[VOICE]: Please welcome to the stage Head of General Dentistry, Bupa Dental [00:00:05] Care Doctor Annie Seabourne.

Annie Seabourne: Hello. Good afternoon everybody. [00:00:10] How are we all feeling? Some tired faces. But to be fair, I think people [00:00:15] have looked a lot more fresh than I thought they would be. Considering what I saw on the dance floor [00:00:20] last night. Um, two jam packed days. And [00:00:25] it has been honestly incredible. Last year, some of the feedback we got is that people [00:00:30] wanted more CPD, and what I can say is the team have knocked it out [00:00:35] the park this time, and I want to have a round of applause. Special [00:00:40] acknowledgement to Holly Harker and Nisha Patel and their amazing [00:00:45] respective teams and all the amazing speakers. So I hope you’ve had a wonderful [00:00:50] morning. We are at the end though. This is our last session [00:00:55] of the two days, and we’ve got something a little bit exciting, a little bit different. [00:01:00] And that is a live podcast recording. And it is the Dental Leaders [00:01:05] podcast, which is if you haven’t listened to it, it’s phenomenal. There’s hundreds of episodes to go back and [00:01:10] listen on your drives back. And it’s hosted by the formidable Payman [00:01:15] Langroudi, who is the clinical director and the co-founder [00:01:20] of Enlightened Smiles. And today we’ve got an amazing guest, Andrew [00:01:25] Bower, who is the product category lead globally [00:01:30] of Philips Oral healthcare. So I’m aware that the hangover [00:01:35] might be hitting, or you might be having a bit of a sugar kind of come down from all [00:01:40] the sweets and treats at lunchtime. Um, but the good news [00:01:45] is this will be recorded so you can always watch it back. However, the conversation is going [00:01:50] to be phenomenal. Um, and they’re going to discuss what dentistry is going [00:01:55] to be like in 2040 and beyond. So a warm welcome to Payman [00:02:00] and Andrew.

[VOICE]: Well. [00:02:05]

Payman Langroudi: This is a bit different to my normal podcast room, which some of [00:02:10] you have been in and several of you have been on my podcast. Massive pleasure to have you, Andrew. [00:02:15] Um, we’re looking at 2040 and although [00:02:20] that sounds like a long way away, it’s only 15 years at the same time, [00:02:25] it might be the first time in history where we don’t know what the world is going to be like [00:02:30] in two years time with AI and robotics, everything that’s [00:02:35] coming down the line. And really, um, my first question to [00:02:40] you is how far ahead do you guys think? Mm.

Andrew Bower: Fair [00:02:45] question. Um, we try and keep a ten year horizon [00:02:50] when we’re looking forward. Um, and maybe start kind of from a Philips enterprise perspective, [00:02:55] right. We’re in the in the business of improving lives. That’s our mission. 2.5 [00:03:00] billion lives is what we want to improve. And we bridge that between consumer health and medical health. And [00:03:05] so we’re always looking at the ten year horizon about what’s going to be [00:03:10] inflection points and what’s going to improve health outcomes. And I think for [00:03:15] us, it’s really a truly exciting time to be in health care, if [00:03:20] you like, as a whole, because I think the advancements in technology, it’s a somewhat industrial revolution we’re going [00:03:25] through at the moment, and the advancements in technology are accelerating unprecedented [00:03:30] speed. Where will that take us? Your guess is as good as mine, but [00:03:35] I think what it will do, it will hopefully lead to for [00:03:40] clinicians giving them more time to focus on patient care. And I think for [00:03:45] consumers, and I’m afraid that’s what we use in Philips, a lot of times consumers rather than people, but consumers, [00:03:50] is going to lead to more personalised care and more preventative care. And that’s [00:03:55] going to come through a wealth of technology, of sensors on driving behavioural change to [00:04:00] ensure that those who need critical care are going to get it quicker.

Payman Langroudi: So [00:04:05] did you you’ve been with the business 20 odd years now.

Andrew Bower: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: So do you remember predictions [00:04:10] you made 15 years ago? How right do they come?

Andrew Bower: It’s [00:04:15] funny because I think if we were back 15 years ago or even ten years ago, we [00:04:20] were talking about the IoT of things, the Internet of things and connectivity. And I think [00:04:25] that’s everywhere we touch now. Right. And that was the first step towards machine learning and AI. And [00:04:30] I think, um, a lot of the promises have come true. You [00:04:35] know, if you think of how many of us are here wearing a wearable, a smart watch or something that’s given us data and insights [00:04:40] all stemmed from that IoT. And I joke, and I look back [00:04:45] and I think if you were sat here in 1950, we’d be talking about should we use plastic? Yes. [00:04:50] The world is going to change. Of course we’re going to use UI. You’re going to leverage big data, [00:04:55] and it’s going to enhance the quality of care that we can provide.

Payman Langroudi: So look, we sell [00:05:00] toothpaste for £12 and everyone Gasps £12 for toothpaste. [00:05:05] Yeah. And then right right next door to your teeth is your lips and skin. [00:05:10] And people buy £100 screen you know creams for their skin. Yeah. Do [00:05:15] you having come from all the different categories in Philips consumer that you’ve been in, do [00:05:20] you see that oral care has sort of a lower [00:05:25] priority for people? And are you doing something to sort of what do you think [00:05:30] that oral care will take a higher priority for people going forward?

Andrew Bower: Yeah, I think look, [00:05:35] oral healthcare at the minute for consumers is a daily chore. Yeah, two minutes a day. We want [00:05:40] to turn it into a daily ritual because if you can turn into that daily ritual, you’re investing [00:05:45] in yourself, investing, giving yourself confidence, right? You’re in the whitening business, so am I. You know, and [00:05:50] that’s part of it. But it’s about actually, how am I investing my time in myself and that [00:05:55] care routine to take better care of myself? I think the beauty industry is a fabulous example, [00:06:00] right? How many people have a beauty routine, a cleansing of their skin routine at the end of the day? What’s [00:06:05] an extra two minutes in that routine to actually have a sensorial experience that makes you feel fresh and [00:06:10] good about yourself, and actually knowing that you’re doing something to protect your longevity. [00:06:15] Look after your oral health and ultimately full body health. So I think [00:06:20] the job of the industry and industrial partners like us is to break the apathy, [00:06:25] right? Break the apathy around oral health, that it’s absolutely [00:06:30] integral for your health today and tomorrow. And it’s actually really easy [00:06:35] to take care of, you know, and we’re on this crusade [00:06:40] to try and break that apathy. You know, let me give you some examples. Um, globally, [00:06:45] 30% of people are only using a power toothbrush. So 70, 70, [00:06:50] 70% of people are still using manuals.

Payman Langroudi: What’s the number in the UK? Do you know?

Andrew Bower: Yeah. 52. [00:06:55]

Payman Langroudi: 52%.

