Ann Mond Johnson

CEO at American Telemedicine Association

Ann Mond Johnson is CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, overseeing the only association focused completely on advancing the adoption of telehealth. Ann is a leading voice representing a healthcare platform that many see as one of the few bright spots in the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on federal and state policy initiatives needed to ensure permanent access to telehealth services, so that everyone has access to safe, effective, and appropriate care when and where they need it. With a diverse membership including leading healthcare delivery systems, academic institutions, technology solution providers and payers, as well as partner organizations and alliances, the ATA is working to integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models. This year, the ATA launched the first-ever Telehealth Awareness Week, bringing together telehealth champions and supporters from every sector of healthcare to underscore the growing value of telehealth and its critical role in care delivery.

He is a Working Council Member of the Asia eHealth Information Network, the President Elect of the Asia Pacific Association for Medical Informatics, HISSL’s representative to the International Medical Informatics Association and a member of the Guidelines Development Group for Digital Health of the World Health Organization. Professor Dissanayake was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka in 2013.

Andy Bleaden

Community Director at ECHAlliance

Andy Bleaden has had long career in both funding and social care going back over 25 years and has been recently working in Greater Manchester at Stockport where he specialised in Adult Social Care, Robotics, Telehealth and Telemedicine, Regeneration and Dementia. He also formed alliances with pan European groups most recently with the EIP-AHA, Coral and Covenant for Demographic Change.
In addition, he has also been working as an External Expert for the European Commission since 2013 and also with the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) on the new Health KIC and also working for the new Urban Innovation Actions as an expert.
He brings a wealth of experience and skills in securing and management of strategic external funding, procurement, innovation funding and forming and development large and complex partnerships across Europe.

Bleddyn Rees

Deputy Chair at Digital Health Society

Bleddyn is a vastly experienced commercial lawyer with 30 years experience of outsourcings, privatisations and complex contracting and projects. He has a unique CV for a private sector lawyer, having spent three and a half years on secondment as General Counsel of the Commercial Directorate of the Department of Health.

On his secondment to the Department of Health he advised the Minsters (Prime Minister, Secretary of State, Ministers of State), Special Advisors and NHS organisations and gave evidence to the Health Select Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. Bleddyn has a very detailed understanding of the UK health sector and regulatory framework.

Brian O’Connor

Global Health Connector Partnership

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Brian developed his career as a consultant, manager and investor. He has worked in the UK, US and Hong Kong and has significant experience as a company director in a variety of industries.

He is currently providing strategic advice to Governments, International organizations and companies on the challenges facing healthcare in general and specifically on the Connected Health opportunity. He created the European Connected Health Alliance, a not for profit organisation which connects Governments, Industry,Research Institutes, Health Services, Patient Groups etc through a Global Network of Ecosystems.

He is Chair of a number of innovative companies and an investor in start ups.

George Crooks

Chief Executive of the Digital Health and Care Institute

Professor George Crooks is currently the Chief Executive of the Digital Health and Care Institute, Scotland’s national innovation centre for digital health and care. He leads an organisation that is tasked with delivering innovation in digital health and care that will help Scotland’s people to live longer, healthier lives and create new jobs for the economy. DHI provides opportunities for Scotland’s public sector, academia, charities and industry to co-design digital solutions to some of the country’s biggest health and care challenges.

He was previously the Medical Director for NHS 24 and Director of the Scottish Centre for Telehealth & Telecare. George was a General Medical Practitioner for 23 years in Aberdeen latterly combining that role as Director of Primary Care for Grampian. George is on the Board of the European Connected Health Alliance. He is currently a Board member and past president of the European Health Telematics Association, andis on the Board of the European Foundation for Critical Care. He leads the Integrated Care Action Group on behalf of the European Commission within the European Partnership for Active and Healthy Ageing. He is Chair of the Scottish Digital Health and Care Innovation Programme Board, focussing on the adoption and delivery, at scale, of technology enabled care services across Scotland. He is also an adjunct Professor of Telehealth at the University of Southern Denmark.

He was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List 2011 for services to healthcare.

Jon Warner

US Ambassador

Jon Warner is a respected business and expert in health and healthcare innovation having led several organizations and founded and led 3 startups (with 2 successful exits). Jon’s career started in the corporate world with Air Products and Chemicals, working in the US and across Europe before joining Exxon-Mobil. At Exxon, Jon worked in the UK, the US, Australia, and Nigeria, ending his career there as Deputy CEO.

