Chief Executive Officer

In 2012, I co-founded SARD with my business partner, Phil, driven by a shared vision of improving the NHS.

My journey into entrepreneurship began with a deep love for technology—a passion for its ability to solve problems and streamline tasks. Creating a business out of it was a serendipitous outcome. Yet, the most surprising and rewarding discovery has been the power of people. Witnessing our talented, motivated colleagues thrive in their roles is the most gratifying aspect of this venture. At SARD, we've built a supportive, dynamic team that delivers meaningful change for our clients. To my surprise as a technophile, it’s not the technology itself that drives our success, but the consulting and teaching that truly make a difference.

My background is rooted in engineering and technology. With a degree in computer engineering and electronics, I began my career as a scientific advisor for the UK MoD’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory. I then worked as an engineer for Thales and served as CTO for an animation company. A chance encounter in a Crystal Palace pub led me to Phil Bottle, a visionary NHS manager. Together, we embarked on a mission to revolutionise NHS operations—a mission that continues to this day.

Outside of SARD, I cherish time with my wife, kids, and dog. My interests are as varied as they are numerous, including acting, tennis, guitar, gardening, storytelling, and fishing. Despite a busy schedule, I still find time for the occasional middle-aged rave.

If you could instantly become an expert in anything, what would it be? Storytelling. We all live within the confines of our own minds, and nothing fascinates me more than the ability to bridge that gap.

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why? I’m not sure if it counts as historical, but I’d choose my grandmother. She was an incredible storyteller and writer, combining a curious, intellectual mind with deep empathy. I’d give anything to spend just a few more hours with her.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? “The easiest path to happiness is to want what you already have” - A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

Managing Director

Throughout my working career in the NHS and outside of it, it has always been a passion of mine to make things better, to be part of something that has a positive impact. The premise is always the same: invest time in improving the things we have to do and make the small things easy so that collectively they make the big things easy. Working for SARD is the epitome of this.

I have always felt that it is important to understand why we do things, asking the important questions and getting to the real nub of the questions in order to produce the best answers. If my skills and knowledge, combined with the talents of those around me, can help have a positive impact on the organisations we are working with then I am achieving my goals.

I have worked in the private and the public sector over the last 16 years. Prior to working with SARD I spent five years in the NHS, helping create positive change, living the day to day challenges and witnessing the challenges faced by others. My last role was Head of Learning and Development at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

Like many of my colleagues I like to indulge in activities outside of work, and I am currently finishing off a number of writing projects, which I find both relaxing and rewarding. Who knows, one day you may get to read some of my work from the bestseller list.

What’s one hobby you’ve always wanted to pick up but haven’t yet? Playing the violin, but my wife and kids have said no.

What’s your favourite movie of all time? My favourite current films is between, Kodachrome and Chef

What’s the last concert you attended? Paramore with my eldest daughter.

Chief Technology Officer

I have been working in software engineering for over 20 years and I hope that my experience brings a lot of value to what we are doing. Our small team is great to work with and you can see that everyone here really cares about the products that we build.

I have been here right from the start and been part of building the system from the bottom up. I think it’s essential to have a solid understanding of the whole code and it means that together with the rest of the team we can quickly appraise and react to new client requirements.

I typically work from home on the Isle of Wight, which is a beautiful place to live, especially if you enjoy the great outdoors.

What is your go-to coffee order? Tea

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? Tokyo

What is your favourite way to unwind after work? Watching sport, mainly football, NFL and F1

Medical Director

I love working at SARD. As a trust Medical Director I was a happy customer for years and have been impressed by the company’s continuous improvement and the expansion of its software range. SARD’s approach to an open ecosystem very much chimes with what I’ve learnt about will and won’t work in NHS IT. If you want to be the change the NHS needs, talk to me.

What is your go to coffee order? Double espresso with a side of sparkling water

What is your all time favourite movie A Matter of Life and Death

If you could only listen to one music artist for the rest of your life who would it be? Bowie. Obvs.

Medical Workforce Lead

I have worked as a Medical HR Specialist for over 30 years, initially cutting my teeth in the north west at the Regional Health Authority and then at Manchester Foundation Trust for 12 years before setting up Medical Workforce Solutions, which has been providing Medical HR support to Trusts for the past 16 years. I have provided operational Medical HR support to over 30 Trusts to date, with demand for my time predominantly focussing on the medical job planning and rostering. To date, I’m privy to over 5000 job plan agreements in the NHS.

For some time, I have believed that Trusts have not been harnessing the power of medical job planning. If it’s done correctly, it will provide clinical teams with the data it requires to determine how best to wrap its current and future resources around patient-driven clinical demand.

I joined SARD to assist them with the development of a Team Job Planning system. I believe it is a game changer and will enable Trusts to make informed decisions about its future workforce requirements, with patient- driven demand at the centre of the decision-making process.

