I started out... working in investment banking in London. I then moved into consultancy, and from there I made the most important decision in my career, which was joining Bupa in 2006.
I knew this was the right career path for me when... I saw the impact that working in healthcare can have on people’s lives, and the wider impact that a healthcare business like Bupa can make on society. Not just in helping people to live longer, healthier and happier lives, but also in making a better world.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way... is that there’s never a challenge that cannot be overcome. With a strong team working together, everything is achievable.
My proudest achievement... is leading the Chilean business through the pandemic, while we were amid an ambitious digital transformation journey. Overnight we had to use what we had learnt on transformation to keeping our customers and patients safe during a time of uncertainty, and ultimately saving lives.
My biggest mistake… was coming back to work 24 hours after my second son was born, for a meeting. I would never advise (or expect) my team to do that.
My biggest inspiration... is our people. There are 23,000 of us in the UK, and everyone makes an impact on our customers, residents and patients every day.
When a customer takes the time to say thank you for the care they’ve received from our hard-working team – whether in our expert call centres, dental practices, clinics or care homes – it reminds me that together we can all make a difference and leave a better world for our children.
Keeping me awake at night right now... is the global uncertainty around inflation, affordability, and the cost of living. It’s our responsibility to support our people as well as continue to provide affordable and sustainable healthcare for our customers.
The biggest challenge for organisations over the next five years will be… adapting to a changing world while also driving innovative solutions. Whether that’s meeting ESG commitments, adopting new technologies to streamline customer journeys or in attracting talented people in a hot labour market.
I am collaborating with my HR director to... continue to make Bupa a great place to work, where we attract and retain the most talented people to take care of our customers, residents and patients. This means listening to our people and responding to what they tell us.
For this reason, we’ve reviewed and updated our healthcare benefits so that they are inclusive, accessible and tailored to our people’s needs.
We also want to nurture our talent and bring them closer to our decision- making. As an example, over the past three years we have empowered our teams to work with eco-startups as part of our Bupa eco-disruptive programme, to find ways of bringing innovative, sustainable healthcare solutions to make a better world.
This article was first published in the November/December 2023 print issue. Subscribe today to have all our latest articles delivered right to your desk.
