Saudi- Bupa wins praise for pioneering female employment 

(MENAFN - Arab News) Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih headed a delegation that visited the Jeddah headquarters of Bupa Arabia on Tuesday in recognition of the Kingdom's first specialized health insurer's role as a pioneer in recruiting and training Saudi national employees.

Bupa Arabia is in the platinum category under the Nitaqat program with 51 percent Saudization of which 32 percent is female.

Deputy Minister of Development Fahad Eltekhaifi and Basmah Al-Omair, CEO of Khadija Bin Khouwailid Businesswomen Center, accompanied the minister.

"We were most honored to welcome the minister and his distinguished colleagues and share with them our experience and best practices that have taken us forward on our journey not only by achieving 51 percent Saudization, but also as an organization that aims at reaching the highest standards in everything we do," said Tal Nazer, CEO of Bupa Arabia, who took the visitors on a tour of the flagship state-of-the-art headquarters building.

Fakeih said: "Bupa Arabia has an exemplary record of recruiting and training male and female Saudi nationals and I congratulate the management and staff on achieving the Nitaqat's platinum category and their recent award wins, which recognize Bupa's achievements as an ideal and caring employer."

The visit follows the recent accomplishments and awards for the 3rd "Best Place to Work For" in the financial and insurance sectors and also Best Female Working Environment in 2011, which Bupa Arabia also won in 2008 and 2010, an achievement that reflects the company's pioneering role in empowering women to contribute to the Kingdom's social and economic development.

Bupa Arabia's Saudi national workforce enjoys skill-based training and development programs to make them grow competently in the medical health insurance industry.