Andrew Bower: 52% in the UK. Second most penetrated market after the Netherlands. [00:07:00] Really? It is. But it also shows where we are on a journey of oral health. [00:07:05] Because actually I always joke it’s kind of like the New Year’s habit. You could always keep your teeth [00:07:10] twice a day with a power toothbrush. People don’t because this is apathy, because they don’t understand the importance of it. [00:07:15] So I think, you know, the power of data and AI, and we see this with our connected apps, people [00:07:20] who use our connected app brush for longer. It leads to more, more retention [00:07:25] and a more complete, a more complete clean. And we have the data to support it, but it’s [00:07:30] people taking that, um, shall we say, active investment in their health. [00:07:35] And when they realise oral health like we heard yesterday from Ian Chappell. Right. Oral health [00:07:40] is so important. I hope we’re going to break the apathy and people are going to invest more time, more [00:07:45] effort and maybe the £60 they need to spend on that versus, I [00:07:50] don’t know, an a G one supplement or a whatever else it is they do for, for, for [00:07:55] well-being.

Payman Langroudi: As a business. How do you guys think about insurgents? Because [00:08:00] the barrier to entry of an electric toothbrush is quite low.

Andrew Bower: Yeah. I think we need [00:08:05] to be really careful here. We are seeing insurgents across the world. So as you know, in the intro, um, [00:08:10] I have global responsibility and I spend a lot of time in Asia and I see a lot of incumbents [00:08:15] coming in, a lot of Chinese tech coming through in the category. And [00:08:20] it’s fascinating, right? Because you go to China and I’m seeing robotics and I see AI, and I think the advancements of [00:08:25] technology and the speed in which it’s coming is phenomenal. Yeah. And I see incumbents in the market, [00:08:30] like, um, if you want, you smile, right. Local Chinese [00:08:35] brand, American founders flying in China full of tech. You [00:08:40] know, I didn’t know that I needed a talking toothbrush, but it probably talks to me now. It’s got light [00:08:45] colours interaction on it, but it’s not delivering the clinical efficacy that [00:08:50] it needs to do. And actually, I think some of the incumbents coming to the market are forgetting [00:08:55] that actually this is a clinical product that has to do a clinical job and deliver the care [00:09:00] that is required when you, the clinician, can’t be there. That’s what we need to do. [00:09:05] And so it also acts as a massive threat, if I’m honest with you, to the [00:09:10] industry. Um, and a perfect example of this is in Japan, right? Um, [00:09:15] or power toothbrush penetration in Japan is 24%, but [00:09:20] a huge category objectives for people going into the category, buying one and then trading out because the product [00:09:25] doesn’t deliver any benefit.

Andrew Bower: So it doesn’t deliver the clinical benefit. It doesn’t have the clinical experience. [00:09:30] So people just think, yeah, this is rubbish. And then bin it and go back to the manual brushing. What [00:09:35] they haven’t done is brought into the category, the clinically proven product that has got the evidence behind it, [00:09:40] which is going to actually remove the plaque that it says it’s going to do and help you remove the plaque where you [00:09:45] need to. And this is a big challenge because the more we see this, we’re going to see more category rejectors and [00:09:50] therefore people not believing in the benefit of power over manual and [00:09:55] with with. Power being still, you [00:10:00] know, still at 30%. So Underpenetrated, you know, we have a job to do to ensure [00:10:05] that people trade into the category at the right level and ensure that they learn how to use the device [00:10:10] properly, ensuring that it delivers a clinical efficacy for [00:10:15] what you want to achieve. And that’s why, you know, my role globally is to drive relationships with dental [00:10:20] professionals to ensure that they understand our story and actually understand how it can help them in the care they’re providing [00:10:25] to their patients. But it is a huge risk.

Payman Langroudi: What’s the biggest difference between British dentists [00:10:30] and other dentists? I mean, what, what, what comes to mind? Because, [00:10:35] you know, you obviously you guys are connecting to dentists all over the world.

Andrew Bower: I think [00:10:40] let me start with the consumer. Come to the dentist. Right? If I think about the consumer, the individual reactive. [00:10:45] Reactive versus preventive is [00:10:50] the key is the key distinction across the globe. I think we actually have a very, [00:10:55] very mature oral health system in the UK. When I compare it to many, many other regions, [00:11:00] we go regularly, we go for Check-ups, we go for prevention. I go to China, you [00:11:05] go when you’ve got a pain and where do you go? You go to the public hospital and they deal with it. [00:11:10] So I think the attitude of [00:11:15] people and consumers differs tremendously, therefore has a knock on effect to the [00:11:20] to the clinical side of things. Um, and many [00:11:25] are about fixing a problem. Get in, get out, fix the problem. It’s not necessarily about [00:11:30] patient care. I think what you see in the UK is far more patient care orientated kind [00:11:35] of system that supports people when they’re in the practice, but also when they’re at [00:11:40] home and helping them on their patient plans. Whereas in many parts of the world that still doesn’t exist. [00:11:45]

Payman Langroudi: So where where would you rank the UK? Near the top?

Andrew Bower: Yeah, near the top. I think UK [00:11:50] is pretty high. The US is pretty high. We’ve got we’ve got the discrepancy, [00:11:55] you know, and societal gaps in the US that we have to challenge. And how do we make sure people get access [00:12:00] to care. We don’t have that as much in the UK. Um but it’s certainly up there. And I [00:12:05] think what we’re seeing is that pushing the boundaries of dentistry, I think, [00:12:10] you know, what I was doing, for example, around systemic health is really pioneering. And [00:12:15] I think it’s really interesting to see where that will take us.

Payman Langroudi: So that question, what we saw with Prof [00:12:20] Chappell yesterday, the question of the mouth body connection does do you guys [00:12:25] spend time on that?

Andrew Bower: We’re obviously monitoring it [00:12:30] very closely. Right. Um, and I think there’s increasingly evidence across the globe. [00:12:35] And professor, Professor Chapman obviously is the oracle of this. And you know, we speak to many, many key opinion leaders [00:12:40] across the globe on this topic. The evidence is becoming stronger and stronger. The question [00:12:45] is, what do you do with that? Right. So if you get an early sign of diabetes, for example, [00:12:50] what do you do? Go and do with that. And where do you go. And does that need to be at the consumer’s home [00:12:55] or can it be in in the practice? So there’s a real discussion about where that should take place. [00:13:00] And then how do you integrate that into the ultimately care pathway that bridges both [00:13:05] your general practice and your, and your clinical and your, your dentistry? So [00:13:10] I think we believe in it. I think, I think what it does for us [00:13:15] comes back to that apathy point. I hope it also brings greater awareness to oral oral [00:13:20] health and that we all need to invest more time in it. So I see it also [00:13:25] as a great catalyst for consumers to be more engaged, [00:13:30] and I hope that it has that effect. And then from a clinical care pathway perspective, [00:13:35] I’m really excited to see how that comes together. Right? You know, blood tests and dental practices, etc., etc., [00:13:40] how it comes together. But from a consumer, I hope it wakes people up.

Payman Langroudi: So you reckon by by [00:13:45] 2040, your daily brushing routine will give [00:13:50] you diagnostics because of saliva testing through the brush, something like that. I mean, [00:13:55] what can you tell us?

