Ufonia strengthens leadership team

Ufonia strengthens leadership team

Amidst NHS AI TRANSFORMATION

Pioneering digital health company, Ufonia, today announces a significant development to its leadership team, with the appointment of two industry experts – Richard Armitage as Commercial Director and Richard Whittington as UK Partnerships Director.

As a company which is revolutionising patient pathways, bringing together AI and clinical evidence to automate routine clinical conversations, these strategic hires are timely.  There is much opportunity for growth as the UK government announces its commitment to integrating artificial intelligence (AI) across public services, including the National Health Service.

Richard Armitage joins Ufonia as Commercial Director, bringing over a decade of experience in commercial strategy, NHS engagement and healthcare technology.

As former NHS Director at specialist Optegra Eye Health Care, Richard played a key role in standardising and scaling clinical services across the hospital group. He led the expansion of strategic partnerships and drove a significant increase in patient referrals. Under his leadership, activity from public sector contracts grew significantly, helping to reduce waiting times, while the adoption of AI-driven automation improved efficiency and freed up valuable clinical time.

With a deep understanding of NHS procurement pathways, contracting models, and digital transformation, Richard is well-positioned to drive Ufonia’s commercial strategy. He will focus on expanding the adoption of its autonomous clinical agents and accelerating revenue growth across the UK healthcare sector as well as global opportunities.

In his new role, Richard will lead Ufonia’s revenue strategy, overseeing sales execution, procurement navigation and market expansion to ensure the company’s autonomous clinical agents reach more healthcare organisations and patients.

There are opportunities across a broad range of treatment areas, from ophthalmic to orthopaedic, where Ufonia’s technology can make a substantial difference to both healthcare delivery and to patients themselves, ensuring a timely and convenient service.

Richard said: “I’m excited to join Ufonia at such a transformative time for AI in healthcare. As the NHS looks to harness digital innovation to improve efficiency and patient outcomes, Ufonia’s technology has demonstrated that it can make a real impact.  I look forward to bringing this fantastic, transformative technology to as many healthcare providers and patients as possible.”

In addition, Richard Whittington joins Ufonia as UK Partnerships Director.  He brings extensive expertise in NHS relationship management and policy engagement.

Having spent 20 years working across all sectors of the NHS in operational, commissioning and strategic roles Richard brings in-depth knowledge of NHS processes and an understanding of current and potential future NHS policy.

Richard was also previously CEO of LOCSU, an organisation that supports community optometry, where he led the development and increased delivery of the Primary Eyecare Company model. As such, he brings extensive service design, redesign and contracting experience.

Richard is well positioned to focus on developing strategic partnerships, influencing policy, and securing funding pathways to drive long-term adoption of Ufonia’s technology.

He said: “I look forward to working closely with healthcare providers to continue to drive adoption, secure strategic collaborations, and ensure that AI-powered clinical conversations become a core part of delivering high-quality, accessible care.”

Dr Nick de Pennington, Founder and CEO of Ufonia, commented:

“Together, these appointments reinforce Ufonia’s commitment to transforming healthcare by making high-quality, accessible care available to everyone, at any time.

“Appointing Richard Armitage and Richard Whittington brings a wealth of industry experience and leadership to Ufonia at a critical time in our growth. Their expertise in commercial strategy and NHS partnerships will be invaluable as we continue scaling our AI-powered solutions to improve patient outcomes and alleviate pressure on clinical teams.  Our technology can create a lasting impact across the healthcare sector and we are excited to see this grow.”

Ufonia is a digital health company pioneering autonomous clinical agents to enhance healthcare delivery.  It was developed with support from the University of Oxford, by Dr Nick de Pennington, a neurosurgeon with 15 years’ experience delivering frontline patient care and digital projects across regional health systems.

By combining natural language technology and clinical evidence, Ufonia enables scalable, voice-based clinical conversations that alleviate clinician workload while ensuring high-quality patient care. The company partners with NHS organisations to improve efficiency, reduce costs and expand patient access.