Chris has combined digital skills with his love for education through his career in the NHS. Originally working in the Learning, Education and Development team of Cardiff and Vale UHB, he worked heavily on coordinating and delivering the leadership and management programmes offered. He also delivered transformational work in implementing the Learning@Wales platform for the delivery of clinical skills training during the COVID pandemic.

Chris worked on the development of a Values Based Appraisal process to effect cultural change and begin embedding positive talent management practices across Cardiff and Vale UHB. This work helped him realise a passion for the systemic and cultural changes needed across the NHS system and led to his application and appointment to the role of Digital Leadership Programme Manager. In his current role, Chris has worked closely alongside internal and external teams to help steer the Gwella platform forward in supporting the whole health and social care system.

Outside of work, Chris has a passion for fiction writing, board games and crochet. He has a degree in film and theatre (which he is itching to get some use from) and a life-long love of learning new things.

Afonso has a background in photography, having worked as Freelance Photography and Videographer in the past. Since then, he had a range of Administrative and Communications roles in different organisations from Public Health Wales, to Soil Association and FoodCycle.

He became a member of the Culture, Leadership and Succession Team at HEIW in September 2020 as Project Support Officer for the NHS Wales General Management Programme where his interest for embedding compassionate cultures within health care was fostered.

In addition to his enthusiasm for Compassionate Leadership, his visual and digital media background have lead him to progress to the role of Digital Leadership Project Manager, supporting with the management and day-to-day running of the Gwella platform. He is responsible for a range of digital projects, collaborating with colleagues and partners across organisations.

In 2019, Chloe started her career at the Cardiff and Vale Health Board, starting out as a Business Administration apprentice.

She then started full time within the learning and education team, where she began her expertise in the digital and educational realms.

In June 2023, Chloe started with Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW), within in the Gwella Team.

She has started exploring leadership dynamics and nurturing a compassionate culture as part of her role.

Janine is a Digital Project Support Officer in the Gwella team, where she plays a pivotal role in maintaining and improving the quality of the Gwella platform. Creating monthly newsletters to keep our audience informed and inspired, she also adds valuable resources and updates to the platform.

Janine’s attention to detail and commitment to quality are reflected in all aspects of her work, contributing to the continuous improvement of the platform.

With a decade of experience in learning and development, Janine’s previous roles include working on digital literacy projects for Welsh Government and BT, as well as leading accelerator training courses for business start-ups. These experiences have equipped her with a deep understanding of digital solutions and their impact on learning and business development.

Alongside these roles, Janine’s worked as a costume designer/maker in TV, theatre and film for over 20 years and is also a qualified dance and fitness professional.

Before the pandemic, Mitchell was a full-time golfer, winning on the national stage and becoming the first Black person to represent Wales and win in the Country. During this time he continued his education, earning a Master of Science degree. In January 2020, Mitchell began working for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) as a backup to his plans to turn professional at golf, supervising COVID-19 testing across the entire Health Board overseeing around 500 tests per day.

In 2022, Mitchell returned to London to be involved in the family business, Reid's Pharmacy & The North London Travel Clinic (NLTC), which has earned an Investors in People Gold Standard Award. There, he further enhanced his communication and detail-oriented skills. Mitchell later created Tournament Tracker, an online platform for Elite Amateur Golf Results, achieving 1500 monthly users and nearly 10,000,000 views on social media over a short period.

Before his recent move to HEIW, Mitchell worked as a Programme Administrator at the NHS Wales Executive, Specialising in IT. Here Mitchell dealt with IT queries, new starter setup and asset management whilst also assisting the Communications team with building the National Pathology Programme’s internet site. His ultimate goal is to become a Software Product Manager.

Mitchell recently joined the Gwella team at HEIW as a Digital Project Support Officer and looks forward to learning over the next 10 months during his secondment.