Geoffrey Gitagia carries a quiet discipline that extends beyond the hospital corridors he manages. A committed gym enthusiast, he prioritises personal fitness, heading to the gym in the evenings between 5 and 7 pm to lift weights and recharge.
This routine mirrors the focus Geoffrey Gitagia brings to overseeing the technological heartbeat of Avenue Healthcare.
“Age is catching up,” he admits. “So, we have to do things that I think half of my friends are into. My current obsession is just working out in the gym.”
Today, as the CIO at Avenue Healthcare, Geoffrey oversees a team who ensures technology seamlessly serves both patients and employees.
His journey into IT began back in high school when computer studies first appeared in the curriculum. Geoffrey notes that the subject felt almost effortless, realising instantly how intuitive it was.
“I kind of discovered I have a knack for IT while in form three, and it’s been like I’ve been growing since then” he recalls.
He moved through advanced diplomas and distance learning at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, combining academic learning with hands-on work experience that gave him an early taste of commercial responsibility.
By the time Geoffrey graduated, he was already fully immersed in the IT world, transitioning comfortably from internship to formal employment. Early exposure to high expectations and complex responsibilities helped shape his approach to management.
Lean decision-makers
Geoffrey’s philosophy in managing technology teams, particularly in healthcare, revolves around efficiency, small units and a high degree of trust in specialists. At Avenue Healthcare, his core team consists of eight individuals, and each one carries a specialised skill set and significant responsibility.
“The system administrator is a fantastic guy, and he has managed to cover both systems and networks, helping ensure smooth and resilient operations. The applications and database specialist is a strong developer and data analyst. So yes, I can say the team is small but very efficient,” he says.
This approach, Geoffrey explains, stems from both necessity and a strategic desire to create lean, capable teams. Every member is empowered to make decisions within their domain, which speeds up workflows and ensures that the IT function can remain responsive in a sector where downtime is not an option.
“We’re very proactive. In IT terms, we are a bunch of misfits, but we do try to ensure that everything we do has value, security, service, efficiency, we bite off what we can chew,” he says.
Back-ups of back-ups
His management style in healthcare is a mix of discipline, strategic foresight and personal engagement. He invests in his team members and maintains oversight on system reliability and patient safety.
“Once you’ve figured out how to guarantee continuity of service, security and that your users aren’t going to cause problems, you get a sense of calmness. The best you can do is work with the resources you have, and then it’s just about making sure everything runs smoothly,” Geoffrey explains.
In healthcare, short disruptions in systems can have serious implications, which makes reliability paramount.
“The only thing that has taken me offline is infrastructure,” he says. “There was a time when the power went off for three hours; luckily, my investment was reliable. The UPS served me for an hour and a half. We had to redesign everything to even get an extra power line, so if one goes down, the other one takes over. Back-up of back-ups. Power going off, the generator deciding not to work, it was a learning moment.”
A key part of Geoffrey’s philosophy is clear hierarchies of responsibility and redundancy in critical systems, allowing the hospital to continue functioning even when components fail.
AI is another frontier where Geoffrey is carefully weighing cost against utility.
“AI is expensive, really expensive,” he explains. “We are sitting on three proposals, but we are re-analysing them to see if we can extract more value. We want multi-task, multi-department solutions, not just single tasks, so the value of that budget is worth it. For 24-hour operations, AI can take some responsibility, but you don’t want it handling everything.”
Avenue Healthcare has implemented specialised AI for ICU monitoring and clinical transcriptions, which reduces the workload for nurses and helps doctors make faster, more informed decisions.
“The AI can summarise key aspects of the patient’s current visit and previous history so the doctor can continue treatment efficiently,” Geoffrey explains.
He remains cautious about broader AI deployment, particularly for patient interaction, highlighting the limitations of AI in capturing physical cues and conducting nuanced examinations.
Quick learner
Geoffrey describes the first three years of his career as ‘pure chaos’, with system issues, network failures and user problems coming fast and often. Over time, he developed a sense of calm and foresight that allows him to guide his team through crises without panic.
“You learn what needs to be sorted out quickly. You put out one fire, then another, then another. Once management has confidence that you know what you’re doing, they trust you. You’re not just trying to deploy everything under the sun. You hold the ship steady,” he says.
This measured approach is reflected in how Geoffrey views the balance between innovation and resource constraints. His team is encouraged to experiment, but only within the limits of what can realistically be managed. Every new system, every upgrade, is evaluated not just for its potential, but for whether it can be maintained sustainably over time.
“We are very frugal in our innovation, especially when requesting resources,” he says.
Outside work, Geoffrey is pragmatic and focused on personal improvement. Reading, for instance, is not a leisurely escape but a tool for targeted learning.
“I rarely read casually. I engage with books when there’s something I need to learn and then I practice it. That’s when it becomes valuable. That’s how I apply learning to real life,” he concludes.
