New Chair for Health Innovation West Midlands

Health Innovation West Midlands has announced that their new Chair will be Jonathan Pearson, a highly experienced health business leader.

Jonathan has been the Chair of Birmingham Health Partners for the last 18 months and is a co-founder and Chair of Virtue Health Group, which provides technology-enabled hospital level care in the home.

He will take up the post in July, taking over from Professor Michael Sheppard who has led the organisation since its inception 12 years ago.

Jonathan said: “I am looking forward to taking on this new role and working with partners across the West Midlands, nationally and internationally, to develop and deploy innovations which transform healthcare.

“My aim is to ensure we work together across the region to adopt the best innovations, to benefit all parts of our population.”

Jonathan has led many large transformation and technology businesses and programmes; and has won a number of awards, including HSJ Award for Analytic Provider of the Year in 2019; Management Consultancy Association Award for Thought Leadership in 2015; and Local Government Association Award in 2021 for Sandwell ICP’s Covid vaccination programme.

Previous roles include Independent Chair of Sandwell Place Based Partnership and Ladywood and Perry Barr Integrated Care Partnership; and of Healthier Together, a partnership across Sandwell and West Birmingham.

He was Head of Healthcare at PA Consulting; Senior Partner at GE Healthcare; Deputy Managing Director and Co-Owner of Finnamore; and founding partner and Director of Business Development at Circle.

HIWM Chief Officer Tim Jones said: “I am delighted that Jonathan will join us as Chair and bring his wealth of knowledge and experience to help us support our NHS partners and local population through innovation and transformation.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Professor Michael Sheppard for his long service and the wisdom and strategic leadership he has provided to our organisation – and to me personally. I wish him all the very best in his next steps.”