Bupa today announced Hisham El-Ansary will become the new Chief Executive Officer of its Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) business in April 2019. The current CEO of ANZ, Richard Bowden, will be stepping down after nearly two decades with the company.
Mr El-Ansary is currently Bupa ANZ’s Chief Financial and Strategy Officer and joined Bupa in 2008. In his 10 years with the company he has held a variety of roles including Managing Director of the Australian Health Services business as well as holding responsibility for strategy, M&A and business development in the region. He led the company’s move into Dental and Medical Visa Services.
Mr El-Ansary is known for his focus on the customer and his broad and deep understanding of the business. Over the past 30 years, he has held senior executive roles in a variety of industries including retail, energy, aviation and construction. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia and of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also a director of children’s charity, Very Special Kids.
Mr Bowden joined Bupa in 2002 when the company acquired AXA Australia Health, where he was Managing Director. As MD of Bupa Australia, he oversaw the company’s significant expansion and growth, including the acquisition of MBF in 2008 and the launch of the Bupa brand in Australia in 2011. In 2012, he moved to the UK for four years as Chief Executive of Bupa’s UK businesses, returning to his native Australia in 2017.
Bupa Group CEO, Evelyn Bourke said: “Richard Bowden has made a remarkable contribution to Bupa, playing a vital role in our growth and success as a health and care services provider over the past two decades. Richard shared his thinking with me some time ago about his intention to step down, allowing us to plan for a smooth transition. We will miss Richard when he leaves next year, and we thank him for his leadership.
“I am delighted to appoint Hisham El-Ansary to the role of ANZ CEO. His knowledge of Bupa and of the health and care sector make him ideally equipped to lead Bupa ANZ over the next phase of its development.”
About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world.
We are an international healthcare company serving over 31 million customers worldwide. With no shareholders, we reinvest profits into providing more and better healthcare for the benefit of current and future customers.
We directly employ around 85,000 people, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Chile, Poland, New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, the US, Middle East and Ireland. We also have associate businesses in Saudi Arabia and India.
