Podcast Feature: Exploring Technology in Healthcare with WPA’s CTO/CIO, Mike Downing

WPA is a specialist UK not-for-profit health insurer, offering award-winning health insurance solutions to individuals, families, and companies of all sizes. As a not-for-profit, any surplus income is reinvested to promote its objectives, ensuring the organisation remains committed to its mission rather than shareholder profits. WPA is dedicated to transparency in corporate governance and embraces inclusion, diversity, and environmental responsibility. Members benefit from the freedom to choose when, where, and who provides their treatment, with a steadfast focus on customer service excellence for over 120 years. Additionally, the WPA Health app ensures members can manage their membership conveniently, wherever they are.

I’m excited to welcome Mike, the CTO/CIO at WPA, as a guest on the podcast. Having known Mike for nearly twenty years, I was eager to invite him onto the show. WPA is an organisation that has consistently leveraged cutting-edge technology to enhance its services and deliver value to its members. As a long-time customer of WPA myself—almost two decades—I have witnessed first-hand the positive impact of technology on their service delivery. Under Mike’s leadership, WPA has embraced innovation, ensuring technology isn’t just an operational necessity but a driver of real business value.

What We’ll Be Discussing

In our conversation, we’ll be exploring how technology has shaped WPA and the broader not-for-profit sector. Here are the key questions we’ll be covering:

1. Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and the organisation you work for?
2. Can you share how technology and data have transformed your organisation’s approach to achieving its mission?
3. What has been the biggest challenge your organisation has faced in implementing new technologies, and how did you overcome it?
4. Looking ahead, how do you see data and technology shaping the future of the not-for-profit sector?

A Fun Closing Question

To wrap up the conversation, Mike will have the option to answer one of these fun questions:

• Tell us an interesting fact about yourself that most people don’t know.
• If you weren’t working in technology, what other career or profession could you see yourself doing?
• What’s the best piece of career advice you have ever been given?
• What advice would you give your younger self just starting out in the IT industry?

Watch the Podcast

You can view the stream here. Don’t miss this insightful discussion about how technology is driving value in healthcare and the not-for-profit sector!