International Women’s Day (IWD) is an important opportunity to celebrate women who have made significant impacts in their fields. We’d go one step further and suggest that it’s a time to celebrate women who’ve made an impact in fields that are traditionally male-dominated. So this week, we celebrate our Founder and Managing Director, Julie Evason who has run the company for 22 years. This year’s theme is ‘Accelerated Action,’ which calls for rapid progress toward gender equality, aiming to reach full parity well before the current predicted date: 2158. For over 40 years, Julie has worked in the preventative health space, advocating for early intervention, community-based care and digital innovation – long before they became the 3 main NHS priorities.
Breaking into a male dominated field as an Entrepreneur: The birth of Fitech Ltd
Julie’s journey began in Manchester, where she pursued a diploma in food science and technology, sparking an early interest in health and lifestyle which led to her first job in sales at Lucas Meyer, the UK distributor of a German global lecithin firm. Despite enjoying the role (and meeting her husband-to-be there) her entrepreneurial spirit grew fast, so she left to set up Fitech along with her husband as well as her friend, Kevin Sykes. Fitech became a pioneer in fitness testing technology, starting with a step test used by police forces across the country, whereby candidates stepped onto a bench, and their heart rates were checked. But Julie didn’t stop there. The company expanded to lend a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, creating a range of health tests, plus, a computer-linked heart rate monitor which was the first of its kind.
The new system went nationwide, and thanks to Julie’s hands-on approach it was shortly being used by professionals around the country: “Off I’d go around the country to train people to use the system… Even today, my team comments on my ability to pack a car with twice as much as anyone else can fit!” Julie even demonstrated the Fitech system on radio and television, taking a giant step forward for women in tech when appearing on the TV show ‘Flying Start’ in the mid 80s – one of the very few female entrepreneurs to have been on the show.
By 1999, Fitech had expanded to serve 2,500 clients worldwide, and was eventually acquired by BusinessHealth. Julie continued to contribute to the development of workplace health checks under the brand name, ‘WELL’. And it was there that she recalls “Sitting on the board with seven men for three years”. Julie not only had a place at the table, but she made her voice heard. Reflecting on this period, she’d become used to acting quickly on ideas, “But now, there were far more processes to adhere to, which I found constricting”. So in 2002, Julie left, using her non-compete year to set up Health Diagnostics.
Accelerating Change: Julie’s impact on Preventive Health
Health Diagnostics first focused on delivering products which Julie predicted would make a positive impact on preventative health, and eventually introduced a suite of cutting-edge, non-invasive tests for various health concerns. Our innovative ‘Health Options’ software provides the user with a personalised health report that allows people to make informed decisions about their health. Julie identified the need to develop user-friendly technology – “Something that feels logical and motivating.”.
We became involved in NHS Health Checks in 2009 after Julie observed inefficiencies in information collection, and that disparate systems were being used to deliver the checks. She set out to establish ‘consistency and uniformity’ across checks, whilst delivering clear and valuable information to patients. For Julie, the goal was never just about providing a service – it was about giving people the tools to take control of their health. Afterall, “It’s YOUR health, not the health professionals, and you need to understand the impact of your lifestyle on your health.”
Julie’s work is an example of accelerated action through an ongoing contribution to preventative health, a commitment to efficiency and accessibility, and to further the benefits her team can bring to improve the health of communities across the country. IN her words, “I just never thought things weren’t possible.” When asked how she started and just kept going despite the challenges, she notes her determination to challenge the status quo: “I never thought too far ahead.” Julie is always willing to take on new opportunities. Today, 110,000 health checks are delivered each year using Health Diagnostic’s technology – a testament to the ongoing impact of her work.
Happy International Women’s Day to Julie, and also to the fantastic women who work as part of our dedicated and innovative team – many of whom have been at Health Diagnostics for over a decade. Here’s to the next year, and to many more ahead!