30 years of experience developing and implementing complex software and analytical solutions across a range of industries in Finance, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Professional Services, managing small to multi-million euro projects. He has a background in software development and holds BEng (Hons) Computer System Engineering. He spent his early career as a software developer with Oracle in Silicon Valley, California.
He has a unique mix of commercial and technical expertise which enables him to ideate and design solutions that are acutely aligned with business objectives whilst leveraging appropriate technology that is right sized for the specific organization and challenge at hand. He founded Apridata as a boutique consulting business to work closely with a smaller number of customers on solving interesting problems. Apridata has a history of working with its customers closely over time gaining in-depth understanding of their businesses that enables it to deliver meaningful value and return on investment on their technology investments.
Richard has built a team of data and software engineers based in Ireland, that are similarly trained not only in their technical competencies but also in their ability to understand the operational detail of the businesses they are working with, making them highly effective in engaging with operational leaders in the business.
Sylvia Stafford is an experienced commercial leader and operations executive with a proven track record of delivering transformative change and sustainable results. With over 20 years of leadership experience across healthcare, technology, and logistics sectors, she has successfully led major initiatives including post-acquisition integrations, operational restructures, and the development of high-performing teams.
Known for her empathetic leadership style and ability to bring people together, Sylvia excels in driving impactful change that supports growth and operational excellence. At Apridata, she leads the company’s consulting services portfolio, helping clients navigate complex challenges in digital transformation, change management, and business process improvement.
Her practical, hands-on expertise in change leadership, people management, and process optimisation is supported by an innovative mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement. Sylvia works closely with clients to ensure each engagement delivers measurable impact and lasting value—leaving organisations stronger, more agile, and ready for what comes next.
Sylvia Stafford is a seasoned healthcare executive with over two decades of experience in operational leadership, service innovation, and digital transformation within the Irish healthcare sector. Her career is distinguished by a consistent focus on enhancing patient care, streamlining service delivery, and fostering sustainable growth.
As Chief Operating Officer and formerly Technical Services Director at Healthcare 21 Group, Sylvia led the development and execution of service and decontamination solutions across Ireland and the UK. She played a pivotal role in securing and managing multi-million-euro contracts with the Health Service Executive (HSE), demonstrating a nuanced understanding of public procurement processes and regulatory compliance.
Her leadership was instrumental in the successful rollout of the proprietary AssetTrak system—a digital platform designed to manage medical assets, facilitate service requests, and provide real-time inventory visibility for clinicians. Under Sylvia’s direction, AssetTrak evolved into a robust, cloud-based platform managing over 300,000 assets across 95,000 sites in the UK and Ireland. The system supports over 2,000 customer users, enabling real-time tracking of equipment through its lifecycle—from requisition and delivery to service, decontamination, and storage. This comprehensive visibility ensures that clinicians and administrative staff can efficiently manage medical assets, thereby enhancing patient care and operational efficiency.
Between 2014 and 2017, Sylvia faced a critical challenge highly relevant to Platinum Homecare’s aspirations: growing the engineering and logistics teams without proportionally expanding the administrative support functions. With rapid workforce expansion came an increasing administrative burden that threatened to undermine operational efficiency. Recognising this, Sylvia spearheaded the introduction of intelligent process automation and digital workflows. She was instrumental in deploying integrated solutions combining AssetTrak with Apridata technologies and API integrations, enabling the organisation to:
This transformation ensured that the business could scale sustainably, maintaining a lean operational backbone while delivering consistently high standards of service.
Recognising the need for proactive performance management, Sylvia also collaborated with Apridata to develop advanced analytical capabilities. This provided real-time analysis of parts ordering timelines, service response times, and task completion rates among engineering and administrative teams. By identifying potential issues before they escalated, this solution enabled Healthcare 21 to maintain high service standards and meet contractual obligations effectively.
Importantly, the Healthcare 21 contracts in Ireland were primarily community-based, with engineers and drivers attending client homes to install, maintain, and decontaminate equipment. This model parallels Platinum Homecare’s operations, where field-based teams coordinate complex logistics and schedule-sensitive services in clients’ residences. Sylvia’s experience in orchestrating these distributed, home-based service models is directly applicable to Platinum Homecare’s vision for technology-enabled homecare delivery.
Sylvia’s clinical background as a nurse practitioner informs her empathetic approach to healthcare delivery, ensuring that technological advancements align with the needs of both patients and providers. Her expertise encompasses contract negotiation, operational integration, and the deployment of innovative solutions that address the complex challenges faced by healthcare organisations.
In the context of Platinum Homecare’s desire to scale its team of carers without a proportional increase in administrative support, Sylvia’s proven track record in deploying automation and digital transformation to enable sustainable growth makes her a uniquely qualified partner. Her proficiency in managing complex scheduling scenarios—including coordinating double-engineer visits and adhering to stringent response times—mirrors the intricacies of homecare rostering. Furthermore, her success in implementing digital solutions to streamline operations and reduce administrative burdens positions her as an invaluable asset in designing a responsive, efficient, and scalable systemthat supports client preferences, staff availability, and real-time contingencies.
