Mark Ritson

Mark is a control engineer who has worked all over the world designing and commissioning complex control systems for offshore oil, steel making plants and other large-scale industrial projects. He is now the Managing Director of Inspec Solutions, a company he founded in 2000. Inspec Solutions provide large scale control and software systems to the industrial and commercial sectors.

Mark joined the board in January 2019 and brings his personal experience of going through blood cancer and blood disorders having had a bone marrow transplant himself. He also has a deep understanding of technology, data and business from his professional career as well as experience of the NHS at a national commissioning level.

Mark was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anaemia in early 2008, with no bone marrow match worldwide he was forced to follow alternative therapies until 2012 when his disease returned and a transplant was the only option. Fortunately, weeks earlier a young German woman had registered and was a match. In 2013 Mark had two transplants, the second being successful and he is now, after 5 years, back to almost normal health. In 2016 he ran the London Marathon to raise funds for Anthony Nolan and in 2018 ran a half marathon with his donor, Jacqueline in Germany.

Mark also previously sat on the board of the NHSE Clinical Reference Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation for three years, working collaboratively with clinical experts helping develop national service standards, quality standards, commissioning policies and plans for NHS England.

He is a keen reader, runner and tennis player and a very keen fly fisherman.