Following his 15 years in the corporate world Warner founded and grew a management consulting business-The Worldwide Center for Organizational Development, which had 30 people carrying out a range of strategy assignments for large companies such as Kaiser-Permanente, HCA, Glaxo, Johnson and Johnson, The UK NHS, Roche, and United Healthcare. Much of this work focused on strategy, growth planning and building an innovative and agile or entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial culture.

Following his time as a management consultant Warner was CEO of 2 startups- Since his successful exit from the second of these, Warner has been working from a California base to mentor and invest in disruptive startup and early stage companies, especially in the area of technology deployment mainly in the health, healthcare and wellness space. Warner manages the deal flow into a Los Angeles based Healthcare investment fund-Adaptive Health Capital and is CEO of Silver Moonshots-a research organization and ‘virtual incubator’ for startups focused on the digital health needs of the 50+ population.

Warner’s career has included senior executive roles in marketing, business development, operations, logistics, finance, investment, human resources and engineering/technology.

Warner is a noted speaker at businesses and colleges across the world. He is also a prolific author having published several books, all concerning business, management, leadership, innovation and technology.

A native Englishman, Warner moved from the UK to Australia for 15 years before relocating to Los Angeles in 2004. Warner is a graduate of the top 5 Warwick University in the UK, with a double bachelor’s degree in philosophy and politics and an MBA (with a finance specialism). Warner also undertook an uncompleted PhD in Psychology (with a specialism in Neuro-science). He is also an Adjunct professor at Redlands University. He is married to psychologist, management consultant and author Anne Sandberg, and has four grown up children.

Julien Venne

Director at the Digital Health Society

Naturally evolving in an international environment (fluent in English, French and Spanish), passionate about digital transformation & social impact, Julien is an experienced C-level executive with track records in large corporates, start-ups, governments & public authorities, hospitals, universities and non-profit organisations.

Highly-skilled in strategic thinking, Julien supports the innovation in public and private organisations, around public policies, services & investments design, business modelling, market access & business development tactics, ecosystems building, customers’ engagement, marketing & communication.

As an entrepreneur or intrapreneur, Julien is designing digital products and services aiming to improve people’s life such as personalised health and wellbeing programmes, behaviours change strategies and solutions, digital platforms and mobile apps, GovTech & CivicTech, smart human cities, etc.

As a researcher, Julien is affiliated to the United Nations University (UNU-MERIT), the University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (India). His researches focus on digital transformation, data governance and digital trustworthiness, digital democracy, behavioural sciences, health and wellbeing, public and international health.

Involved in ECHAlliance almost since its beginning, Julien has been Director of Strategy and Innovation during 5 years and now he’s Board Director in charge of the Digital Health Observatory (DHO) and the scientific content of our activities, as well as of the deployment of partnerships and ecosystems in Latin America. He’s also Board member of the Digital Health Society (DHS) and member of the Council of the Global Health Connector Partnership. Julien is also regularly speaking at international events.

Dr. Mohamed El Sahili

Chief Executive/Vision Officer at Medland Hospital, Zambia

Dr. Mohamed El Sahili is the Chief Executive/Vision Officer of the SF Group of companies comprising Medland Hospital, Celine Real Estate, F&A Real Estate and Pharmaland.

Dr. El Sahili served as Fairy Bottling’s CEO until its acquisition by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa on February 1st 2019. Dr. El Sahili has also served as Chairperson of the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI) from May 2017 to May 2019.

A Doctor by profession as well as an entrepreneur, he also serves as a Board Member and Vice President to the American Chamber of Commerce Zambia – Board Member to the Corporate Council on Africa, Board Member to the Africa Healthcare Federation, Board Member to the Baobab College Zambia and Member and Country Representative at the Africa Business Roundtable – Country Scout to the Flying Doctors.

Dr. El Sahili has been awarded as an Africa Food Industry Champion for the Year 2018. In 2020, he was awarded as POTYAS Entrepreneur of the Year 2020. In 2021, he received the Excellence Award at the Africa Healthcare Awards in Nigeria. He also was awarded as a Healthcare Personality in Azerbaijan.

He currently presides the Care and Aim Network for Humanity in Zambia.

His commitment towards Women Empowerment, Waste Management and Wellness & Health is phenomenal and constitutes the pillar of his Vision 8 5 3.

Richard Scarfo

President at HLTH