Andrew Bower: I’m not going to go too far. It could potentially. Um, [00:14:00] but I think there’s a real question like I say, where that takes place. Is it, is it, is it useful to you to get a diagnostic [00:14:05] on a Monday morning at 630 on your way to the office? No, wait a minute. Something’s changed since yesterday. [00:14:10] And what’s the urgency of that versus what’s the role that will play in [00:14:15] the clinical setting? You know, so I think let’s think about, you know, algorithmic hygiene. Hygiene [00:14:20] is twice a year, maybe three times. And I have half an hour with them. What a great opportunity [00:14:25] for primary health, you know, both physical and mental and have them have that check [00:14:30] up. Do I need that on a daily basis? I don’t know.

Payman Langroudi: But are you not working on like maybe an [00:14:35] oral version of those bands that people wear? Surely. I mean, if [00:14:40] there was going to be some sort of diagnostic information that you can [00:14:45] get from the mouth.

Andrew Bower: I think there will be diagnostic information from the mouth that you can get. Absolutely. [00:14:50] I think you look at saliva, you look at gas, etc.. I’m excited to see where the industry takes it, but I think one thing’s measuring [00:14:55] it. The other thing is turning it into actionable insights. You know, I think we’ve seen from we’ll go back [00:15:00] to the IoT discussion about raising data. Data gives you visibility. [00:15:05] Visibility drives action. So actually what we’re doing here is trying to create the invisible [00:15:10] visible for people. Right? And if that can happen, then we can drive behavioural change. [00:15:15] And I think that you’ve got to have that motivational driver to drive that behavioural [00:15:20] change. And that’s where data continues to be a positive reassurance to do that. [00:15:25] Um, do I foresee in mouth monitoring potentially. Um, again, [00:15:30] I think we’ve got to be very clear where that should take place and where it shouldn’t.

Payman Langroudi: If [00:15:35] you were a betting man, how long will it be before dentists [00:15:40] are replaced by robots?

Andrew Bower: I don’t think they ever will be. I don’t think they ever will be. [00:15:45] I think I don’t think they will be. I think I’ll tell you why. Because it’s actually about care. People [00:15:50] care what I think robotics AI technology will do [00:15:55] will give clinicians more time, more time to be with their patients, to understand them. [00:16:00] And I think the role of dentists will broaden to be more holistic health [00:16:05] than just necessarily just looking at teeth perspective, maybe total oral health. [00:16:10] But I don’t think it will be replaced by robotics. I think robotics will enhance the workflow. [00:16:15]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. So a bit like, you know, like Waymo, a self-driving car.

Andrew Bower: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: There’s [00:16:20] still a driver. There’s one driver driving 60 cars. Maybe that.

Andrew Bower: Maybe, [00:16:25] maybe, maybe.

Payman Langroudi: One dentist treating 60 patients.

Andrew Bower: You know, we’re human beings and we want care [00:16:30] and we want a human interaction for that care. I think technology will enhance the care [00:16:35] we get won’t replace it.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, but I mean, for instance, it doesn’t [00:16:40] have to be a dentist. It could be a TCO, a human, certainly. [00:16:45]

Andrew Bower: Potentially. Potentially. Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: So you’ve worked [00:16:50] across other categories. What are examples that, you know, Philips categories, things [00:16:55] that you guys have achieved that now you’re bringing over to oral care, like which other category would you [00:17:00] spent the most time?

Andrew Bower: I spent a lot of time in women’s health and I spent a lot of time in, uh, what [00:17:05] we call our mother and child care account, uh, supporting, uh, people, [00:17:10] having families. There’s two aspects to this. There’s a commercial aspect, and there’s kind [00:17:15] of the behavioural, the lifestyle aspect, right? I think one thing we’ve done, we built [00:17:20] the world’s leading pregnancy app. You know, we have 7 million pregnant women on it every day looking [00:17:25] for guidance and education. And what we’ve done there is to really build clinical [00:17:30] insight into a communication style that’s really easily understandable. [00:17:35] So we talked about the reading age of a 7 or 8 year old, and it makes it highly digestible for [00:17:40] everybody. And actually, who we want to get that education to is probably the underserved community, [00:17:45] the people who aren’t as well educated. And so it’s been a hugely successful to [00:17:50] demonstrate better education, which then leads to better care, right? And it’s obvious for well-educated [00:17:55] people. But if you talk to well, it was in those days, NHS England and we’re saying, how do [00:18:00] you get people to stop smoking when they’re pregnant in Liverpool? It’s a very specific target audience that you’re targeting. [00:18:05] And so I think access to education and [00:18:10] care is something that we’ve really doubled down on, and ensuring that products become [00:18:15] more personalised to your to your needs across the board.

Andrew Bower: So childcare, [00:18:20] we did an awful lot of research on flex for babies and drinking and [00:18:25] understanding that process. So I think it’s kind of education adoption is to products [00:18:30] and then making it more accessible. So yesterday we spoke briefly [00:18:35] and we’re talking about the Affordable Care Act in North America, which Obama brought in. Right. [00:18:40] And he very clearly said every new mother should have entitled to a breast, a breast [00:18:45] pump, because breast milk is the most important thing you can give to your baby and put the insurance codes [00:18:50] in place to enable that to happen. Right. I would love us to have a dialogue about how do [00:18:55] you unlock insurance codes on a national level to oral care. So it’s not the expense [00:19:00] that’s coming out of your individual pocket, but it’s something that’s supported by legislation [00:19:05] to make it more accessible. And I think it’s that change in [00:19:10] the narrative and the dialogue that we need to have to make oral health care more accessible. Bringing this conversation [00:19:15] to ensure people get the best care every day.

Payman Langroudi: So in your [00:19:20] time, you’ve worked at other companies or has your whole career been.

Andrew Bower: No, no, I have worked at other companies. [00:19:25]

Payman Langroudi: But what, 20 years at Philips?

Andrew Bower: I’ve been 20 years at Philips. I started here in the UK, I’ve worked in Asia, I’ve worked in the Netherlands. [00:19:30] I’ve been around the world. Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: How important is oral care to Philips? Like what? [00:19:35] What percentage of its business is it?

Andrew Bower: It’s a it’s a. So if you think about [00:19:40] Philips, we have health systems on a personal health business. Our personal health business is significantly important for us. Um, [00:19:45] I’m sure you can Google our, our financial projections. [00:19:50]

Payman Langroudi: I don’t mean financially, but do you see that as the growth part.

Andrew Bower: It’s a great growth path. [00:19:55] Like we talk about consumers. We want to serve people. We want to help. Right. [00:20:00] Our ambition is to serve over 250 million people every day with [00:20:05] better oral health care. And how do we do that? Primarily with power toothbrushes. We also [00:20:10] do a lot of interdental care, and we also do whitening solutions. But ultimately, it’s critically [00:20:15] important because it links back to that systemic health story, right? Which [00:20:20] which we also actively invested on an enterprise level in a, in a health system, in [00:20:25] a hospital environment. Um, and so why [00:20:30] we have a consumer division in. Phillips is about prevention [00:20:35] and driving behavioural change for better health outcomes. So the businesses [00:20:40] that we have and we’ve kept hold of are still wholly focussed on that.

