Fergus Porter

What is it you and your team do?

I'm the Chief information Officer at Converge International. My role is to leverage digital technologies to deliver better outcomes for our stakeholders, and support our vision to be the best in our field.

We’ve gone from being a face-to-face business to one that's leveraging omnichannel connectivity between clinicians and the people we serve.

There is still a stigma associated with mental health and wellbeing. One of the things digital technologies has enabled us to do is to remove that stigma because people are far more comfortable dealing with telehealth than they are in leaving work and going and sitting in a room, face to face, to talk about their problems. 

People are more likely to open up because they're more comfortable in seeking assistance online rather than going to a doctor's office.

What’s your professional background?

I started in IT in Ireland more than 35 years ago, and have worked in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan – largely in financial services. 

I’ve started and sold a couple of technology businesses, and then made a career shift to an industry based around hardware for a large photo-enforcement company – speed cameras, and the like. It was probably one of the most interesting jobs I've had. After that I moved into Converge, and specifically healthcare. 

How different is it working in healthcare?

I've worked in business where people would be screaming at each other over something that people in healthcare hardly raise an eyebrow over. Instead of pointing fingers, people’s first instinct is to ask how they can help. That's been the real change in moving into healthcare. It's not just about the organisation caring for its customers or its patients – it’s about people-purpose, and working together on a focused outcome, as opposed to being a cog in the machine.

Biggest challenge of your role?

Getting investment in technology is always a challenge in healthcare. Traditionally, tech projects in healthcare are expensive, drawn out and not very well implemented. People experience burnout, and when that happens, they go back to thinking they’d rather have a nurse with a pen than a doctor with a computer. 

So, getting stakeholders to buy into the idea of change has been difficult, but it's becoming less difficult. At Converge, we're embracing it because we’re seeing the value of digital transformation. 

We’re on that journey, of getting people to put their hands in their wallets and spend money on tech rather than just maintaining the status quo. They are starting to take a longer-term view and can see that by implementing tech, you're freeing up time and allowing people to focus on providing better quality care. And that's the challenge: getting people to understand that the tech is there to make things better, not simply to replace people.

Most rewarding aspect of your role?

The people I work with. I have a great team, and they do amazing work. They work well together. We're all very open and frank. People leave their egos at the door and focus on getting the job done, and that's very rewarding to see. I don’t micro-manage, but instead just guide them and let them guide me. We get the outcomes we want, and it is very rewarding.

How do you help your stakeholders?

I give them options and insights that they don't have. They rely on me as a trusted partner to take care of them, just as they're taking care of their clients and customers. I take care of them by taking away the risk and the worry relating to the technology choices.

My stakeholders are C-level peers within the organisation, and also those who do the frontline work.

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