Lisa began her career as a Dental Nurse in 1993, and after qualifying she joined Steve Lomas in 1998 who was starting up a new practice in Crewe. She had aspirations to follow a managerial role and this provided her with the perfect opportunity… 25 years on…
Lisa Bainham
Archives: The ADAM Team
Chris Baker
Chris Baker has more than 15 years’ experience in marketing and PR in the dental sector. He has advised on and executed plans for many dentists on ways to expand their practices through a wide range of tools including branding, online strategy, social media marketing, PR, advertising, printed and promotional materials, events and strategic alliances. Chris helps his clients leverage existing customers more effectively and carry out marketing with limited resources.
Chris is especially interested in the art of copywriting – knowing what can grab the attention of an audience; make them take action and the nuances of language that can make a huge difference to the bottom line.
Away from work Chris torments himself by following Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the English cricket team.
Mark Topley
Mark Topley helps dental practices to succeed by coaching their leaders and inspiring their teams as they create a more purpose-driven and responsibly-led organisation.
He is both a qualified educator and accredited CSR professional. Mark began his career in teaching and community project management over two decades ago, and in the time since has honed my skills in a huge variety of teams; including charities, governments, schools, consumer healthcare and even the music industry.
Back in 2003, Mark entered the world of Oral Health, which by 2006 had taken Mark and his wife Jo to Tanzania; where they joined the founders of the charity Bridge2Aid to provide emergency dental training to rural health workers.
Over the next 10 years, they worked alongside multiple governments, as well as companies both large and small. They had to get used to the challenges and frustrations of growing a business and develop a style of working where they supported one another. Mark understands the pressure of leading a team, of developing trust and cooperation between both co-workers and customers, and the rewards of growing a business that you can be proud of.
Mark has used his experience to develop a Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility program to help businesses engage their teams, develop their communities, and grow together with a common sense of purpose.
Niki Boersma
Niki is Practice Manager at The Smiles Room Dental & Implant Centre. She and her husband run a Guest House in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
Samantha Shoults
After many years working for Stock Aitken & Waterman as a backing singer for the likes of Sonia, Girl Talk and Roland Rat I turned my attention to my true passion, horses.
Long and dull stints in the retail and hospitality industries made me realise I didn’t really like people and so role in law enforcement seemed like a good idea. It wasn’t. It became obvious that the only way I was going to be able to get decent job was if I lied on my CV.
Now here I am 14 years later. I’m not sure what it is I actually do but I know I’m pretty good at it. I’m skilled in not only the art of looking busy but of also stressing about things I’m not actually doing, a skill few people have mastered.
I’ve never worked in a dental practice so at dental conferences I have perfected a knowing head nod so as not to give the game away. Whilst a may not know first hand the struggles of the management team in a dental practice I do make a mean lemon drizzle cake.
Alex McWhirter
Alex is the Practice Manager at North Cardiff Dental & Implants.
She has previous experience in dentistry as a dental nurse and treatment coordinator, previously working within a busy NHS practice before moving into the world of private dentistry. Before training as a dental nurse, Alex attained honours in her degree in Environmental Sciences from Ulster University, then went on to work in the beauty industry, before finding her home in dentistry.
Alex takes pride in her attention to detail, holds herself (and those around her!) to the highest standards and truly cares about patients and her team. Alex has also been highly commended as Practice Manager of the Year in 2023 and 2024 at The Dental Awards.
She joined the ADAM team to give back, offering support and encouragement to other practice managers and dental administrators. She particularly enjoys supporting those new to their roles.
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