Jim Harris

Chairman & Managing Director

Jim has worked in the Protection Industry in the UK and Ireland since 1984, when he established a small company providing services to Income Protection Insurers to help validate the then growing number of claims. In 1993, in partnership with a leading international reinsurer, Jim set up the Health Claims Bureau (now HCB Group), which pioneered the concept of Early Intervention as a management tool for Income Protection Claims Managers. HCB Group is now partly owned by Professional Disability Associates, based in Portland, Maine, USA. Over the years HCB Group, using its national networks of Nurses, has developed a suite of Employee Health Management services which are now provided to Employers as well as Insurers, with a clear focus on enabling optimum return to work for absentees and disability insurance claimants, particularly in cases of subjective or self reported illness, (such as stress or anxiety). HCB Group also provides a full outsourcing service for the management of closed books or self-insured insurance schemes, and are specialists in the assessment of applications for Ill Health Early Retirement under pension schemes. Jim is a member of the UK’s Income Protection Task Force.

Professor Sir Mansel Aylward

Director

Professor Sir Mansel Aylward CB MD FRCP FFOM FFPM is Director of the Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research at Cardiff University which offers a unique opportunity to extend knowledge and understanding of the psychosocial, economic and cultural factors that influence health, illness, recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration. He is also the first-ever Chair of Public Health Wales – a new unified NHS Trust responsible for the delivery of public health services at national, local and community level in Wales. He was Chair of the Wales Centre for Health, an Assembly Government Sponsored Body established to be the ‘hub of connected organisations’ and to communicate better health messages to the people of Wales. In October 2007 Professor Sir Mansel Aylward, in his capacity as Chair of the Wales Centre for Health, was asked by Edwina Hart, Minister for Health and Social Services to undertake a review of Health Commission Wales’ functions, including its decision-making processes and appeals mechanism. Under this arrangement, a report on key findings and advice (including the making of recommendations) was provided to the Minister in June 2008. Professor Sir Mansel Aylward was also asked to advise the Minister on the healthcare provision in Merthyr Tydfil and surrounding areas. In December 2008, during the 60th year of the NHS, the Minister asked Professor Sir Aylward to head the membership of a new independent group, the Bevan Commission, to help ensure that changes in the NHS structures set Wales on the path to a world-class health care system. In 2005 he was elected to the new Queen’s Birthday Honours Committee, designed to make the system more transparent. In September 2008 he was formally re-appointed for a further 3 years. He is also Patron of The Shaw Trust which provides training and work opportunities for people disadvantaged in the labour market due to disability, ill health, or other social circumstances. From 1996 to April 2005 he was Chief Medical Adviser, Medical Director and Chief Scientist to the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions. He was also Chief Medical Adviser and Head of Profession at the Veterans' Agency, Ministry of Defence. In 2001 he was appointed as The Royal Society of Medicine's Academic Sub Dean for Wales. He was knighted in the Queen's New Years Honours 2010 for services to healthcare.

Eoin Byrne B.Comm (IRL)

Director

Eoin, a Commerce graduate from University College Dublin, has over 30 years experience in the Financial Service Industry. During his career with Norwich Union and Hibernian Groups he operated at Director level, until his retirement in 2005. His responsibilities included all Operational Divisions with specialisms in Business, IT and Process Solutions and Implementation, Legal and Compliance, Underwriting and Claims. He served on many Industry panels and Boards including panels in the Irish Insurance Federation and the Insurance Ombudsman Board. He joined HCB Group in 2007 and was appointed to the Board in 2008.

Sarah Lewis

Director (Finance)

Dr John Delfosse

Medical Officer

Dr Delfosse MB.BS DRCOG MRCGP DDAM FAMS is HCB’s Medical Officer and is also Consulting Medical Officer to Gen Re Life/Health in London. John has a particular interest in disability assessment which he put to good use in General Practice until his retirement as a GP in June 2013.

Chrissy Clark

Head of Clinical Services

Chrissy joined HCB Group in November 2017 following a career in the NHS

Alison Hylton

Nurse Case Manager

Caroline Quinn

Nurse Case Manager

Donna Pettigrew

Nurse Case Manager

Jayne Croucher

Nurse Case Manager

Melanie Rogers

Nurse Case Manager

Nicki Blest

Nurse Case Manager

Samantha Jobling

Nurse Case Manager

Sheila McGivern

Nurse Case Manager

Sheila McGivern BSc (Hons) RGN ACII has over 25 years’ experience as a degree-level registered nurse and has worked in a variety of health care settings including mental health, acute medical and surgical and more latterly specialising in community and terminal care. Prior to graduating (BSc [Hons] in Nursing Studies) Sheila worked for over 10 years as a life underwriter / new business manager for a leading UK Life and Pensions provider, heading up teams on the south coast and in Belfast. She feels that her experience within this industry is a particularly fortunate dovetail with her work with HCB. Sheila has worked with HCB for over 10 years and has found that she has been able to draw extensively on the diverse skills and knowledge she has gained throughout over 25 years of particularly relevant experience, achieved through her commitment to providing the highest calibre of professionalism. In 2017 Sheila decided to 'retire' from her role of Clinical Lead, passing the responsibility for quality clinical assurance, and primary clinical point of contact for clients to Chrissy Clark. Sheila continues to support HCB Group and clients as a Nurse Case Manager.

