The core team below work closely with colleagues from across the University, leading on strategic initiatives in health innovation, connecting colleagues to potential collaborators internally and externally, and leading the University’s input into the Arden Cross Health Tech Campus.

Professor Sudhesh Kumar OBE

Vice President, Health

In his Vice President role, Sudhesh leads on the University’s Health Innovation strategy, which includes the development of a regional health eco-system to leverage opportunities in this fast-growing area. Prior to taking up the VP role, Sudhesh had served as Dean of Warwick Medical School for over eight years, leading the School successfully through a period of significant growth. He is a clinical endocrinologist and over his career, both as a clinician and as an academic, has made significant contributions to reducing health inequalities. He has published over 240 papers and 6 books.

In addition to his university roles Sudhesh has also been a Non-Executive Director on the University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust Board and Vice Chair of the Board for NHS Digital. He received the Coventry City Award of Merit in 2011 and was awarded an OBE for services to Medicine in 2019. In January 2024, he also took up the role of President of AIRTO, the Association of Innovation, Research & Technology Organisations.

Jane Coleman

Director of Delivery and Operations, Health Innovation

Jane's role includes developing an institutional strategy in Health Innovation and establishing the operational structures to support its delivery. She is also leading the University’s plans for the Arden Cross Health Tech Campus.

Prior to this role, Jane spent over 16 years in WMG as Chief Operating Officer, and a member of its Executive Team. She studied Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University and has a postgraduate qualification in Human Resource Management. She has held several voluntary roles in education, and until Summer 2024 was Vice-Chair of Governors at the WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Coventry (one of two University Technical Colleges linked to the University).

She has an interest in equality, diversity and inclusion and is co-chair of the University’s Gender Taskforce.

Professor Charlie Craddock CBE

Academic Director, Health Innovation (Clinical)

Charlie’s role as part-time Academic Director provides academic and clinical leadership to the University’s Heath Innovation activities, with a particular focus on clinical trials and regional engagement.

He is Professor of Haemato-oncology in Warwick Medical School and the Academic Director of the Centre for Clinical Haematology at University Hospitals Birmingham. Charlie is Chair of the UK Stem Cell Strategic Oversight Committee and was Medical Director of Anthony Nolan from 2010–2014 as well as a past President of the British Society of Haematology.

His main research interests include the development of novel drug and transplant therapies in acute myeloid leukaemia. He pioneered the development of the UK Haemato-oncology Trials Acceleration Programme and the UK stem cell transplant trials network, IMPACT. In 2021 he founded Accelerating Clinical Trials Ltd, an innovative haemato-oncology trials delivery vehicle.

He has published more than 250 papers in peer reviewed journals. Charlie was awarded the CBE for services to medicine and medical research in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list and elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020.

Professor Peter Scott

Academic Director, Health Innovation (Business Partnerships)

Pete’s role as part-time Academic Director provides academic leadership to business partnership activities and advises on commercialisation opportunities.

He is a Professor of Chemistry and was previously Director of the University’s Institute of Advanced Study and has chaired groups as diverse as the University’s Health and Safety Committee and its Art Collection Committee. He is also founder and director of the Warwick spin-out Interface Polymers Ltd.

Educated at Salford and Oxford, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and has held a Royal Society Industrial Fellowship. He sits on the Scientific Advisory Council of Midlands Mindforge. His research focuses on the discovery of self-assembling molecules as antimicrobials and cancer medicines, and interfacially-active polyolefin materials for recycling and other applications.