From Data to Delivery: Interview with Ian Wakefield - General Manager Africa, BD

Meeting highlights:

• Transformation and Local Integration: BD South Africa is undergoing major structural changes in 2025, including ERP system upgrades, legal entity integration, and digital enhancements to streamline operations and improve customer service. 
• Commitment to Africa’s Healthcare: With three decades of presence, BD is deeply invested in addressing public health challenges like TB and HIV, while also supporting innovation and localisation efforts across the continent. 
• Skills, Data, and Digital Engagement: Emphasis on cleaning and structuring data, digital transformation, and building new capabilities to engage customers beyond traditional models, reflecting the changing dynamics in healthcare decision-making. 
• MedTech Opportunity and Talent Development: BD positions MedTech as a dynamic, tech-driven career path for African talent, while reinforcing its shift to becoming a pure-play MedTech company through strategic portfolio realignment. 
• Africa as a Global Priority: Describing Africa as “Gemba” — the place of action — Wakefield highlights BD’s grassroots impact through volunteer programs, infrastructure projects, and integrated care initiatives. 

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EF: Do you see 2025 as a challenge or an opportunity? 

IW: This year promises to be fantastic in terms of expanding our impact on patients. We are also going through a year of significant change. BD Global has announced that two business units will be separated from the company, which will involve substantial change management. 

Additionally, this is a year of confirmation for us as we roll out a new ERP system that goes live on June 1st. This will result in multiple changes to data visibility regarding customers. This will help us improve the customer experience in many ways, thanks to the insights the new system will provide. 

While people often recognise BD as a single company, there are multiple entities involved. We are currently working on integrating legal entities in South Africa, so what the market sees today as separate companies, BD and Bard, will be brought under one umbrella. Last year, BD also acquired the critical care business from Edwards Lifesciences, adding a new business unit – Advanced Patient Monitoring. We are going through significant structural and systems changes. Despite all this, we expect a strong year in terms of impact because several key programs are coming together to deliver real benefits for patients. 

The internal changes around systems, processes, and how we operate locally will set us up for the future in a way that will help us serve customers more effectively and create efficiencies in our cost-to-serve ratio. These changes will also enable us to provide more tailored support to our customers, which we have already communicated to them in advance. They are excited about the opportunity to deal with us in a slightly different way.  

Over the past decade, we have acquired numerous companies across various countries, each with its own ERP system. On June 1st, we will become the first country in EMEA where all legacy BD products will go live on our new SAP4H  system. Doing it right in South Africa is not just about getting it right locally; it will also set the standard for other countries in Europe, as they will be building on the work we have been doing here. 

EF: What is your perspective on the transformation happening across the market, beyond just what is happening within BD? 

IW: Globally, one thing COVID really highlighted is that every person in Africa has the right to quality healthcare. During the pandemic, some parts of Africa were cut off from access to products and services. Now, we are seeing many countries across the continent increasing investment, prioritising, and focusing more on non-communicable diseases. 

There is a lot of discussion surrounding the African Free Trade Agreement and access to quality healthcare. A positive trend is that more African countries are becoming regulated. However, the key challenge is achieving harmonised regulation across the continent to make access easier and ensure that regulatory rules support, rather than hinder, the delivery of care. Another key aspect of African healthcare is the growing investment in localisation. There is also a strong push for local vaccine production, with countries like Senegal making strides in this area, and South Africa also focusing on vaccine development. This is primarily about driving innovation across the continent. 

It is essential to recognise that while localisation is beneficial, it is not possible to localise every product in Medtech. There are key products that should be localised, which Africa can produce locally. However, to make this a reality, we need a solid approach to industrialisation, along with the right skills. This includes engineers, manufacturing experts, pharmacists, and effective regulation. The challenge is how to channel talent from universities into this Medtech sphere and make it an exciting career opportunity for the next generation. 

We have fantastic hubs around Africa, focusing on innovation, and so there is a lot to harness locally from a people resourcing perspective. This is what makes MedTech and healthcare an exciting space in Africa. It also presents an opportunity. We are starting to see more localisation initiatives, both from local companies as well as multinationals, in supporting this journey and achieving remarkable results. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that African patients have access to quality healthcare and to create an environment that supports this. 

For me, 2025 will be a time of change, focus, and prioritisation. Part of this is supported by the South African MedTech healthcare master plan, initiated by the DTIC, working with industry and stakeholders as a priority area. There are initiatives and programs like this that can have a cross-Africa impact. 

EF: How do you plan to develop the skills within the company to support this transformation and ensure it aligns with both the system and your clients' needs? 

