YHEC’s team of advisors

Our team brings together new graduates and experienced professionals, spanning disciplines such as health economics, statistics, outcomes research, literature reviews, medical communications, and information specialists. With backgrounds in consultancy, academia, healthcare systems, and government research, our team has a deep understanding of the real-world sectors into which their expertise is applied. Our work is shaped by an awareness of policy priorities, ensuring our insights are aligned with the evolving demands of healthcare decision-making.

The Research Team

With over 70 staff members, YHEC brings together experts with diverse academic and practical backgrounds to form a multidisciplinary consultancy.

YHEC's annual, 2025 all-staff photo. The group of -60 indivudals are stood outside (on a sunny day) in a tiered format split over 3 rows

The Management Team

Our management team comprises trusted experts and recognised leaders in the field of health economics and outcomes research. They bring together decades of experience, providing strategic direction and hands-on guidance. This team is committed to ensuring the highest quality of service delivery and fostering an environment of innovation at YHEC.

Matthew Taylor smiling at the camera in his office. Books are visible on the shelfs behind.

Matthew is YHEC's CEO, leading our research and business operations. With a background in health economics and a PhD focused on measuring health-related quality of life, Mat's work bridges methodological rigour with real-world application. His areas of expertise and interest include quality-of-life evaluation, ethical decision making in healthcare, and the integration of environmental impact into health policy. Read more

Hayden Holmes is smiling at the camera. He is sitting behind a desk, with the computer visible on the edge of the screen. The YHEC logo is visible on the wall behind

Hayden Holmes

Director of Digital Health Technologies Consulting

Hayden is the Director of Digital Health Technologies Consulting at YHEC. Hayden works on a wide array of projects, from evaluations for cutting-edge AI tools and medical technologies to broader public health initiatives for clients like the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care, and NICE. Read more

Nick Hex smiling, looking just off camera. He is sat in an office behind a desk, with a laptop in front of him

Nick Hex

Director of NHS Consulting

Nick is the Director of NHS Consulting at YHEC and a qualified accountant with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. He leads YHEC's work with the NHS and public sector, providing economic evaluations, modelling, literature and evidence reviews, and analytical support. Nick's expertise lies in examining efficiency and productivity, using techniques such as return-on-investment, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses to inform decision making.  Read more

Rachael McCool smiling at the camera in an office setting, with the YHEC logo visible on the wall behind her

Rachael McCool

Director of Reviews and Evidence Synthesis

Rachael is YHEC's Director of Reviews and Evidence Synthesis. She has a strong passion for research and oversees the delivery of literature review projects for clients in both the private and public sectors. Rachael is an author on over 40 peer-reviewed publications, and her expertise ranges from pragmatic reviews for internal decision-making to robust systematic reviews for HTA submissions. She has worked across a diverse range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, and cardiology. Read more

A headshot of Stuart Mealing looking towards the camera against a neutral, grey background

Stuart Mealing

Director of Pharmaceutical Consulting

Stuart is the Director of Pharmaceutical Consulting at YHEC. Stuart oversees the delivery of a wide range of services to the pharmaceutical sector, including economic modelling, literature reviews, statistical analysis and patient-reported outcomes. He has extensive experience in the development and review of cost-effectiveness and budget-impact models, with a particular focus on developing these for health technology assessment.  Read more

Project Directors

Our Project Directors are experienced leaders who oversee the day-to-day management of projects, ensuring clear and effective communication, analytical rigour, efficient execution, and timely delivery of high-quality results. They support clients through every phase of their project journey.

An up-close photo of Heather Davies smiling at the camera, in an office setting

Heather is a Project Director at YHEC, where she has worked since 2017. She specialises in health economic modelling and leads a diverse portfolio of projects for clients in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Her work includes developing and critiquing economic models, as well as leading projects that involve analysis of real-world data. She also has extensive experience preparing submissions for organisations like NICE and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Read more

A head-and-shoulders photo of Will Green, smiling at the camera. He is stood against a neutral, cream background

Will is a Project Director with over a decade of experience in health economics consultancy at YHEC. He plays a crucial role in leading projects and ensuring our analyses effectively address complex healthcare questions. Will’s focus is on delivering impactful models that guide critical decisions in healthcare, and he has expertise in developing de novo cost-effectiveness and budget impact models, critiquing models from other vendors, and supporting HTA submissions. Read more

Jo Hanlon sitting down at a desk, smiling at a camera.

Jo is a Project Director at YHEC with over two decades of experience in public health within the NHS and local government. Since joining YHEC, she has been involved in over 70 economic evaluations across a wide range of areas, including cancer services, primary care systems, and health policy programs. Read more

A head-and-shoulders photo of Mary Jordan, who is smiling at the camera. She is stood outside, with greenery visible behind her.

