Interests
Health systems strengthening, aid effectiveness, design and evaluation of health programmes and plans, public health with a focus on both communicable and non-communicable disease control.Skills
Global public health/ epidemiology, health outcomes, health systems strengthening and management, programme design, development, quality assurance and evaluation, group facilitation.Background and relevant experience
- Medical Doctor with post graduate qualifications in both UK and Tropical Public Health and Child Health. Early career in hospital posts in the UK and Canada with humanitarian work with Save the Children in Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Followed by senior public health and management posts in the UK NHS
- Worked in Global Health since 1993 including multiple assignments in Africa, Asia and the Pacific for most major development agencies. Co-founder and chief executive of HLSP, a UK based consulting company which specialised in health systems strengthening and public health in low and middle-income countries. Became one of the larger SMEs in Europe in this field. Managed its transition to become the international health division of Mott McDonald- a global engineering and development consulting business owned by its own staff.
- Technical Director International Health Mott MacDonald, 2004 – 2019. Responsible for maintaining professional excellence in all Mott McDonald’s work in the international health sector. This relied on overseeing a continuous professional development programme for staff ensuring they were at the cutting edge of current practice and overseeing a technical quality assurance programme for all health work. Led on winning new work with clients and was project director on some large projects. Did 3-4 months per year on assignments in low and middle-income countries.
- Director HLSP Institute 1995-2008. Set up the HLSP Institute as a policy development and knowledge management ‘think tank’ on international development focussing on the health sector & aid effectiveness. In 2008 as part of the rebranding of HLSP into Mott MacDonald it was shut down and its function continued through the MM International Health Professional Excellence and Knowledge Management programme.
- Other key appointments - Director DFID Health Systems Resource centre (part time), 1994 – 2000; Technical Director, DFAT Health Resource Facility for Australia’s Aid Program (part time), 2008 – 2015
Technical Assignments
Since 1992 have spent an average of 3-4 months per year on assignments in low/middle income countries. Almost all have been for governments and contracted by multilateral or bilateral agencies.Recent examples include;
2017-2019 Technical consultant to and chair of Expert Advisory Group for the Fleming Fund.
This is a UK DHSS £240 million-pound grant programme aimed at supporting 24 low- and middle-income countries address Anti-Microbial. Led on both the design and monitoring of cross cutting issues (VfM, Alignment, Harmonisation and Sustainability) for the 24 country grants across West and East Africa and South and South East Asia.
2019 Better Health Programme in South Africa
This is one of the first UK cross government Aid programmes to MICs providing support from the UKFCO to the RSA government in health insurance and public health. Was Project Director for first six months and continuing as a consultant working to support NHI and NCDs.
2015 -2019 Gates Foundation -Technical Adviser:
Evaluations of the Better Immunisation Data initiative (Tanzania / Zambia) and Malawi HIV data strengthening
2010 – 2015 South Africa
Project director of SARRAH a £30 million DfID HSS programme of support to the RSA NDOH. Specific work involved -Technical lead on support for the introduction of NHI, introduction of national QA mechanisms for the health sector, advising on the purchaser provider split and the introduction of general practice to the public health sector.
2014 – 2019 East and Southern Africa
Project Director of EPHSA a £15 million DfID funded programme providing research grants and a policy into practice programme to disseminate eat results into HIV in hard to reach groups in East and Southern Africa.
Personal
Ken is British and lives in Scotland. Fluent English and passable French. When not working he sails skis and hill walks and runs a small ship cruise company on the west coast of Scotland -www.themajesticline.co.ukFor a full CV email Ken at the address given at the top of this profile