Rhian Stone, newly appointed CEO, Valorum Care Group
Two senior appointments have been announced by Valorum Care Group with a new Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair now in place.
Rhian Stone joins the group as a CEO from the Pobl Group where she was the Managing Director of its care and support division, while Simon Harrison takes up the role of the Group Chair.
In Rhian’s previous role, she was responsible for services with a turnover of £54 million and 2,000 employees, providing high quality support to 600 people across 17 Local authorities in Wales, including supported living, residential care, and supported housing.
During her 12 years at the Welsh Housing, Care and Support Group, she was part of the Group Executive team which led the organisation through a significant period of change following a merger of two housing groups in 2016 to create Pobl, the largest housing association in Wales.
A qualified Social Worker, Rhian has also held a variety of care roles in both the public and charity sectors, and within Government.
Speaking about her appointment, Rhian said: “I’m delighted to be taking up the position of CEO of Valorum Care Group. We have a great staff team and fantastic services and I’m excited about working with the team to develop our services into the future.
“The last 12 months have been incredibly difficult for the whole Valorum team and the care sector as a whole. I have the greatest admiration for everyone who has worked so hard to support people through the pandemic.
“I am confident we can meet whatever challenges the next few months bring and go from strength to strength as we continue to keep people at the heart of everything we do.”
Simon has a 40-year career across the public and private social and health care sectors. Trained originally as a nurse, Simon started his career on the front line in the NHS before moving into management positions in NHS and private hospitals. He then moved into independent healthcare management, holding director level roles with many of the largest UK providers.
Simon currently runs Ideas Afresh, a consultancy he founded more than a decade ago to specialise in interim management, healthcare leadership and organisational change.
Simon said: “I am looking forward to working with Rhian and the senior team to help guide the group through the challenges of the pandemic and beyond. We are fortunate to have a first-class team in place, which shares my belief in quality care, as well as ensuring the people we are privileged to provide care and support to are at the centre of any decision-making.”
Valorum Care Group delivers care and support services to more than 1,200 people in England, managing 85 schemes supported by 2,000 staff. Established in 2018, it has extensive expertise in supporting people with particularly complex needs, including autistic spectrum conditions, mental health needs, behaviour that challenges, profound and multiple learning disabilities, physical disabilities and associated complex health needs.