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Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG)

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In 2023, we established a comprehensive sustainability framework based on 6 pillars, and an ESG steering committee, to oversee our ESG activities. We achieved 88% employee engagement in our internal activities, and carried out various community and environmental initiatives across the country.

Sustainably spearheading the healthcare industry

Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) constitutes a set of non-financial performance metrics designed to assess an organization’s collective awareness and dedication to its stakeholders, as well as its impact on the environment and communities within its operational sphere.

As a prominent player in the healthcare market in Saudi Arabia, Bupa Arabia is committed to incorporating ethical and sustainable practices and methodologies that adhere to global standards, all while actively supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and aligning with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Saudi Vision serves as a guide to ensure that sustainability is a core principle integrated into all facets of the Kingdom’s endeavors. Our dedication extends to the integration of sustainability across all levels of the organization, emphasizing a meaningful influence both on community members and the environment.

Bupa Arabia is committed to becoming a role model for Sustainability and ESG within the Saudi private sector. The company firmly believes in proactively contributing to a positive impact on the environment, to our people and our community. To spearhead this commitment, the ESG Steering Committee was established in 2023, under the sponsorship of the Chief HR Officer and co-sponsorship of the Chief Risk Officer. This committee, led by various key members of Bupa Arabia’s Senior Management Team, focuses on driving the sustainability journey. Its responsibilities include formulating, developing and monitoring a comprehensive sustainability framework.

The company’s sustainability framework has 6 strategic pillars that addresses the three domains of ESG, which are articulated under the following objectives:

Supporting our local communities

Our corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives – exemplified by our Orphans Free Health Insurance program, Live Right activities, diversity and inclusion efforts, internship programs, and collaborations with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) and various universities - play a significant role in elevating the skills and competencies of recent graduates. This strategic approach effectively prepares them for expanded job opportunities, a commendable endeavor contributing to their professional growth. We also conducted mental well-being programs, to help our employees manage their professional, social and personal lives. Furthermore, we were involved in social welfare activities in the community, by donating to orphanages and our employees volunteering for our community well-being programs.

Initiative Description
Collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD)
  • Free health insurance program since 2011.
  • 2,058+ orphans benefitted.
  • Annual Ramadan campaign.
“Nurturing Talent” program By partnering with 10 universities, we have crafted a program aimed at providing the best students with valuable work experience, simultaneously enriching their academic knowledge and honing their practical skills. We provided training to 317 graduates, with 112 of them subsequently securing full-time employment within our organization.
Donations and volunteer programs
  • Donations from employees amounting to SR 77,500 plus SR 600,000 from Bupa, were used to provide electrical appliances to orphans who got married.
  • Encouraged employees to donate backpacks, notebooks and other school essentials during the Back to school campaign.
  • Clothes’ donation: 230 employees joined the volunteering program and collected around 8,100 donations.
  • Visiting orphanages as part of the volunteering program
Smile Health Lounge
  • Over 800 employees across four offices, with their family members, got their annual check-up done.
  • Flu vaccines were given to 600+ employees and family members.
  • 400 employees donated blood to patients in need.
Disability Day and special gathering
  • Kids with disabilities were invited to join in the Children’s day celebration held in our offices, giving them equal opportunities and fostering a sense of belonging among all participants.
  • Bupa Arabia also hosted a special gathering for people with disabilities to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for individuals to socialize, and connect.
  • A gathering was also hosted for foster families, to promote a sense of community through the exchange of experiences, while providing a supportive environment.
National Day CSR campaign Our celebration this year for Saudi National Day was different. We carried out a campaign with a bundle of initiatives over five days, to give back to our community.
  • We first supported our orphans with CV writing and skills on succeeding at interviews.
  • We also reconstructed houses of less fortunate families.
  • We planted 1,000+ plants across our offices
  • We supported our productive people by hosting a local bazaar to showcase their products!
Burnt-out services (mental health) The primary objective of this initiative is to assist employees and their families facing mental challenges arising from emotional, social, financial, professional and physical factors. The program, delivered in collaboration with KON (experts in this field), provided coaching sessions to 300 employees and 55 of their family members availed this service, via 50 coaching packages. Remarkably, 75% of those who underwent coaching reported a positive impact on their lives. The initiative survey received an impressive rating of 5/5, with the coaching team excelling with a perfect 5/5 score.

