| 8 June 2026
With the 10th edition of Our Health Heroes taking place 17 June, we’re excited to introduce this year’s inspiring speakers and presenters. Read on to discover who will help celebrate our 2026 winners at what promises to be a truly special.
Lord Victor Adebowale CBE
Cross Bench Peer House of Lords, Chair of NHS Alliance
Lord Adebowale is a cross-bench peer who has led numerous organisations influencing policy, prompting new thinking and delivering social change in the UK. He is currently chair of the of the NHS Confederation, non-executive director of the Co-Operative Group, and chair of Social Enterprise UK, among other roles.
Erika Bannerman
Managing Director, NHS Shared Business Services
Erika joined NHS SBS in July 2020, succeeding David Morris when he became CEO of SSCL. Erika was previously Executive Officer of the People Division at Capita. She has held senior roles in organisations such as the Manpower Group and Brook Street, as well as a number of non-executive, director, trustee and advisory roles.
Natalie Campbell MBE
Chair, Skills for Health
Natalie was recently co-Chief Executive of the social enterprise Belu Water and has been the Chair of Skills for Health since April 2026. Natalie is a social entrepreneur who has held board-level roles at the National Lottery Community Fund, Civil Service Commission, and Trussell amongst others. The MBE-recipient is the current serving Chancellor of the University of Westminster, a post she has held since 2023.
Dr Dawn Harper – Host
GP and Broadcaster
Dr Dawn qualified from Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School in 1987 and spent several years working in various hospital specialities during which time she became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians. Dawn has also worked in the media for the last 20 years. She is perhaps best known as a presenter on Channel 4’s BAFTA award winning “Embarrassing Bodies”, which has been sold to 120 different territories and continues to be watched by millions today.
David Higham
Managing Director, SFJ Awards
David joined SFJ Awards as the Managing Director in July 2024, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge from a career background in Further Education (FE) from working at Nottingham College as their Head of Growth and Innovation. Before joining Nottingham College in 2020, David held a series of senior leadership roles across the FE sector, including at Chesterfield College and Tresham College where he was Group Commercial Director and Vice Principal respectively.
Professor Henrietta Hughes OBE
Patient Safety Commissioner
Professor Henrietta Hughes OBE started in September 2022 as the first Patient Safety Commissioner, an independent role recommended by the report First Do No Harm. Acting as an independent champion for patients Henrietta leads a drive to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices by ensuring that patient voices are at the heart of the design and delivery of healthcare in England.
Dr Sarah Jacques
GP Co-lead, Doctors’ Association UK
Dr Sarah Jacques is a GP with 19 years’ experience in East Sussex, having worked as a GP partner, salaried, locum and private GP. Following significant burnout in 2022, she returned to practice as a part-time salaried GP and has become a passionate advocate for frontline NHS staff. Sarah is Co-GP Lead for Doctors’ Association UK and Co-Campaigns Lead for the Medical Women’s Federation. She is also founder and director of Sussex Outreach Support CIC, supporting rural communities across Rother to reduce isolation, ill health, and poverty. Outside work, Sarah is a wife, mum, parish councillor, and owner of two lively cocker spaniels.
Steph Lawrence MBE
Chief Executive, Queen’s Nursing Institute
Steph has been a nurse for more than 37 years with the last 22 years spent working in the community. She is both an adult and children’s trained general nurse as well as being a proud District Nurse. She was until her retirement at the end of August 2024 the Chief Nurse at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust. She also spent 3 years working at the CQC as the National Professional Adviser for Community Services. She led the national trailblazer group for the District Nurse Apprenticeship standard which is now being delivered in many English universities. She also co-chaired the Clinical Reference Group for the National Community Nursing plan for several years. She was recognised in the Queens 2022 Jubilee Birthday Honours and received an MBE for services to District Nursing.
Professor Habib Naqvi MBE
Chief Executive, NHS Race & Health Observatory
Habib joined the NHS in 2001 and spent several years working at the Department of Health and Social Care, where he led national policy. From 2013, Habib directed the development and implementation of national health equity programmes for the NHS and has given evidence to the UK’s House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee. Habib was awarded an MBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to equality and diversity in the NHS.
Sam Owen
Assistant Director – Workforce Solutions, NHS Employers
Sam joined NHS Employers in October 2022, leading the Engagement team for the South, she is currently an Assistant Director within Workforce Solutions, a new area of NHS Employers, which helps the NHS address specific workforce challenges and unlock new opportunities, supporting a continuous cycle of improvement and innovation that keeps NHS value and expertise within the system.
Lee Peart
Editor, Healthcare Management
Lee Peart is an experienced health and social care editor. He led the launch of Hemming Group’s new fortnightly magazine for healthcare leaders, Healthcare Management, in October 2024 and is a regular contributor to sister title, The Municipal Journal. Previously, Lee spent eight years as an editor of leading social care publications. He established Care Home Professional as a market leading monthly magazine and newsletter before leaving to lead the relaunch of established social care publication Caring Times as editor-in-chief. During his coverage of the pandemic, Lee appeared on national TV and radio. He has also hosted major industry roundtable, panel and awards events.
Emma Revie
Co-Chief Executive, Trussell
Emma Revie OBE is Co-Chief Executive of Trussell, an anti-poverty charity and community of more than 1,400 food bank centres across the UK. Having led the organisation since 2018, she has helped drive its transformation from a provider of emergency food to an anti-poverty movement focused on tackling the structural drivers of poverty and hardship.
Emma is a passionate advocate for values-led leadership and the power of trusted relationships to transform lives. She believes that lasting change happens when communities, public services and people with lived experience work together to address the root causes of hardship.
John Rogers
Chief Executive, Skills for Health
John has a long history of over 30 years work across the health sector – predominantly in leadership roles in support of workforce development, and has a particular passion for the support of the development of the wider workforce. Previous to Skills for Health, he was Chief Executive of Healthwork UK (the National Training Organisation for Health), Operations Director at the NHS Training Authority, and held senior roles in the Department of Health working directly with national NHS Exec Directors to focus on workforce development nationally in key areas of Finance and IT.
Tom Simons
Chief People Officer, NHS England
Tom Simons is the Chief HR and OD Officer at NHS England and has been leading work with the Human Resources and Organisational Development (HR&OD) profession across the NHS. This includes the delivery and publication of ‘The future of NHS human resources and organisational development report’ which outlines the ten-year strategy for HR and OD services in the NHS and aims to make the NHS the best place to work for all NHS staff, as set out in the People Promise.
Dennis Twomey
Managing Director, iCQ Awards
Dennis has been involved in qualifications and assessment for over 25 years. Over this period of time, Dennis has worked closely with training providers, FE colleges and employers of all sizes and in a wide variety of sectors to assist them in optimising their delivery models and provide solutions in the development of their programmes.
Our thanks to all our speakers and presenters, whose support helps highlight the deep appreciation for the incredible individuals and teams working in vital support roles across the healthcare sector.
More about the awards