Our people

The vielife concept was the brainchild of Francois Duforez who founded vielife in 1989. Initially vielife operated as a research centre focusing on the performance of athletes, particularly Formula One drivers. This expanded into the public sector and corporate market by providing research, consulting and coaching.

For nearly 20 years, vielife has been transforming businesses around the world by helping them focus on the health & well-being of their people. This has led to significant increases in productivity and the bottom-line.

vielife has teams based in the UK, US and Australia providing its services to organisations across the globe.

 

The leadership team

Mike Beason, Managing Director

Throughout his career Mike has worked in the IT and Software industry. His experience of strategic development, operational management and acquisitions has enabled both rapid business development and operational and financial efficiency. As Head of Product Development and Operations for CedarOpenAccounts, Mike was responsible for developing and bringing product visions to the market and managing offshore operations. Prior to this Mike was the Chief Operating Officer at Amaze Ltd, (an EMEA-based New Media company) and was responsible for all business operations including professional services, alliances, pre-sales and sales. Before joining Amaze, Mike worked at Oracle Corporation holding various senior positions in Global Support Services including UK Support Operations Director. While at Oracle, Mike was instrumental in developing their business with both public sector and blue chip corporations across EMEA and built Oracle's Support and Remote Services Offshore business in India.

 

Matt Peary, Finance Director

Matt brings over 14 years of diverse international finance experience to vielife. His career began with KPMG in Canada where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1996. Subsequent positions included finance roles in a number of blue chip companies in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the United States, including HSBC, Marsh and CIGNA.   Matt has an MBA from the University of Connecticut and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

 

Rick Haslam, Global Head of Distribution

Rick is an experienced sales and marketing professional with extensive international experience. Rick joined vielife in 2008 to develop new sales channels and enhance the client relationship focus. He has previously worked for Nuffield Health as their Director of Client Relationships. Prior to that role he was the Commercial Director for LivingWell (division of Hilton Group) where he was responsible for the international development of the well-being brand. He brings with him a passion for wellness and heads up an experienced team which supports our client's health and productivity programmes.

 

Dr. Peter Mills, Chief Health Officer (CHO)

Peter trained in medicine at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. He has worked at a number of institutions in London, including The London Chest, St Bartholomew's and St Mary's Hospitals. He is an accredited specialist in respiratory diseases and practices medicine on a part-time basis at the Whittington Hospital in north London, with an annual review by the Hospital Board and every 5 years by the General Medical Council (GMC). In 1999, Peter co-founded Encyclomedica, a company specialising in the development of online multi-media health content. Encyclomedica was acquired by vielife in 2000 and he has been Chief Health Officer since this time. Peter has extensive experience designing and implementing clinical studies for academic institutions and for the pharmaceutical industry and continues his research interests in the area of health promotion and health behaviour change.

 

Jessica Colling, Product Director

Jessica has a masters in Science Communication from Imperial College, London, and has worked in a variety of environments promoting health & well-being. She has worked as a health writer and freelance consultant for a number of organisations including the European Dana Alliance for the Brain and The Coalition for Medical Progress, as well as working with vielife since 2000. Jessica has many year’s experience creating and delivering health promotion programmes and her particular area of interest is how the communication of health information affects behaviour change.

 

Mike Dyos, Global Operations Director

Mike has been active in the health technology market for over 7 years. Prior to this, he trained as an Army Officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Post Sandhurst, Mike specialised in Logistics and in 2001 he joined the Businesshealth Group. After holding a variety of posts in sales he progressed to head up the group's Fitech Division. Mike was appointed to co-lead a management buy-out of Businesshealth Group in 2005 and in March 2006, Businesshealth was acquired by vielife Ltd.

 

Mike Smith, Head of Technology     
Mike joined vielife in 2008 and is responsible for the technology development and programme management teams.  He has worked in the software industry for over  17  years, with experience of both Oracle and Microsoft technologies. He began his career with Oracle during the growth years of the early 1990s, and over the next nine years gained a broad range of technical and management experience in development, consulting and product support roles in the UK and Australia.  Mike then joined Great Plains Software in the UK, managing the European Professional Services group before and after the company’s acquisition by Microsoft Corporation.  More recently, Mike spent four years in Auckland, New Zealand working in consulting management roles. Mike has a BSc (Hons) from Loughborough University.

 

Eavan Kennedy O'Neill, Human Resources Director     
Eavan has over 18 years experience in Human Resources. Her early career was spent in the medical device industry, initially with specialist technology firm Medtronic AVE, and later over seven years with Transition Optical Ltd. as it expanded its European presence. Eavan spent a number of years as an independent consultant supporting small to medium size businesses, particularly in the areas of Employee Relations and Development, before joining CIGNA Health Care as Human Resources Director in 2003. She holds an MBs in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from University College Galway.