Behind every successful ecosystem is a group of experts helping shape its direction, ensure relevance, and maintain its focus on real-world impact.

At GIANT Health, this role is fulfilled by our Board of Advisors — a distinguished group of senior NHS leaders, clinicians, academics, and healthcare innovators who help guide the strategic vision of the event and its wider ecosystem.

Their expertise ensures that GIANT Health remains closely aligned with the evolving needs of the NHS, healthcare systems, and global health innovation communities.

A Board Rooted in NHS Leadership and Clinical Expertise

The GIANT Health Board of Advisors includes senior figures from across the UK healthcare system, bringing together decades of experience in clinical care, digital transformation, procurement, research, and system leadership.

Among our advisors are:

• Professor Shafi Ahmed – Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Barts Health NHS Trust
• Dr Keith Grimes – Digital Health & Innovation Consultant, Curistica Ltd
• Dr Rima Makarem – Chair, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB
• Manka Ramachandran – Chief Pharmacist & Clinical Director for Medicines Optimisation, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
• Rajesh Sivaprakasam – Lead for Robotic Surgery, Barts Health NHS Trust
• Rob Knott – Commercial Director, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

These leaders represent a cross-section of NHS innovation, from frontline clinical practice to system-wide transformation and procurement strategy.

Shaping Content That Reflects Real NHS Priorities

The role of the Board of Advisors is not symbolic — it is practical and deeply integrated into how GIANT Health is built.

They help ensure that the event reflects:

• Current NHS transformation priorities
• Real-world clinical challenges
• Emerging digital health opportunities
• Procurement and system integration needs
• Innovation pathways that can scale across the NHS

This ensures that every conference, stage, and theme at GIANT Health is grounded in what matters most to healthcare professionals and decision-makers today.

Bridging Innovation and Implementation

One of the key challenges in healthcare innovation is moving from ideas to real-world adoption.

The Board of Advisors plays a central role in bridging that gap by helping GIANT Health focus on:

• Scalable solutions for NHS systems
• Evidence-based innovation
• Clinical safety and governance
• Interoperability and digital integration
• Practical procurement pathways

Their collective experience ensures that discussions at GIANT Health are not theoretical — but directly connected to implementation in real healthcare environments.

A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective on Healthcare Transformation

What makes the GIANT Health advisory group unique is its diversity of expertise.

Together, they represent:

• NHS leadership and integrated care systems
• Clinical medicine and surgical innovation
• Digital health and AI transformation
• Medicines optimisation and pharmacy leadership
• Health-tech entrepreneurship and commercialisation

This diversity ensures that GIANT Health reflects the full complexity of modern healthcare systems — where innovation must work across clinical, operational, and technological boundaries.

Strengthening the GIANT Health Ecosystem

As GIANT Health continues to grow into one of Europe’s leading healthcare innovation festivals, the Board of Advisors remains central to its success.

Their guidance helps ensure that the event:

• Stays aligned with NHS transformation priorities
• Supports meaningful collaboration across sectors
• Provides value to clinicians, innovators, and policymakers
• Accelerates the adoption of real-world healthcare solutions

Final Thought

The future of healthcare cannot be shaped by one organisation or one perspective alone.

It requires collaboration between clinicians, policymakers, innovators, and system leaders — all working toward a shared goal of improving patient outcomes and healthcare delivery.

The GIANT Health Board of Advisors represents that collaboration in action, helping to guide the ecosystem as it continues to connect ideas, people, and innovation across global healthcare systems.