Abstract

In the 2000’s Bupa entered the Australian market with an aggressive strategy, buying HBA (Hospital Benefits Association), Mutual Community and MBF (Medical Benefits Fund) to become directly Australian’s second largest private health insurance. Following these acquisitions, Bupa decided to merge all the different companies under the Bupa brand. This rebranding process had to be carefully handled by the management team as the new brand had to fit Australians’ needs. Meanwhile, the group initiated a diversification strategy by extending its portfolio into age care, optical and dental services. But, Bupa had still other challenges to tackle. Internally, it planned to keep on favoring leadership and integrating the different units. It aimed at pursuing its diversification strategy, by acquiring more businesses related to the health industry, other than health insurance. This diversification strategy implied a change in Bupa’s positioning, from a health insurer to a health & care partner. Bupa was also willing to take advantage of its huge database to get closer to its customers, and even, on the long-term contemplated the possibility to become an information platform, and to become as important as Google in customers’ lives.

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