Maria Higson is a Director of Transformation in the NHS and is keenly interested in the future of health and social care. Her work has spanned a variety of programmes, most notably in the introduction of ‘group’ models into the NHS to achieve the benefits of scale demonstrated by large companies. Maria recently gained a second Master’s degree in Translational Health Sciences, following an initial degree in Engineering, and is particularly focused on the opportunities arising from new healthcare technology.
Before joining the NHS over seven years ago, she worked as a Business Consultant advising FTSE 250 firms on their corporate strategies. She therefore brings both public and private-sector experience to the Fellowship.
Politically, Maria stood for parliament in the 2024 General Election and previously served as a Councillor. She has written opinion pieces for ConservativeHome and Digital Tories on the need for policy change in the health and care sector.
Maria joined the CPS as a research fellow in 2025, leading on our work around health and social care, after being part of the inaugural cohort of the CPS’ Thatcher Fellowship programme.
