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Sarah Corbridge

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK in 2025.

Sarah Corbridge is the Director of Business Development – Health at Hippo, where she focuses on solving digital challenges in the healthcare industry. With over 23 years of experience, she has worked at NHS Digital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT), and several private sector companies, including Credera, Dell and Dedalus.

Sarah has received recognition for her leadership, including being named one of One Health Tech's 70 Influential Women and Computer Weekly's Most Influential Women in Tech 2023. She is dedicated to improving health and social care through collaborative, patient-centred solutions.

What's the most exciting part of your current role?

As a digital transformation professional focused on the healthcare industry, this is an extremely exciting time. The health service is faced with uncertainty and myriad challenges, yet it's also a period of technological innovation and it's really exciting to be involved in those conversations with health organisations.

One thing that stands out to me is that there is a growing appetite across the NHS for collaboration with digital services partners like Hippo. There's also a shift towards creating better industry partnerships and breaking down barriers, with organisations formally coming together to develop solutions to problems as opposed to working in silos.

Being part of an organisation that is embedded across many of the NHS's digital services is extremely exciting and I've recently been able to lead on the new health strategy - sharing Hippo's story and success to a wider audience. It's thrilling to bring my knowledge of healthcare digital delivery to Hippo and further strengthen the organisation's capabilities.

What do you consider your greatest IT achievement of the last 12 months?

Creating a brand-new vision and strategy for Hippo's wider expansion into healthcare, which now serves as our north star for health digital transformation initiatives and a crucial part of our success as Hippo continues its growth journey.

The strategy, underpinned by user-centred design principles, outlines key opportunities to support healthcare organisations on their individual journeys to enhanced digital maturity, focusing on four core areas of:

I'm also focused on taking the organisation further outside its comfort zone and expanding into wider organisations and capabilities for longevity, and taking a different approach to capability focus by humanising the language.

What's the biggest challenge facing IT leaders today, and how are you tackling it?

The ever-increasing rapid pace of change. This affects everything from people, processes, and procurement to the adoption of new technologies. Keeping up, especially in healthcare and public sector organisations, overcoming barriers, and realising the power of technology are key concerns for IT leaders.

My approach is to ensure that we future proof our strategies and engage in more forward-thinking and planning. It's about being brave and considering what's possible in ten years.

It is also about keeping the user in mind throughout your decision making, be that a patient, a citizen or a customer. Technology can take us far and solve challenges, but only by putting people first can we identify the challenges that actually need to be addressed and ensure that we build the right thing.

What piece of technology could you not live without, and why?

As a mother of two children, I want to ensure that they are as safe as possible whilst confidently giving them as much independence as I can in an increasingly complex world. I use technology to keep track, keep peace of mind and ultimately keep them safe, whilst providing them the freedom they need to thrive.

Secondly, it'd have to be an honourable mention to the collaborative technology we all now harness day to day for planning, meetings, and facilitating work across busy schedules. I'm sure, like many, without this, I'd be lost!

What excites you most about the future of IT?

I'm most excited about using IT to free up more time for genuine human interaction. From a healthcare perspective, while AI diagnoses can be highly accurate, they often lack an understanding of context, patient needs, and broader personal situations. This insight is why human interaction will always be key.

The future of IT should alleviate stress on clinicians, nurses, and caregivers, enabling them to focus on human interaction and patient care. I'm excited by the prospect that technology will be able to free up more time for healthcare professionals to deliver essential and life-changing work.

What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?

The strangest job I've ever had was actually delivering lemonade for a family business as a young person. This experience exposed me to diverse walks of life and demographics, often including people from vulnerable backgrounds. It was humbling and instilled empathy in my character, I believe, and it definitely played a role in my NHS career by reinforcing my desire to help people. I often found myself doing things unrelated to the job to support the customers in my community.

If you could instantly master one new skill, what would it be?

I would like to further develop my ability for self-reflection. I'm constantly trying to take a step back from my day-to-day experiences and analyse myself, my behaviours, and their impact on others, and then learn from this as a leader.

It's challenging to master, but I think it's crucial and beneficial, allowing you to proactively work on areas that need development and harness my strengths more effectively, as well as improving my decision-making, adaptability and building even stronger relationships with colleagues and clients.