Movers and Shakers – August 2026

NEWS  - eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth

Richard Hamblin 

Richard Hamblin has joined Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora from the Health Quality and Safety Commission, taking on the role of chief health insights officer.   This continues his career working in and around health services in New Zealand, the UK and the US using data to understand the functioning and quality of health systems.   

His work at HQSC included development of all the Commission’s measurement products including Quality and Safety Markers, the Atlas of Healthcare Variation, Quality Alerts and Patient Experience Surveys.

Before HQSC, Richard spent 20 years working in and around the NHS in England, including senior roles at the Care Quality Commission and the King’s Fund. He is internationally recognised for his work using data to improve health services and is a 2006–07 Harkness Fellow and a 2018 Leadership Development Centre Fellow.

Will Reedy

Will Reedy has been appointed chief executive at Medtech Global. Most recently CEO of Spark Health and a senior leader in Accenture’s Global Health Team, Reedy is passionate about the role of technology in reimagining healthcare. 

His immediate focus in the new role will be on accelerating adoption of Medtech AI and Medtech Connect, strengthening relationships with customers across New Zealand and Australia, and driving continued growth across the region.

“The convergence of workforce pressures, financial sustainability challenges, growing patient expectations and technologies like AI are driving an ever-increasing need for a Connected Care Ecosystem. MedWech Global has a significant role to play in this ecosystem now and in the future,” he says.

Andrew Cooper

Andrew Cooper has stepped into the role of group manager of digital delivery enablement and PMO at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora.

An experienced PMO leader, lecturer, and academic author, Cooper brings extensive expertise in public sector infrastructure, enterprise transformation, and digital innovation. With a strong interest in the practical application of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, he is focused on helping organisations realise greater value through modern ways of working and data-driven decision-making.

In this role, Cooper will oversee portfolio management, project execution, delivery enablement, and a focus on the advancement of AI and digital capabilities. His leadership will support critical improvements across Aotearoa’s public health technology ecosystem.

Rowhan Kelly

Rowhan Kelly has joined Nurse Maude's executive team as general manager – service development, bringing more than 20 years’ experience across healthcare, digital health, customer experience, product and service transformation in New Zealand and Australia. 

Most recently general manager, customer & innovation at Ryman Healthcare, Kelly has a strong focus on designing services around the needs of people and communities. 

In her new role, she will help shape the next generation of community care for Nurse Maude, building on its 130-year legacy by connecting services more effectively, improving access and co-creating more meaningful experiences with the people and whānau it serves.

Scott Arrol

Scott Arrol has been appointed general manager corporate services at Rotorua Area Primary Health Services (RAPHS).

Arrol was previously interim chief executive of HiNZ and has also served as chief executive of Motor Neurone Disease NZ and Dementia NZ. He is an executive committee member of the NZ Telehealth Forum and a trustee of the Health Navigator Charitable Trust.

He says it is a privilege to be working at RAPHS on a six-month contract to support the “excellent providers of primary healthcare across Rotorua, Murupara and Mangakino”. 

His role is to provide leadership support to the organisation and assist the hardworking and passionate team in their mission to enable high-quality health and wellbeing for the community by supporting primary care services, Arrol says.

Andrew Ingersoll

Andrew Ingersoll has been appointed as a clinical informatics director at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. Bringing over 20 years of international health sector experience, he previously served as an associate director at PwC New Zealand where he supported the public sector with large scale digital transformation and responsible AI enablement. 

A former chief nursing information officer, benefits manager, and clinical safety specialist, Ingersoll brings extensive expertise in digital health transformation, clinical governance, and responsible artificial intelligence integration. His appointment strengthens Health NZ’s clinical leadership capability as the organisation advances its national data, digital strategy, and human-centred initiatives.

Justin Gray

Justin Gray has been appointed as a Partner in PwC New Zealand’s Advisory practice, focused on helping clients unlock the opportunities created by AI, technology, and business transformation. He is passionate about the role emerging technologies, including AI, can play in reshaping business and government. 

Gray brings deep experience in leading large-scale technology organisations and delivering complex transformation programmes across government and enterprise.

Most recently, he was managing director of Datacom New Zealand, where he led the country’s largest technology services business and worked with CEOs, CIOs, and senior leaders across the public and private sectors.

Will Fearnley

Will Fearnley has joined iMedX Australia & New Zealand, which provides AI-enabled clinical documentation, clinical coding and health information management solutions, as its New Zealand account manager. 

A registered nurse and member of Nurse Executives Aotearoa, he worked in emergency and critical care in the UK and New Zealand, then quality improvement and patient safety at Masterton Hospital. 

Fearnley later co-developed an AI solution with Health NZ’s Intelligent Automation team and National Artificial Intelligence and Algorithm Expert Advisory Group to identify hospital acquired complications and treatment injury. 

He says better clinical documentation and health information ultimately means safer care and improved patient outcomes.

James Oughton

James Oughton has joined BioOra as VP clinical development & medical affairs. BioOra is a Wellington-based biotech developing a CAR-T cell therapy alongside the Malaghan Institute. 

Oughton is building a new function to deliver medical education, establish clinical operations, and partner with stakeholders across the health system to bring CAR-T cell therapy to patients in New Zealand. 

Before BioOra, he was chief advisor, precision health at the Ministry of Health. Oughton says he is driven by getting cost-effective innovative technology to patients who need it.

Alistair Young

After eight years working at the cutting edge of AI and cardiovascular data analytics at King’s College London, Alistair Young is returning to the University of Auckland.

His new role, Professor of Intelligent Bioimaging, is a joint position between the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) and the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.

Young helped develop AI algorithms capable of analysing hundreds of thousands of heart scans from the UK Biobank. He will combine these AI techniques developed in London with ABI's internationally recognised expertise in computational modelling and ultrasound imaging.

"There's a really exciting momentum that Auckland has got going with their imaging initiative. The work they're doing is cutting edge," he says.

Images (from first to last): Richard Hamblin; Will Reedy; Andrew Cooper; Rowhan Kelly; Scott Arrol; Andrew Ingersoll; Justin Gray; Will Fearnley; James Oughton; Alistair Young

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