When I’m not poring through reams of job planning data, I spend my free time at either my local record emporium, Anfield L4 or at one of the plethora of art and music venues across the north west getting my culture fix.

What’s the last concert you attended? Blonde Redhead supported by White Flowers (an up-and coming band from Preston) at Manchester’s Band on the Wall. Ask me next week and it’ll be a different answer.

If you could only listen to one music artist for the rest of your life, who would it be? Easy one - Cocteau Twins

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? New York City

Operations Director

I’ve been with SARD almost since the beginning, when a ‘temporary’ stint in 2013 helping out a friend with a bit of filing and data entry swiftly turned into a permanent position. I’ve been keeping the company’s various back-office plates spinning ever since.

I have a BA in Drama, which led me to a role managing the stage door at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Hanging out with the maintenance, operations and IT crew gave me an appreciation for the invaluable people who get things done in the background. I moved on to facilities and business support management, first via the theatre and then through several years as Ops Manager for a cocktail bar chain, before checking-in to Hotel California - I mean SARD. Industries may differ, but the core values of customer service and integrity of product are what I look for in a workplace and SARD has these in abundance. Plus, I can still mix a mean Manhattan.

Outside of work you’ll find me knitting, learning useless quiz trivia and getting angry about the movie Love Actually.

What superpower would you choose and why? Shapeshifting. Those aliens were super hard to beat in the X Files.

What’s your hidden talent? I can shear a sheep. This has yet to come in handy at SARD.

What’s your favourite book? Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome

Customer Service Director

I joined SARD in September 2018 as a member of the Customer Support Team. Since then, I've grown within the company and now I'm the Customer Service Director. I am responsible for overseeing our support services, managing client accounts, ensuring smooth implementations, and continuously reviewing and implementing system improvements.

I'm proud to help ensure our clients get the most out of our systems, and to be part of a company that genuinely cares about the people we serve.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends, indulging in cooking and baking, and unwinding with my guilty pleasure - reality TV!

What’s one hobby you’ve always wanted to pick up but haven’t yet? Playing the drums - not sure I have the right sense of rhythm!

What’s one food you could eat every day for the rest of your life? Watermelon

Do you prefer Dogs or Cats? Why? Dogs because cats are too independent

Sales & Marketing Manager

With more years in B2B sales than I care to mention, I made the leap into public sector sales and joined SARD in 2021. This was my first foray into working with the NHS, driven by my long-standing interest in healthcare overall. What drew me to SARD specifically was its unique approach—listening first, talking second. It’s a philosophy that resonated with me a lot and continues to make my role here incredibly rewarding.

When I'm not at work, you’ll find me being run ragged by my three daughters, who keep my wife and me on our toes every day. On the rare occasion I can sneak away, I try my hand at golf—though, given how infrequent my outings are, my level has yet to drift above "Oh no, FORE!"

What’s your go-to coffee order? Black with 2 Sweeteners

What’s your favorite way to unwind after work? Spending time with the family.

Which superpower would you choose and why? Got to have the ability to fly - No more driving!

Customer Support Manager

I have provided customer support at SARD since May 2018, having initially joined as a part-time member of the team while studying at the University of Kent.

Since then, I’ve remained with the company until the system became second nature. I’ve assumed the role of de facto quizmaster since the 2020 dark times, which can be seen/heard in our annual Quiz-mas podcast.

What’s one hobby you’ve always wanted to pick up but haven’t yet? Sleight of hand magic

What’s your favourite book? 11/22/63 by Stephen King

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? Money no object, Manhattan. Otherwise, Whitstable will do perfectly fine.

Software Developer

I joined SARD as a software developer in September 2017.

I have a degree in English Literature & Drama, a PGCE in secondary school teaching, and (naturally) a Master’s degree in Computer Science. More importantly, I have a beautiful dog called Pickle, who is Fig’s best friend.

I love the creativity and logic in software development – the paradoxical blend of soft skills with technical know-how - and enjoy putting the end user first in all my software design.

Outside of work you’ll mostly find me onstage. What is your favourite way to unwind after work? Jigsaw puzzles (I’m currently training for the World Championships in 2025), video games and reading.

What’s your favourite movie of all time? Jurassic Park

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? New Zealand

Software Developer

I live in Kraków (Poland) and I joined SARD in October 2019 as a Ruby on Rails senior developer.

I started my programming journey on an Amiga 500 computer. Then, going through various languages like Assembler, Java, C or PHP, I discovered Ruby and Ruby on Rails around 8 years ago.

I spend my free time doing cross-fit training. I also enjoy learning foreign languages. At the moment it’s Spanish, which definitely may help in some travel, which I like a lot too.

What is your favourite way to unwind after work? Some good training, at present times it is cross-fit!