Payman Langroudi: And [00:20:45] how do you guys think about research? Do you outsource research and do [00:20:50] it in-house, or do you do it all in-house?

Andrew Bower: We we do a lot in-house. [00:20:55] We have a huge we have a great advanced development team, but we also work with a lot of clinical partners. [00:21:00] You know, um, for us, it’s absolutely critical that we have leading [00:21:05] opinions and cutting edge research from across the globe. You know, [00:21:10] um, Professor Chapel’s a great friend of ours, but we also have friends in every corner of the world. [00:21:15] And it’s really important for us to understand what’s happening in different corners of the world from [00:21:20] a research, um, but also from a beliefs perspective, right. And that [00:21:25] that informs us on our innovation process. The voice of the [00:21:30] clinician is absolutely critical in everything we do. So we’ll have them around the table [00:21:35] at our earliest concept stage of ideas, and we’ll go all the way through to clinical validation with [00:21:40] them to help us ensure that we deliver products that deliver what they should do on the [00:21:45] tin.

Payman Langroudi: But you told me that you’ve got research centres across the globe. What three?

Andrew Bower: Yeah, [00:21:50] we’ve got 3 or 4. Yeah, we’ve got four.

Payman Langroudi: And they work across categories.

Andrew Bower: No. These are all dedicated to oral [00:21:55] health care.

Payman Langroudi: Oh really? Three just for oral care. So do they work in conjunction with each other? [00:22:00]

Andrew Bower: Absolutely. And we have experts specialist expertise in different ones for different topics. [00:22:05]

Payman Langroudi: So what would you say is the biggest breakthrough for ellipses has come out with Philips. [00:22:10]

Andrew Bower: I’ll talk about oral health in this context rather than Philips. I think.

Payman Langroudi: So. I mean [00:22:15] in oral health.

Andrew Bower: In oral health, I think the big steps that change that we’re doing, have done, and you can see it now [00:22:20] is the connectivity that we brought to toothbrushes. Why was that so important? [00:22:25] We did it for kids and we did it for adults. For kids. We have [00:22:30] a character, sparkly, etc. who brushes your teeth with you, educates you, [00:22:35] and drives adherence to brushing two minutes a day.

Payman Langroudi: It’s on an.

Andrew Bower: App. It’s on an app.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Andrew Bower: Really, [00:22:40] really important. And we see child adoption to brushing significantly [00:22:45] increasing. Sparkly. Goes to bed, goes on holiday. Sparkly cleans your teeth. The whole narrative [00:22:50] around it. And then we put connectivity into into adult toothbrushes. And we saw adherence again [00:22:55] to brushing significantly step up. You know, I think it’s I think it’s 80% of people [00:23:00] in the app brush for two minutes, twice a day, which doesn’t sound much, but most people just brush for 60s. [00:23:05] Right? And so it’s an example of behavioural change [00:23:10] and that connectivity allowing you to do that. It also teaches you where the brush is and how [00:23:15] to brush in the mouth. You can see where it is on the app, etc., etc.. Which again are you covering blind spots, [00:23:20] are you not? So I think what we’re trying to do is continuously bring innovation [00:23:25] that drives personalised care. It helps you understand where you’ve got [00:23:30] spots that you need to clean, where you should clean a bit more, where you should invest more time, and that will help [00:23:35] ultimately drive better outcomes.

Payman Langroudi: Does that connect to the dentist as well?

Andrew Bower: No, not at this stage. [00:23:40] We have looked at it, we’ve looked at it, we’ve looked at connecting to the dentist. What are we going to be careful? [00:23:45] And this is also from my previous roles because you get into the telehealth discussion and remote patient [00:23:50] monitoring. We don’t want to add burden to the care pathway of the clinician. [00:23:55] We want to help them effectively. And in dentistry, [00:24:00] and we’re certainly in developed markets, we’re proactively going, um, we’re [00:24:05] not. Maybe it is a specific case you want to keep an eye on, but we haven’t seen the pull [00:24:10] from the clinical world to actually have that at the minute from [00:24:15] a, from a teledentistry perspective. And there’s many, many players out there, as you know, who have explored [00:24:20] it, but none have driven to mass adoption. So for us, we very much focus on that [00:24:25] personalisation.

Payman Langroudi: Would you say there’s even mass adoption of the app?

Andrew Bower: I think, um. [00:24:30]

Payman Langroudi: I expect most people just take the brush out and brush with it.

Andrew Bower: No, they do, they do. I think so. [00:24:35] It’s obviously a certain demographic. You want it and it’s a higher demographic who are using it. And I think the adoption [00:24:40] rates, I’ll be speculating, it’s 5,060% of [00:24:45] the app and continued usage up to a year. So it’s, you know, we are seeing people engaging. [00:24:50]

Payman Langroudi: How do you guys look at positioning? Because I don’t know, correct [00:24:55] me if I’m wrong. I think Philip’s stuff is positioned sort of at the top of the market. So [00:25:00] do you ever there must be someone somewhere always telling you, why don’t you bring out a cheaper [00:25:05] toothbrush?

Andrew Bower: Look, I think if you think about our mission as a Sonicare, it [00:25:10] might sound a bit. We want to democratise oral health. What do we mean by that? We want to [00:25:15] show that every person has access to a quality product that delivers clinical [00:25:20] efficacy and does a deep clean, and we believe we can offer that. We are positioned. [00:25:25] We do have a premium brand positioning. However, you know, we have price points [00:25:30] from £30 all the way through which deliver clinical outcomes. So [00:25:35] there is this narrative that we are too expensive. But actually we [00:25:40] spent the last couple of years revamping our entry portfolio, our portfolio to make [00:25:45] it more accessible because we know it has to be to appeal to more people. And we need to break that [00:25:50] apathy again of getting into people’s hands.

Payman Langroudi: But I mean, part of it is the premium positioning [00:25:55] as well, right?

Andrew Bower: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: You can’t be all things to all people.

Andrew Bower: You can’t. But I think you [00:26:00] can drive an object of desire. Right. And that’s what we talk about where you do create an object of desire. We think we do anyway. [00:26:05] And it seems to test pretty well with consumers. So we want to be an aspiration, but we want people [00:26:10] to be able to have accessibility to it. We’re not in a market of just serving [00:26:15] the premium consumer. You know, we’re in a market of democratising oral [00:26:20] health for everybody, and that makes it we’ve got to make it accessible for everybody, and that sits on our shoulders to make [00:26:25] sure we can do that.

Payman Langroudi: I want to get more onto your personal [00:26:30] journey of how how did you get to this point? Why did you move to oral care? Or did [00:26:35] they move you to oral care? How does it work?

