About Us

Derrick is an accountant by profession and has held senior positions in the corporate health sector for the last 20 years.

Derrick has successfully held various executive positions, managing senior teams and cross function groups, most recently as a Board Director of Nuffield Health’s Wellbeing business.

He is well known for his ability to drive positive customer focussed business change and building dynamic effective teams.

Mark is an experienced Physiotherapist with a background in both NHS and corporate settings and leads Vita Health Group’s operations.

Mark has a passion for working with his team to design clinical and commercial service models that exceed customer requirements, creating new commercial opportunities and providing exceptional service transformation and delivery.

Chris, our Chief Operating Officer and Executive Board member, is an experienced leader in both primary and secondary healthcare. She oversees operational delivery and financial performance across Corporate and NHS services, including Mental Health, MSK, and Dermatology.

Previously, she served as a Hospital Director at Ramsay Healthcare, managing services such as cancer care, orthopaedics, and diagnostics, and played a key role at Nuffield Health in acquiring and restructuring a private mental health business.

Passionate about teamwork and quality outcomes, Chris is dedicated to driving excellence across the business.

Emma is a qualified psychotherapist (UKCP) and accredited CBT therapist (BABCP) and has over 17 years operational and clinical experience within primary care mental health in third sector, NHS and corporate environments.

Emma has worked within national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services since inception in 2009, has chaired NHS transformation teams developing better depression pathways for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and has been involved in the development and procurement of several IAPT services across the UK.

Emma has a continued passion to work with the VHG team to provide both mental and physical health services that are of outstanding clinical quality, accessible, innovative and service user focused.

Ishmael is the EDI and Sustainability Director and a member of the Vita Executive Management Team. He has a clinical background, qualifying with a BSc in Physiotherapy in 2006 and also holds a Diploma in Orthopaedic Medicine, MSc in Leadership and Management in Health and Diploma in Enviromental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Ishmael gained experience working as an occupational health physiotherapist for several years, alongside working in musculoskeletal (MSK) private practice. He then progressed into management and leadership, fulfilling Clinic Manager, Head of Service and Operational Lead positions in MSK and Mental Health Services.

In addition to this Ishmael has also been Chair of Council at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the UKs Physiotherapy professional body and trade union. He is also passionate about leadership development and supports across a number of mentoring programmes.

Ishmael is accountable for EDI and Sustainability across the organisation; this includes our EDI, Health and wellbeing, “Speak Up”, Sustinabily and Social Value teams.