Our people

Introduction

Who we are

Media can be either an image or a video. Videos will inherit playback controls from the platform. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nibh eu mauris tellus augue nisi. Tortor convallis nibh in sit ante morbi. Proin ut scelerisque lectus in libero mattis est donec.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur.
Nibh eu mauris tellus augue nisi.
Tortor convallis nibh in sit ante morbi.

Congue semper eu vestibulum vulputate. Eu ut feugiat ac sit netus faucibus proin venenatis eleifend. Nisi orci et amet habitant erat quis lacus interdum. Ultricies leo porttitor risus.

Video heading

Optional text.

Haroon Sheikh

CareTech CEO

Haroon is amongst the most experienced CEOs in the health and social care sector and one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Along with his brother Farouq, he co-founded CareTech. As Group CEO he leads the day-to-day running of the Group and its international expansion. He has a deep commitment and passion for delivering high-quality care and support to people with complex needs.

Haroon is Patron and Enterprise Fellow of the King’s Trust and is member of the UK Advisory Council of the British Asian Trust under the patronage of HRH The Prince of Wales. He is also a member of the Court of the University of Hertfordshire.

Haroon is a Founder Trustee of the CareTech Charitable Foundation formed in 2017, and Chairman of the Trustees, working closely with the Foundation’s CEO and independent Trustees.

Farouq Sheikh OBE

Group Executive Chairman

Farouq has been a key architect in CareTech’s growth, having co-founded the Group and been involved in the vision and strategy from the outset in 1993. With a background in law and a good understanding of finance and commerce, Farouq has been instrumental in securing debt and equity funding for the Group as well as leading the management team in winning long-term contracts from local authorities and health commissioners.

Farouq is one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs, philanthropists and community figureheads. His business interests encompass healthcare, private equity and property investment and development. Farouq has been presented with several Entrepreneur of the Year awards by prestigious organisations including Laing and Buisson, Coutts Bank and Ernst & Young. He also presents widely at healthcare conferences, raising awareness of the learning disability sector.

As Patron and Enterprise Fellow of the prestigious King’s Trust and as a member of the Mosaic National Advisory Board, Farouq supports young people by passing on his experience and expertise to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Farouq received an OBE for services to specialist care in The Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020.

Christopher Dickinson

Chief Financial Officer

Chris is responsible for: preparation and integrity of financial information; operating effective systems of risk management and control, and developing and implementing the financial strategy and policies.

Prior to joining CareTech, Chris was a Managing Director at Jefferies where he acted for the Group on its acquisition of Cambian. Before this, Chris spent 14 years at J.P. Morgan advising on significant M&A transactions and debt and equity raises. Chris is a chartered accountant, having been admitted as a member of the ICAEW in 2004 and as a Fellow in 2014, and has a degree in Computer and Management Science from the University of Warwick.

He has four children and two dogs.

Jeremy Wiles

Group Executive Director, Children’s Services

Jeremy leads CareTech’s Children’s Services, supporting over 2,000 of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people. With a team of more than 5,000 people, these specialist services include; residential care homes, education schools and colleges, and foster care. CareTech operates through eight companies (ACAD, Branas, Cambian, Greenfields, Inspire, Linx 16+, Spark of Genius, ROC North West) and four fostering agencies (BTB, FSG, Park, TLC Wales).

Jeremy joined CareTech in 2009 after more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry. A seasoned senior leader, he has a track record of building high-performing teams and is passionate about developing talent to achieve success.

Jeremy says: “Getting out of bed knowing we’re doing good is really important. We’re blessed to make a difference to some of the most vulnerable young people in the UK. ‘Extraordinary days every day’ truly reflects the work we strive to do and the standards we aim to achieve.”

Outside work, Jeremy values family life and has a lifelong passion for sport. He still plays Premier League hockey—albeit now at a slower pace and in an older age bracket.

Nasir Quraishi

Executive Director Adults and Specialist Services

Nasir Quraishi is an accomplished senior leader within the health and social care sector and serves as Executive Director of Adults and Specialist Services at CareTech. He is responsible for a wide-ranging portfolio of complex, highly regulated services that support adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and acquired brain injuries across residential, supported living and hospital settings. His leadership is defined by a strong commitment to person-centred care, service quality and continual improvement.

Nasir previously served as Group HR Director for CareTech, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s people strategy and supporting its growth. With more than 15 years of experience in the sector, he has also contributed to national workforce discussions through his involvement with the NHS Confederation and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Adult Social Work.