IW: BD is transforming, part of which has been driven by acquisitions. Currently, we have data in multiple systems, making it challenging to consolidate everything and view the complete customer story. One of the biggest tasks we have recently undertaken is cleaning up this data. We are ensuring everything is described consistently, especially around customer data, so it is not scattered across different systems. This data cleanup is critical. We have also focused on the architecture of our data, particularly in countries like South Africa, where large organisations have multiple hospitals. We have to account for that in the system, as understanding customer trends relies on clean, well-organised data. 

Data not only provides insights into changes but also helps optimise internal resources and manage the many touchpoints we have with customers. This includes how you serve the customer. Most companies are now engaging with customers digitally. We have updated our website backend to serve our customers better and are investing in new tools for the future, whether for e-commerce or other digital needs. Customers no longer always rely on sales reps visiting them; they want a more streamlined experience, which requires a modern approach to tools and systems. 

Another area we examine from a data-driven perspective is that decision-makers in healthcare are no longer limited to clinicians who will use the product.  We need to understand how to utilise data to enhance the customer experience and effectively demonstrate the value of our solutions to customers, ensuring that clinicians understand its clinical benefits. The finance professional will want to know what it means in a Rands, Dollars, and cents equation. At the same time, the medical professional will want to understand what it means for their workforce and how they can use it. Therefore, you need to be able to use data to communicate with customers and different layers of a customer in very different ways than it would have taken to be historically successful in healthcare. 

This ramps up the demand for more than just the typical "omnichannel" approach. The reality is that if you cannot engage customers in the various meaningful ways they prefer, and are limited to just face-to-face interactions, you will miss key customer segments that are essential for delivering care going forward. A company needs to invest in the capabilities to engage customers in new ways, and this requires new skill sets, which is what makes healthcare an exciting space. 

The sophistication of organisations needs to be enhanced, and that is why ERP system transformation is such a critical part in providing us with visibility, as well as engagement opportunities with our customers to deliver both care and touchpoints in a very different way. 

EF: What makes MedTech companies like BD attractive for young talent? 

IW: The way people view careers has changed. With tools like Google and AI, Medtech companies now have the same backend systems, IT requirements, and use of AI and robotics as other market segments. For someone looking to advance their career, a company like BD offers the excitement of technology, strong systems and processes, and the purpose of making a real difference in patients' lives. However, you can achieve this with cutting-edge tools, which are truly amazing.  

There are exciting developments happening in healthcare, and often we think about these things happening in countries outside of Africa. There is some truly amazing innovation happening in Africa, driven by local talent. We have brilliant people across the continent who think differently, are focused on patient care, and bring innovative approaches to solving healthcare challenges. 

EF: Could you elaborate on your portfolio? 

IW: In the future, we will be splitting off our Life Sciences division, which includes Diagnostic Solutions and BD Bioscience. We will then focus on becoming a pure Medtech company. We are unique in that we currently operate as both an in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and a medical technology (medtech) company. This move involves separating the IVD business, enabling us to become a pure-play medtech company. A year from now, BD will start to look very different. 

Over the past few years, BD has made significant investments through acquisitions, including the acquisition of BARD. We typically make around $1.5 billion in smaller, strategic tuck-in investments. However, our large investments have been primarily in MedTech companies, which have helped build our portfolio and expand our patient touchpoints. That is the direction BD is heading in, and it is going to be an exciting space. 

Although I have been in my role for some time, the organisation I lead today is substantially different in terms of its operations and focus. Most importantly, how we deliver solutions is substantially different today than it was even five or ten years ago. 

EF: What is driving such a fast pace in health care delivery transformation? 

IW: It is a combination of factors. The environment is changing, and we are staying ahead of it because we are anticipating the change. Several areas in healthcare have undergone significant changes. We are also seeing a change in the patient landscape with greater demands for information, utilization of wearables, etc. 

We have rebalanced our portfolio in certain areas where we operate, because to be successful and be seen as an innovator in healthcare, you must anticipate how the likely future dynamics will impact your business model. From a corporate and business perspective, it is important to identify which products and portfolios align with future patient trends. What are those products and portfolios that healthcare professionals and healthcare organisations (public and private) are going to be looking for to drive better outcomes? 

Global healthcare challenges are more pressing than ever, but they are similar across many countries. Whether you are in Europe, the UK, or at a public sector hospital in South Africa, the queues are long. The reason why the queues are long is that we do not have enough healthcare professionals. There is a shortage of nurses because Africa exports nurses to other countries. This shortage of critical skills affects the delivery of healthcare.  

