Former COO of the National Department of Health, SA. Extensive experience in Health Systems and Policy; Health Research, Epidemiology and Surveillance, Health Information Systems as well as Health Programmes, including Women's Health, Maternal Health, and Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases. More recently my focus has shifted to Health Diplomacy and Global Health, with a keen interest in pandemic preparedness and response. HIE and improving data sharing and analytics capacity will play a crucial role in how prepared we will be to respond to the next pandemic. Ensuring equitable access to vaccines and rebuilding health systems including health workforce readiness, and the role of digital technologies in health to improve health services and health outcomes are key areas of interest.