Professor George Crooks is currently the Chief Executive of the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre, 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, deliver sustainable health and care services for the future and create economic benefits for Scotland. He was previously the Medical Director for NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Service 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 and is a past president of the European Health Telematics Association. He was an assessor for the European Commission on programmes involving digital health and care provision, led the Integrated Care Action Group in the European Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy Ageing and is a member of the WHO roster of experts for digital health. He has been an advisor to several European governments and global organisations including the World Bank on digital health and care. He is an advisor to Innovate UK for its Industrial Grand Challenge programme for Health Ageing. 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. 

Janette has over 20 years of experience in Design, Innovation, Economic Development and Programme Management. She has focused the last ten years on Digital Health and Wellness leading various high-profile innovation projects in Scotland, including the Wellness and Health Innovation Project, and over the last 5 years, involvement with two major Innovate UK-backed programmes: 

• Future city demonstrator (Glasgow) where she assisted in the development of a City Observatory that harnessed the power of data for City challenges (some of which related to Health and well-being)
• The Scottish DALLAS programme, which pioneered a Digital wellness platform and applications in Scotland

Janette has undertaken many international keynote presentations on this subject and has led numerous trade missions to Japan, the USA, India and throughout Europe. She has a thorough understanding of this sector and how service, technical and business innovation and readiness levels need to merge and connect to benefit stakeholders. In addition, Janette is: 

• Chair of the Digital Working Group for All Policies for a Healthy Europe
• Chair of the UKTIN Health & Care Working Group
• Scottish Government Digital Capability Advisory Group Member
• Remote & Rural Health & Care Strategic Board Member
• Scottish Lead for the UK & Ireland HIMSS Steering Group

Marion has worked within the Digital Health and Care Division of Scottish Government since 2022. She leads on Scotland’s organisational Digital Maturity programme that is open to all health and social care organisations. She also manages the Scottish Government commission of the Digitally Enabled Workforce Team at NHS NES. This is designed to improve the digital capability of the workforce and leadership across our health and care landscape. 

Prior to joining Scottish Government, she worked in the Third Sector, NHS and academia in a range of senior management and operational roles. She has extensive experience and qualifications in organisational & workforce development and addiction & recovery service design and delivery. 

David works for the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government and leads the team responsible for delivering Scotland’s Digital Telecare, Shared Alarm Receiving Centre and Telecare Data programmes. He also leads a workstream within the Digital Front Door Social Work and Social Care Programme, supporting national efforts to improve how people access, navigate and engage with social work and social care services. Prior to moving into this role, he was a Senior Manager with the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership for more than 10 years, providing senior-level leadership to a portfolio of services including Community Equipment, Telecare and Citywide Supported Housing.  

David brings extensive experience from the Technology Enabled Care, Housing and Third sectors, demonstrating strong capabilities in strategic planning, business development, organisational development and change management. He is a certified Agile Practitioner and holds a Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Public Sector Leadership. 

In February 2026, David was honoured with the Holyrood Connect Digital Health and Care Digital Leader Award. 

Professor Kevin Kelman was appointed as the first Director of NHS Scotland Academy, Learning and Innovation in NHS Education for Scotland (NES) in 2023.  

The NHS Scotland Academy, Learning and Innovation Directorate supports the strategic delivery of innovation which can support innovative practice through workforce education, training, research and workforce redesign. 

In 2023, Kevin was appointed as a visiting professor within Strathclyde Business School at the University of Strathclyde in recognition of his experience in leadership and management in public services. 

Kevin has been a member of the Scottish Funding Council’s Skills, Enhancement, Access and Learning (SEAL) Committee since 2023.  

Chal leads on DHI’s technical strategy and is responsible for the way we support and deliver technical innovation, by applying systems thinking and methodologies in support of the DHI innovation model. 
 
He is devoted to the idea that citizens can be empowered to take an active role in their own well-being. 
 
Chal believes that digital health offers the tools to achieve this, and the DHI has the fresh perspective necessary to reconceive the relationship between the citizens and those who might care for them. 
 
He brings a range of skills including a Master’s in Healthcare Management & Leadership and a Master’s in Public Health Policy: Health Systems. 
 
He has spent seven years working in digital innovation, seven years working in Scottish Government public policy and healthcare service delivery and has led the design, development, integration and roll-out of many digital health and care services with several now in use at scale across Scotland. 

David has significant experience of creating the infrastructure and conditions to develop innovative devices, services and solutions with a range of industry and academic partners both UK and worldwide.  

He leads on range of projects focused on AI within clinical pathways for diagnostic and long term management in conditions such as Heart Failure, COPD and Lung Cancer. Such projects focus on developing multimodal AI/ML clinical decision support by embedding a data driven approach combined with patient co-management into clinical care pathways. David also established the EmQuire research group focusing on data, devices and decisions within Emergency Medicine. 

