Carnall Farrar

What Carnall Farrar does

Carnall Farrar (CF) is a UK-headquartered management consultancy founded in 2013 by Hannah Farrar and Ben Richardson, focused exclusively on the healthcare sector. The firm operates three practice areas: Health Systems (primarily NHS trusts, integrated care systems, and hospital groups), Life Sciences (pharmaceutical, medical devices, diagnostics, and health technology companies), and Healthcare Investing (private equity and corporate investors). It claims access to more UK healthcare data than any other consulting company, processing pseudonymised patient-level datasets including Hospital Episode Statistics and the Emergency Care Data Set to power population health analytics, benchmarking, and care gap analysis.

CF's service portfolio spans strategy, financial sustainability, performance improvement, organisational development, clinical transformation, operational efficiency, and data and digital transformation, delivered through dedicated sub-services such as Population Health Management, System Transformation, Due Diligence, Enterprise Value Creation, and Real-World Evidence. Proprietary capabilities include the ICS Investment Tool (co-developed with NHS Confederation) and dynamic demand and capacity modelling tools built for individual NHS trusts. The firm has delivered over 2,000 engagements and is consistently rated gold by the Financial Times among UK management consultants for Healthcare & Life Sciences.

The business model is project-based professional services delivered directly by senior partners, with quote-based pricing. CF is privately held and founder-led, with no disclosed external investors or funding rounds. Following the April 2025 launch of a regional headquarters in Riyadh (with a Dubai office), the firm operates from the UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE under subsidiary CF GCC. Senior hires in 2024-2026 include a former McKinsey Senior Partner (co-founder), a former Irish Health Minister, and senior clinicians and public-health executives, reflecting an aggressive international and vertical expansion.

Name

Carnall Farrar

Legal name

Carnall Farrar Ltd

Website

https://carnallfarrar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carnall Farrar is a UK-headquartered healthcare management consultancy founded in 2013, serving NHS health systems, life sciences companies, and healthcare private equity investors across strategy, data and digital transformation, and clinical and operational improvement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Turnaround, Restructuring & Crisis Management Consulting (BPAHACAO)

Keywords

• Healthcare consulting
• Management consulting
• Health systems advisory
• Life sciences consulting
• Healthcare strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Consulting Services: CF generates revenue through consulting engagements with health systems (NHS trusts, ICSs), life sciences companies (pharmaceutical, medical devices, diagnostics, health tech), and healthcare investors (private equity, corporates). Services span strategy, finance, performance, organisational improvement, data and digital transformation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carnall Farrar is a specialist healthcare management consulting firm that advises NHS trusts, life sciences companies, and healthcare investors. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in London, the firm operates across four service lines: Health Systems Consulting, Life Sciences Consulting, Healthcare Investing, and Middle East Consulting, supporting clients on system transformation, population health management, financial sustainability, operational efficiency, and data, digital and AI initiatives.

Product overview

CF (Carnall Farrar) is a healthcare consultancy offering a unified suite of professional services across Health Systems, Life Sciences, and Healthcare Investing. The portfolio spans strategy consulting, data and digital transformation, clinical transformation, population health management, financial performance, and investment advisory. Services are delivered as consulting engagements rather than software products, with offerings organised by practice area (Health Systems, Life Sciences, Health Investing, Middle East) and supported by specialised sub-service capabilities including System Transformation, Data/Digital/AI, Population Health Management, Due Diligence, and Real-World Evidence. The firm combines consulting expertise with data science capabilities to deliver end-to-end support for healthcare transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Systems Consulting Strategic consulting for NHS trusts and healthcare providers covering system transformation, population health management, financial sustainability, operational efficiency, and data, digital and AI.
• Life Sciences Consulting Strategic consulting for life sciences companies across commercial, medical, and market access functions.
• Healthcare Investing Commercial and strategic due diligence, value creation, and portfolio support for healthcare-focused private equity and investor clients.
• Middle East Consulting Healthcare consulting delivered from offices in Riyadh and Dubai, supporting public and private sector clients across the GCC region.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2000 engagements delivered for clients across the health sector
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MedliorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026CF and Medlior announced a strategic partnership to accelerate multinational real-world evidence for global life sciences research. The partnership combines CF's healthcare consulting expertise and UK healthcare data access with Medlior's real-world evidence capabilities to support global life sciences research initiatives.
• Odgers BerndtsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCF partnered with executive search firm Odgers to convene senior health investors and advisors for an event examining investment opportunities emerging from the NHS 10 Year Plan in England.
• NHS ConfederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCF developed the ICS Investment Tool in partnership with NHS Confederation to help health system leaders address investment planning challenges.
• Healthcare LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCF and Healthcare London signed a landmark partnership to advance UK-Saudi healthcare collaboration, combining CF's consulting expertise with Healthcare London's network of London's leading private healthcare providers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global strategy consulting leader with a large dedicated healthcare practice serving NHS, life sciences, and healthcare investors. CF's co-founder Ben Richardson was a McKinsey Senior Partner, making it a direct reference point for senior talent and competing for the same UK health systems and pharma mandates.
• Bain & Company: Top-tier global strategy consultancy with a strong healthcare practice covering providers, payers, and life sciences. Competes with CF for NHS transformation mandates, life sciences commercial strategy, and PE due diligence work across the UK and Europe.
• Boston Consulting Group: Global strategy consulting firm with a sizable healthcare and life sciences practice, including health systems, biopharma, and medtech engagements. Directly competes with CF on NHS transformation and population health work in the UK.
• Deloitte (Healthcare & Life Sciences): Big Four advisory firm with a large UK healthcare consulting practice covering strategy, operations, and digital transformation for NHS, life sciences, and healthcare investors. A frequent competitor for large multi-year NHS transformation mandates.
• IQVIA: Global leader in healthcare data, analytics, and life sciences consulting. Directly overlaps with CF's life sciences, real-world evidence, and patient access practices, and competes for pharma R&D and commercial strategy work.

Direct peers

• PA Consulting: UK-headquartered consulting and innovation firm with a substantial healthcare practice spanning NHS transformation, life sciences, and health tech. Comparable size and UK-centric specialist positioning, serving overlapping NHS trust and ICS clients.
• L.E.K. Consulting: Global strategy consultancy with a strong healthcare and life sciences specialism, particularly in commercial due diligence and growth strategy for PE and pharma. Closely comparable in sector focus and PE-heavy client mix to CF's Healthcare Investing practice.
• ZS Associates: Global consulting firm specialising in healthcare and life sciences with deep data, analytics, and AI capabilities. Comparable to CF in blending data science with strategy consulting for pharma and provider clients.
• The Chartis Group: US-based healthcare-focused consulting firm serving providers, payers, and health technology clients on strategy, transformation, and analytics. Most comparable specialist health-only positioning to CF outside the UK.
• Avalere Health: Healthcare-focused advisory firm combining policy, data, and strategy services for life sciences, providers, and payers. Comparable specialist positioning to CF's life sciences and health systems practices, particularly around policy and access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carnall_farrar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carnall Farrar