Our People
Honorary President - Dr Mukesh Sinha
Mukesh is President of the Board. His vision for Badger is to facilitate quality medical training and broaden the provision of care, offering Extended Minor Surgery, where he maintains a keen interest. Within his role, he leads a partnership with Aston Medical School, which facilitates student placements at Badger sites.
In his full-time role, Mukesh is the Lead Surgeon for the Birmingham Minor Surgery Clinic.
Previously, he was Lead GP at Church Road Surgery, Aston, for 30 years. During that time, he developed a nurse-led diabetes service and introduced the ‘Diabetes Virtual Clinic’ which managed challenging cases across the community. He was Joint Diabetes Lead in Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG for 5 years until April 2021, during which he conducted a Quarterly Training Programme for GP Practices and Community teams.
Executive Chair - Dr Fay Wilson
Fay serves as Executive Chair, as well as Badger’s Board Champion for Equality and Diversity. In 1996, she co-founded Badger, and since has been instrumental in its development and continued success as a respected provider of Out-of-Hours and Urgent Care in Birmingham.
Fay has an extensive national and local portfolio, which includes long-standing membership of the Birmingham Local Medical Committee and local BMA. Previous experience at regional and national level includes roles with Birmingham Health Authority, the GMC, Health Education England, and the BMA.
Her dedication to develop new models of care is evident. Notable successes outside Badger include the Birmingham Multifund Co-operative; Birmingham Primary Healthcare - a prototype GP provider-at-scale ahead of its time in the mid-1990s; Birmingham Walk-in Centre, an original nurse-led, IT supported Walk-in Centre; drive-through primary care and pioneering use of technology to improve patient access and waiting times.
Chief Executive - Dr Waqar Azmi OBE
Waqar was appointed as Badger’s Chief Executive in 2022, and aims to build on the consistent and reputable services Badger has offered since its creation in 1996 as a renowned GP Out-of-Hours provider. As Chief Executive, Waqar has overall responsibility for the leadership and management of Badger Health Group. Additionally, he is the CQC Registered Manager and the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) Lead.
Waqar has a comprehensive national profile, serving previously as Managing Director of TMP Worldwide, listed in NASDAQ with a turnover of $4 billion and was also Chairman and Managing Partner of Waterhouse Consulting Group.
He was the UK Govenment's Chief Talent & Diversity Advisor in the Cabinet Office and EU Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, as well as a former Member of the Foreign Office Advisory Group. In 2001, Waqar received an OBE in recognition of his contributions to the UK.
Vice-Chair - Dr Arturo “Lou” Lupoli
Lou is Vice-Chair of the Board and serves as an Associate Medical Director as well as the Safeguarding Lead and Joint Freedom to Speak Up Guardian alongside Finance Director, Shahana Khan.
In his full-time role, Lou is a GP Partner and Chairman of Solihull Health Partnership and since 1995, has served on the Solihull Local Medical Committee. Previously, he was the lead Out-of-Hours GP in the Solidoc co-operative in Solihull from 1998 to 2004.
Board Director & Deputy Safeguarding Lead - Dr Mary O’Gorman
Mary is a Board Director and Deputy Safeguarding Lead. As a founding member of Badger in 1996, Mary has provided clinical sessions in Out of Hours and Urgent Care. Her involvement both as a Clinician and Board Director at Badger are amongst her proudest achievements.
Mary has worked as a GP in Birmingham for 30 years, and has 4 children, one an adopted daughter with Down’s Syndrome, and is a grandparent. Her interests include Tolkien, singing and local charity volunteering.
Board Director & Associate Medical Director - Dr Joe Swayam Iyer
Joe is a Board Director and Associate Medical Director. Within his role, he has developed and successfully implemented a Continuing Professional Development Programme for working clinicians. His vision for Badger is to ensure its continued development as a sustainable organisation.
In his full-time role, Joe is a GP Partner in Sandwell, a member of the Modality Partnership, and is an Advanced GP Trainer in Out-of-Hours practice.
His wider interests include Palliative Care, and the provision of timely care, treatment and support for such patients.
Board Director - Dr Mehboob Bhatti
Mehboob is a Board Director and founder member of Badger. He is proud to work alongside both clinical staff and other colleagues to ensure the continued high standards and quality patient care Badger is recognised for.
In his full-time role, Mehboob is a GP Partner in Birmingham. Previously, he was elected as a member of the Professional Executive Committee and joined the Board as Clinical Director. He was responsible for the quality and safety of patient care and the role involved reporting to the Child Safeguarding Board, NHS Ombudsman and General Medical Council.
