Having yesterday completed the acquisition of most of McKesson’s European healthcare software business, Symphony Technology Group (STG) is pleased to announce it has brought in a new leadership team to manage System C.

The System C group comprises System C, developer of the Medway EPR and related clinical applications, the social care software specialist Liquidlogic and all the UK-based McKesson businesses acquired by STG. 
 
The new appointments are joint chief executives Dr Ian Denley and Markus Bolton, who are returning to the company they ran together for many years and which Bolton founded in 1983. Both Denley and Bolton left System C shortly after selling the company to McKesson in May 2011. They have a passion for innovation in the UK healthcare sector and, since leaving McKesson, have founded Shearwater Systems, developer of mobile clinical applications for the healthcare sector, and invested in shared care record supplier Graphnet Health.  

Denley and Bolton will bring four other senior Shearwater directors to System C. This team will work with System C’s existing management to drive the business forward.

Marshall Haines, managing director of STG, said he was delighted to have secured the Shearwater team. “The provision of PAS/EPR systems is a highly complex business.  We needed experienced senior managers with a deep understanding of the UK healthcare IT market, who share our passion for product innovation and first-rate service to customers.”

Denley will be responsible for corporate affairs, research and development and the overall running of the company.  Bolton will be responsible for sales, strategy and deployment services. Both have taken a stake in the business. 
 
“I’m very excited about the opportunity,” said Denley. “McKesson has put the Medway EPR firmly on the map with 19 major acute hospital trusts and Liquidlogic has built a substantial market share.

“Government policy is all about integrating services across all care settings and we are uniquely placed to deliver in this area.  System C and Liquidlogic together have over 140 deployments across the NHS and local government.”

Denley and Bolton left System C in 2012. “A lot has happened in the healthcare market place and at System C since then”, Bolton commented.   

“Under McKesson, System C has deployed 11 Medway EPRs in the last 12 months – that is a tremendous achievement and has really consolidated the company’s position as a major player in this market.”  

He added: “Our focus now is taking the company into the next phase of its development, designing and deploying innovative IT solutions with a continued commitment to first-rate customer service.” 

Denley and Bolton will be retaining their directorships and shareholdings in both Shearwater Systems and Graphnet Health.