As a player in this space, it is crucial to focus on providing solutions and portfolios that directly address patient care needs. You also need to consider whether those portfolios also address some of the other pressing needs within the healthcare system. How does it reduce the burden? If you can shorten a procedure time, you free up nursing time. If you shorten pharmacy queues through automation, you make the pharmacist who serves their patient do so with a bigger smile on their face, as time has been freed up to focus on the Patient rather than the backend of the Pharmacy. 

We need to do more than just provide solutions; we also need to address the problems within the healthcare system. The only way to do that is by being truly invested in understanding the pressure points within those organisations. Simply offering a great product is not enough. You must ask whether you are helping to address real pain points within the healthcare system. Right now, every healthcare system is facing similar challenges, e.g, they do not have enough budget to fulfil their staffing needs. They do not have a budget to procure the necessary consumables to run their units effectively, and need to make compromised choices.  

They are operating in a system that has both financial and personnel constraints. They need to be able to solve these issues in a way that makes sense for the patient. This is why BD, as a technology provider, needs to be part of their ecosystem. This is critical going forward. To be successful right now, you need to ensure that you are relevant, and being relevant is much more than just having the best solution. 

We are working on an initiative in Kenya, and one of the big successes of this project is our work with Kenya’s Mama Lucy Hospital in Nairobi County, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute. It is all about changing the patient care pathway. Mama Lucy Hospital faces long queues and all the challenges that come with healthcare. The patient goes from one department to another. We created an integrated care pathway for delivering women’s health services at Mama Lucy. For example, if you are a mom bringing your child in for immunisation, you could at the same time get HPV screening, with self-sampling. A nurse would provide you with a self-sampling e-kit, and you would proceed through triage for the next treatment you require, based on your results. The key to this integrated pathway is the approach that utilises technology, such as the extended genotyping HPV test, which BD offers. This test helps to stratify patients for cervical cancer. Based on the risk stratification process and additional markers, it will reduce the need for frequent screenings by highlighting patients who are at higher risk and need more attention. 

This will ultimately result in cost savings from a care management perspective. Another critical aspect from a female perspective is that self-sampling removes the stigma often attached to cervical cancer screenings. Instead of saying you are going for a cervical cancer screen, you are simply going to an integrated care pathway for general screening. This approach makes the process more comfortable and reduces the stigma associated with it. Women can say they are taking their child to the doctor, whilst at the same time being screened, because they now have the comfort of self-sampling. 

From a data perspective, in Kenya, local data indicates that there is no difference between a woman's self-sample and a clinician-acquired sample. 

EF: You are celebrating 30 years in South Africa this year. When you reflect on the past, present, and future, what would you like to say about the legacy you are building? 

IW: The biggest thing from BD’s perspective is that when your organisation has been in a space for 30 years, the time and investment the organisation has made in that space shows its commitment to the healthcare system and the patients within it. We’re here to support outcomes, which is not just about a commercial need; it’s about living in and developing the space you are operating in, and that’s a commitment. 

Over the past 30 years, BD has played a role in addressing some of the biggest public health challenges within healthcare, including HIV and TB. We are currently the largest provider of TB diagnostics in South Africa. We provide between 140,000 and 150,000 tests every month through BD Diagnostics for TB. Addressing a public health need demonstrates our ability to serve patients across the entire healthcare ecosystem, and we are committed to providing solutions to both the public and private sectors. 

We are committed to ensuring African patients have access to quality healthcare. Beyond that, our biggest focus is on growing talent within the organisation. One thing I notice is that many senior leaders and managing directors leading other healthcare organisations today started their careers at BD, which is something to be proud of. Our legacy is that people can build meaningful careers, contribute to society, and take pride in their journey. That is something to be truly proud of. 

EF: What is your pitch to attract resources to Africa? 

IW: At BD, we have a saying, “We go to Gemba.” Gemba is the place of action. We make things happen. In healthcare, Africa is the Gemba. Africa is Gemba because we have patients who need healthcare, and we have the technological solutions to deliver it to them. If you want to be in the most dynamic spaces and feel that you are living your purpose, Africa is the place to be. 

Currently, through the BD Foundation and our Global Public Health team, we run volunteer trips where teams rotate into healthcare initiatives. We have a group heading to Rwanda next week, and over the next three to four months, volunteers will take turns supporting this initiative, with some coming from the U.S. The groups are made up of rotating teams of three to four people at a time. 

For example, last year in Eswatini, our BD Foundation and staff assisted in building a healthcare facility, installing a solar system, and setting up a water system at a local hospital. Nurses also joined to train local staff on clinical best practices. These are the kinds of efforts where we go the extra mile to make an impact.