The leadership team
The CF team is led by healthcare experts — who offer a wealth of experience and provide strong leadership and direction across all our health systems, life sciences and data innovation projects.
Hannah Farrar
Chief Executive
Hannah Farrar
Since 2013, she has steered the development of CF to the award-winning organisation it is today. Building a company dedicated to improving healthcare through the delivery of management consulting and data services and products.
In supporting our clients, Hannah has an exceptional track record of motivating people and organisations to deliver transformational change. She provides in-depth experience of strategy development and delivery, organisational development and change, financial and economic analysis, building capability and motivation, and navigating complex local and national politics. She provides leadership across the breadth of our client services.
Prior to founding CF, Hannah was an executive in the NHS and has also held positions in the Department of Health. Hannah delivered major programmes of strategic change, including ‘Healthcare for London’ a system strategy for health and care in the capital, which is renowned for having delivered considerable improvements in services such as stroke and trauma care.
Hannah is a member of the Kings Fund General Advisory Council, a non-executive director for Lantum and a visiting professor at Imperial College London. Hannah is a co-author of the book Healthcare for London: Reflections on Leadership, Lessons and Legacy. And has been recognised as one of the top 100 women in healthcare leadership.
Ben Richardson
Managing Partner
Ben Richardson
Over the last two decades Ben has worked across with health systems and life sciences companies on multiple continents. He has worked from national to local levels of health systems on strategy, transformation and development. He has worked in many areas including primary care, diabetes, cardiovascular, cancer, mental health as well as population health management more broadly.
Since 2014 he has supported the development of CF as an award-winning healthcare company operating in management consulting and data services and products.
Over the past two years Ben has led CF work to use data to support the UK’s response to Covid, vaccination of the country, recovery and addressing health inequalities.
Ben’s main focus now is supporting life sciences companies with the uptake of innovation in health systems and in enabling the use of data and digital to transform care and improve outcomes.
Prior to CF, Ben was a Senior Partner at McKinsey, where he served healthcare clients all over the world and led Integrated Care across Europe.
Ben is originally from Canada, and studied at both Princeton and Harvard. Outside of his work, he is an occasional cyclist, a consistent wine enthusiast, and a lover of travel and spending time on the water and in the outdoors.
Catherine Skilton
Managing Partner, Health Systems
Catherine Skilton
Catherine is Managing Partner at CF, leading the Health Systems business and support the continued development of CF as an award-winning healthcare management consulting and data services and products company.
Over the past 20 years, Catherine has supported health and care systems to transform through financial and operational improvement, operating model redesign, mergers, infrastructure investments, integrated care strategy and population health management. She has had a particular focus on the delivery of provider improvement, enabling organisations to use data and digital to improve care and drive sustainable digitally enabled change. She has also worked closely with major Technology and Data companies serving the NHS.
Catherine has worked at all levels of the health and care system in the UK, from national to local and with the NHS and private healthcare organisations. She has particularly worked with Trusts, Integrated Care Systems and NHS Regulators.
Prior to CF, Catherine was a Senior Partner at Deloitte, where she led the local Health Services business and supported NHS and private healthcare clients to transform their performance and operating models.
Catherine has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Southampton and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
Outside of work she lives with her husband and daughter in East Surrey and is a regular hiker, fantasy fiction enthusiast, and occasional artist to fulfil her creative side.
Jo Andrews
Partner & Chief Medical Officer, London and Europe
Jo Andrews
Jo has led clinical services at a regional level, necessitating broad stakeholder engagement, and major service reconfigurations across sites to achieve service sustainability and clinical standards.
At CF, Jo’s major areas of interest are clinical strategy development, pathway and transformation, and workforce planning. Engaging and developing clinical leaders is at the heart of his approach to each of these, and improving the lives of patients and staff in healthcare is what energises him at work.
Away from CF, Jo is a keen cook, enthusiastic member of his local amateur dramatic society and reluctant follower of Tottenham Hotspur. He lives in Sussex with his wife and adult sons, as well as an assortment of animals who regularly appear on conference calls.
Kevin Atkin
Partner
Kevin Atkin
A highly analytical, strategic thinker and change management leader with a drive to make real sustainable improvements in the organisations he supports. With over 20 years of organisational leadership experience, 15 of those within healthcare across the public and private sector. He has extensive experience of supporting organisations to change, including developing strategies, the redesign and reconfiguration of services and delivering operational change at local, regional and national levels. He is experienced in working across the healthcare landscape with leadership, clinical and operational teams alike.
