Meet our leadership team
Prof Chris Hollis
Clinical and Research Director
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Professor at the University of Nottingham, and Founder and Director of the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre Mental Health (MindTech).
Chris is an international leader in digital mental health and has advanced the adoption of evidence-based technologies across the NHS and global healthcare systems.
Barnaby Perks
Commercial Director
Engineer and entrepreneur with over two decades’ experience in assistive and health technology. Barnaby has designed award-winning assistive technologies for people with complex disabilities before moving into mental health technology, first as the Founding CEO of Cambridge-based ieso, and later as the CEO of Oxford University spin-out Oxford VR. He is now CEO of St John’s Innovation Centre.
Dr Aaron Kandola
Programme Director
Digital mental health innovator and researcher working across academia, industry and health systems. Trained in data science and psychiatric epidemiology, Aaron has led the development, evaluation, and real-world deployment of mental health technologies, while also designing the sustainable delivery models needed to scale them. He is Chief Scientific Officer of the digital health platform juli, and his multidisciplinary background ranges from the Department of Health and Social Care and University College London to Zinc VC and the Wellcome Trust.
Robert Higginson
Investment Advisor
Investor with extensive experience in deep tech and health innovation. Robert co-founded Par Equity in 2008, a venture capital firm specialising in IP-rich deep tech companies, which merged with Praetura Ventures in 2025 to form PXN. With a career spanning Europe and the U.S., he has led hardware, software, and communications innovation, built digital health ventures, and serves on multiple investment committees and company boards.