John O’Connell is a senior digital health leader with more than 25 years’ experience across NHS and international healthcare transformation. He is currently NHS England’s first Executive in Residence, helping strengthen the digital, data and analytics community, develop future leadership, build AI workforce capability and create new partnerships across the NHS, industry and academia.​

A BCS Fellow and Certified Healthcare CIO, John also leads Strategic and Service Innovation at NHS South, Central and West, where his work spans AI, automation, analytics and digital service transformation.​

At DigiFest Scotland, John shares lessons from his own digital health journey and asks whether successful innovation sometimes means having the confidence to end somewhere very different from where you started.​

Ayobola Chike-Michael is a Senior Project Manager with extensive leadership experience in healthcare innovation, mental health, digital health, and system transformation. Currently working at the Health Innovation Network South London, she supports the national Mindset-XR programme, funded by Innovate UK, helping to accelerate the adoption and spread of immersive technologies across mental health services. She works closely with digital health companies, innovators, NHS organisations, clinicians, and system leaders to support implementation, evaluation, evidence generation, and pathway integration. Ayobola has a strong track record in leadership, stakeholder management, system convening, patient safety, quality improvement, change management, and project delivery. She is passionate about translating innovation into practice, building strategic partnerships, and enabling the successful adoption of technologies that improve patient outcomes and drive health system transformation. 

Angela Constance was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care in May 2026.  

Prior to 2007, she worked as a social worker and mental health officer and was a local councillor in Livingston.  

She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament since May 2007, first for the Livingston constituency and now for the Almond Valley constituency.  

She has served as Minister for Youth Employment and Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, and Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities. Also a former Minister for Drugs Policy, Ms Constance served as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs for more than three years until being appointed to her current role. 

Dr Katriona Brooksbank holds a BSc (Hons) in Genetics (Immunology) and a PhD in Medicine and Therapeutics from the University of Aberdeen.

With experience spanning academia, industry, and the health service both in the UK and internationally, Katriona has specialised in the ethical design and delivery of observational health research and clinical trials, as well as innovation and technology evidence generation in healthcare. To complement her postdoctoral work in novel therapeutics—including digital solutions and AI as a medical device—she completed a Master of Laws in Medical Law and Ethics.

Currently, Katriona is the R&I Innovation Lead for WosIH (core CSO funded), supporting innovation across Health Boards in the West of Scotland and collaborating closely with colleagues in the North and East of Scotland. She is Co-Chair of the AI Governance Group, a member of the National Steering Committee for AI deployment, and Chair of the Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee (WoSREC1).

As Intellectual Property Officer at NHSGGC, she supports benefit sharing with partners. Katriona is also an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Glasgow, teaching and directing the MSc in MedTech Innovation and leading courses on ethics, regulation, and governance.

As Business and Operations Director at Abbotsford Care, she is committed to developing a sustainable, forward-looking care business while retaining its strong family values. Having grown up alongside residents and staff and worked across a range of roles within the organisation, she brings a deep understanding of care and a relationship-based approach to improvement and innovation. Her background in Contemporary Performance and Creative Producing has shaped her collaborative, creative and facilitative approach. She is particularly interested in how innovation and digital approaches can support better experiences and outcomes for residents and staff, while helping care organisations adapt and grow sustainably. 

Iona Colvin was Chief Adviser to Scottish Ministers until she retired in January 2026. In her
previous role she was responsible for advising on social work and care policy across adult,
children, families, and justice sectors. She led the development of the National Social Work
Agency (NSWA) and contributed to the Care Reform Bill and to the establishment of the
Social Work Education Partnership and served as sponsor for the Scottish Social Services
Council.
Iona is a former Director of Social Work and Chief Officer for North Ayrshire Health and
Social Care Partnership where she oversaw integrated services across health and social care,
including mental health for NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Iona worked 27 years in Glasgow City, including as Community Health Care Director for
South West Glasgow. Iona was the first joint general manager for addiction services citywide, developing integrated models for drug and alcohol treatment.
Iona is an Honorary Professor of Social Work at Edinburgh University and has recently
received an OBE for services to social work.
Iona is currently the independent chair of the Scottish Government Child Sexual Abuse and
Exploitation Strategic Group.

Dr Donald Macaskill is CEO of Scottish Care which is the membership body for organisations that provide care in care homes, home care and housing support across Scotland. Scottish Care published a Human Rights Charter for Technology and Digital in Social Care with associated Guidance in late 2019 and a Vision for Technology in 2020. Scottish Care hosts a Technology and Innovation project which amongst other things has developed the work around the emerging role of the Care Technologist. 

In August 2018 Dr Macaskill wrote ‘TechRights: human rights, technology and social care.’ which explores issues of AI and smart technology, arguing for citizens to be in full control of the technology they use in their homes and care. Scottish Care published a Human Rights Charter for Technology and Digital in Social Care with associated Guidance in late 2019 and a Vision for Technology in 2020. 

