Top Inspiring Business Leaders of Excellence driving Nigeria’s Economic growth : Avon HMO

To Celebrate Inspiring business leaders of Excellence driving Nigeria’s Economic growth Chioma kachi Ewelike sat with the professional par excellence in person of  Mr Osa Imasogie Chief Executive Officer Avon Hmo.

My journey has been shaped by a desire to solve real problems, build institutions that create value and contribute meaningfully to people’s lives. Healthcare is particularly significant because the decisions we make in this sector have a direct impact on people’s wellbeing, productivity and quality of life.

Over the years, I have learned that leadership in healthcare requires more than business knowledge. It requires resilience, adaptability, an understanding of people and the ability to make decisions with a long-term perspective.

My time at Avon HMO has been an important chapter in that journey. Over the past two years, we have focused on strengthening the organisation’s capability to improving the experience we provide to our members, embracing technology and reinforcing our culture of responsiveness and service excellence.

From our 9-Minute Service Promise to our investments in digital healthcare, telemedicine and AI-enabled solutions, the focus has been on making healthcare easier to access and navigate.

What has been most rewarding is seeing these efforts translate into better experiences for the people we serve and greater confidence among our partners and stakeholders.

I see the journey as ongoing. There is still significant work to be done in expanding health insurance coverage and strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem, and I remain committed to playing my part in that journey.

2. How important is diversity and inclusion to building a sustainable business and economy?

Diversity and inclusion are critical to building sustainable organisations because businesses are ultimately built by people and for people.

At Avon HMO, we serve people across different communities, backgrounds, age groups and socioeconomic circumstances. It is therefore important that our organisation reflects the diversity of the people we serve.

Different perspectives challenge assumptions, improve decision-making and encourage innovation. When people feel that their voices are valued, they are more likely to contribute ideas, take ownership and perform at their best.

I also believe inclusion is broader than representation. It is about creating an environment where people have opportunities to grow, take on responsibility and contribute meaningfully, regardless of their background.

For me, building a sustainable organisation means building one that can outlast individuals. That requires creating opportunities for people, developing talent and ensuring that diverse perspectives are part of how the organisation thinks and makes decisions.

3. What is your approach to talent development and building a strong team at Avon HMO?

People are the foundation of every successful organisation. You can have the best strategy and the best technology, but without the right people to execute them, sustainable growth becomes difficult.

At Avon HMO, our approach to talent development is centred on continuous learning, mentorship, leadership development and creating opportunities for people to take on greater responsibility.

Over the past two years, as the organisation has evolved, we have also recognised the importance of ensuring that our people evolve with it. This means building capabilities that prepare our teams for a healthcare environment that is becoming increasingly digital, customer-driven and data-led.

Beyond formal training, I believe strongly in creating a culture where people are encouraged to think, question, collaborate and take ownership of outcomes.

I want our people to understand not only what they do, but why it matters. When an employee understands that their role ultimately contributes to helping someone access healthcare at a critical moment, it creates a stronger sense of purpose.

My goal is therefore not simply to build high-performing teams, but to develop people who can eventually build and lead strong teams themselves.

4. What makes Avon HMO stand out from competitors in a crowded market?

Our biggest differentiator is our commitment to responsiveness, innovation and customer-centricity. Healthcare is deeply personal, and we believe that accessing healthcare should not be unnecessarily complicated. Our ‘9-Minute Promise’ which is Avon HMO’s turnaround time for approving secondary care requests from hospitals, reflects our commitment.

Over the past two years, we have also accelerated our investment in technology and digital healthcare. Our mobile platforms, telemedicine services and AI-enabled support solutions are helping us create more convenient ways for members to access healthcare and interact with us.

But our transformation is not about technology alone. It is about using technology to solve real problems.

Our people, provider network and partnerships remain equally important. Technology can make a process faster, but trust is built through consistency, empathy and delivering on our promises.

That is why “Care is Everything” remains central to our approach. It is more than a statement; it is the principle that guides how we think about our members, our partners and the healthcare experience we want to create.

5. Given the peculiarities of the Nigerian business environment, what challenges are faced in your sector and how have you addressed them as an organisation?

The healthcare financing sector operates within a complex environment shaped by economic pressures, rising healthcare costs, infrastructure gaps, low insurance penetration and changing customer expectations.

One of the most significant challenges is still the level of health insurance adoption in Nigeria. Despite the progress achieved since the enactment of the NHIA Act of 2022, just about 22 million Nigerians have access to health insurance. Most people still don’t know health insurance exists, while others have concerns about affordability, accessibility or whether the system will deliver when they need it.

At Avon HMO, we have responded by focusing on three things: improving the experience, increasing accessibility and building trust.

We have invested in technology to make healthcare more responsive and convenient, expanded our provider network and continued to explore flexible solutions that respond to the needs of different customer segments.

Health education is also important because adoption cannot grow without understanding. We must continue to help Nigerians understand what health insurance means, how it works and the value it provides.

The operating environment requires resilience, but it also requires organisations to keep evolving. Our approach has been to remain agile, listen closely to our customers and continue investing in the areas that strengthen our ability to serve them.

6. In the next five years, what major change do you think will reshape your industry?

I believe the biggest change will be the deeper convergence of healthcare, technology and data.

We are already seeing the emergence of digital healthcare delivery, telemedicine, artificial intelligence, data-driven decision-making and more personalised healthcare experiences. Over the next five years, these developments will become even more integrated into how healthcare is financed and delivered.

I also expect preventive healthcare to become increasingly important. Rather than focusing primarily on treating illness after it occurs, we will see greater use of data and predictive tools to identify health risks earlier and encourage healthier behaviours.

Another important development will be the continued push towards Universal Health Coverage and increased health insurance adoption. As more Nigerians enter the health insurance ecosystem, HMOs will need to rethink how they engage members and deliver value.

The organisations that succeed will be those that combine technology with a deep understanding of people. Healthcare is ultimately human, so innovation must improve the human experience rather than replace it.

7. What role do you think technology and AI will play in the future of HMOs in the country?

Technology and artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape how HMOs operate and how Nigerians experience healthcare.

AI can improve efficiency across areas such as customer support, claims processing, fraud detection, healthcare analytics, risk assessment and personalised health management. It can help organisations make faster, better-informed decisions while improving the experience for members.

Technology will also continue to expand access through telemedicine, mobile health platforms, digital health records and remote care solutions. This is particularly relevant in Nigeria, where geographical and infrastructure challenges can affect access to healthcare.

Since I became the CEO of Avon HMO two years ago, we have embraced these possibilities and consistently explored the marriage of AI with our digital platforms, telemedicine capabilities and customer support. The important thing, however, is to ensure that technology remains purposeful.

We should not adopt AI simply because it is the next big thing. We should ask whether it makes healthcare faster, easier, more accessible, more affordable or more effective.

I believe the future will be defined by the right balance between technology and human empathy. AI can process information and improve efficiency, but healthcare will always require compassion, understanding and human connection.

Ultimately, our ambition is to use technology to deliver healthcare that is responsive, accessible and efficient, while ensuring that the human element of care remains at the centre.