Harley Street Health District Conference 2026

The Harley Street Health District hosted its fourth Healthcare Conference at 1 Wimpole Street on Tuesday 20 October 2026, bringing together speakers and delegates from across the UK, Europe and the US for a full day discussion on how we can all drive progress across the sector. Under the theme Delivering Impact Through a Collaborative Health District, the conversations explored how expertise within the District and beyond can be harnessed to support innovation and translate ideas into impact.

Opening the conference, Mark Kildea, chief executive of The Howard de Walden Estate, set out four themes shaping the Harley Street Health District’s future: business, quality, talent and connectivity. He highlighted the importance of connecting public and private healthcare to accelerate innovation and benefit patients.

Sir Malcolm Grant challenged the audience to ask whether the District’s ambition to be the world’s leading location for whole health and innovation is bold enough. He argued that health should be seen as a driver of growth rather than simply a cost. He also pointed to the District’s unique position at the heart of London, with near-full occupancy and close neighbours including UCL, the Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London and the Wellcome Trust. He described it as “an extraordinary collection of assets which are internationally admired and coveted.”

Across three panels and two lightning talks, the programme brought together voices from the NHS, independent healthcare, international health systems, investment and early-stage innovation. Sessions were chaired by Dr Dominique Allwood MBE, chief executive of Imperial College Health Partners; Professor Jenny Shand, strategic advisor to the Harley Street Health District; Dame Caroline Clarke, chief executive of Online NHS Trust; and Pam Garside, chair of Cambridge Angels.

Topics ranged from the draw of health districts around the world to international collaboration and the shift towards prevention. International perspectives came from Homer Quintana MCTM of Houston Methodist at the Texas Medical Center and Talip Kurumehmet, managing director of EMEA at Cedars-Sinai. District leaders, including Philip Luce, CEO of The London Clinic, William Pressley, CEO of Harley Street Clinic, and Dr Rebecca Rohrer of Bupa, were joined by Steve Davies, chief financial officer of Guy’s and St Thomas’. Investors Andrew Elder of Albion VC and Sutha Satkunarajah of Flagship Pioneering spoke alongside founders including Dr Madusha Peiris of Elcella and Mark Bartlett of StoreGene.

Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners, made a strong case for London as a global healthcare powerhouse. Introduced by Rt Hon Professor Lord Kakkar KG KBE PC, best-selling author and journalist Matthew Syed closed the day with a keynote on why innovation depends on a growth mindset, and on the organisational culture needed to sustain one.