Southern Cross creates new role for top adviser

Health sector leader Dr Lester Levy will act as Strategic Advisor - Future of Healthcare in a part-time capacity, advising and helping to shape the Society’s overall strategy. In particular evolving the future operating model and plans for digital health and value-based contracting to achieve optimum health outcomes.

Reporting to CEO Nick Astwick, Dr Levy will interface with the global and local health insurance, medical and academic communities to keep New Zealand’s leading health insurer at the forefront of innovation.

Dr Levy has extensive knowledge of the health sector. He started his working life as a medical doctor and subsequently became a chief executive, entrepreneur and chair of boards of directors across a diverse range of industry sectors. He has almost three decades of experience in management and governance in both the public and private healthcare sectors as a chairman, chief executive, entrepreneur and advisor.

He is the appointed chairman of the Health Research Council of New Zealand. He was appointed by government as a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Health and chairman of all three Auckland region district health boards (Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau). Previously he was the Chief Executive of South Auckland Health, the New Zealand Blood Service and the MercyAscot Hospital Group (of which he was a founder).