Sam has 15 years of experience working in and with the NHS across the UK, developing and delivering new community-led service models to aid collaboration and innovation.  In 2019 she was invited to share her work in the NHS in Wales by TEDx Aberystwyth.

As co-founder and MD of Yma, her role is to bring alive our purpose – to create the conditions where primary care in Wales can thrive now, and for future generations.

Sam is also a passionate advocate for renewable technology and an electric vehicle enthusiast, seeking ways to accelerate progress in this area at a local and national level.

Sarah’s focus is on connecting the journey of Yma to the wider world, ensuring we support people to live better lives.

She looks to develop new partnerships, collaborations and opportunities to further our purpose.

Julia is a post-doctoral chemist with a background in lithium-ion battery materials and teaching.  

Julia joined Yma in 2020 and is leading our project management function. The project management team takes on a variety of projects both external and internal, some of which are on our Projects page. We are always interested in doing new things, or learning how to do familiar things better.

Julia enjoys finding creative solutions to problems, playing with spreadsheets, and illustration.

Matthew is the Data Protection Officer ‘DPO’ for Yma. This means that he works with the team at Yma around all aspects of information governance and data security. It is easy to just see this as a security role: Matthew thinks it is more about using information in a way that creates a learning culture and supports innovation, whilst at the same time keeping the promise that we make to our staff, partners, customers and patients to keep it safe.

Matthew has a long-standing connection with Yma, having worked with Sam Horwill when ‘Here’ was founded in Brighton, in 2008, where he is still a Non-executive director and Chief Information Officer.

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Kari has a background working with children with developmental delays or disabilities and their families as both a Teacher of the Deaf and a Developmental Specialist in the United States. Following relocation to Wales and a long career break, Kari hit the ground running with Yma. Having first joined our team as an Office Administrator in September 2022, by March 2023 she became a Project Support Officer and in September 2023 she was promoted to Pathway Sharing Facilitator on the Health Pathways Programme. This role allows her to connect with people and teams across the system and to bring efficiency and consistency to a complex national programme.  Outside of work, Kari enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, yoga, and DIY.

Mathew, a seasoned Programme Manager, brings diverse expertise from healthcare, events management, and operations. His career highlights a variety of essential skills, including a natural aptitude for connecting with people, a strategic mindset, and a proven ability to drive success through innovative ideas. Transitioning to Yma in September 2023, Mathew's prior roles in health boards across NHS Wales showcased his adeptness in project management, working as part of Mental Health Services and corporate transformation. Skilled in risk assessment and stakeholder engagement, he drives strategic initiatives, advocating for sustainability. His collaborative spirit contribute to Yma's mission of enhancing primary care in Wales and beyond.

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Ewan joined the Yma team in October 2023 as Project Support Officer.Ewan is currently completing a PhD at Aberystwyth University, which gives him a good grounding in data collection, analysis and management, as well as writing reports, engaging with stakeholders and conducting interviews. Ewan’s openness and ability to talk to people has made a success of the interviews, whilst his proficiency for administrative support work and data handling has helped with the delivery of Yma’s project work. Ewan enjoys the variety of people he gets to work with at Yma, and the opportunity to see the positive impact of his work on the Welsh health landscape. Outside of work Ewan is ordinarily a bookworm,but also enjoys karaoke and being busy in local organizations such as Holy Trinity Church as secretary and the Aberystwyth branch of the Royal British Legion.

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Sarah joined the Yma team in April 2024 as a Project Support Officer. She enjoys the diversity of her role, providing administrative, research, writing and engagement support to several projects at a time. She has 12 years of clinical background in diagnostic ultrasound. Sarah is originally from Toronto, Canada where she spent most of her career working in a hospital setting where her patients were at the heart of her work. Her clinical experience has sparked an interest in exploring how care experiences and health outcomes can be improved in health and social care systems. Joining Yma has provided her an opportunity to use her knowledge of healthcare systems along with her research and writing skills to create meaningful change in this sector.  Sarah is currently completing a Master of Health Informatics. Outside of Yma Sarah is a professional barista and aspires to become a latte artist.

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