Sir David Behan CBE
Executive Chairman
Sir David Behan originally joined HC-One in 2018 as a Non-Executive Director, subsequently becoming Chairman in November 2019, and Executive Chairman in February 2020.
His role to date has included working closely with the Board and Senior Management Team to ensure HC-One continues to deliver its ambition of becoming the first-choice care provider for Residents and Colleagues across the UK. He has also been focused on ensuring high standards of care are delivered across the organisation.
With over 40 years of experience in health and social care, Sir David’s career highlights include being the former Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission, the regulator for health and care services in England, for six years; the Chief Inspector of its predecessor, the Commission for Social Care Inspection; and Director General for Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships at the Department of Health. Sir David is also the current Chair of Health Education England, the body which provides national leadership and coordination for the education and training of the health and public health workforce in England.
In 2004, Sir David was appointed the CBE for services to social care and was knighted for his services to health and care in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list.
David Smith
Chief Financial Officer
With HC-One since its 2011 inception, David has a wealth of financial experience and expertise following ten years working for Price Waterhouse Cooper in the UK, the United States and the Middle East. He has over 10 years’ experience in the health and social care sector, having held a number of senior finance positions. He has had a leading role in all of HC-One’s acquisitions and re-financings and played a key part in the company’s ever-increasing financial resilience.
A qualified chartered accountant, David also holds a degree in Physics from the University of Birmingham.
John Ransford CBE
Interim Chief Operating Officer
In a public service career spanning over forty years, John Ransford gained extensive leadership experience of personal social care, health and wellbeing and government at local, regional and national levels. John spent fourteen years at the Local Government Association (LGA) which represents all local councils in England and Wales.
After advising and leading on social care, health and public protection services, he became Chief Executive of the LGA for three years until 2011. Since 2011 John has served as a board member for a number of leading care operators including HC-One where he has been a Member of the Executive Team for several years. John was awarded the CBE for services to social work in 1997.
Sir William Wells
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Sir William has held non-executive roles in the NHS since 1968, and spent fifteen of those years working in social care. His career in the public sector has included roles as a Governor of the Royal Free Hospital in Gray’s Inn Road, Chairman of the NHS Appointments Commission (2001-2007), Chairman of the Commercial Advisory Board to the Department of Health (2003-2007) and Member of the General Council of the King’s Fund (1995 to date).
Sir William was awarded a knighthood in March 1997.
Bruce McLernon BA CQSW DMS
Special Advisor for Wales
Formerly Principal Officer (Mental Health and Learning Disabilities) for West Glamorgan County Council Social Services, Bruce was appointed Assistant Director in 1996 (Older People and People with a Physical Disability Services) with the City and County of Swansea. He then spent fourteen years working as Director of Social Care, Health and Housing in Carmarthenshire, Wales and was instrumental in developing collaberative ways of working, bringing together Social Services, Housing and Public Protection.
Bruce is a former President of the Association of Directors of Social Service, Cymru, and chaired the Mid and West Wales Health and Social Care Collaborative until 2014, when he retired from public service.