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Karla Richards

NHS Navigator

Karla is a Senior Project Manager at the Health Innovation Network South London, a NHS Navigator for the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator and a Digital Health Guide for DigitalHealth.London Launchpad programme. She has more than 15 years experience working in the NHS and has held roles including Service Manager at a large NHS Foundation Trust and several Senior Commissioning Manger roles at a London Clinical Commissioning Group. Prior to joining the NHS, Karla had a career in 3D design, animation and special effect for TV and film.

Her current portfolio includes supporting the Innovation Exchange programme aiding companies with innovative products, technology and medical devices that could solve challenges for the NHS and the health and care sectors and matching these innovations to the local need across South London. She is an NHS Navigator on the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme and a Digital Health Guide on the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad. Shas led on the design and delivery of several innovation grants programmes and designs, speaks at, and has chaired webinars and events promoting and supporting digital solutions in the NHS ranging from business cases and funding flows in the NHS to AI technologies. 

Karla’s experience includes the redesign and procurement of a multi-million-pound palliative care service, and she has chaired a London Commissioner’s Network and sat on Pan-London and National Clinical Leadership groups. She has participated in All-Party Parliamentary Groups and contributed to a parliamentary report on Dementia. 

Karla holds a master’s degree in Science and Technology of New Media from the Università degli Studi di Firenze (Florence, Italy) and a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences (Cum Laude) with a Studio Arts major and minors in Telecommunications & Film and Italian Language from San Diego State University (California). She is Lean Six Sigma Yellow and Green Belt certified, a Prince 2 and APMG Change Management Practitioner and holds an ILM Leadership and Management Level 3 Diploma.