A graduate of the NHS Management Training Scheme, Richard began his career supporting the development of GP commissioning in Birmingham. After a series of posts in commissioning, he moved to Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust initially as Director of Strategy and later, as Chief Operating Officer.

Richard’s first chief executive officer post was at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust providing acute and community services. Whilst in Walsall, Richard was part of the team laying the foundations for a borough-wide health and care partnership.

Richard took up his current post as Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS FT in March 2018. In this role, Richard is the lead for the Birmingham & Solihull Community Care Collaborative developing partnerships to deliver integrated care in neighbourhoods and localities.

Richard has recently been appointed as National Advisor on Neighbourhood Health to NHS England. He is vice-chair of The Community Network and a Fellow of the Sciana Health Leaders Network. He chairs the Service Leaders Panel for the Birmingham, Rand & Cambridge Rapid Evaluation Centre (BRACE). In 2024 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Aston University.