared sense of purpose, motivation for improvement, and growth during an exciting time of change for the NHS.

Sue Holden

Sue stepped into a new role as Chair of Advancing Quality Alliance in 2024, having spent two years as the organisation’s Chief Executive.

She has worked in the NHS for over 42 years after initially starting her career as a librarian. Sue trained as a nurse, then midwife and worked clinically for over 15 years before developing her interest in OD and learning.

Sue worked as an Executive Director in a Teaching Trust before moving to become the Lead Improvement Director for NHS Improvement in 2015. For seven years Sue worked with Trusts in Quality and Financial Special Measures and latterly as the National Director for Intensive Support. She developed and implemented a new approach to support and the Recovery Support Programme became part of NHSE’s revised oversight framework in 2021.

Sue is recognised for her compassionate approach to providing improvement support to organisations, senior leadership teams and Boards. Sue believes it is more ‘how’ we go about supporting organisations than ‘what’ we do, as the key to enabling organisations to improve and most importantly sustain improvement. Her philosophy is based upon clear leadership, the application of improvement science aligned to clear governance and a willingness to stand alongside and find a way through the many challenges we face in providing great care to our communities.

Sue is a guiding group member for the Health and Care Women Leaders Network and supports a number of offers mentorship to early career leaders.