Finance Director - Shahana Khan OBE
Shahana was appointed as Badger’s Finance Director in 2022. She also holds the position of Joint Freedom to Speak Up Guardian alongside Dr Lupoli.
Shahana has extensive Board experience in NHS hospitals across the UK and in the Middle East. She has specialised in finance, business development, strategy and cost management, and has held several positions as Chief Finance Officer and Finance Director, working at national, regional and local level in the NHS.
She is a former President of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, serving in the position for 6 years. In 2018, Shahana was awarded an OBE for her services to healthcare and social housing.
Medical Director - Dr Vipran Vijaya
Vipran was appointed as Badger’s Medical Director in 2023 and aims to focus on patient-centred care through new innovations, both in terms of IT infrastructure and the delivery of care.
In his full-time role, Vipran is a GP Partner for two surgeries in the Washwood Heath and Sheldon areas. He works closely within two Primary Care Networks, which are part of larger, collaborative organisations, where one such area of work is focused on integrated care delivery between primary and secondary care. In recognition of this work, the National GP Awards has nominated them for Team of the Year.
Vipran has a special interest in paediatrics, leading him to set up paediatric services in the community, such as asthma and paediatric dermatology.
Head of Performance & Quality - Joanne Carey
Jo joined Badger in 2023 as the Head of Performance and Quality. She is also responsible for Information Governance, which includes managing data protection and GDPR compliance.
Jo is a qualified pharmacist with over 16 years industry experience working across both clinical and commercial roles. She has developed a wealth of experience in project management, healthcare marketing, policy writing and healthcare compliance.
Prior to joining Badger, she was Head of Quality for Manchester-based firm Dr Fertility, where she helped transform the business from an e-commerce website into a CQC registered digital health platform delivering face-to-face video consultations with consultants and nurses.
Jo has 2 young boys, and when she’s not at work, she loves nothing more than being with her family.
Workforce Director - Sabine Parmar
Sabine joined Badger in 2014. As Workforce Director, she manages the HR Team, the Training Team and the Rota Team and is responsible for the wider staff of 422 employees.
Prior to joining Badger, Sabine had spent more than 15 years in private and public sector HR. She specialised in Finance and Education, with experience in employee relations, recruitment, development, organisational design, and performance. Sabine is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD).
Her present focus is dedicated to supporting staff and managers in building an exceptional workplace which is inclusive, enjoyable and productive, and to create effective development opportunities for staff.
Head of Clinical - Luke Richardson
Luke joined Badger in 2020 and was appointed Head of Clinical in January 2023. He has extensive experience working across several clinical settings in A&E, forensic custody, walk-in centres, urgent care and out-of-hours care. He has held several management-level positions, most notably as Clinical Site Manager/ANP at an NHS Hospital Trust and Clinical Lead for one of the very few Nurse-Led NHS walk-in centres in Birmingham.
Luke’s background is in Nursing; he qualified as a Registered Nurse in 2006 and subsequently completed qualifications in MSc Advanced Practice, BSc Emergency Care and BSc Hons Specialist Practice to name a few.
Luke enjoys cooking and gardening, and regularly travels to visit his family in Dublin, Ireland and Lisbon.
Head of Operations - Andrea Braham
Andrea joined Badger in 2015, and was appointed Head of Operations in 2023.
She has an extensive background in operational services, with over 20 years experience working across call centres and customer service roles. She has previously worked in both public and private industries such as financial institutions, and telecommunications to name a few.
Outside of work, Andrea enjoys spending time with friends and family, and has interests in the arts, current affairs and traveling.
Head of Technology - Simeon Hemming
Simeon was appointed as Badger’s Head of Technology in 2023, and his focus will be looking at the current IT offering and putting a plan together as to how it can be improved moving forwards.
During his career, he has worked in many different roles including several IT managerial positions across both public and private sectors. Simeon has a passion for putting IT at the forefront and bettering the technical services provided by organisations to its end users.
Simeon is married with 3 boys, who all enjoy football and other outdoor sports.
Company Secretary - Tahir Moghal
Tahir joined Badger in 2013, serving as Contracts Manager. In 2023, he was appointed Company Secretary, which involves organising and managing the Annual General Meetings, as well as facilitating Board Meetings.
Prior to joining Badger, Tahir trained and qualified as a Registered General Nurse in Birmingham and later moved into the community, where he obtained his District Nursing qualification. In 2000, he joined the PCG (later a PCT) and was appointed Head of Contracts and Commissioning. In this role, he managed the four contactor groups: GPs, dentists, optometrists, and pharmacists.
