25-26 March 2026 - Sandton Convention Centre
Ismail is the Chief Data and Analytics Officer and Head of Health Intelligence at Discovery Health. As an executive at Discovery Health, he is responsible for driving the strategy for analytics, data, and health intelligence, while also supporting strategic risk management and operational strategies.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Computer Science and Statistics, as well as an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand. Ismail has over 25 years of experience in healthcare, spanning population health strategy, disease management, value-based care, fraud risk management, health analytics and intelligence, clinical risk management, business intelligence, service science, and overall business strategy. His experience extends across multiple international health systems.
Ismail was instrumental in building and developing Strategic Health Risk Management and Health Intelligence at Discovery Health. He currently leads a highly specialised team of health professionals, including actuaries, data scientists, statisticians, data engineers, clinicians, and other healthcare experts. He also leads risk, data, and analytics support for Discovery’s international businesses in China and Asia, having previously supported markets including the UK and the USA.
In addition, he was appointed Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Amplify Health, a joint venture between Discovery and the AIA Group, providing health intelligence and technology solutions across more than 13 Asian markets. During this period, he was temporarily based in Singapore.
More recently, Ismail served as Head of Data and Analytics for the Saudi Arabian National Health Insurance (C-NHI), spending several months in Riyadh developing the national data and analytics strategy and leading a multinational team of healthcare experts.
He is deeply passionate about enhancing value in the healthcare sector by reducing costs, improving quality, optimising access, and driving service excellence.
On a personal note, Ismail has authored and published a book titled Before I Forget, in which he reflects on his life journey, sharing personal experiences and life lessons.