Kevin thrives on working across whole systems and has recently been working with organisations within an ICS to balance community and mental health services to need, he has also supported at place level to implement PHM practical methodologies into PCNs and at a national level to support capacity evaluation of services at local, regional and national levels to support recovery.
Prior to joining CF Kevin worked in supply chain consultancy across Europe, and north and south America and in health consultancy for The Health Works, Finnamore, and GE Healthcare which have enabled him to work for many clients delivering operational change, people change and embedding the enabling technology. He has also worked as a Director in the NHS for 5 years at what is now a place and ICS region ultimately supporting a whole system reconfiguration.
Kevin is a keen cyclist, with the last year putting more miles on his bike than his car. Good for both his waistline and our commitment to being carbon neutral.
Phil Livingstone
Director
Phil Livingstone
Phil brings over 10 years of consulting experience working with NHS commissioners, providers and care systems. Phil has a particular interest in the development of Integrated Care Systems, working at place, provider collaborative and system-wide levels. He helps people connect population need with strategic priorities, care model design and collaborative working. He also supports work on population health management and organisational design. Phil also acted as a tutor on the NHS Leadership Academy, supported senior managers and clinical leads to develop their leadership capabilities.
Prior to CF Phil worked at KPMG in the UK advising NHS clients. He has a PhD in neuropharmacology and is a qualified management accountant.
Outside of work Phil enjoys running several times a week, getting through as many books as possible and travelling again now that the pandemic is receding.
Dr Zahra Safarfashandi
Partner
Zahra Safarfashandi
Dr Zahra is a partner at CF, and Chief Executive of CF GCC, our Middle East entity. She is a clinician and an experienced healthcare management consultant.
She specialises in implementing clinical and digital transformation programmes at scale. She has worked across the UK, Europe and the Middle East focused on improving clinical outcomes, workforce productivity and operational effectiveness by leveraging clinical best practice and digital innovations.
Her skills include strategy development, programme management and change management in addition to strong problem- solving skills, communication skills and a broad knowledge of healthcare in the UK and across the Middle East.
Vernon Baxter
Associate Partner
Vernon Baxter
Vernon has an extensive background in the UK’s health and social care investment market, reporting on UK M&A activity for over 15 years and convening major industry events. With a network spanning health investors, executives, funders and advisors he previously led Investor Publishing and HealthInvestor UK for over a decade.
Vernon is an Associate Partner at CF, connecting leaders in private equity, healthcare and banking with the team at CF. Vernon brings extensive market intelligence to the team, who advise clients on commercial and operational due diligence, value creation and growth strategy. Vernon also advises a range of stakeholders across health and social care, including HolonIQ, a leading provider of global impact intelligence, having established its healthcare division in 2022.
Christian Adams
Director, Health Systems
Christian Adams
Christian is a Director at CF, and part of the Health Systems consulting team. Christian has worked in and around the NHS for the past 20-years, including nearly a decade of experience in healthcare consulting. He brings a wealth of operational and financial expertise, having supported Trusts across the country – from productivity to elective pathway improvement and financial transformation.
He thrives on working collaboratively in teams, applying creative thinking to help clients solve longstanding and complex challenges. He has worked with Trusts across the NHS including Royal Free London, Barts Health, the London Ambulance Service, Oxleas and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals.
Coming from a family of artists, he is passionate about the music of New Orleans and enjoys daily runs.
Dr Joud Abduljawal
Chief Medical Officer, Middle East
Dr Joud Abduljawad
Dr. Joud is recognised for his expertise in clinical performance improvement, integrated care, telehealth, and medical informatics.
He has a proven track record of driving transformative changes and delivering excellent organizational clinical performance. Joud has held various leadership roles both in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia across the governmental and private sectors. He has led several transformative programs and initiatives to enhance patient safety, quality of care, and operational efficiency across the healthcare organisations he has served.
Leanne Schofield
Chief People Officer
Leanne Schofield
Leanne has a background in building and elevating HR and People functions in Financial Services and technology businesses in the UK and globally. Leanne loves leading all facets of the people agenda, but is most passionate about career development, reward and recognition and social responsibility.
In her spare time, Leanne enjoys embracing her love of all things French (notably the food and wine), spending time outdoors, watching football and doing yoga.
