Kenya: Prickaerts appointed CEO of CarePay International

Pieter Prickaerts, Managing Director of Kenya’s leading health insurance technology platform, M-TIBA, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CarePay International to drive the global expansion of its technology.

Effective July 1, 2024, Prickaerts will assume the CEO role at CarePay International while continuing to oversee operations at M-TIBA in Kenya.

He succeeds Kees van Lede, who led CarePay for nine years and will transition to an advisory role, maintaining close involvement as a co-founder.

“In our mission to provide healthcare access to more people in Kenya, across the region, and internationally, Pieter will be supported by a robust and diverse management team,” Okuthe said.

Prickaerts joined CarePay in 2019 as customer success director and became managing director of M-TIBA in 2023.

In these roles, he significantly scaled CarePay’s technology in Kenya, enhancing the accessibility and affordability of health insurance for Kenyans.

Before CarePay, Prickaerts held roles at McKinsey & Company across various global locations.

CarePay’s platform connects individual members with payers and healthcare providers in real-time, managing patient payments and information flows efficiently.

This cloud-based technology reduces administration costs and accelerates hospital payment through automation and AI, thereby lowering healthcare costs and enhancing transparency and patient experience.

To date, over 4.8 million individuals and 5,000 healthcare providers have joined the platform, with CarePay preparing for expansion into new markets.

The company raised $45 million (Sh5.8 billion )in Series A funding in 2019. CarePay was also recognised in Fortune’s 500 ‘Change the World’ index in 2020.

“The transformative impact of technology on healthcare administration is profound, especially as global healthcare costs continue to rise,” said Prickaerts.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, less than 15 per cent of the population has access to health insurance, highlighting the critical need to expand access, he noted.

“I am honored by the board’s trust in appointing me as CEO and look forward to advancing our global healthcare transformation. I extend my gratitude to Kees for his contributions and dedication in advancing CarePay to its current stage,” Prickaerts added.

As a founding member, Kees has built a strong foundation and demonstrated the value of CarePay’s technology through real-world applications in Kenya and beyond, he noted.

“We are pleased that he will remain closely involved to ensure a seamless transition,” said Prickaerts.

Okuthe said: “On behalf of the board, we have full confidence in Pieter’s ability to lead CarePay to new heights.”