New CEO ‘passionate for human-centred design’

A passionate advocate for human-centred design, Charlotte Burrows brings extensive experience in health innovation, social enterprise, and design-led change, with a track record of fostering collaboration across the public, private, and voluntary sectors to improve health outcomes and tackle inequalities – particularly in mental health.

She says her deep-rooted belief in the impact of design in transforming mental health outcomes has been shaped throughout her career – most recently as Programme director for Design & Innovation at Health Innovation South West (HINSW). There she led systemwide mental health programmes, co-led a regional mental health mission, and supported the testing and implementation of pioneering innovations such as CareLoop – an AI-powered platform designed to help people living with psychosis track daily experiences and identify early warning signs of relapse. “The south-west England NHS Trusts will be among the first in the country to implement CareLoop,” she explains. “Preventing psychosis relapse in this way could really change lives.”

Charlotte’s career spans leadership roles across health, housing, and social enterprises. At EDP Drug & Alcohol  Services, she spearheaded business growth, innovation, and the creation of enterprise wellbeing services, including prison-based social enterprises. Throughout her career, she has witnessed first-hand the critical role of design in supporting mental health recovery – and the damaging impact when environments are more harmful than healing. She reflects: “Spending time going into prisons immerses you into a sensory assault. The smells, the noise, the lighting; it’s a long way from supporting healing environments for recovery and rehabilitation.