Fellow Spotlight: Sara Cocomazzi

We're constantly inspired by the remarkable ways the On purpose community creates impact and brings about transformative change. This month we're excited to shine a light on Sara Cocomazzi from our April 2014 Associate Programme cohort, who is now leading digital innovation for the NHS.

I always had a passion for making hospitals a better place to stay for patients and their loved ones, somewhere they could be comforted and cared for by the best clinicians to focus on their recovery. I did lots of volunteering in hospitals and then decided it was time to apply my skills to empower positive change.

After a long search, I found On Purpose and the Associate Programme, the perfect programme for re-launching my career and getting embedded into organisational networks, especially as I was new to the UK. I joined the 2014 cohort, moving from Italy, and keen to make a difference for social good/socially driven causes. My first placement was a community engagement organisation and then I joined the NHS (NEL CSU) working in commissioning support to support transformational change, business development and empowering staff with coaching. 

10 years later I’m still working for the NHS (OUH), now leading the digital innovation culture and capacity building portfolio for an acute teaching university hospital. This included needs-led work, a digital skills and inclusion programme and the digital innovation ambassador network. Every day I do the best I can to engage with a number of clinical and non-clinical staff to help change healthcare services for the better. This strong sense of purpose drives everything I do. 

Outside of work I deeply enjoy being a clown in hospital to help children and elderly especially create some distraction from worries and pain through play and laughter. The magic happens when you can deeply connect with other humans by opening minds, ears and hearts! 

I’m very grateful for having had the opportunity to join the On Purpose Associate Programme 10 years ago, a way to fast track both my personal development journey and to join inspiring organisations doing good. The programme equipped me with the mindset and frameworks but most of all with a fantastic community of like minded people who are driven by similar values and always willing to support each other. I’m particularly thankful to my coach and mentors throughout the programme: they really helped me understand my deeper questions, find my inner strengths and focus on my passions. 

More recently I became a mum to my little one, which took me to a whole new different level of experience and transformation. It definitely helped me rethink my sense of purpose and the legacy I’d like to leave to my inner circle of connections and focus even more on the power of experiential learning which is a pillar of the On Purpose approach and any successful leadership/cultural change programme.