Design and architectural practice, HKS, has appointed Julianne Ilebode-Akisanya (left) and Sophia Hami (right) as Health Advisory leaders and Vice-Presidents in its UK office.
They bring ‘complementary clinical, operational, and consultancy skills and experience’ to the Health Advisory team, and ‘close networks of public and private sector contacts’. HKS says they will work with HKS clients ‘to solve critical strategic and operational challenges, and navigate the biggest issues facing the healthcare sector today – including modernising existing estates, improving access to services, decarbonisation, digitisation, and staff and patient wellbeing’.
Julianne Ilebode-Akisanya joins from her role as general manager at ENT UK (the Royal College of Surgeons), where she ‘created strategic alliances and strategies’ with NHS and private healthcare sector providers. Before that, she worked at GE Healthcare Partners, where her role included acting as delivery lead for a customer transformation programme at a leading healthcare charity, and developing a mental health workforce redesign strategy for a Clinical Commissioning Group. Between 2014 and 2018 she was a management consultant at PWC, working across a range of healthcare projects.
Sophia Hami has worked for over 13 years in operational NHS and private healthcare sector roles. With a keen understanding of the UK health market, clinical needs, healthcare business planning, regulatory frameworks, and revenue targets, she has for the past two held a board-level position at OneWelbeck Women’s Health, working with clinical partners to set up the women’s health centre and deliver gynaecology and breast outpatient consultation, procedures, and imaging services to patients. She also worked for 10 years within the Imperial College Healthcare Trust across disciplines including gastroenterology and hepatology, gynaecology, and children’s services. She managed and worked alongside frontline clinical teams for process improvement, evaluated against regulatory requirements, completed strategic development plans, and led the Trust’s COVID response.