Datacom hires Pauline Soo as health director to lead medical sector expansion

Systems integrator Datacom has appointed Pauline Soo to a newly created, Melbourne-based health director role following an expansion of its medical organisation client base.

The Australian Federal Department of Health renewed its IT outsourcing contract with Datacom this April by three years and expanded its services agreement, with the total contract value reaching over $500 million. The company also entered a six-month, $250,000, ‘vaccine clinic finder support service contract’ with the Australian Digital Health Agency at the beginning of the month. 

Datacom said the heavy regulatory and compliance requirements that came with these partnerships made it necessary to hire an aged-care and healthcare veteran with an understanding of the sector’s unique needs. 

Datacom chief innovation and technology officer Matthew Gooden said Soo had the experience to guide Datacom’s expansion into the health industry. 

“We are very proud to have a senior health executive of Pauline’s calibre to lead the direction of Datacom’s work with the health industry," said Godden.

Commenting on her experience, Soo said, “working in different areas within the health sector allowed me to see that every day there are patients, healthcare professionals and organisations dealing with the same issues and challenges.” 

“That realisation led me to want to step away from working in individual organisations to solve individual problems, and to look at opportunities to create solutions that can help the sector as a whole."

"My role with Datacom puts me in a position to help more clients in a more impactful way rather than just one client at a time.” 

Soo joined Datacom from LUME Consulting where she had been a director for five months, beginning in March this year.

Prior, she was Teladoc Health's director of Australasian operations from 2019 to 2022, Occupational Therapy Australia's national manager of operations and memberships from 2016 to 2019 and an Australian Unity consultant from 2015 to 2016.

She has also held leadership roles at organisations such as Programmed Professionals and Baptcare since 2001.