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Not long before the birth of her son, US-based Kiwi Fiona McPherson Grant, set her sights on a career in healthtech. She had no official qualifications but was determined to work her way up, gaining what she needed along the way.
“I doubled down on industry knowledge and technical certifications, knowing that the job I wanted actually required a Doctorate or Master’s Degree – I wasn’t able to ‘fake it until I made it’, I had to work really hard to get to where I wanted to be, and I made sure to say yes to every opportunity that came my way. I really had to back myself in those first 15 years of climbing the ladder in healthtech.”
Fast forward 25 years and Fiona is one of a big group of offshore Kiwi who have extensive market knowledge and experience in their chosen field. Fiona says she’s done almost everything in the healthtech industry including working as an interface developer, business systems analyst, project manager and as a C-Suite advisor in big data and analytics. So when Kea got in touch to ask her to help a global Kiwi company looking to bring a new data-based product into the US, she jumped at the opportunity.
“Orion Health had this great product that they were trying to get into the US hospital sector but they needed insights on how the hospital system worked, because the way hospitals bring in and process data here is so different to New Zealand. What they really needed was someone on the inside who could speak New Zealand back to them and bridge the gap between the terminology. Some of their team were in the US for a conference so we met for lunch and it was amazing. We talked for an hour and a half and I remember one of their team members walking away saying ‘my head is exploding!’. I told them I was happy to keep these conversations going.”
Andrew Bowater, Global Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Culture for Orion Health, said Fiona’s extensive knowledge and willingness to help was evident within minutes of meeting her.
“As a New Zealand founded and owned global company we love being able to work with other like-minded Kiwi all around the world. It always means a lot to us when we find New Zealanders across the globe who can work with or for us, and Fiona is a great example of this.”
Securing top international talent a key priority
The team at Orion Health kept up the conversation with Fiona, and Andrew says the company realised pretty quickly that they wanted her on a much more permanent basis.
“North America is an important market for Orion Health, and having a team member who understands healthcare systems and health data in the market like Fiona does is invaluable.”
Orion Health offered Fiona a job, which she turned down as she was in the middle of an exciting project with her own company and didn’t want to leave the US.
Undeterred, the Orion Health team continued to work with Fiona and eventually were able to offer her a unique opportunity – Vice President of Data, which allowed Fiona to stay in the US and work with the company’s US sales team and also the New Zealand product development team. It’s a role Fiona describes as a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“The role is all about market placement in the States for Orion Health’s new data and analytics platform, which is my speciality. It was exactly what I wanted to do in my career and offered me a massive opportunity.”
Hiring in-market talent is key for export success
Andrew says Fiona’s unique skill set is an asset to the team and has helped them to achieve targets in the US that would otherwise have been out of reach.
“We’ve made the most of having Fiona on our team at Orion Health. Her can-do attitude means she’s fitted in with our team perfectly, and her proven track record implementing significant data and analytics strategies into healthcare systems makes her an asset to the team. We’ve worked with Kea for many years, and this connection is proof that Kea works wonders when the right people are connected with the right businesses. Kea was able to quickly link us with Fiona, whose unique skill sets were able to meet our needs with the bonus of a Kea bringing two Kiwis together in the middle of the US.”
For Fiona, the role is the perfect way for her to align both her worlds. Her expertise ensures Orion Health’s new platform aligns seamlessly with American healthcare needs and regulations, and while she is based in the US it allows her to also travel back to New Zealand frequently and connect with friends and family back home.
“If you had asked me eight years ago whether I was coming back to live in New Zealand, I would have said that my goal was to work in both America and New Zealand because I consider both my home. This role is a life changing miracle. You just never know what’s around the corner. I am so grateful to Kea for connecting us, if I had said ‘no I’m too busy’ then my life could have run a very different course.”
