HCF CIO departs after 11 years

Private health insurer HCF has appointed former Cover-More Group tech boss Sanjeev Gupta as its new chief information officer, after Patrick Shearman stepped down from the role late last year.

Patrick Shearman.

Shearman, who first joined the healthcare insurer in June 2004, left the company in November to become an IT consultant and advisor at EireIndus Transformations and Ventures.

Before joining HCF, the veteran IT executive served for a number of years as the chief technology officer of Tabcorp’s gaming division.

His major achievements at HCF included implementing and later expanding the first IBM smart analytics system in Australia, launching electronic patient record for clients, and automating claims adjudications and payments.

Following his departure, Shearman’s role as HCF’s tech supremo was filled by Gupta, who had served as the CIO at Cover-More since September 2012 .

Gupta’s duties at the travel health insurer included leading IT teams supporting the company’s 1100 staff and business partners across Australia, China, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and the UK.

The business also implemented a single global operating platform and set up an offshore processing centre, alongside digital initiatives such as an analytics engine that hooks into the e-commerce platforms of Cover-More’s partners through an API.

Gupta was also part of a steering committee that oversaw the company’s transition from private equity ownership to an initial public offering.

A spokesperson for Cover-More said the company would announce Gupta’s replacement shortly.