What’s your favourite movie of all time? Hard choice but I’d say Alien(s)

What’s your favourite holiday destination? Any country where you can wear shorts and flip flops, but not too warm either! 🙂

Software Developer

I started working for SARD as a Software Developer in September 2020.

My role has grown recently, looking more at supporting specific projects, working within project management and SARD’s structure as a whole, while still working on software changes and improvements.

It’s a great team to be a part of; the passion and drive of everyone involved is palpable. Everyone at SARD is willing to help, teach and learn from each other.

Prior to becoming a Software Developer, I worked as a Stage Manager in theatres around the UK and before that I worked in Outreach for the University of Kent.

What is your go-to coffee order? Cappuccino

What’s your favourite book? The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

What’s your hidden talent? I can complete a Rubik’s cube in 40 seconds

Customer Support

I’m Tom and I’ve been working in the customer support team since back in 2021. Throughout my day I help the end users of our system (and the trusts over-seeing the users using the system) get the most out of our industry leading tools; by adding industry leading customer support to work in tandem with them.

What is your go to coffee order? Strong, black.

What is your favourite book? Good Omens by Nial Gaimon and Terry Pratchett

What was the last concert you attended? Body count featuring Ice-T

Marketing Content Creator

I joined SARD in August 2020 as the Marketing Content Creator. I’m a communication chameleon with a passion for storytelling through videos. Everyone at SARD is smart, supportive, and talented. When I’m not working, I’m on stage, butchering a British accent!

What is your go-to coffee order? Black Americano

Do you prefer Dogs or Cats? Sorry, but it’s got to be cats!

What is your favourite colour? Cerulean Blue

Operations and Events Administrator

I joined the SARD team in February 2019, and I love all things organisation. My role at SARD encompasses elements of governance, health & safety, staff training and other operational support across the company.

As well as helping to wrangle records, I also keep up the good work of external and internal events arrangements.

What’s one food you could eat every day for the rest of your life? Crisps!

What is your go-to coffee order? Diet coke.

What’s your favourite holiday destination? Not too fancy but - The Lake district holds a special place in my family’s heart.

Design

I am a graphic designer specialising in brand & identity, typography, print and website design. I have a long background in visual communication and have worked in design agencies of all sizes in both London and Hamburg.

My work for SARD is to build and update the UI design of the various systems and generally manage and oversee the visual language of the company.

In my spare time, I have been known to get entangled in my own chair.

What is your go-to coffee order? Black with 2.

What’s your hidden talent? Rollerskating.

What is your favourite colour? Orange

Board Director

I am CEO at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, as well as a member of the General Medical Council (GMC) Responsible Officer Reference Group that acts as a sounding board to the GMC on how to implement and further develop Revalidation of a quarter of a million doctors in the UK following the Responsible Officer Regulation of 2010.

Ten years ago I led the development of the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust Strengthened Appraisal and Revalidation Database or SARD as it is familiarly known. Since SARD JV became a commercial business I have played an integral role in the continued development of the system.

I qualified as a Medical Doctor in 1985, completing my training on the Guy’s and St Thomas’ regional psychiatric rotation and obtained my Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych) diploma in 1992. I completed my doctorate (Ph.D) and post doctorate research at King’s College Hospital & Institute of Psychiatry and obtained my Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree in 1996 and in the same year was appointed consultant psychiatrist/senior lecturer at Greenwich District Hospital and Guy’s & St Thomas’ London.

I was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych) in 2007 for my contributions to the field of Psychiatry through clinical practice, teaching, education and research. In 2014, I was elected an international Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

I have received commendations and won national awards for innovative and high quality care delivered within my multidisciplinary clinical team and these include National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units team of the year award; Care Services Improvement Partnership ‘Positive Practice’ award; commendation by Hospital Doctors Award committee; and award of the British Association for Medical Managers.

I was the first ever recipient of the distinguished award of The Medical Leader of the year (2009) by the Royal College of Psychiatrists “in recognition of an outstanding contribution to mental health” and I am on the ‘Roll of Honour’ of the Royal College of Psychiatrist.

I have been listed as one of “100 most influential black people in Britain” by Powerful Media for four consecutive years. One of my proudest moments was when I was a guest of Her Majesty the Queen at the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations at St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London Corporation reception at the Guildhall.

Buki was an integral part of the team at Oxleas that worked with Mango Swiss Ltd to design and develop SARD. She was Head of Medical Staffing at Oxleas until 2021.

Office Dog

I joined SARD in 2018 and I now split my time between our Canterbury and Dulwich offices. I specialise in welcoming people to SARD, networking and the occasional bit of shredding.

I can’t speak highly enough about how much I love being at SARD. Like…I physically can’t.

If you could instantly become an expert in anything, what would it be? Sit

If you could only listen to one music artist for the rest of your life, who would it be? Snoop Dogg

What is your favourite colour? What’s colour?