Feargus Murphy
Head of FP&A and Data Ops Lead
Feargus Murphy
Antonia Alley
Head of CEO Office
Antonia Alley
Antonia is responsible for the running of the CEO’s office, supporting the Chief Executive to deliver her corporate and client commitments. She has experience in various parts of the healthcare sector including academia, law, and the NHS. Antonia joined CF from the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s Strategy and Policy Unit where her work involved developing professional strategy and policy across regulation, workforce, and supporting NHS England’s Covid-19 emergency response.
Antonia studied Philosophy BA at Durham University, has an MSc in Mental Health Ethics and Law from King’s College London, and completed a Health Policy PGDip at Imperial College.
Outside of work, Antonia loves travelling, yoga, and finding London’s best Sunday roasts.
Guy Cochrane
Senior Manager
Guy Cochrane
Libby Dixon
Senior Manager
Libby Dixon
Charlotte Osborne
Senior Manager
Charlotte Osborne
Yemi Oviosu
Senior Manager
Yemi Oviosu
Yemi is a Senior Manager with a background in technology strategy, IT operating model and organisation design and technology implementation. His experience across Life Sciences and Healthcare includes developing value propositions for digital health technologies, evaluating the implementation of AI/ML technologies in NHS Trusts and developing workforce supply and demand modelling across the NHS.
Yemi enjoys keeping fit by playing and coaching football regularly.
Our Advisors
Matthew Swindells
Chair
Matthew Swindells
Matthew is responsible for chairing the board focused on corporate governance, board process and supporting the Chief Executive in achieving the organisation’s purpose and objectives in line with its ethos and values.
Matthew is the Chair of the Board for the four acute hospitals that make up the the North West London Acute Collaborative – Chelsea and Westminster Foundation Trust, Hillingdon Foundation Trust, Imperial College Hospital Trust and London North West Hospital Trust. He also runs his own consultancy, MJS Healthcare Consulting, through which he provides strategic advice on digital transformation in global healthcare to a small number of innovative companies.
He has spent his entire career in healthcare, most recently as Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer for the NHS in England. In this role he led the NHS’s operational management, emergency response, major transformation programmes and the creation of Integrated Care Systems, to move the NHS away from a market system towards population health management. He was also responsible for the development of the NHS’s digital strategy and launch of the NHS app, which enables people to access their GP health record and provides the national vaccine passport.
Haseeb Ahmad
Advisor
Haseeb Ahmad
Haseeb has over 25 years of life sciences leadership experience and a distinguished record of creating multi-billion dollar brands from primary care to rare disease, across mature and growth markets. He was most recently President for Novartis Europe having previously been President for Novartis Gene Therapies in the US. Prior to this, he was the Global Head of Value & Access and Commercial Development at Novartis and then Managing Director of Novartis UK, Ireland & Nordics. While at Novartis, Haseeb also acted as Government Advisor for Innovation Expert Group and acted as President and Chairman for ABPI prior to that. Before joining Novartis, he held a long career with MSD including country Managing Director roles in Ireland and Greece.
Throughout his career, Haseeb has built and led high-performing teams including at leading pharmaceutical companies. He is also a vocal advocate and industry ambassador for expanding access to innovative medicines.
Vernon Baxter
Advisor
Vernon Baxter
Vernon has an extensive background in the UK’s health and social care investment market, reporting on UK M&A activity for over 15 years and convening major industry events. With a network spanning health investors, executives, funders and advisors he previously led Investor Publishing and HealthInvestor UK for over a decade.
Vernon is a health investing specialist at CF, connecting leaders in private equity, healthcare and banking with the team at CF. Vernon brings extensive market intelligence to the team, who advise clients on commercial and operational due diligence, value creation and growth strategy. Vernon also advises a range of stakeholders across health and social care, including HolonIQ, a leading provider of global impact intelligence, having established its healthcare division in 2022.
Dorinda Hickey
Advisor
Dorinda Hickey
Dorinda has over 15 years’ consulting experience as a market access specialist; with expertise in pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement, healthcare policy analysis, advocacy, payer engagement and value communications.
Prior to consulting Dorinda had a long career at Novartis where she held positions in business unit and country management, including Head of Oncology and Dermatology for Novartis UK, Head of Business Intelligence and Director of Healthcare Marketing. She has broad consulting and corporate experience in market access, marketing strategy and clinical development in a variety of therapy areas including Haematology, Endocrinology, Neurology, Mental Health, Respiratory Medicine, Cardiology, Organ Transplantation and Infectious Diseases.
Dorinda has developed industry leading mass market promotional campaigns and award winning programmes in the areas of Dermatology and Sexual Health. She has an MSc in Health Economics from the London School of Economics and a PhD in Haematology from Trinity College Dublin.