Andrew Bower: How does it work? No, I did [00:26:40] a similar role for, like I said, Women’s Health Division before I [00:26:45] took this role. And what attracted me to oral [00:26:50] health is, is the systemic health link. You know, the bigger health implications, [00:26:55] you know, that it could play. And they asked me if I was generally interested in taking this opportunity [00:27:00] and also looking at how we change the relationship that we drive with clinicians across the globe, which [00:27:05] I think is a really nice challenge to look at because the motivational [00:27:10] drivers of them is tremendously different depending where I look. You know, I speak [00:27:15] to dentists and where they exist, hygienists, because that’s not everywhere wherever [00:27:20] I go. And it’s really interesting to learn their preconceptions now. So [00:27:25] I’m in a I’m in a dental office in China and I’m talking to the dentist. And the first question I ask them, are [00:27:30] you using a Sonicare? Now I use a manual. Why? Because I can do good. I can do a good enough job. [00:27:35] Okay. What about the literature? Mhm. So there’s some grassroots [00:27:40] education also within the industry that we need to break, break [00:27:45] through to, to. To get them to support [00:27:50] our mission effectively. Um, and yeah, so why [00:27:55] I took that role was actually because I think the challenge is fantastic. And there’s a great opportunity [00:28:00] and there’s such an underserved population out there that we can do something, something about. And that’s [00:28:05] what I get excited about.

Payman Langroudi: What comes to mind if I ask you what’s been the darkest day [00:28:10] on your journey.

Andrew Bower: Professionally or personally?

Payman Langroudi: Professionally?

Andrew Bower: Look, [00:28:15] I think professionally in the world that I’m in.

Payman Langroudi: Sometimes it’s mixed, isn’t it? Yeah. [00:28:20]

Andrew Bower: It is, it is. And I’ll be honest with you, one leads to another. You know, if you get it wrong professionally, [00:28:25] it does have a personal impact on you. Um, darkest [00:28:30] time of my journey is when I’ve launched, I went, I launched the world’s first medical grade [00:28:35] parenting app, parenting, parenting app. So I wanted to drive data [00:28:40] on newborn children to help parents have a voice. And it didn’t [00:28:45] resonate as much as we thought it would. And that’s a bit upsetting, right?

Payman Langroudi: I’ve been, I’ve been [00:28:50] there.

Andrew Bower: It’s like you’re a corporate venturing, as you say, and it was a corporate venture and I was leading this corporate venture [00:28:55] and it didn’t resonate. And then you had to pull the plug and you’re like, there’s a tough love [00:29:00] that, you know, the element of actually accepting. We can’t afford to keep investing in [00:29:05] this. It’s a good idea. Are we too soon? The best answer is it’s too soon. Because then you [00:29:10] can say, oh, we’ll come back to it later. But no, but actually the market has to be right. And [00:29:15] if.

Payman Langroudi: You’re not, if you’re not failing, you’re not trying.

Andrew Bower: You’re not.

Payman Langroudi: Learning, you’re not, you’re not trying enough stuff. But [00:29:20] I think in corporate, sometimes everyone’s trying to sort of protect their own job. And so [00:29:25] trying stuff is quite hard.

Andrew Bower: I think, um, being I like the term [00:29:30] entrepreneurial, you know, you need people who are speedboats in oil tankers to try and drive change. [00:29:35] Um, and that’s what we try and do to try and get ahead of the curve. And that takes [00:29:40] a healthy aspect of, um, risk, but [00:29:45] calculated risk about what are the parameters you’re going [00:29:50] to work with and what not. And being very honest about when it’s working and when it’s not and when you’re going [00:29:55] to pass the scale. Right. Um, I was running a venture in India before I took this [00:30:00] role, which was really supporting women with PCOS. And [00:30:05] the goal there was. We suddenly realised the whole [00:30:10] glue to the proposition was actually about personal connection and actually [00:30:15] building a community of people who are suffering the same condition. And yes, we’re offering we’re offering nutrition [00:30:20] plans, lifestyle coaching, yoga classes. We do a whole behaviour [00:30:25] change and we actually realise it’s about human connection. So how do we how can we dial that up to help people? [00:30:30] Um, so yeah, it’s um, but that’s healthy experiment and [00:30:35] allowing the space to test that and protecting teams to do it. And I think that’s the art [00:30:40] in corporates about how do you protect a team to try something. Yeah. And then if it works, [00:30:45] how does it scale?

Payman Langroudi: Certainly some some some corporates manage. Right. [00:30:50] They do.

Andrew Bower: They do. And you know many corporates are successful in this. But you’ve got to get that balance right.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. [00:30:55]

Andrew Bower: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: What about the opposite. What comes to mind if I say what was the best day.

Andrew Bower: The best day. Oh [00:31:00] many, many good days. I think on the opposite side, you launch a product or service that’s [00:31:05] certainly has huge market reaction. And people, it generally improves their day to day [00:31:10] experience, their great days. And then it’s actually really nice then to do that time and [00:31:15] spend the time with the consumer and the customer having dialogues, talking about it. What’s working? What [00:31:20] can you enhance, what you can improve? But people are generally excited to help you. So the best days are when people [00:31:25] are kind of on the idea, the building and co-creating with you.

Payman Langroudi: But [00:31:30] specifically one of these apps.

Andrew Bower: Apps or one of the devices [00:31:35] or services that we bring. Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: What about if I ask you, what’s your biggest mistake that you’ve made [00:31:40] in your career?

Andrew Bower: Mm. Biggest mistake. Um [00:31:45] biggest mistake. It’s [00:31:50] a hard one. I think I’ve launched I’ve [00:31:55] launched things that weren’t ready. And what I mean by that, I’ve put a product out there that I wasn’t happy with [00:32:00] or a service that I wasn’t happy with. And deep down, I probably knew it. And [00:32:05] there was an element you’ve got to listen to your gut.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Andrew Bower: And you’ve got to listen to that gut and act on that gut. And [00:32:10] if you don’t, there’s something, there’s something wrong. So I think as you as you continue in your career, I [00:32:15] think the voice of the voice of your gut becomes a bit stronger with your experiences, and you shouldn’t ignore it because [00:32:20] it actually tells you an awful lot about is this good or is it bad?

Payman Langroudi: So [00:32:25] you don’t want to go into exactly what it was.

Andrew Bower: Sorry.

Payman Langroudi: You want to go into exactly what it was? That’s [00:32:30] a no no. We [00:32:35] could all take it. Okay. Now going forwards. [00:32:40]

Andrew Bower: 2040 back to 2040.

Payman Langroudi: Back to 2040.

Andrew Bower: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: I mean, you [00:32:45] told me there’s many things you guys are thinking. There’s some things you can’t talk about.

Andrew Bower: Exactly. [00:32:50]

Payman Langroudi: What can you talk about?

Andrew Bower: Look, I think we can talk about I think we can the key consumer [00:32:55] trends. And we’re going to see consumer clinical trends, right? There’s no doubt we’re [00:33:00] seeing from a consumer perspective that there’s different motivational drivers towards oral care, [00:33:05] right? There’s the element of I just want to clean my teeth, get on with it. Element [00:33:10] of I want a healthy body. There’s an element of I want to look beautiful. And [00:33:15] so you’ve seen different motivational drivers, and I think you see the industry shifting a little bit towards that, you know, [00:33:20] self-confidence, mental health all plays a role and also connects to the oral [00:33:25] health experience. And what we offer, you know, you’re, you’re in a world of whitening as [00:33:30] well. You know, you whiten your teeth, you look after them, but you’ve got to have strong foundations to be able to whiten them. [00:33:35] Right. And I think we’re going to see, and things like that really [00:33:40] drive active interest in it. So I think what we’re going to see, certainly from consumer [00:33:45] side, different different motivational drivers and people and therefore people investing in oral health for different [00:33:50] reasons. We talk a lot about systemic health.

