Bupa Asia Pacific has announced the appointment of Simon Birch as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO), taking over from interim CIO Jenny Watson.
Jenny Watson had been fulfilling the role on an interim basis since April 2022, following the transition of former CIO Sami Yalavac to an interim managing director position. Yalavac later chose not to return to the CIO role at Bupa and departed the company.
Subsequently, Watson was named Senior Tech Director Health Insurance and Business Services at the health insurance firm.
Simon Birch joins Bupa with a wealth of experience, having spent almost four years at the Commonwealth Bank, where he also served as Chief Technology Officer from September 2022. His professional journey also encompasses a seven-year tenure with Barclays in the UK, during which he held the position of CIO for corporate and bank payments for two years.
Birch officially assumed his role at Bupa recently.
Expressing his gratitude, CEO Nick Stone acknowledged Watson for her dedicated service over the past 14 months and extended a warm welcome to Birch. Stone noted, “Simon’s extensive experience in revolutionizing technology ecosystems within large organizations and leading digital advancements will greatly benefit Bupa APAC as we continue to modernize, digitize, and personalize healthcare for our valued customers.”
In a LinkedIn post, Simon Birch shared his excitement about joining Bupa, expressing his enthusiasm for contributing to the company’s transformative journey alongside CEO Nick Stone and the entire executive leadership team.
