Professor Richard Stubbs

Chief Executive Officer, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber | Visiting Professor University of Sheffield

Professor Richard Stubbs is Chief Executive of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, where he works across the NHS, academia and industry to accelerate the adoption of innovations that transform health and care delivery. He has led the organisation since 2016, having joined as Commercial Director in 2014, and under his leadership the organisation has leveraged over £140 million of economic growth into the Yorkshire and Humber region in the last three years alone. A recognised leader in health innovation, Richard brings together sectors and regions to harness technology and life sciences for improved patient outcomes and stronger health-driven economic growth.

Richard is a member of the MHRA’s National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare. His national leadership roles include Executive Chair of the national Health Innovation Network from 2023 to 2025 — the first Black, Asian or minority ethnic leader to hold the role — having previously served as Vice Chair from 2021, bringing together all fifteen health innovation networks across England. In 2024/25 alone, the Network’s programmes leveraged almost £500 million of investment for UK companies, benefited over a million patients, and created or safeguarded over 900 jobs; over the life of its national programmes since 2018, the Network has benefitted over 3.2 million patients and contributed more than £2.6 billion to the UK economy, delivering a £2.81 return for every £1 invested. He also served as a member of the NHS Assembly from 2019 to 2026, and of NHS England’s Accelerated Access Collaborative, and currently sits on the Health Foundation’s NHS Productivity Commission Expert Advisory Panel, due to report in Autumn 2026 — roles that shaped his understanding of how change happens at scale across a complex system.

An international leader in health innovation, Richard is Co-Chair of the Policy, Governance & Financing working group within the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe’s Public Health Innovation Platform, helping shape how countries across the continent can collaborate more effectively to close the gap between promising health innovation and real-world adoption. He is a member of the International Hospital Federation’s Global Scientific Committee, a Fellow of the Sciana Health Leaders’ Network, and a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar. Earlier in his career, Richard created and led NHS Global, supporting the NHS to deliver commercial and philanthropic activities around the world, and subsequently advised Healthcare UK, part of the UK Department for Business and Trade, on healthcare export activity.

In 2022, Richard created the national Innovate Awards, in partnership with NHS Confederation, to recognise and reward health innovators across the NHS and industry.

Championing diversity and inclusion has been central to Richard’s leadership throughout his career. Regularly recognised in the Health Service Journal’s Top 50 BAME Powerlist as one of the most influential figures in English health policy, he co-chaired the NHS Confederation’s BME Leadership Network for over eight years, supporting current and future diverse health leaders and leading national work to increase diversity in innovation.

Deeply committed to Yorkshire and his home region, Richard served on the board of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) from 2018, going on to become its Chair, until the LEP was dissolved in October 2023 ahead of Local Enterprise Partnerships being wound up nationally the following year. As Chair, he led the board through the announcement of South Yorkshire as the UK’s first Investment Zone focused on Advanced Manufacturing, expected to create around 8,000 new jobs and attract £1.2 billion of private investment by 2030. Richard is now a founding member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Economic Advisory Council, bringing a health perspective into economic decision-making. He co-created YHealth4Growth, a platform for the argument that healthier communities are more productive ones, and has authored influential reports exploring the relationship between health outcomes and regional productivity.

Richard is an Honorary Visiting Professor at both Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield. He chairs the Advisory Board of Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and leads the NIHR Health Tech Research Centre in Paediatrics and Child Health Steering Group, helping to advance research focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.

Alongside his executive responsibilities, Richard holds a number of non-executive and voluntary roles. He is a Non-Executive Director of Westfield Health, a leading not-for-profit health and wellbeing organisation, an Ambassador for Sheffield Hospitals Charity, and a Trustee of Sheffield Theatres Trust, the overarching governing board for one of the UK’s leading regional theatre complexes.

Named Business Leader of the Year at the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards in 2021, and twice named in Yorkshire Business Insider’s Power 100 list (2023 and 2025), Richard is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Leadership Fellow of St George’s House, Windsor Castle, and a member of Maltby Learning Trust, having previously served as Board Trustee from 2018 to 2021.

Richard lives in Sheffield with his family and, in his spare time, coaches an under-15s football team — which he describes as the real day job.