Andrew Bower: Some people don’t care about that if we’re honest about it. Some of [00:33:55] us just want good white teeth to look beautiful. Yeah, yeah. And so I think the motivational drivers [00:34:00] are different. And I think it’s really important that we recognise that because we’re ultimately driving the [00:34:05] same outcome, health benefits. But the path to it is different. [00:34:10] I think then, like I said, from the initial perspective, we can see great [00:34:15] integration. I think we’re going to see far more better integration. I think, you know, total [00:34:20] health health, health clinics is going to continue to explode. [00:34:25] I expect we’re already seeing it here, right? We’re going to see it [00:34:30] in the US. And I think we’re going to see far more patient record integration. [00:34:35] You know, if you think about things like epic are doing in the US and really trying to connect the data or enabling us to connect [00:34:40] the data points, that’s going to see a profound shift in the system. And [00:34:45] I’m excited to see where that goes because there’s going to be a conversion, right? When does general practice [00:34:50] singularity come together as one, right, as the total wellness place? Yeah. Um, [00:34:55] yeah.

Payman Langroudi: So what was the thing that surprised you the most [00:35:00] about dentists, dental practices, the dental sector? When [00:35:05] you came to us?

Andrew Bower: When I came into it. Again, [00:35:10] different things for different reasons, right? Yeah. I think [00:35:15] people in the industry, I, I was quite surprised by the entrepreneurial [00:35:20] spirit in the dentist world, if I’m honest with you. I’ve met a lot of entrepreneurs, you know, there’s [00:35:25] a lot of entrepreneurs, people who want to drive the clinical medical, but also want to run a business. And [00:35:30] looking at that, that surprised me. Um, and therefore is a knock on effect. I was quite [00:35:35] surprised by the commercial aspect in some regions and certainly in North America, you know, discussions [00:35:40] we’re having with practice managers, practice owners, how do you scale the revenue, etc.. That’s surprising me a little bit. [00:35:45] And what also surprised me was when I went more to Asia, the [00:35:50] lack of investment in oral health, you know, I everyone takes [00:35:55] good care of their teeth, right? And I’m a clinician and I can’t stand their breath. There’s something going on [00:36:00] here, right? Like, why is that? And I’m like, why, why are we [00:36:05] so much more developed here in the West? And certainly kind of Western Europe and North America than we are [00:36:10] in China. Japan when it comes to oral health. What’s the underlying cause for that? That completely surprised me. And [00:36:15] I wonder, and this is a complete hypothesis, right? Is it truly about the clinical research [00:36:20] that we’ve done there versus here and the acceptance of clinical research? I don’t know. Um, [00:36:25] but that really shocked me. It really shocked me when I came into the category.

Payman Langroudi: Interesting. [00:36:30] I mean, I remember during Covid, some of the, [00:36:35] when you say businessmen, the people that even [00:36:40] a single practice owner, some of the resourcefulness that people showed at that time, [00:36:45] you know, getting, getting their team on board, communicating with their patients, all the PPE [00:36:50] stuff, when really we didn’t know what was going to happen. No one knew what was going [00:36:55] to happen. Some people, I remember thinking, what the hell is going to happen to our whole business [00:37:00] at that same time? There were people investing heavily, building out, [00:37:05] adding extra surgeries, you know, Confident in the idea that things [00:37:10] will get back to normal again. And as a profession, I think, you know, I [00:37:15] think we’re lucky in one sense that in in an uptime, [00:37:20] we do quite well.

Andrew Bower: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: But in a recession we do quite well.

Andrew Bower: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: And [00:37:25] there aren’t many businesses like that.

Andrew Bower: There isn’t. And there is the, the capital, shall [00:37:30] we say, play in Covid where, you know, it’s a time to invest when the market’s down, right? Yeah, yeah. [00:37:35] Down people to invest. So if you’re selling, people are doing that. But I agree with you. It is relatively [00:37:40] robust shall we say. Um, I think we’re seeing increased consolidation [00:37:45] across the board. And, and I think why I think we’re seeing that [00:37:50] is due to the administration side of things, right. Administration doesn’t get [00:37:55] easier. It gets more intense. And how can I offload that to focus on my practice [00:38:00] and the care I provide?

Payman Langroudi: I think when you deal with Bupa [00:38:05] As as a group. And then when you deal with other groups, you see [00:38:10] how differently people manage their businesses completely. And by the way, every [00:38:15] single practice, I must have visited a thousand practices. Each one is very different where [00:38:20] you’d imagine everything’s very similar. Um, and at this conference, I’ve noticed [00:38:25] and you guys really massive kudos to Bupa that I find it difficult [00:38:30] getting culture over to our 35 people.

Andrew Bower: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: And you guys are 8000 [00:38:35] people and you’ve got the same sort of feeling, nice feeling [00:38:40] in the atmosphere of this conference. How do you guys deal with culture? What is [00:38:45] it to be working at Philips? What’s the difference between working at Philips and working somewhere else? [00:38:50]

Andrew Bower: It sounds it’s all about purpose. You know, every person you speak to at Philips is about the purpose, [00:38:55] and the purpose is about improving lives. And yes, it is a a big corporate enterprise. [00:39:00] And we play in every corner of the world. But everyone is motivated to drive positive [00:39:05] outcomes for either patients or consumers and clinicians. And [00:39:10] that purpose is what drives, drives us and being very single minded on that. Um, that’s [00:39:15] the rallying message. And I think that’s been.

Payman Langroudi: Practically how do you do it? I mean.

Andrew Bower: Oh, practically. [00:39:20]

Payman Langroudi: You’ve got an office in Jakarta and you want to change something. How do [00:39:25] you get that story through so many people, how.

Andrew Bower: We do things like this, right. We do things like this conference. Yeah, yeah. You know, [00:39:30] we bring people from around the globe together. We bring them together twice a year. We talk about what’s coming, [00:39:35] what’s working, what are we going to do next? And we’ve got, since Covid, [00:39:40] shall we say, incredibly good at doing all of that virtually. Yeah. You know, we have big regional hubs. We will [00:39:45] do a big event like this. We’ll bring people in. We’ll also do big watch parties, you know, and we’ll try and drive that [00:39:50] message. And then we’ll repeat that message every time we travel and we’re in there and we’ll host something to do [00:39:55] the same thing. But repetition is key, and creating a sense of belonging [00:40:00] is absolutely key. You know, you’ve got a sense of purpose, you’ve got a sense of belonging, and you feel empowered to do your work. [00:40:05] People are very loyal and people want to achieve good things. And that’s absolutely critical [00:40:10] for driving, shall we say, engagement and driving successful outcomes, both clinically [00:40:15] but also financially.