Dr Macaskill’s interest in the necessity of a human rights and ethical framework for the use of technology and digital in social care has led to him addressing conferences across the UK and North America on this and related issues. 

Joanna Macdonald is Chief Executive of the National Social Work Agency and serves as the National Chief Social Work Adviser to the Scottish Government. She leads national work to strengthen social work leadership, learning and workforce support as part of the Scottish Government’s wider reform programme. Joanna has extensive experience across social work and social care, and public service reform and is committed to working in partnership with social workers, employers and partners to improve outcomes for people, families and communities. 

Andrew is a passionate social care revolutionary.  He has worked with Carr Gomm since April 2005: always striving to improve the systems that get in the way of people leading their best lives.  He is currently the custodian of the Chief Executive post. 

Before Carr Gomm, Andrew worked in Malawi and Ghana, and more recently in Sierra Leone.  He is a Computer Science graduate with postgraduate degrees in International Development and Global Mental Health. 

Irene has worked across the non-profit sector for most of her professional life, with organisations focused on a range of social justice issues. For over a decade, she has specialised in work to address digital inequality, locally, nationally, and internationally. She has particular experience in developing partnership approaches with organisations supporting people experiencing homelessness; or supporting people impacted by the justice system or those organisations implementing harm reduction approaches for people currently using drugs. She is also committed to participatory action research and centres lived expertise in all her work. 

Umang has a deep understanding of the nuances between AI and healthcare, having worked on the frontline of digital health innovations. With hands-on experience spanning both the commercial and public sectors of healthcare, he’s keenly aware of the potential that AI offers in enhancing patient care and streamlining processes. An NHS Leadership Academy Fellow and active clinician at Frimley Health, Umang has also contributed to Babylon Health’s pioneering efforts in AI health services. Today, as the Chief Clinical Information Officer for Microsoft UK, he combines his clinical insights with technological ability to ensure that AI tools are both advanced and applicable in real-world healthcare settings.  

Working at the junction of design and technology for over 25 years, Don has been involved in the design, development and delivery of digital products and services with companies and organisations across commercial, public and applied research sectors including Virtuality (pioneers of immersive VR), Oyster Partners (now Digitas) The Fraunhofer Institute and Giugiaro. 
 
Don divides his time between the School of Innovation and Technology at Glasgow School of Art he is Design Director, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre where he holds the same title and with various companies as an independent Creative Technologist. 

Dr Margot McBride is a qualified diagnostic radiographer who was awarded in 2020 the prestigious Fellowship Award of the Society and College of Radiographers for her achievements in clinical, academic and research in diagnostic radiography. Margot is also an awardee of the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh for her invention of the first computerised patient positioning device which was the subject of her PhD, and this opened opportunities to advise companies during the development phases and evaluation of their radiology systems, including early remote-controlled x-ray tables and community-based x-ray mobile systems.  She is Clinical Advisor to several radiology imaging system companies, including a Swedish Company, Solutions for Tomorrow and a British company IBEX Innovations and is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group at the Society of Radiographers and the Impact Advisory Board at the School of Computing Science at the University of St Andrews.  She also supervises PhD students and has widely published her research work spanning many years and is a regular speaker at conferences and radiology events.  

Recently, Margot studied her second PhD at the University of Lancaster; the subject was focused on Cushing syndrome and disease and Health-related Quality of Life. Having experienced Cushing syndrome and is an amputee, she is passionate about participating in Patient Public Involvement Groups and is also a member of the Pituitary Foundation UK Medical Committee, the UK Board of Directors at the Society and College of Radiographers, representing Scotland and the Allied Health Professions Federation for Scotland. 

An academic background in Pharmacology, her professional career began in the pharmaceutical sector followed by 20 years in the voluntary sector. She’s led successful multidisciplinary programmes delivering national community engagement/awareness/research projects in the sight loss and cancer sectors, particularly working with marginalised groups 

At the Health and Social Care ALLIANCE she supports the Digital Citizen Panel who contribute to the Scottish Government’s Digital Health and Social Care strategy bringing Lived Experience on board in early development and design of digital services. 

She likes to cook, read, travel and play (average) guitar. 

Joanne has worked in both health and social care and has operational and strategic expertise across all major care groupings at local and national levels. 
 
She qualified originally as an Occupational Therapist but has gone on to work as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Coach and is passionate about the human factors in change management. Technology has been an integral part of all of her roles and she believes strongly in its ability to transform people’s lives. 
 
Joanne joined DHI in its inception and has proactively supported its continuous development. She is part of the senior management team and is responsible for stakeholder and collaboration management between academic, business and civic partners. Civic partners include health, local authorities and the third sector.