Below are two excerpts from a blog post based on an interview with Bupa's Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer. The blog is by Stellar Partnerships, a specialist consultancy working on partnerships between businesses and the non-profit sector.
Q12: Tell me a little bit about your recent partnership with WomenCan.
Our partnership with WomenCan is wonderful. It’s still reasonably small scale but we’re hoping to make it bigger. Bupa is Australia’s largest regional aged care provider. In a post-Covid world, trying to find people to come into aged care, particularly in regional communities is really tough. Combined with new government mandates around certain number of care hours and number of nurses in care homes. All providers want to improve the standards of care but often you can’t find the people. WomenCan bring women back to the workforce who have gone through difficult times. It was a brilliant coming together of two organisations. They were desperate to help these women get back into working and we needed workers. The sweet spot has been because it’s focused in more regional areas. It’s still early days but the signs are positive. It’s a classic win-win, as it empowers these women by providing them meaningful employment while addressing our staffing needs.
Q13: Did WomenCan approach you?
The inception of our partnership with WomenCan was a bit serendipitous. It started during an open house event at one of our aged care facilities. Our approach to aged care involves engaging the community and making our homes welcoming community hubs. During one such event, someone from WomenCan expressed interest in providing opportunities for some of the women they work with.
The process unfolded quite smoothly, and both parties were eager to address a pressing need. Our aged care Managing Director was also really enthusiastic about the potential of this particular partnership. We recognized that this collaboration could not only fulfill a vital community purpose but also align with our business objectives.
When you’re part of the executive team of a sizable organization like Bupa Asia Pacific, which operates as a multi-billion-dollar business across several countries and employs 22,000 people, there is a lot to work on and manage. However, real satisfaction comes from initiatives like the ones we’ve discussed, where you can genuinely make a difference.