Tracy Williams

Nurse Case Manager

Trish Antrobus

Nurse Case Manager

Mike Smith

Consultant - IP Claims & TPA Services

Mike has over 30 years experience in the Financial Services Industry. During his career he has enjoyed management roles in Sales and Marketing, Product and IT Development. Mike joined HCB Group in 2002 and has been involved in our claims management service, predominantly in the Income Protection market with a special interest in early intervention and rehabilitation.

Karen Gamble

Head of Retail

Karen has over 35 years of experience in the employee benefit sector. This includes dealing with all aspects of morbidity and mortality; income protection, group life assurance, medical insurance and absence management. Karen’s career started at Canada Life followed by PPP. In 1992 she was part of the new healthcare practice set up by Noble Lowndes (subsequently Mercers) and in 1998 she transferred to Lowndes Lambert (subsequently Heath Lambert and most recently Gallagher) where she ran the Wellness4Work section of the Employee Benefits division. Karen has provided employee health risk consulting to a range of private and public sector clients and in 2009 was recognised by her peers as one of Health Insurance Magazines 50 movers and shakers. She has won several awards for her innovative solutions to health related issues. Karen Joined HCB Group as Head of Retail to work on enhancing HCB's absence management for employers service supporting the HCB Group directors in widening and strengthening the client base.

John Gilman

Consultant

John Gillman LLB (Hons) ACII FRSA started his career with Legal & General working in pension scheme design and investment strategy. A series of career moves, however, led him to specialise in the employee benefits aspects of employee health (and related issues such as managing long term absence). Ten years with the global benefits provider Cigna served as a great introduction to the then new concept of managed care, and a better understanding of how healthcare provision was as much about risk management as about buying insurance. Over the last 30 years he has worked in both benefit consulting (leading teams at large consulting firms such as Towers Watson) and as a freelance consultant. The latter role has included helping employers ensure that they comply with equality law, health risk management generally and some expert witness work at the High Court. As a former Director at Disability Rights UK he is very committed to helping people with disabilities of all ages and backgrounds. Sadly not everyone with a disability is able to experience work, which for many people brings not only income but camaraderie and self-respect. The charity campaigns to ensure that people experiencing disability can participate in society as full citizens, and to break the link between disability and poverty. John holds a qualifying law degree (LLB Hons) and is recognised by the Chartered Insurance Institute as a Chartered Insurance Practitioner (ACII qualified). In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts after helping them to formulate their strategy for disability discrimination compliance. John sits on the Executive Committee of the Income Protection Task Force and is also a member of the ILAG Workplace Benefits Group and the Protection Practitioners Group.

Mark Handford

Consultant

Mark spent 10 years as a Medical Underwriter at Confederation Life before setting up, developing and managing a specialist Claims Department to handle the assessment of IP, GIP & contentious Death claims. He was also responsible for a Pensions Department for both Individual & Group pensions. In 1995 Mark joined Sun Life of Canada as Client Service Director. He had responsibility for 350 staff located in 44 sales offices providing administrative support & compliance checking for the direct sales force. Mark then joined HCB Group to handle Claim visits before becoming lead contract assessor for IP, GIP, TPD, CI, Death & Waiver claims

Peter Le Beau

Consultant

Peter is one of the best-known consultants in the life and health insurance sector. He began his career at Commercial Union (now Aviva), moved to British and European and latterly went to Swiss Re, where he was initially head of underwriting and later became head of UK marketing. He left in 2001 to set up an independent consultancy, Le Beau Visage, which focuses on differentiation in the protection sector. Since starting Le Beau Visage, he has regularly co-authored the Protection Review and the Redmayne Report on Reassurance. He runs a strategic discussion group called The-Net-Work and, in 2005, he set up the Income Protection (IP) Task Force with Clive Waller to promote greater awareness of the value of the product. The task force produced a White Paper on IP in 2006. Peter is a non-executive director of several companies and he is a passionate believer in the value of protection.

Philip Ashwell

Consultant - Systems & IT

Phil's background is in Telecoms, IT and for the last 18 years in Corporate & Employee Benefits working with organisations small and large. He has extensive knowledge of employee benefits insured and non-insured group risk & healthcare. In his career he has been involved in some significant projects including the roll out of the Cellnet cellular network, systems upgrades for a large national IFA, as well as website design and content for HCB Group.