Known for his strategic perspective and strong commercial acumen, Nasir has led multiple large-scale transformation programmes throughout his career, spanning both public and private sector environments.

He holds a degree, a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD). Prior to joining CareTech, he held senior roles at AON Consulting and PwC, specialising in talent, engagement and organisational performance.

Gareth Dufton

FCA

Gareth is a qualified chartered accountant who was admitted as a member of the ICAEW in 2001 becoming a Fellow in 2013.  He is a former partner of Moore Stephens LLP, the former top 10 City based accountants where he played a key role in client liaison, undertaking a mix of audit, tax and corporate finance where he worked between 2000 and 2007.  Gareth is a graduate of the University of Hertfordshire with first-class honours.

Gareth has been on the CareTech journey since 2000, initially advising as part of Moore Stephens and from 2007, working directly with the Group in a variety of roles including acting as Interim Group CFO between 2018 and 2020. He has provided support to CareTech at a senior level on a range of financial and commercial matters including acquisitions, fund raising (including ground rent and sale and leaseback transactions) and property matters, having been present at most of the key events within the business over the last two decades.  Working with colleagues across the business, today his responsibilities include providing commercial support to the adult division, the growth of the supported living portfolio, supporting the finance team, financial modelling and reviewing investment opportunities.

Gareth has been a shareholder in CareTech for many years and is proud of his long association with the Group, where his sister is frontline care worker.  All of which gives him a unique and has deep understanding of the business.

Away from the office, Gareth enjoys spending time with his young daughter and is a long-suffering Leeds United supporter.

Mike Adams

Executive Director Corporate Communications

Mike is the Executive Director Corporate Communications. He is also Executive Chairman, as Founder and creator, of Purple and EnableAll who are part of the CareTech family.

Mike is responsible for bringing to life Extraordinary Days Every Day for both internal audiences and external stakeholders. For Purple it is a focus on taking organisations on a disability inclusion journey. EnableAll is an innovative tool which makes websites accessible at a code level and therefore transforming the experience of disabled customers.

Mike’s background includes senior roles across the private, public and voluntary sectors both in executive and non executive positions.

His brainchild, Purple Tuesday, has become a globally recognised brand, with an audience reach of over 35 million.

Mike was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his services to disability issues.

Steve Bennett

Group Executive Director – HR

Steve has over 30 years’ executive management experience in market leading organisations, including Duracell Inc, EMI Music plc, Esselte AB, and the Laird Group plc. Since 2002 he has held HR leadership roles in a number of large health and social care providers, including Care UK and The Lifeways Group. Steve was appointed Group Executive Director, Human Resources in June 2023.

Steve believes that exceptional leadership and positive staff engagement are central to the delivery of ‘Extraordinary days, every day’.

He has held several non-executive director and trustee roles, including with a community care and reablement services LATC, a charity supporting disadvantaged children and families, and a multi-academy trust for children with social, emotional, and mental health needs.  He is currently a Member of Broad Horizons Education Trust.

Team Member Name

Position / Title

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Diam tincidunt ut leo urna feugiat nam. Sit tristique malesuada in nisi sed. Velit ornare erat nunc eget. Quam eget sed egestas fermentum vitae quam quis. Nisl vitae metus eget ultrices aliquam laoreet dignissim nec ac. Et pharetra habitant scelerisque placerat urna. Tristique ante fusce ultrices eget viverra suspendisse. Tincidunt erat proin sagittis nunc.

Team Member Name

Position / Title

Team Member Name

Position / Title

Team Member Name

Position / Title

Team Member Name

Position / Title

Team Member Name

Position / Title

Optional subheading

Page Links Blocks horizontal Grid

Optional Content. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nibh eu mauris tellus augue nisi. Tortor convallis nibh in sit ante morbi. Proin ut scelerisque lectus in libero mattis est donec.

Our people

Who we are

Video heading

Meet the team behind CareTech

Executive team

Haroon Sheikh

Farouq Sheikh OBE

Christopher Dickinson

Jeremy Wiles

Nasir Quraishi

Gareth Dufton

Mike Adams

Steve Bennett

Management team

Team Member Name

Team Member Name

Team Member Name

Team Member Name

Team Member Name

Team Member Name

Page Links Blocks horizontal Grid

Our impact

Our brands