Payman Langroudi: How have you guys implemented AI in the business so [00:40:20] far? Do you see it as being much bigger thing going [00:40:25] forward?

Andrew Bower: I think AI is going to revolutionise everything we do. I think [00:40:30] we will lead with people, will drive process with AI, and [00:40:35] we are continuously looking at user cases and piloting [00:40:40] across the business, whether that’s supply chain, whether that’s R&D, whether [00:40:45] that’s marketing, whether that’s Dental. Ai is adopted everywhere, [00:40:50] and we are on a absolute mantra to get everybody [00:40:55] using AI every day to ensure that they can drive efficiencies. I [00:41:00] think, And I. And I think it’s going to truly help. I think [00:41:05] the one thing that we’re not talking about AI is the rising cost of AI. You know.

Payman Langroudi: The token [00:41:10] cost.

Andrew Bower: Yeah, the token cost, the token cost is incredibly, incredibly low. But it’s a big business [00:41:15] risk, right? That will go up. The more we get addicted, the more it’s going to go up. So it’s something we [00:41:20] have to plan for. You know, as we look at risk profiling as a business that actually the cost of AI [00:41:25] is going to is going to tremendously increase as we we continue then. [00:41:30]

Payman Langroudi: Have you had a frank conversation about job losses at Philips [00:41:35] because of AI?

Andrew Bower: Um. We. [00:41:40] The job losses, [00:41:45] productivity, as we would call it, productivity. Yes [00:41:50] and no. Right. Have we got to the stage yet where we think AI is replacing [00:41:55] people? No. Do we think we can make people more efficient? Yes. Could that lead to productivity [00:42:00] in the long term potentially, or it means the repurposing of people where we are. You know, I [00:42:05] take my my example, right? We’ve got a, you know, a workforce [00:42:10] in the US who visiting dentists every day. And I’ve also got a big workforce [00:42:15] who sat in a central office in Nashville who are answering customer calls. Yeah. Do I [00:42:20] believe that we can enhance that customer experience and that 100% [00:42:25] with AI? Do I think we could use that workforce 100%? Can I reapply that into [00:42:30] the field 100%? I want to focus on building relationships and automate everything [00:42:35] else we can do. To me. I see it more as repurpose and focus [00:42:40] on the people and then optimise where we can with with automation.

Payman Langroudi: It’s a good way [00:42:45] of looking at it, but but at the same time, you know, the two things must go together. If you can increase [00:42:50] productivity with fewer people, then there [00:42:55] must be a conversation, which I don’t hear the conversation very much at all anywhere.

Andrew Bower: No, it’s interesting.

Payman Langroudi: What happens when [00:43:00] people lose their jobs.

Andrew Bower: Yeah, I think I think.

Payman Langroudi: Not only to them, what happens to all of us. [00:43:05]

Andrew Bower: Happens to all of us. No, I fully.

Payman Langroudi: Agree with toothbrushes.

Andrew Bower: I fully agree with you. And I think to me, the question is, is it about people losing jobs or [00:43:10] can you drive? Exponential growth in the business.

Payman Langroudi: Continued across the board?

Andrew Bower: No. Or can you drive that? [00:43:15] Can that can I help us drive step change to growth of the business that allows us to continuously invest in people? [00:43:20]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, yeah. Very interesting. It’s been a massive pleasure.

Andrew Bower: To have you. [00:43:25]

Payman Langroudi: If there’s any questions, the QR code and I’ll read [00:43:30] out some of my favourites. Has anyone got any questions. Oh there are. What [00:43:35] is your ultimate [00:43:40] day look like. Oh personal or professional.

Andrew Bower: Oh my ultimate day. [00:43:45] Ultimate day. Get up, get up at six. Jim. Jim by 630 in the office by 830. [00:43:50]

Payman Langroudi: Do you do that? Anyway?

Andrew Bower: I do that three times a week in the office. 830 If I’m in [00:43:55] the office, ideally speaking to a customer or a consumer first thing, either [00:44:00] connect or go and visit one. Come back. Then, with the team reviewing [00:44:05] whatever projects we have going on, and then ideally spend a bit [00:44:10] of time at the end of the day, uh, reading consumer or clinical verbatims [00:44:15] of what’s happening.

Payman Langroudi: Are [00:44:20] you going to fight to zoom versus enlighten? I like that. Yeah.

Speaker 5: Yeah, that’s a great one.

Payman Langroudi: Anonymous question. [00:44:25] Everyone [00:44:30] talks about AI and 3D printing, [00:44:35] but what’s on trend in dentistry for 2040 that you think is totally overhyped right now? What a. [00:44:40]

Andrew Bower: Brilliant.

Payman Langroudi: Brilliant, brilliant question.

Andrew Bower: What’s overhyped? Brilliant [00:44:45] question, brilliant question. I [00:44:50] could argue systemic health.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, everyone’s [00:44:55] talking about it.

Andrew Bower: Talking about it. We’ve got a long way to go to it, right? Um, again, [00:45:00] you know, you’ve got to drive visibility. [00:45:05] Visibility creates a bias to action. And is it how deep does it [00:45:10] have to go to make people just care, take better care of themselves?

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. Another, [00:45:15] another mischievous one. What sets Sonicare apart from Oral-B? I don’t [00:45:20] need to answer.

Andrew Bower: Give me 30s for the pitch.

Payman Langroudi: Go for it, go [00:45:25] for it.

Andrew Bower: Look, I think our job is to drive manual to power conversion, right? We want people who are using a manual [00:45:30] toothbrush to use a Sonicare. And I believe Sonicare is an easier way to transition because you don’t have to [00:45:35] change your behaviour how you brush. So convert with Sonicare. Do you use a Sonicare?

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, I do.

Andrew Bower: Good. [00:45:40]

Payman Langroudi: I love.

Andrew Bower: It.

Payman Langroudi: No, I do, I do, I do. It’s my favourite.

Andrew Bower: Good. [00:45:45]

Payman Langroudi: I haven’t tried the incumbent. Sorry. The new the new insurgent that [00:45:50] everyone’s talking about. Interesting question. Philips is an $18 billion [00:45:55] global health tech. Org with heavy regulatory, safety and quality obligations [00:46:00] at smaller start ups don’t carry. How do you innovate at speed, especially when [00:46:05] clinicians increasingly want to trial new solutions quickly and start-ups can iterate in [00:46:10] days rather than quarters. What a brilliant question.

Andrew Bower: A brilliant question, and hit the nail on the head, right? How [00:46:15] do you drive agility in a corporate, in a corporate? And that’s actually one of the key challenges, right? Yeah. [00:46:20] We have to continuously look at how we drive that agility to keep up speed, but [00:46:25] nothing compromises on quality. And what I mean quality, I mean also [00:46:30] regulatory. And I also mean clinical efficacy. So we will only deliver products that [00:46:35] truly add a benefit. And that takes a little bit longer than me going to China buying a toothbrush and put it on the market. [00:46:40] I could do that tomorrow. I won’t do that. I’ll make sure that it works. Yeah. [00:46:45]

Payman Langroudi: But but the question still stands insomuch as how, how do you do, [00:46:50] how do you do agility across such a.

