Karren Sanderson joined Discovery Health in 1997, fresh from university (Unisa: BCom). Today she’s Discovery’s chief operating officer.

“I started as a call centre consultant and worked my way up through the ranks. Our operations are in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, making up 3 700 team members who are focused on our 3.5 million customers,” she said.

Sanderson is also chair of Discovery’s group operations forum, which oversees operational tactics and strategic investment recommendations related to the operations of all Discovery’s South African based businesses, including Vitality, Discovery Insure, Discovery Life, Discovery Invest, Discovery Group Risk and Discovery Bank.

She is a a member of the Discovery South Africa executive committee and member of the Discovery group exco, chaired by Adrian Gore, which oversees all of Discovery’s businesses and interests globally.

What does your company do?

We are a South African medical scheme administrator, administering 19 medical schemes and various healthcare insurance products. We represent 57.8% of the open medical scheme market. Our focus is on providing access to the best quality health care, while keeping the costs of health care sustainable. In addition, we work to strengthen the health care system in South Africa and act as a force for social good.

What do you see as the IT leader’s top priorities in 2023?

AI and how to leverage this impactfully, yet safely, in business operations.
Skills scarcity: Sourcing, developing and retaining talent in the IT sector.
New technologies: Discerning which technology options to invest in given the ever-growing smorgasbord of options and capabilities; keeping abreast of the rapid onset of new technology – discerning between “shiny new objects” and meaningfully impactful ones; and making tough calls where obscurity exists between first-mover advantage and first-mover disadvantages.

Who do you most admire in business and why?

I’m a fan of AGFA (Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon), among others. Its hard to pick one person – there are a few options. Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy of Amazon. Their well-considered, long-term planning of and significant continuous investment in their technology and data insight has successfully yielded an overall capability that has led to a world-dominating product and customer service offering that is most impressive.

How do you attract and retain talent?

We aim to go beyond traditional recruitment by providing an employee value proposition that is compelling, covering physical, financial and emotional health, as well an environment that supports innovation, change and ideas, housed within state-of-the-art offices and tools, all cognisant of flexibility in the hybrid world of work.

We invest in our people’s future and make it possible for them to invest in themselves from the moment they join through learning and development opportunities well beyond the job they may have been recruited for. We use technology to democratise access to courses, qualifications and ultimately wisdom.

We also invest in tertiary qualifications, providing access to bespoke Discovery qualifications created in partnership with leading educational institutions; and we take seriously our understanding of performance and talent management, providing mentorship, coaching, sponsorship and more as we work to grow our people.

Discovery’s head office in Sandton. Image: Boogertman and Partners

If you could go back and give your 18-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Leave what you don’t love. Life is short and there are too many things to do to waste any time.
Nobody knows more than your customers about the experience you’re delivering, and what they wish you were delivering. Data and facts matter. It’s critical to listen to them and upweight their feedback, walk in their shoes from day one and never stop. Then make that the approach for your whole team and ultimately the organisation – you’ll do the right things sooner, smarter and faster.
Seize the opportunities sooner, when people present them to you – take them, be courageous and back yourself.
Opting in is vital, but know when to opt out, too, as soon as it’s needed.

What’s your favourite productivity hack?

Siri when driving – reading mails and messages and responding through dictation to Siri. Using the same for jotting down thoughts and ideas while driving/travelling, again, via Siri.
Eliminating red tape. I try to look out for it and then take the time to make the changes to remove it. Most often, it’s just a simple call or quick discussion to decide to do things differently.

What occupation (other than your own) would you like to try?

Retail industry and online business … and if I’m really dreaming, travel scout discovering the world’s most incredible destinations or a private portfolio game-lodge owner.

Where do you see the technology industry heading in the next three to five years?

I see the intersection of technology, AI and people becoming more pronounced and integrated in the physical world in a far more common cause way, creating even greater convenience in our daily lives but also enhancing our experiences. Our daily experience on the planet will be significantly lifted.

Initially, the lift in the knowledge worker layer will mean more time and thus options for people in this layer to apply themselves to more creative work, innovation, design, conceptualisation or human interaction – in “high touch” areas of the world (healthcare delivery, emotional wellbeing, arts and design, etc) . Insights driven by rich integrated data capabilities across industries for those who harness the collaboration opportunities will enhance human capability in all sectors, through greater intelligence, automation and delivery ability.

In the health sector, not only will accessibility continue to be widened, place and method of care will evolve to be home or other location based, removing the dependency on fixed locations such as hospitals and doctors’ rooms, made possible through monitoring technology, telemetry and real-time analytics. Technology and AI will play a significant role in the environmental sector, including renewable energy and sustainability, and job roles in the green industry will grow in prevalence.

What is one book you’d recommend to our audience and why?

Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat (Google X chief business officer). It helps one reflect and be thoughtful about the age of AI, including its benefits and downsides.