Rupert Gowrley is to leave MHP Health to take up a newly-created post at private health provider Bupa.
He was appointed joint head of the health policy and communications consultancy last year and will move to Bupa in April to become its UK government affairs and sustainability director.
The new role at Bupa will involve leading government affairs and policy engagement for the UK business across health insurance, care services, home healthcare and the sustainability agenda. Gowrley will report to corporate affairs director Helen Vaughan-Jones.
“Rupert’s experience will be extremely valuable and he will be a great asset to the team,” she said.
On arrival at Bupa, Gowrley’s initial priority will be ‘to ensure that Bupa’s government affairs engagement, policy positions and partnerships are aligned with its purpose to achieve longer, healthier, happier lives and support the brand new UK business strategy’.
Gowrley will join an existing UK team, part of the corporate affairs department, who cover government affairs and sustainability.
The team will also work alongside a dedicated team at Bupa Corporate Centre who work on sustainability issues globally, he said.
This is a move within healthcare, rather than away from pharma, he told PMLIVE.
“In this role at Bupa, there will be scope to partner with pharma around the delivery of treatments and the organisation of care.”
Gowrley admitted to PMLiVE that a move in 2014 wasn’t planned. “But Bupa approached me at Christmas with an exciting proposition. I know Bupa from past work. It has a fantastic heritage and an exciting future and crucially a clear purpose in working to improve healthcare and wellbeing.
“It was a hard decision and I’m sorry to leave MHP. 2013 was a record breaking year for MHP Health, with extraordinary revenue performance. I’m leaving a wonderful group of people in a very successful business with a great future,” he added.