I am a medical doctor and the Chief Medical Officer of Discovery Health. Over the course of my career, I have worked across clinical medicine, healthcare consulting, funding, education and leadership.
I believe South Africa’s healthcare system is one of the country’s most important national assets. Its strength supports human development, workforce productivity, social cohesion, institutional confidence and national resilience. Conversely, the erosion of healthcare capability, professional trust or institutional strength represents not only a health sector risk, but a sovereign risk to the country.
My work has focused on improving the quality, sustainability and accessibility of this South African healthcare system, while building trusted relationships between healthcare funders, healthcare professionals, academic institutions, patients, policymakers and communities.
Through my leadership role at Discovery Health, my governance involvement with the Discovery Foundation and Discovery Fund, and my contributions to organisations such as the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), the South African Medical Association (SAMA), the Medical Advisors Group (MAG) and Wits Business School (WBS), I have sought to strengthen South Africa’s healthcare capability and contribute to the long-term development of healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions. As a Steerco member of the Africa Telehealth Collaboration (ATC), I have tried to ensure that the significant benefits of digital care are also accessible to people living in resource poor communities.

I am a medical doctor by training and a healthcare leader by profession. As Chief Medical Officer of Discovery Health, I work at the intersection of clinical quality, healthcare funding, innovation, policy and stakeholder engagement.
A significant part of my role involves working with doctors and other healthcare professionals, professional societies, healthcare institutions and policymakers to improve healthcare delivery and promote sustainable healthcare systems across the private and public healthcare systems.
Beyond Discovery Health, I serve as a Trustee of the Discovery Foundation, an organisation dedicated to strengthening academic medicine, research and specialist medical training. I am also a Trustee of the Discovery Fund, focused on improving access to primary healthcare in underserved communities. As a Steerco member of the ATC, I strive to ensure that these communities also benefit from the exciting advances made possible by digital care.
I am involved in academic and professional organisations, including the Wits Board of Governors and Convocation Exco, and I lecture on healthcare leadership through the WBS MBA programme. I also serve on the SAMA Health Policy, Law and Ethics Committee and as a Counsellor on the SAMA Gauteng Branch, contributing to broader professional governance, policy and ethical engagement within the medical profession. I am on the Exco of MAG, which provides guidance to healthcare professionals in funder organisations.
Across all of these roles, my focus is on helping build a healthcare system that is innovative, collaborative, sustainable and capable of serving future generations. Central to this work is the deliberate cultivation of social capital: the relationships, trust and shared purpose that enable a complex healthcare system to function, adapt and endure.

I believe the nomination reflects a career devoted not only to healthcare leadership, but to strengthening the long-term sustainability of South Africa’s healthcare system.
Over many years I have had the privilege of helping shape healthcare strategy, clinical quality and innovation at Discovery Health, while working closely with healthcare professionals, specialist societies, academic institutions, policymakers and healthcare organisations.
What has increasingly guided my work is the belief that healthcare is far more than a sector of the economy. It is a cornerstone of national prosperity and social stability. A weakened healthcare system affects every aspect of society, from economic growth and workforce productivity to social cohesion and human wellbeing. In that sense, healthcare risk becomes sovereign risk.
I have therefore focused on building social capital across the healthcare ecosystem. This includes nurturing trusted relationships between stakeholders whose interests do not always naturally align, creating opportunities for collaboration, and helping maintain the trust necessary for a resilient and sustainable health system.
Through Discovery Health, academic institutions and professional organisations, I have sought to invest not only in healthcare structures and programmes, but in people, institutions and relationships. Through the Discovery Foundation, I have been involved in supporting the development of South Africa’s clinician scientists, specialist and sub-specialist workforce and strengthening academic medicine. Through the Discovery Fund, I have supported initiatives aimed at improving primary healthcare delivery and serving vulnerable communities. This is complimented by my work at the ATC, to ensure that the people in these communities can access the benefits of digital care.
If there is a common thread through my career, it is a belief that strong institutions, strong relationships and strong people are the foundation of a better healthcare future for South Africa and hence a better South Africa.

My vision is for South Africa to maintain and strengthen healthcare capability and institutions that serve as a source of national strength, social stability and competitiveness.
We often speak about the importance of economic, physical and technological infrastructure. I believe we should place equal importance on social infrastructure: the trust, relationships and institutions that enable people and organisations to work together for the common good.
In healthcare, this social capital is especially important. Our healthcare system is facing a number of significant challenges. Overcoming these challenges will require unprecedented cooperation among healthcare professionals, funders, government, academia, technology innovators and civil society. No single organisation can solve these challenges alone. There are also amazing opportunities which we can embrace working collaboratively across these different components of our healthcare system.
I hope to continue supporting the development of collaborative healthcare leaders, specialists, researchers and clinicians who will shape the next generation of healthcare, working together to address the challenges and maximise the opportunities. I am particularly interested in the opportunities created by digital health, data-driven care, artificial intelligence and value-based healthcare, provided they are used responsibly and in the service of better patient outcomes for all the people of this country.
Personally, I hope to continue learning, contributing and supporting institutions that strengthen healthcare, education and collaborative leadership in South Africa. I remain optimistic about our country’s future because our greatest asset is not only our technology or infrastructure. It is our people. When talented people work together within trusted institutions, extraordinary progress is possible.

Recreational activities

Exercise / keeping fit, Jewish Studies Learning Groups, Family recreational time / activities.