This week’s London appointments

Michael Tobin OBE - Patchwork Health

Patchwork Health, the healthcare staffing solution founded by NHS doctors, has welcomed technology entrepreneur and business leader Michael Tobin OBE to the company as chairman.

Tobin is the entrepreneur behind a range of global businesses: He coordinated the merger between data centre companies Redbus and Telecity, making Telecity worth over £2bn after a re-listing and sale in 2015.

He currently acts as chairman for a number of technology companies around the world, including Audioboom PLC and BigBlu Broadband PLC, both listed on the AIM market.

Tobin’s appointment comes as Patchwork Health, whose end-to-end workforce management solution is making healthcare staffing more sustainable across the UK, prepares to support their 70+ NHS partners through the winter peak in service demand.

Michael Tobin OBE, said: “The events of the past two years have made it clear just how important the NHS workforce is to every one of us. By proactively building a solution to the healthcare workforce crisis, Patchwork’s passionate, intelligent team is addressing a vital need in this key industry.

“Their ability to create value for shareholders is equally matched by the value they are able to provide for the millions of staff, patients and employers who use health and care services every day - and this makes me hugely excited to be joining them and bringing my experience to the board.”

Dr Anas Nader, co-founder and CEO of Patchwork Health, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Michael on board as Chairman. There’s no doubt how invaluable his vast experience and sector knowledge will prove to be and we’re honoured to be working alongside him throughout the next stages of Patchwork’s development and growth.”

Mark Bygraves - Sitigrid

Sitigrid, the cleantech local energy market technology company enabling equitable local energy markets, today announces the arrival of Mark Bygraves, the former CEO of the wholesale electricity balancing and settlement market manager Elexon, as a strategic advisor on a part time basis.

The appointment follows on from a number of other strategic appointments as Sitigrid look to strengthen their position and change the face of the current UK energy market. On his appointment Mark Bygraves outlined: “The development of local energy markets and peer to peer trading between consumers and prosumers will play an important role in the decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitisation of energy markets as they develop over the next 5 years.”

Mark added: “Sitigrid have developed a market leading distributed ledger technology platform that provides a high performance and low cost digital market solution for suppliers and networks which will accelerate the establishment of these markets. I look forward to working with the Sitigrid management team to develop the business further.”

Jeff Whittingham, the newly appointed CEO of Sitigrid added: “I am very pleased to welcome Mark to Sitigrid and the exciting and innovative work we are doing to revolutionise and disrupt the energy market.

“Mark brings with him a wealth of knowledge on industry settlement systems and processes which will be invaluable to the development of Sitigrid’s local energy market platform. I look forward to working with him and the leadership team to position Sitigrid as the market leading technology platform for local energy markets.”

David Richards - RAW Charging

RAW Charging, a rapidly growing provider of electric vehicle charging solutions and infrastructure for the UK’s net zero future, announced the appointment of non-executive director David Richards.

David holds experience in the automotive industry, as founder and chairman of motorsport company Prodrive, whose focus has shifted in recent years to the development of advanced technology solutions in the automotive, aerospace, marine and defence industries.

David is also currently the chairman of Motorsport UK and has 6 years’ experience as chairman of iconic British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. As well as this, David sits on the advisory board of Cranfield School of Management, is Chairman of Trustees of the British Racing Drivers’ Club Motor Sport Charity, and a patron of the schools’ initiative Greenpower.

In the 2005 Queen’s New Year’s honours, he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to motorsport and has honorary doctorates and fellowships from the Universities of Wales, Coventry, Warwick and Cranfield.

In 2017 he was inducted into the Motor Sport Hall of Fame and presented with the Spirt of Le Mans award by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). In his early career David spent eight years as a professional rally co-driver, winning the World Rally Championship in 1981, alongside studying to become a Chartered Accountant.

Bruce Galliford, CEO, RAW Charging, said: “We are delighted to have David joining the leadership team at RAW Charging. His background and experience are highly relevant, and his skillset will be invaluable in helping RAW become the leading provider of electric vehicle charging in the UK and Europe.”

David Richards CBE, said: “I’m delighted to be joining RAW Charging as my interests continue to shift towards carbon neutrality.

“RAW is helping to roll-out long-term, renewable energy, infrastructure assets which will be critical in the electric vehicle revolution and subsequent reduction of carbon emissions, which complements much of the work we are currently undertaking at Prodrive. I look forward to lending my experience to assist RAW with its rapid growth.”

Sanchit Suri - QMetric

QMetric, the London based insurtech company providing home and motor insurance under the policy, announced the appointment of Sanchit Suri as chief executive officer to take the reins from co-founder Tony Deacon.

QMetric combines a data science-led approach to risk and pricing powered by a proprietary tech platform to offer an end-to-end customer journey, from pricing to claims. The brand is set to pass the milestone of 1m live policyholders before the end of 2021.

Sanchit brings 14 years of experience advising (re)insurance and insurtech companies at JP Morgan where he held senior roles including Managing Director since 2019. His appointment will see Sanchit work alongside co-founder and chief operating officer, Adam Powell, to lead the business into the next phase of its growth journey.

Sanchit Suri, chief executive officer of QMetric, commented: “I am extremely honoured and excited to join the QMetric team and take it into the next phase of its growth journey – the plans we have in store are very exciting.

“I would like to thank Tony for building an extraordinary business and very much look forward to working closely with Adam and the team.”

Adam Powell, co-founder and chief operating officer, added: “Over the last ten years QMetric has established itself as one of the UK’s most successful insurtechs. Few other entrants have matched our rapid growth or our positive EBITDA.

“Sanchit has an extensive and accomplished background that will prove invaluable as we embark on the next chapter of Policy Expert’s journey.”

Sohail Hanif and Sultan Choudhury - National Zakat Foundation

London based Muslim charity, National Zakat Foundation (NZF), has announced two new senior appointments. Sohail Hanif has joined as the new CEO while trustee Sultan Choudhury has been appointed as chair of trustees.

Sohail brings to the role expertise in Islamic law, having studied extensively with traditional scholars, and holds a PhD from Oxford University. In his professional capacity, he most recently held the position of BA Manager and lecturer at Cambridge Muslim College.

He was previously NZF’s Head of Research and Development and will take the role of CEO on December 1 2021.

Sohail said: “I am delighted to join the NZF team, especially during a time of such growth. I’m greatly looking forward to working alongside the talented leadership team and developing the charity further in the coming months.”

In addition to this key appointment, Sultan Choudhury OBE also joins the charity as chair of trustees. Choudhury brings with him over 20 years’ experience within the financial field, working at companies such as Deloitte, Barclays, and AI Rayan Bank where he held senior management, director, and executive positions.

In his new role as Chair of Trustees, Choudhury will lead and direct the Board, providing oversight to the strategic direction of the charity.

Sultan said: “I’m thrilled to be taking on this role as Chair of Trustees for NZF. With such a huge demand for additional support within the UK Muslim community, we have an abundance of opportunity to develop and provide the community with what they need.”

Nazia Hassan, director of communications at NZF, commented: “This is a very exciting time for the charity as we look to continue to grow. We are delighted to welcome both Sohail and Sultan who will strengthen our senior team and help us deliver on our mission to connect every Muslim in the UK through Zakat.”