Alpesh Sethia joined HOOPP in 2023 as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). With more than 20 years of professional experience in technology, Alpesh’s expertise is deeply rooted in software development, systems, innovation and cybersecurity. In this article, Alpesh shares what brought him to HOOPP and how technology will help keep the organization moving forward.
How did you first become interested in technology?
I was born and raised in Montreal. When I was young, my parents would take my older brother and me to visit our family back in India for most of our vacations. During one of my vacations, when I was 13, I stumbled upon my older brother’s C programming textbook, which he’d brought with him on our trip. I initially started reading it out of boredom but during that summer, I ended up reading the book cover to cover – twice! That sparked my interest in technology and over the next few years, I delved into computers and programming. I was good at it too, leading me to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in software engineering.
How did your interests develop from there?
When I went to university, I also started to develop an interest in the stock market. I found myself spending a lot of time exploring technical and fundamental analysis, as well as options trading. This deepened my curiosity for capital markets and fueled my interest in portfolio management and trading strategies.
Coming out of university, I worked in a few different organizations as a software engineer. I also spent some time in consulting. At TMX Group, I held various roles that were a mix of business and technology. In my later years there, I served as the CTO, before making the leap to HOOPP.
Why did you choose to join HOOPP?
When I first started having conversations at HOOPP, what stood out to me most was the organization’s mission and commitment to providing pensions to Ontario healthcare workers.
I have two young boys, so it's incredibly reassuring and important to know that in Ontario there are amazing doctors, nurses and other staff here for us whenever we need their help. So, knowing that I could help impact the lives of our healthcare workers in a positive way played a pivotal role in my decision to move to this organization.
What role does technology play in HOOPP’s mission?
Today, like other organizations, HOOPP uses a range of information technology to ensure that all its corporate operations run smoothly and efficiently. We’re always leveraging existing and new technology to help us continue to evolve.
HOOPP also has very sophisticated and data-driven processes and systems in place across the organization. And we are very focused on keeping member information secure. The cybersecurity environment is constantly evolving; we need to make sure that as online threats become more sophisticated, we stay ahead of them.
What does HOOPP’s IT strategy look like?
Our IT strategy is structured around three key principles:
Unify: ensuring that our IT team maintains common practices, processes and decision-making frameworks to cultivate our shared purpose in support of our members.
Strengthen: continuously elevating our IT operations, enhancing risk management and maximizing the efficiency of our technology platforms.
Innovate: exploring new opportunities and evolving our current technology and operations, with a strategic approach that aligns with organizational objectives and ensures our adaptability today and in the future.
What are some of the current trends in technology innovation and what are your thoughts on them as the CTO?
If there’s one thing that’s on everybody’s mind right now, it’s artificial intelligence (AI). I think it’s important to not get caught up in the hype. Rather, if we take the time to step back and understand what the new technology is and what it can help us solve, we can use it to achieve our goals and add value to the great work that HOOPP already does.
AI has been around for a long time, even at HOOPP. For example, AI is infused in some of our systems and processes, such as robotic process automation and information security tools to protect HOOPP’s assets. However, AI has now reached a new milestone, capable of solving a wider range of problems and advancing our operations. As part of our AI strategy, I’ve categorized its implementation into three layers:
- Enhancing productivity and efficiency for every employee
- Being trained in domain-specific knowledge for specific functional teams
- Seamless integration into core systems and business operations
Like many organizations right now, we’re exploring how AI can help enhance productivity and efficiency across the board. For instance, we recently launched the Microsoft Copilot tool across HOOPP. We are also investigating domain-specific use cases across various functional teams. For more complex applications of AI, it’s essential to experiment, learn, and understand how to leverage it to our advantage while managing risks. To this end, we recently launched the HOOPP AI Lab to explore advanced use cases for generative AI. Of course, we must ensure that AI technology is always used in an appropriate manner, aligned with HOOPP’s values, and in ways that help us better serve our members.
Any final thoughts?
I’m really proud to be part of an organization like HOOPP that is so committed to its members. If feels very special to be contributing to the retirement security of many of Ontario’s healthcare workers, who do so much for us and our communities every day.