Lara Wayburne is the Chief Health Intelligence Actuary at Discovery Health, and leads a multi-disciplinary team of actuaries, data scientists, and analysts, collaborating closely with clinicians and health experts. Their mission is to transform large and complex health data into actionable insights that drive value-based, cost-effective, and high-quality healthcare solutions across medical schemes and insurance products while strengthening health systems. Lara leads insights across healthcare service provider contracting and risk management, value-based care, healthcare transformation, population health management and claims risk reporting.

With over 18 years of experience in Southern Africa’s healthcare sector, Lara has provided strategic and actuarial consulting to a diverse range of stakeholders, including medical schemes, employers, health insurers, healthcare providers, administrators and managed care organizations as well as government departments. Her expertise spans actuarial advisory services locally, across several African countries, and in India and has encompassed all actuarial aspects of medical schemes and health insurance advisory. Project highlights also include National Health Insurance proposals, generic medicine pricing strategies, tariff pricing, population projections, health service delivery models, health fund design and valuations, and workforce planning.

As a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA), she is committed to advancing the actuarial profession. Currently serving in two roles: Principal Examiner for the Health and Care Fellowship Examinations (F201) and a member of the ASSA Council.