Health at a Tipping Point: Innovation, Investment and Impact

Tsitsi Angeline Mtasa is the Founder of Wisterias Care. A former carer herself, Tsitsi experienced first-hand the inefficiencies within the care sector. She now collaborates with social care providers to build systems that are truly fit for purpose.

Her mission is to help small to medium-sized care companies transition into the digital age in a way that is practical and makes sense for their teams. For carers, this means giving them back valuable time so they can focus on delivering person-centred care. For managers, it’s about having clear oversight of their services while maintaining CQC compliance and improving operational efficiency.

Gerard is Head of Browne Jacobson’s Health and Life Sciences Sector and is at the forefront of advising the NHS nationally and the health and life sciences sectors overall on statutory obligations, governance, inquires, information law matters and the regulatory framework which applies across health and life sciences.

He is regularly sought for advice on all matters relating to public and regulatory law, especially when organisations are looking at governance re-organisations, major service projects or introducing new technology. His expertise and pragmatic approach helps clients deliver on their plans and understand how to deal with challenges.

Gerard is recognised by both Chambers and Legal 500 legal directories as a leader in his fields.

Carren Bell is the Founding Director of Lagan’s Healthcare VR, a technology venture transforming training across the care industry through immersive, competency-based virtual reality, with applications extending into education and wider corporate learning.

With over a decade of experience delivering tech-enabled care services, Carren brings a rare, frontline-to-boardroom perspective on what it takes to move innovation from idea to real-world adoption. She works at the intersection of care delivery, workforce development, and digital transformation, with first-hand insight into the pressures facing the care sector, from workforce shortages and rising complexity of needs, to fragmented training and inconsistent standards.

Carren is a passionate advocate for a care sector that operates as one, delivering services with the same respect and attention to people’s needs, no matter the setting. Her work explores how emerging technologies like VR and AI can improve safety, confidence, and outcomes, while creating sustainable, scalable impact for a sector under increasing pressure.

At Pro-Manchester, Carren will examine how innovation can truly serve the care sector, whether technology is a friend or foe, and why a unified approach to care is essential for meaningful change.

Ben is the group marketing director for Praetura Group. As part of the wider group, Praetura Ventures is an award-winning tech and life sciences focused VC, born-and-bred in the North of England. Praised for its early backing of northern success stories such as Peak, XR Games and Culture Shift, the Manchester-based VC has now become known for its ‘more than money’ approach to supporting early-stage founders post investment. Before Praetura, he headed up the marketing for Social Chain’s media division around the time of its IPO. Ben also co-founded the alternative co-working and event space Ziferblat UK.