Bupa Arabia, a major health insurance provider in the Kingdom, was co-sponsor and a major participant in the Saudi-UK Investment Forum held recently in London.

The milestone event in Saudi-UK cooperation was inaugurated with a welcoming address by Saudi Ambassador Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, followed with opening remarks by Abdullatif A. Al-Othman, governor, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA).

Keynote addresses were delivered by Mohammed Al-Kharashi, governor, Public Pension Agency, KSA; Sir Paul Judge, Alderman and Sheriff of the City of London; and Lord Livingston of Parkhead, minister of state for trade and investment, the UK.

Organized by SAGIA and Euromoney, the forum was attended by a strong delegation of Saudi business leaders, including Tal Nazer, CEO of Bupa Arabia, who was a member of a panel of speakers in a session, which discussed the opportunity and challenges of investing in the Kingdom’s healthcare sector.

Topics included the health care model of Saudi Arabia; what foreign investors, suppliers and partners are currently doing in the Kingdom and what more they can do; what parts of the value chain are being prioritized; how cross-border investment can benefit Saudi Arabia; and Saudization in the Kingdom’s health care sector.

Nazer said: “As a pioneer of quality health care in the Kingdom, Bupa Arabia has vast experience in successfully establishing a globally renowned brand as the leader in a highly competitive market and as such we were able to contribute significant input to the health care panel discussions.”

He added: “Also we were able to demonstrate to the forum attendees that Saudization can be implemented with a very high success rate if supported by specialized training programs and the provision of a quality working environment.”

Bupa Arabia is in the platinum Nitaqat category with 53 percent Saudization, of which 29 percent is female.