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Although Richard Alvarez's professional training is in information technology, he insists that he is first and foremost a builder of teams--or, as he puts it, a "people grower." The president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI), a government-funded organization dedicated to improving the quality of health information throughout the country, Alvarez attributes his effectiveness as a leader to his ability to attract the right people and keep them happy.
Still, Alvarez's "techie" background came in handy when, in 1982, he moved to Canada from England, where he had received his education and worked in the financial industry "back in the days when computers filled buildings." The Alberta Ministry of Health hired him to modernize the system for processing doctors' claims. "I took the logic of information technology and applied it to redesigning the system," he recalls.
Alvarez rose quickly through the Ministry's ranks and was appointed Assistant Deputy...