Hello, I'm Lee Johnston
Business development | Consulting | Product Management | Business Analysis
Results-driven business development and product delivery professional with over 10 years’ experience driving Digital, Data, and AI transformation in public sector and healthcare. Proven expertise in identifying market opportunities, shaping AI and data opportunities, and securing multi-million-pound deals.
Strong understanding of health sector, including clinical research, preventative care and population health management. Proven track record working with National, Regional and Local healthcare agencies and life sciences organisations to design and deliver secure, scalable, and interoperable Data and AI solutions that enhance clinical decision support, patient outcomes and research capabilities.
Skilled at leading multidisciplinary teams, defining product vision and strategy, and delivering user-centred, data-driven products. Passionate about driving innovation, enabling and delivering value for clients.
Key Skills
Business Development and Strategy
Developing and executing go-to-market strategies
Identifying and shaping AI and Data opportunities
Sales pipeline development and account growth
Commercial strategy and deal structuring
Bid leadership and bid management, including proposal development and competitive positioning
Product and Agile Delivery
Product strategy and roadmap development
End-to-end Agile product delivery
Leading multidisciplinary teams
Driving innovation and thought leadership
Defining SoW / Work packages
Managing relationships including CxOs, and across DDaT professions
Leading client workshops and strategic planning sessions
Developing and managing partnerships
Experience
Data and AI Business Development Manager (Healthcare), Kainos Software Ltd.
September 2023 – Present
Driving strategic Data and AI services across UK healthcare, leading and supporting National, Regional and, Local pursuits and partnerships. Supported on complex multi-million opportunities, achieving a sector target of £45m in FY24/25.
- Led healthcare Data and AI growth, supporting national, regional,, and local, NHS customers.
- Secured 1 national, 2 regional, and 1 local NHS contracts, positioning AI-driven healthcare solutions.
- Built strategic alliances with AWS, Microsoft, and Palantir, aligning co-sell and funding opportunities.
- Developed and launched Data and AI propositions, driving adoption across Trusts and Research orgs.
- Worked with senior healthcare stakeholders (CxOs, ICSs, and ICBs) to define data and AI strategies
- Maintaining a current weighted pipeline of ~£4m+ for next FY (25/26)
Data and AI Business Development Manager (Public Sector), Kainos Software Ltd.
January 2021 – September 2023
Responsible for developing, scaling, closing and supporting large-scale Data and AI opportunities in UK&I including Central Government, Transport, Non-Ministerial and Local government
- Generated £2m+ in SoV, securing contracts with Homes England and the Financial Conduct Authority.
- Built a pipeline worth £8m+, expanding across central government, transport, and local government.
- Led go-to-market activities, identifying domain specific challenges to create sales propositions.
- Developed and executed AI and data sales strategies, winning 6 new public sector customers.
- Built trusted relationships with Public Sector CxOs, Data Leaders, and Commercial owners
- Led collaboration with AWS and Microsoft, securing funding for PoC AI and data projects.
- Positioned Kainos as a thought leader in AI and data, driving discussions within TechUK
Product Consultant, Kainos Software Ltd.
October 2016 – December 2020
Led end-to-end product management activities for multiple government services, (HMLR, DVSA and ONS) ensuring products deliver measurable business value while meeting user needs.
- Defined product vision and roadmap, rationalised key milestones and outcomes into deliverable SoWs.
- Directed product and analysis activities in multi-disciplinary agile teams working with technical, and UCD capabilities
- Implemented data-driven prioritisation, improving user adoption and service efficiency.
- Developed influential relationships with client-side stakeholders. achieving buy-in on long-term product delivery strategies and transformation goals.
- Defined and tracked delivery metrics, improving delivery efficiency and reducing downtime
- Upskilled client teams in agile delivery and product management, enabling CI/CD post-launch
Consultant – Business Analyst, Deloitte Digital
September 2014 – October 2016
Delivered digital transformation for public sector and commercial clients, working from Discovery and Vision to Implementation and Go-Live.organised and facilitated the delivery of workshops to: understand AS-IS processes, pain points and extract business / user needs. Similar techniques were used to help the senior delivery team define the vision and roadmap for products and services.
Led discovery workshops, defining as-is processes, pain points, and product roadmaps.
Produced wireframes, user journeys, and process maps to shape digital product design.
Managed product backlogs, running refinement, prioritisation, and sprint planning sessions.
Collaborated with UX, engineering, and QA teams, aligning requirements with delivery goals
- Drove business engagement, delivering product demos, university talks, and recruitment initiative
New York eHealth Collaborative – Interface Engineer (January 2014 – September 2014)
The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) is a not-for-profit organisation who assist healthcare providers in transforming traditional paper records into electronic health records.
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- worked closely with business analysts, project managers and technical experts to translate requirements into technical IHE profiles or HL7 specifications.
- developed test case scenarios and performed Q&A with clients pre, during and post implementation.
- provided general support for clients, tracking errors and resolving issues in a timely manner, within SLAs and escalating any risk or issues with senior management.
Skills
Education
University of Ulster, Coleraine – September 2012 – September 2013
MSc Professional Software Development (Pass)
University of Ulster, Coleraine – September 2008 – June 2012
BSc (Hons) Business Management, second class honours upper division (2:1) and the diploma in Professional Practice.
