How EDI strengthens performance, culture and competitiveness: Bupa Arabia

Bupa Arabia is a leading healthcare provider in Saudi Arabia. Established in 1997, it proactively reaches into the heart of the community, working towards helping millions of people enjoy healthier and happier lives.  

Headquartered in Jeddah and part of the global Bupa network, the company offers health-insurance products and healthcare services that cater to the needs of the Kingdom’s corporations, government institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises and those they employ.

What is the challenge?

Operating in the traditionally male-dominated Saudi healthcare sector, Bupa Arabia faced systemic barriers: limited female leadership representation, inconsistent support for people with disabilities and female engagement scores significantly below organisational averages. Without intervention, the company risked losing diverse talent and falling short of Saudi Vision 2030’s inclusion goals. To address these challenges, Bupa Arabia launched a comprehensive equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy.

What were the objectives?

The strategy was crafted to achieve the following goals: 

1. Increase female representation and leadership participation. 
2. Eliminate pay and progression gaps. 
3. Accelerate promotions and mobility through equitable career frameworks. 
4. Improve female engagement and sense of belonging. 
5. Embed inclusivity into all talent and succession processes.

What did it do?

The initiative was structured around three strategic pillars: Inclusive culture, Inclusive leadership and Diverse practices. 

Inclusive culture

Bupa Arabia pioneered 'EmpowerHer', the first female professional network in the Saudi healthcare sector, creating role models and opportunities for peer learning. Women’s health and wellbeing campaigns addressed key workplace topics and supported employee welfare. 

Inclusive leadership

The company moved beyond mentorship to sponsorship, connecting high-potential women with senior leadership networks and implementing six-month leadership development programmes in partnership with global institutions. Career frameworks provided clear, bias-free progression paths, and diversity KPIs were embedded into leadership scorecards to ensure accountability. 

Diverse practices and policies

Bupa Arabia introduced a People with Disabilities (PwD) framework focused on Awareness, Accessibility and Inclusive Hiring. Initiatives included accessible buildings, sign-language training, leadership engagement and awareness campaigns.

To support women, across career and life, the company implemented innovative policies such as flexible maternity and family-leave arrangements, virtual daycare services, exceptional medical coverage, travel support with companions, menopause awareness and compassionate support for miscarriage and divorce. The provision of on-site female gyms, daycare facilities, height-adjustable desks and accessible workspaces reinforced belonging and inclusion across the workplace.  

Real-time dashboards, mobility analytics, and People Pulse surveys were deployed to track adoption, behavioural change, and outcomes across the organisation. These insights enabled rigorous, data-driven decisions to continuously refine programmes and policies.

In partnership with MindGym, it launched it's first dedicated Diversity and Inclusion survey, designed to capture the lived experiences of women and a culturally diverse workforce spanning 32 nationalities. The insights directly shaped targeted, evidence-based interventions to strengthen female growth, progression, and retention, while fostering inclusion across cultures — translating data into measurable, sustainable workforce impact.

What outcomes have been achieved so far?

Bupa Arabia’s EDI strategy delivered measurable impact across the organisation.  

KPIs 

• Female workforce representation grew from 27% in 2020 to 43% in 2025, with leadership roles rising from 13% to 17%, including the appointment of Bupa Arabia’s first female Chief. 
• Female promotions increased from 34% to 41%. 
• 37% of internal transfers were female. 
• Female satisfaction rose from 83 to 87, with 14 engagement drivers improving over five years. 
• Female successors in critical roles grew from 23% in 2020 to 32% in 2025. 
• Female retention rose from 85% in 2020 to 95% in 2024, reducing turnover risk. 
• Female hiring doubled from 27% in 2020 to 55% in 2025, strengthening external attraction. 
• A unified scale ensured 100% compliance with a No Gender Pay Gap policy. 
• Representation grew to 32 nationalities, enhancing cultural competence while maintaining Saudisation compliance. 
• 100% of the Chief Executive Team and Senior Management Team attended PwD awareness sessions, reinforcing accountability and leadership commitment. 

Employee engagement and feedback 

• Women in professional networks reported greater confidence and visibility, while sponsorship-based leadership programmes strengthened readiness for senior roles. 
• Senior leaders who attended PwD awareness sessions endorsed inclusivity.  
• Managers praised the transparent promotion frameworks for fairness and clarity. 
• Leaders highlighted the value of real-time analytics in supporting workforce planning and decision-making.  

Integration with L&D 

• 100% of female managers and successors enrolled in flagship leadership programmes with global partners, accelerating readiness and reinforcing inclusive accountability. 
• In the last three years, 83% of female successors were supported through formal coaching and mentorship initiatives. 
• PwD awareness and sign-language training equipped employees to better support people with disabilities. 

Business outcomes/ROI 

• Internal pipelines reduced reliance on external hiring, cutting time-to-hire by half for leadership roles and saving millions in recruitment costs.  
• Succession coverage lowered business risk in critical roles and ensured leadership continuity. 
• Higher engagement and retention enhanced innovation and productivity. 
• Alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 positioned Bupa Arabia as a national benchmark for inclusion and strengthened employer brand value.  

Behavioural change 

• Career conversations became normalised through structured frameworks. 
• Leaders became accountable for talent outcomes through KPIs. 
• Resistance to hiring women and people with disabilities declined as inclusion became an organisational priority.

Key learnings

• Leadership buy-in guarantees accountability at every managerial level.
• Cross-functional collaboration ensures that equality, diversity & inclusion becomes an organisation-wide responsibility.
• Continuous tracking of progress helps the EDI agenda remain dynamic and data-driven.