A trusted team of experts
Built to scale healthcare education businesses
Darwin Education Group is led by an experienced team of operators, educators and clinicians with deep expertise across healthcare, education, private equity, and international growth.
Our leadership team brings the strategic, commercial, and governance skills required to build and scale multi-brand education platforms. All while preserving the academic credibility and clinical relevance that define Darwin Education Group.
William
Macpherson
Chair
William has extensive leadership experience across professional education and skills development. He was CEO of QA from 2008 to 2019, driving significant growth, and has previously served as CEO of Kaplan International, The Financial Training Company, and Wolters Kluwer Professional Training.
William currently holds a number of non-executive roles, including Chair of SCL Limited and Thirdway Interiors Group , and Non-Executive Director of the London Film School and Wilmington plc. He joined the Board in February 2021, and brings deep expertise in scaling education platforms and supporting management teams through growth and transformation.
Heber
Alves
Chief Executive Officer
Heber Alves is the Founder and CEO of Darwin Education Group, responsible for building and scaling a global platform for advanced healthcare education. As a qualified veterinary surgeon with a PhD in Animal Medicine and Surgery, Heber's clinical and academic background shaped his vision of a more practical, scalable, and internationally relevant postgraduate healthcare education.
In 2006, Heber founded Improve Ibérica, initiating Improve’s international expansion and laying the foundations for Darwin Education Group. Since becoming CEO of Improve International in 2020, he has led the transformation of the business into a multi-brand healthcare and veterinary education platform.
As CEO of Darwin Education Group, Heber leads group strategy, platform development, international expansion, and M&A to create long-term value and strategic consolidation.
Chris
Convey
Chief Financial Officer
Chris Convey oversees Finance, M&A, HR and IT for the group. He is an experienced financial and commercial leader, with FTSE 250 executive experience, and a strong track record of supporting high-growth digital and subscription-based businesses.
Prior to joining Improve International, Chris built and led the M&A function at Future, executing a successful buy-and-build strategy, then subsequently led the business’ B2B division. He has held CFO roles across multiple organisations, and brings deep expertise in financing, organisational design and growth strategy.
Liz
Cathelain
Chief Revenue Officer
Liz Cathelain drives revenue growth, commercial performance, and go-to-market execution across the group. She brings extensive experience across private equity-backed platforms, and large corporations in technology, services and data-enabled sectors.
Liz has worked within private equity, supporting portfolio company growth across education, services and technology - and in direct leadership roles. This includes her work as Commercial Director of the LOD Group, a private equity-backed legal services and technology platform, and a range of senior leadership roles at Vodafone, including large-scale P&L ownership and commercial, marketing and digital transformation.
Christina
Cunliffe OBE
Chief Academic Officer
Professor Christina Cunliffe OBE is a distinguished academic leader in healthcare education. She earned her PhD in 1978, was awarded a personal Chair in Chiropractic by the University of Wales, and is a Chartered Biologist and Fellow of both the Royal Society of Biology and the Royal College of Chiropractors.
Christina has served as Principal of McTimoney College of Chiropractic for more than 25 years. Additionally, she was the founding Dean of the School of Health at BPP University, a member of its Board, and served on the General Chiropractic Council and its Education Committee.
In 2022, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Healthcare Leadership and in 2025, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to healthcare education.