Mary is a Project Director at YHEC with clinical experience that underpins her broad research interests in health economics. She has extensive experience conducting reviews of clinical and economic evidence for NICE, having previously worked at Warwick University's external assessment group. Mary manages diverse projects across a wide range of conditions, focusing on building and conceptualising models for diagnostic assessment reviews, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Read more

A headshot of Andria Joseph

Andria Joseph is a Project Director in Outcomes Research at YHEC, where she specialises in value-based healthcare. Her work involves leading both qualitative and quantitative analysis for outcomes research projects. She has extensive experience in expert elicitation using methods like Delphi panels and structured expert elicitation (SEE). Andria leads diverse working groups for these projects; these include key stakeholders such as clinicians, patient advisory groups, and policy advisors. Read more

Rachael McDonald is smiling at the camera. She is sat outside, with sunglasses on her head.

Rachael is a Project Director within the NHS and Public Sector service, with experience leading evaluations for a wide range of health interventions and services, including population health initiatives, diagnostic tests, complex care models and system services. Rachael's expertise is in health economic modelling, including the development of cost-comparison models, cost-effectiveness models and cost-of-illness models. Read more

Tom is a Project Director with around 12 years of experience working in HTA and HEOR roles specialising in systematic reviews and information retrieval. He has experience in leading multi-team projects to support HTA submission dossiers, evidence generation activities and publications. Tom focuses on designing fit-for-purpose research projects that meet client needs and maximise efficient use of researchers' time and resources. Read more

Rob Malcolm sitting on the edge of a sofa, smiling at the camera. Treese are vivible through the windows behind him

Rob is a Project Director at YHEC, specialising in health economics. Since joining the company in 2020, he has worked on and managed a diverse portfolio of projects, providing valuable insights across the pharmaceutical, medical device and digital health technology sectors. He has also been heavily involved in YHEC's role as an external assessment group for NICE. Here, he has led the development, critique and reconstruction of economic models for HTA. Read more

Joe Moss sitting at a desk, smiling at the camera

Joe is YHEC's Principal Statistician. He specialises in applying statistical methods to support health economic modelling and decision-making, and his work ensures that analyses are both robust and practical. Joe has extensive experience in evidence synthesis, survival analysis, and building bespoke statistical tools in R, including interactive Shiny applications. He works closely with other services at YHEC to integrate high-quality statistical thinkking into every stage of a project. Read more

A head-and-shoulders photo of Angel. She is stood facing the camera and smiling. She is stood outside, with trees visible in the background

Angel is a Project Director at YHEC with a particular interest in digital health technologies that incorporate artificial intelligence. Since joining YHEC in 2019, she has gained extensive experience developing economic models for public and private sectors, including cost-utility, budget-impact, and cost-minimisation models. She also creates cost of illness calculators, applying various methods such as cohort-based modelling and patient-level simulations. Read more

Board Members

Our board members provide essential oversight and strategic guidance, ensuring YHEC’s long-term stability and success. They bring a wealth of experience from diverse backgrounds, helping to shape our mission and uphold our commitment to excellence. Their independent perspectives are crucial in steering YHEC toward sustainable growth.

A photo of Karen Bloor smiling at someone off camera. She is standing outside on a sunny day, with trees in the background.

Karen Bloor, one of YHEC's board members, is a Professor of Health Economics and Policy at the University of York, where she has been a leading expert since 1991. With an incredibly varied portfolio, she has spent the last 11 years co-leading the Partnership for Responsive Policy Analysis and Research (PREPARE). This is a key initiative that provides fast-response research to inform developing policy for the Department of Health and Social Care. Read more

A headshot of Andrew Davies against a neutral grey background

Andrew Davies, one of YHEC's board members, is a leading voice in digital health policy. He brings a wealth of experience from a career dedicated to medical devices, where he progressed through various commercial roles: from sales and marketing to market access and business development. This journey has equipped him with a deep understanding of the healthcare technology landscape and its business operations.  Read more

A portrait, head-and-shoulders image of Ken Badcock smiling at the camera. He is outside, with buildings visible (but blurred) behind him

Ken is a YHEC board member, as well as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of York. In this role, he is responsible for coordinating and delivering strategy and planning, while also working with Deans and the Chief Operating Officer to effectively deploy resources. Before joining the University of York, he held senior leadership positions at Royal Holloway, the University of London, and the University of Liverpool. Read more

A head-and-shoulders photo of Beth Woods smiling at the camera against a dark background

Beth Woods is a YHEC board member who specialises in health economics. Her career began in 2006 at Oxford Outcomes, a private consulting firm where she became Director of the Health Economics team. In 2014, she transitioned to academia and joined the University of York, where she is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics. Read more

Kirsten Major, YHEC board member, has expertise in NHS providers and healthcare delivery. Her career journey began as a health economist in Scottish public health departments, before she transitioned to NHS management. This path led her to her current role as Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a position she has held since 2019. Read more

Matthew Taylor smiling at the camera in his office. Books are visible on the shelfs behind.

Matthew is YHEC's CEO, leading our research and business operations. With a background in health economics and a PhD focused on measuring health-related quality of life, Mat's work bridges methodological rigour with real-world application. His areas of expertise and interest include quality-of-life evaluation, ethical decision making in healthcare, and the integration of environmental impact into health policy. Read more