About us

The SleepCogni team

SleepCogni was founded by Richard Mills and Dr Maan van de Werken with a shared ambition to improve sleep difficulties. By combining expertise in chronobiology and health technology, they set out to develop a science-driven solution that helps people regain control of their sleep.

Today, SleepCogni is supported by a multidisciplinary team with deep expertise in sleep science, machine learning, embedded systems engineering, and human-centred product design, translating scientific insight into accessible technology that helps more people achieve better sleep.

Designed in Sheffield.
British manufactured.

SleepCogni was developed within Sheffield’s clinical and research ecosystem, shaped by over a decade of research, clinical trials, and continuous product innovation. Working alongside leading institutions including the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, we have built our technology on scientific rigour and real-world validation.

Every device is manufactured in the UK under direct engineering oversight. Each SleepCogni product is crafted for durability, reliability, and long-term performance you can trust.

SleepCogni reflects over a decade of research, clinical validation, and responsible British manufacturing.

Team

Richard Mills

Co-founder & CEO

Richard Mills

Serial founder and inventor. Created Swellaway, a medical recovery device backed by Wayne Rooney, before co-founding SleepCogni in 2015. Earlier helped launch Sprint’s internet network in Europe.
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Dr Maan van de Werken

Co-founder & CSO

Dr Maan van de Werken

Scientist with a PhD in human circadian biology from the University of Groningen. Leads SleepCogni’s scientific and clinical programme, from trial design to developing new sleep technology.
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Joseph Hawkins

COO

Joseph Hawkins

An engineer with an MBA from the University of Sheffield, he joined SleepCogni after award-winning research into predicting sleep onset.
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Paul Ironmonger

CTO

Paul Ironmonger

Founder of CPI Electronics and CPI Acoustical, designing electronics for automotive, military and medical markets. Has taken the SleepCogni device from concept to manufacture.
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Mark Long

CFO

Mark Long

Chartered accountant and fractional CFO to deep-tech start-ups including SCI Semiconductor and Faradion. Previously VP Finance at Jennic through its sale to NXP, and Financial Controller at Samsung SDS.
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Colin Greene

Chair

Colin Greene

Former CEO of Apple Korea and head of Apple’s US consumer retail business. Now a Partner at PXN Ventures.
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Advisors

Richard di Benedetto

NED

Richard di Benedetto

Former President of Aetna International and executive committee member at CVS Health. Chaired SleepCogni for five years and remains a NED.
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Mark Milton-Edwards

NED

Mark Milton-Edwards

Over 30 years in pharma and digital health at AstraZeneca and Teva, where he created Digihaler®, the first FDA- and MHRA-approved integrated digital inhaler.
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Bryn Sage

NED

Bryn Sage

Former CEO of Inhealthcare, the digital health platform used across the NHS and acquired by ResMed in 2024. Previously COO of InTechnology plc.
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Jason Brannan

NED

Jason Brannan

Chartered PR practitioner with 25+ years in health technology. Formerly Deputy Director of Sheffield Hallam’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and PR and Communications Director at Medilink North of England.
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Prof George Panoutsos

AI Advisor

Prof George Panoutsos

Head of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Professor of Computational Intelligence at the University of Sheffield. With SleepCogni since 2018 on machine-learning sleep-onset prediction.
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Dr Seema Khosla

Medical Advisor

Dr Seema Khosla

Medical Director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep and Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, where she was inaugural chair of its Clinical and Consumer Sleep Technology Committee.
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Dr Donn Posner

Medical Advisor

Dr Donn Posner

A pioneer of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Has held posts at Brown and Stanford and is a founding member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.
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Prof Jason Ellis

Medical Advisor

Prof Jason Ellis

Professor of Sleep Science and Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, with over 20 years of clinical trials in insomnia and CBT-I.
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James Pink

Regulatory Advisor

James Pink

Founder of the Medical Technology Safety Academy and CEO of James Pink Advisory, advising on medical device regulation and safety. Nearly 30 years in medtech, including senior roles at NSF, BSI and Element.
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