Business is digital — and the healthcare space is no exception. Digitally empowered patients and customers are leading the way, emitting a digital data exhaust that begs to be harnessed. And with the availability of tools to make sense of it all (e.g., AI, social listening, software engineers, machine learning), coupled with the fact that manufacturers are increasingly steering their spend towards digital (albeit slowly), while hospitals are adapting more quickly, digital is finally moving from the margin to the middle.
So, if business is digital, then digital needs to mean business.
Given today’s realities, clients need a deeply skilled, digitally savvy partner and organization to help them not just keep pace, but fundamentally transform their business so they can create competitive advantage and better serve their customers.
That’s why I’m thrilled and honored to join HCB as Chief Digital Officer for the agency — and for our clients. Coming out of the gate I will help us raise our game by raising our collective digital IQ; by strengthening our capabilities around data intelligence, digital research and analytics to show another facet of how we are powered by listening; by providing increasingly actionable insights and digital strategies to clients; and then by delivering laser-focused execution that measurably moves the needle, every time.
Having been client-side in various digital roles for many years, I know what it takes to make change happen from within. Having been agency-side in similar roles for as many years, I know how to harness expertise and energy to effectively partner with clients and drive the change. Having sat in the front row of healthcare for almost 20 years watching the pace of digital adoption, I know that the need to drive change is increasingly urgent and very real.
I’m excited to jump in and build on the back of HCB’s legacy of excellence, profound client partnerships and deep commitment to listening. From each conversation I’ve had with Kerry Hilton, Nancy Beesley, Amy Dowell, Kim Carpenter, Francesco Lucarelli, Amy Hansen, Kathie Jones, Harry Stavrou and several others, I’ve walked away deeply impressed with their collective smarts, commitment and sense of readiness to do great things. Now it’s high time to meet the rest of the team, our clients and key partners and get to work driving digital deeper into the core of our DNA. Let’s do this!
Feel free to reach Colin Foster — in English, French or Spanish — on Twitter or LinkedIn
