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Helen Endacott

General graduate programme 2007-2009

I was attracted to the Bupa graduate programme because of its flexibility - you aren’t fast-tracked into a specific role but supported to find your own niche. Because of the programme’s size there is a real individual focus on your development and being part of such a large international organisation there is a wealth of opportunities.

After joining the programme, my first role was as a Health Editor within Bupa’s Health Information team. This involved writing articles for external publications and fact sheets for Bupa’s website. I also organised forums for some of our corporate clients on mental health issues in the workplace and helped to develop new marketing materials to support this. I then moved to Group Development where I was responsible for the strategic review of Bupa’s Corporate Responsibility agenda which included co-ordinating the project to calculate the carbon footprint of the whole organisation. I was supported in completing an external qualification in project management which helped me lead these and subsequent projects.

At Bupa, we are encouraged to make connections and build our own path through the programme. I was interested in exploring international opportunities and, with an interest in change management strategy and communications, sourced my own final placement in Bupa Australia’s care home business, where I’m located at the moment.

I am currently responsible for our employment brand. This means working creatively to develop our proposition and communicate both internally and externally, why we are such a great place to work. I work in the HR team based in Sydney but my role involves working closely with our marketing department and travelling throughout Australia to meet care home managers and employees.

Moving to a new country on my own, of course, has its challenges but it has undoubtedly been a fantastic experience both from a personal and a career development perspective. Most notably I have had an invaluable insight in to new and different ways of working which I have found greatly influential. I am now considering pursuing a permanent role out here after the programme finishes.

Bupa’s graduate programme is structured as three six-month placements, and you get stuck in at the deep-end with real responsibility right from the start. The experience of working in three completely different areas of the business has allowed me to develop a real breadth of skills and knowledge and I have been able to focus on the areas I am passionate about.

I am always learning and I feel proud to talk about the projects that I work on. It motivates me to know that ultimately whatever I am working on makes a positive difference to our customers’ health.

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Hannah Davidson

Finance graduate trainee 2008

I joined Bupa in September 2008, three months after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a 2.1 in Economics with Spanish. With a desire to pursue a career in healthcare I chose to join the Bupa finance graduate programme to gain a sound understanding of the finance function within a large, successful organisation.

Bupa’s global scope also played a large part in my decision to join the organisation. Having studied Spanish as part of my degree I was keen to maintain and strengthen my language skills, something which has been made possible by my current placement with Sanitas in Madrid.

Furthermore, the size of the programme appealed to me. I was one of four graduates to start the finance programme in September 2008. Subsequently, there is a definite focus on you as an individual and a lot of flexibility for you to choose your own placements, especially as you progress on the programme. This combination of individual focus and flexibility creates an arena whereby you are able to build your own career path based on your interests and strengths, which may vary from others on the programme.

I have now been on the programme for almost one year and have worked in two very different areas of the business. I started as a financial analyst within the financial reporting team at Bupa Home Healthcare in Harlow. As part of my role, I maintained close relationships with the Pharmaceutical companies, producing and sending financial reports on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Beyond simply distributing the required data, I worked on developing the reports to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the process. Every month I also produced a detailed financial analysis of each of the Complex Care packages, which was then discussed with the lead nurse for each region before being studied by the executive team. Closely monitoring the service helped ensure that the highest level of care was provided.

As mentioned above, I have recently moved to Madrid for my second placement where I am working with the Sanitas Strategy and Business Development team. Since starting, I have been involved with updating the strategic objectives and initiatives of the business unit. This has proven a very valuable task and has given me a fantastic overview of the business and of the main projects that are taking place to shape the future of Sanitas. Over the next six months, I will participate in the preparation of financial results and of various business cases. This has been a really exciting move for me and there is so much that I can learn from my colleagues in Spain. I am confident that although it may be a challenging six months, it will also be an extremely rewarding experience.

Throughout your two years on the programme, you are on a steep learning curve both professionally, intellectually and personally. This is challenging at times but I have been impressed with the level of support you are given during the course of the programme. In addition to the programme manager who looks after your development, and placement manager who manages your work objectives, you are partnered with a graduate from a previous intake and with a senior member of staff to act as a mentor.

I believe that the skills accumulated during your time on the Bupa graduate programme stands you in good stead to move into an exciting and challenging role in the dynamic world of Bupa.

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