Preserving the environment

In the launch of its first-ever Marathon in November 2023, Bupa Arabia made a significant milestone in its commitment to promoting wellness and the “Healthy City” concept. Bupa sponsored the planting of 5,000 trees across the Eastern region for all 1,500 participants joining this marathon. The Company invested SR 350,000 in this project, supporting the Saudi Green Initiative to achieve climate goals. In collaboration with Nabatik, the first climate technology startup provides solutions through urban tree planting. This initiative will help us offset 50 tonnes of carbon emissions this year, and will continuously increase throughout the lifespan of each tree. We utilized intelligent solutions such as the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology in planting, monitoring, and maintaining trees, ensuring high efficiency and accuracy. Tree planting is ongoing and expected to be completed by 2024.

Our mobile app continuously helps in minimizing our carbon footprint with more clients availing virtual consultations and other mobile app services.

  • Telemedicine - 88,000 virtual consultations
  • Home Delivery medication refill - 146,000
  • Home based labs for routine blood test
  • Home based flu vaccination

One of the important steps Bupa undertook in minimizing our environmental impacts was relocating our Riyadh office to our new building in KAFD. This office, which is a LEED platinum certified Neighborhood Development, is recognized by the US Green Building Council (USGBC).(USGBC). Moving to this new location in Riyadh has reduced our energy consumption in Riyadh by 42%, as a result of the following sustainable facilities:

  • Sustainable chiller system for cooling which uses water as a refrigerant instead of gases which have a high global warming potential (GWP)
  • Implementing a building management system (BMS) that effectively controls heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting;
  • Additionally, within the workplace, presence sensors are in operation to automatically switch lights off during periods of inactivity.

Several of our existing initiatives are focused on the effective management of water and electricity consumption.

Water

Sensor faucets and automatic dispensing machines installed for soaps and tissues

Electricity

LEDs used instead of traditional light fixtures replaced LEDs and water aerators incorporated at sales branches

Timers are integrated into air conditioner and lighting systems across all Bupa Arabia buildings, thereby contributing to the reduction of building operation hours and energy consumption

Building strong and inclusive relationships with various stakeholders

Employment relations and diversity

Insurance companies such as Bupa Arabia are anticipated to play a role in enhancing social well-being by championing diversity and inclusion, actively supporting local communities, and ensuring equitable treatment of both customers and employees. This commitment remained a key focus for the year 2023.

Focus Area Achievement
Diversity and inclusion The key performance indicator (KPI) increased to 40% in 2023, from 36% in 2022. Although this KPI is expected to be achieved by 2024, Bupa is already at 39.4% as of the end of December 2023.
Number of nationalities employed – 25
Number of employees with special needs – 15
Talent councils The semi-annual talent councils: involving Operations, Sales, Risk and Finance teams, conducted in the presence of the Chief Executive Team (CET) and selected Senior Manager Teams (SMTs), supported by the HR Leadership Teams - have proven instrumental in addressing various challenges. This collaborative effort has significantly enhanced employee morale and overall interactions, fostering improved relations with senior management.
Talent development
  • In 2023, we initiated a new leadership program “Transformational Leader”, in which 29 Directors participated. The objective of this immersive program is to address crucial aspects of strategic business transformation, to not only enhance the skills of the participants but also cover customer strategy and digital transformation aspects.
  • Onboarding experience now expanded up to 6 months of learning activities.
  • The online training platform is now built internally, which provides the Company with a competitive edge, improves operational efficiency, and drives business growth.
Women empowerment We achieved a 39% overall representation, with 18% holding leadership roles and a notable 35% being promoted within the current year from the overall headcount.
Employee Engagement Activities Achieved 88% engagement in Pulse survey.

Six additional individualized drivers were used to measure engagement in 2023: meaningful work, feedback, career, tools & resources, encouragement, and connection.

