New CFO and CTO join Preston community healthcare team

Preston-based CHEC, one of the UK’s leading providers of community healthcare, has made two senior appointments to its expanding team. 

Tim Knockton has joined the firm as group chief financial officer, while James Wilson has stepped into the role of chief technology officer, both tasked with taking the company forward in its ambitious growth plans. 

Knockton has a breadth of experience across professional services and industry, latterly holding a number of senior finance and board roles in SME businesses. He has a background in fast moving consumer goods, including a senior finance and supply chain management role with KP Snacks. Knockton also spent 10 years working in management consultancy and finance transformation for EY. His most recent role saw him appointed as finance director for Arc Inspirations.

Speaking of his new role, Knockton said: “CHEC is accelerating its operations quickly, making it a really exciting time to join the business. My ambition is to build on what is already an amazing foundation, ensuring we can scale proficiently while making a truly positive impact on communities around the country. My experience feeds perfectly into that mission, and we’re already making great headway.”

Meanwhile Wilson, with an entrepreneurial background, launched his own software and consultancy company in the early 2000s. After 14 years of growing the firm and becoming a preferred supplier for software services to companies around the world, he exited the business following its sale. From there, he moved into the corporate world joining Bibby Financial Services where he was Enterprise Architect and progressed to the role of Global Head of Strategy and Innovation.

In 2020, he started a RegTech business (ID4-S.com) which was subsequently acquired when he joined Red Flag A!ert as chief technology officer, where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of technology including operations, development, research and strategy, where he remained for three years up to his appointment at CHEC. 

Wilson said: “Technology is so intrinsically linked to experience, I want to make sure the services sitting behind CHEC compel our referrers – GPs, optometrists and NHS Trusts – to work with us at every opportunity. My aim is to ensure we’re delivering such a high-quality technological solution that we differentiate ourselves in the market, as a provider of seamless interactions whether that’s appointment booking, clinical assessments, or as part of our after care.

“We also have a number of new clinics to mobilise in the next 12 months, all of which will rely on a frictionless digital journey to ensure they can offer the full breadth of CHEC services to support patients who lean on us for their healthcare needs. CHEC is growing rapidly, and my aim is to ensure technology underpins every part of our future success.”

Imran Rahman, CEO of CHEC, said: “We’ve welcomed Tim and James with open arms. To add two new team members with such high calibre experience and vast knowledge in their specialisms is a big moment for us, and will help us achieve our ambitions both in the short and long term. Both are already having a big impact on the organisation, and having them support the C-Suite at a senior level will be a privilege.”

About CHEC

For more than a decade, CHEC has been working in partnership with the NHS to increase patient choice services and provide access to timely care and treatment locally. In 2022, CHEC opened the doors of its first specialist endoscopy suite. Now operational in eight of its 20+ hospital sites around the country, CHEC continues to expand its community-based offering of vital healthcare gastroenterology services to its patients.