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Our Kind Care Management Team

HC-One is proud to introduce its distinguished Kind Care Management Team

HC-One, the Kind Care Company management team share a wealth of experience in health and social care having worked in senior roles with independent care sector providers.

James Tugendhat

Chief Executive

James joined as Chief Executive in September 2020; he cites one of the key reasons for joining was HC-One’s commitment to being the Kind Care Company. He is working with the team to foster a culture that actively encourages simple kindness in everything we do, and to deliver the company’s ambitious mission of being the ‘first choice’ care home, for Residents, Relatives and Colleagues in every community served.  
 
James has worked across a wide range of sectors, having started his career in consumer and financial services, before holding leadership roles in healthcare and the broader care sector. Most recently, he led the European and international division of US-based Bright Horizons. Prior to that, he spent a number of years with Bupa where he worked across several parts of the group, including leading Bupa’s NHS commissioning effort. He has also been President and CEO of Boston-based Health Dialog, a ground-breaking health analytics and disease management business acquired by Bupa. James is also Non-Executive Director of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. 

David Smith

Chief Financial Officer

David has been part of HC-One since the company’s inception in 2011; as Chief Financial Officer he has held a prominent role in all HC-One’s acquisitions and re-financings as well as being a key part in the company’s ever-increasing financial resilience.

David is a charted accountant with a degree in physics and over ten years’ experience in the care sector. He has a wealth of financial expertise from a number of senior finance positions and working for Price Waterhouse Cooper in the UK, United States and Middle East.
 

Stephen Butterworth

Executive Director for Operations

Stephen joined HC-One in 2012; leading a number of high-profile transformation projects as well as the High Impact Projects and Colleague Deployment teams before being appointed Managing Director in 2017. In this role, Stephen was responsible for the quality, regulatory compliance and commercial performance of care homes in his portfolio. In December 2020, Stephen became Executive Director for Operations leading care and operations across all of our homes and domiciliary care services, supporting our vision to the be first choice for Colleagues, families, and commissioners.

Having started his career in manufacturing, Stephen worked nationally and globally in leadership roles within Programme and IT Management before choosing to transition to the care sector. Stephen states that one of the key reasons he made this decision is that he is passionate about making a difference to people’s lives.

Liz Whyte

Director of Standards and COVID 19 lead

Liz Whyte is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years’ experience working at many different levels in the Care Home industry. Liz began her career with Ashbourne Senior Living as a Nurse, so fully understands the daily delivery of high-quality care.

Liz is passionate about the care of older people and has a proven track record in turnaround of services, delivering on both quality and financial results.

James Ilesanmi

Managing Director - West Midlands, London and South East England

James was appointed Managing Director in May 2019; with twenty years’ experience in the care sector James is responsible for the quality, regulatory compliance and performance of care homes in his portfolio.

James started his career as a Care Assistant and went onto to hold numerous roles within the care sector including Director of Operations before joining HC-One.
he HC-One board.

Rachael Junge

Managing Director - Central England, Midlands and Greater Manchester

Rachael began her career as a carer and has worked her way up the career ladder. Rachael was a managing director prior to joining HC-One in February 2018.

Rachael’s responsibility is to drive forward ‘kind care’, regulatory compliance and performance of the care homes in her group.

John Kirk

Managing Director - Scotland

John was appointed Managing Director in September 2018; he strongly believes fate brought him to the care sector and says he couldn’t imagine doing anything else now. John’s role is to lead and inspire our teams in HC-One care homes across Scotland, ensuring that we uphold our reputation as the most inclusive and supportive care provider in the country.

After starting his career in financial services, John joined the care sector in 2010, where he held director level roles in Allied Healthcare and Four Seasons Health Care. John is also an Executive Director and Vice Chair at Scottish Care.

Ruth Yates

Managing Director - North West, Wales & South West England

Ruth is a Registered Nurse with almost thirty years’ experience in the care sector; in her role as Managing Director she is responsible for optimising the strategic and operational performance for care homes in her portfolio.

Ruth has dedicated her life to supporting others and has held numerous positions within hospitals and care homes including working as a Home Manager for six years prior to transitioning to operational roles.

Emma Charlton

Director of Business Affairs and Brand

Emma has worked in the health and social care sector for 23 years with a focus in sales and marketing roles but covering most areas of care home operation. Prior to joining HC-One in 2014, she was a Director at Caring Homes Group for 17 years gaining significant experience and expertise in all areas of care home operation.

She is responsible for the HC-One brand experience; helping people to make informed decisions when choosing a care home so that they can choose the best possible care and experience for themselves or a loved one and lead active and fulfilling lives; Emma works collaboratively with Colleagues from all areas of operations and leads on non-care services and care home repositioning.
 

Lucy Connolly

Executive Director of People

Lucy joined HC-One in August 2016; in her role as Executive Director of People Lucy is responsible for helping to attract, recruit and retain the best possible talent in care homes across the UK and the central support functions.

Lucy has worked in recruitment for over twenty years and worked as a specialist resourcing consultant helping companies across the global to develop recruitment structures. Her contributions to the care sector were recognised with a prestigious award at the National Care Awards in 2019.

Karen Johnson

Clinical Director and Chief Nurse

Karen trained at Fife College of Nursing and Midwifery and has been privileged to support people as a carer, nurse, manager and now as clinical director and chief nurse to our care homes. Prior to joining HC-One, Karen worked at Southern Cross.

She is a practicing registered nurse and has worked in care homes for more than 20 years. 

Gary Reed

Property Director

After a brief spell as a fish monger and then a gardener in a care home whilst at college, Gary decided to become an accountant and qualified when he was 25. Soon after, Gary realised his future laid elsewhere so embarked on various Project and General Management roles within the rail industry (completing a law degree on the way). This led him to join a care home property team 14 years ago, progressing to his most recent role of Estates Director.
 
Gary’s role is to lead HC-One’s Property, Development and Health and Safety teams, striving to deliver a world class estate management service to HC-One care homes across the country. His team provide full operational support to HC-One’s home managers, so they are able to ensure the care homes are compliant, functional and safe, and that any refurbishments are carried out to a high standard.