Several engagement activities and celebrations carried out to promote cultural diversity and inclusion in the Company such as Cultural Diversity day, Foundation & Saudi National Day, Labor Day, various tournaments, sign language training, Eid Celebration, HR Connect (HR team visits to the regional offices) and The 1800 (virtual town hall session with all employees).
Well-being
  • Smile workouts: 232 employees joined a two-month program where we had hourly inhouse workout sessions conducted three times a week with a professional trainer. These were held at Bupa Arabia’s gym facilities to promote a healthy lifestyle for employees.
  • Celebrating international fitness day: We hosted sessions across all Bupa Arabia premises in all regions. Around 370 employees participated and enjoyed multiple yoga sessions during the working hours.
  • Health awareness session: This is conducted on international days/months to create awareness on important medical aspects as breast cancer, mental health, and world pharmaceutical day
  • SMILE healthy bodies campaign: A total of 230 employees across all regions participated in the campaign.
Tournaments: padle, ping-pong, cricket, and football tournaments offer an outlet for physical activity, leading to improved fitness, stress reduction, enhanced mood, and overall wellness:
  • Padle: Around 480 employees across all regions participated in the Padle tournament.
  • Ping-pong: About 270 employees across all regions participated and competed against each other for the grand prize.
  • Cricket: 100 employees in Jeddah teamed up and participated in the cricket tournament.
  • Football: 25 employees represented BUPA Arabia and played against representatives from other companies.

Educating the community and providing multiple solutions to small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

Bupa Arabia has initiated a range of programs aimed at enhancing access to insurance for everyone. These initiatives include the implementation of instalment payment options tailored for micro-SMEs and individuals, as well as the introduction of supplementary flexible financial solutions catered specifically to SMEs. Further, we provide local SMEs with the chance to participate in bids as a means of fortifying relationships. Our goal is to accomplish this by actively supporting their growth and advancement, coupled with the implementation of more robust motivational strategies.

The Company has also given precedence to promoting insurance literacy and awareness, ensuring that clients are equipped with all the necessary information to make well-informed decisions. Some initiatives taken to achieve this included:

Digital Resources

The Company offers intuitive online platforms and mobile applications equipped with informative content, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and interactive tools, aimed at educating stakeholders about insurance and empowering them with knowledge.

Collaborative Workshops

Bupa Arabia organizes Health Lounges, on-site workshops, and Zoom workshops, with the goal of enhancing insurance literacy. Our efforts involve partnering with healthcare professionals, industry experts, and community organizations, to deliver informative sessions.

Tailored Communication

We provide tailored communications, including newsletters and guides, to ensure stakeholders have a thorough understanding of their insurance plans and benefits.

Building community relations and strengthening partnerships

At Bupa Arabia, we regard our business partners and suppliers as crucial contributors to the success of our business. Consequently, the Company has emphasized cultivating and sustaining robust relationships with them, particularly within local communities. Bupa Arabia has actively implemented the strategies listed below to ensure the sustainability and resilience of its supply chain, yielding significant results since its inception:

  • In 2023, an updated Supplier selection policy was approved, where it introduced environmental, social and local content considerations for:
    • Green procurement. We gave pricing preference for sustainable products and environmentally conscious behavior for all vendors.
    • Social impact. We satisfied the company’s CSR obligations, by involving diverse groups of vendors in bids and RFQs, and making vendors exercise responsible management of their supply chain. Around 16% of all onboarded new vendors in 2023 were female-owned businesses.
    • Economic consideration and local content. Having an established BCM plan, we applied 5% pricing preference for vendors with local content certificates, including certified SMEs in all bids. A total of 29 new SMEs onboarded in 2023

Engagement with investors

The Annual General Meetings (AGM) function as a consistent platform for communication between the Company and its shareholders. Additionally, the CFO and Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) conduct quarterly webcasts and earnings announcements, furnishing comprehensive information to the investor community regarding Bupa Arabia’s recent financial performance, as well as insights into the latest trends and their subsequent impacts on the insurance market.

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