Andrew Bower: So I think for us Supertanker. Well, it comes back [00:46:55] to. Actually, it comes back to your first question. How far ahead do you think. Yeah. You think on a ten year horizon [00:47:00] it’s actually not about the agility of the day. It’s about actually predicting the future and making [00:47:05] sure you have your work streams in place to deliver on that, on a cadence that makes sense. And actually [00:47:10] looking at the business cadence of what you deliver is the key to beating that, because then it’s [00:47:15] sustainable and it’s replicable and builds off platforms which are critical for [00:47:20] delivering.

Payman Langroudi: Final question. Mark talks about legacy. [00:47:25]

Andrew Bower: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: What do you want your legacy to be in your time?

Andrew Bower: Um, [00:47:30] my legacy to be. That’s a good question. Yeah, I think. I [00:47:35] want my legacy to be [00:47:40] that we’ve managed to again, we’ve, I’ve significantly created products and services that [00:47:45] have improved patients and consumers lives. So if I can look back on my career and say, [00:47:50] actually, these devices or services made an impact to improve someone’s well-being [00:47:55] on a day to day basis. I’d be very happy.

Payman Langroudi: Final Dental [00:48:00] Leaders question. We tend to end with the fantasy dinner party. Three guests, [00:48:05] three guests. Dead or alive.

Andrew Bower: Ernest Shackleton.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Andrew Bower: Fantastic [00:48:10] leadership story and survival. Probably one of the greatest.

Payman Langroudi: Don’t [00:48:15] tell the audience. If someone.

Andrew Bower: Yeah, if you don’t know. He went. He went down to the South Pole, got stuck, spent [00:48:20] a winter trying to get out of there, then made a small boat, sailed it for another [00:48:25] few months across the Southern Ocean. Hit an island, hiked over an island, [00:48:30] came back a year later, and not one of his team members had died. Tremendous story. [00:48:35] I think Leonardo da Vinci. I think fabulous, creative, [00:48:40] but also engineer. I admire his engineering.

Payman Langroudi: Both sides.

Andrew Bower: Yeah. And I [00:48:45] admire his engineering more than his art, if I’m honest with you. I think absolute genius when it comes to engineering, [00:48:50] which is absolutely fascinating. And I’m just personally [00:48:55] interested in Nelson Mandela also from his leadership, leadership and [00:49:00] tenacity. How do you continue to keep going when the, shall [00:49:05] we say, the bricks or whatever is pretty low? Yeah. So yeah, I think it’d be quite a fun dinner. [00:49:10] Well, it might not be that fun, but it’d be really interesting doing a party.

Payman Langroudi: It’s been a pleasure [00:49:15] having you. Thank you.

Andrew Bower: For being.

Payman Langroudi: So.

Andrew Bower: Open. Thank you for being here. And to you for having me here. Thank you. Appreciate [00:49:20] it. It [00:49:25] was a bit of joining in there. I like that.

Andrew Bower: So now it’s time for the final session of the day. [00:49:30] I’m going to spend about 90 minutes taking you through everything that we’ve covered. No, seriously. [00:49:35] I’m just going to do a few wrap up comments just to finish the day before I do [00:49:40] that. I must do this now. Otherwise I will forget. I’ve got to take a selfie with the whole [00:49:45] audience. So come on, show some energy like you’re enjoying yourself. Brilliant. [00:49:50] That will be on Mark Alan Dental [00:49:55] on Instagram later. I’ve I’ve got 803 followers now, so I’m [00:50:00] doing quite well. Maybe I can get to 810 by the end of the the the day. So yeah, [00:50:05] just a few closing thoughts from me. Um, first of all, I want to say a massive [00:50:10] thank you to everyone who’s been involved in putting this incredible event together. Firstly, [00:50:15] our sponsors, you’ve seen their names all over the shop on the screen, you’ve seen their [00:50:20] videos, you’ve seen their stands. And none of this would be possible without the contribution that they [00:50:25] make. So a massive thank you to everyone who’s been involved from that perspective. Um, [00:50:30] ICC [00:50:35] Birmingham, I think it’s been a tremendous location. We’ve basically taken the whole place over [00:50:40] for two days. You’ve seen Dental health is live. You’ve seen Bupa dental care everywhere, but [00:50:45] the way the venues worked and the support we’ve had has also been amazing, as has the support we’ve had from [00:50:50] telex.

Andrew Bower: Who are the team you see buzzing around, miking us up and making sure everything runs to plan? [00:50:55] So thank you to both ICC Birmingham and Telex. And [00:51:00] the biggest thank [00:51:05] you is to the team of people who’ve put this together. We started the journey of doing [00:51:10] the second Dental Health is live conference about a year ago. So much earlier than the [00:51:15] last one. Um, the team have done an incredible job. If you saw how smoothly [00:51:20] the organisation has gone, um, the, the, what’s the right, the right [00:51:25] word, they just haven’t been demanding of, of any of our time. They’ve asked us for decisions when we’ve needed them. [00:51:30] They’ve given us everything we needed. I went on and on and on about the need for [00:51:35] a beating blue heart, wherever you can see it. And they managed to deliver that. Um, honestly, [00:51:40] the organisation has been incredible and the working party, you all know who you are [00:51:45] have been superb, but in particular, Christian and Vicky, who’ve been at the forefront [00:51:50] of everything, have done an unbelievable job of putting something like this together. It’s really hard to do. [00:51:55] So thank you so much for creating the experience. So [00:52:05] you’ve probably noticed over the last two days, pretty much everything has been put together and hangs [00:52:10] on this, this formula here, the four P’s, the new places rather than practices. [00:52:15]

Andrew Bower: And then we introduced this concept of, of as one, this incredible [00:52:20] opportunity that we’ve got with all of these unique assets that we have within the Bupa group that [00:52:25] make us different to all of our competitors. And the other thing that’s been really true, I think about [00:52:30] as one is even yesterday when I was on the stage, I still felt a bit like we were still talking about [00:52:35] Bupa like some other company. Um, but I feel like somehow in the last 24 hours that’s [00:52:40] evaporated and I genuinely feel like I’m in a room of people who either work with Bupa as clinicians [00:52:45] or work for Bupa as employees. And trust me, that is incredibly powerful [00:52:50] for us to be able to now move forward as one organisation, all pointing in the same direction, and then enabling [00:52:55] us to deliver that performance health that we’re looking to do, which, as we said yesterday, enables [00:53:00] us then to keep reinvesting in the business and keep moving forward and making sure that we can be at the forefront [00:53:05] of that 2040 picture that we just heard about. Um, I hope [00:53:10] you’ve all got over the shock of a bunch of dancers appearing at the start of yesterday. Um, I, [00:53:15] I’ve watched that video back about 30 times and it gave me real energy. Um, and if [00:53:20] you remember, when I came on, I talked about that piece that they did being about empowerment.

Andrew Bower: And we said over [00:53:25] these two days, our job with all of you is to try and harness the energy here and unlock [00:53:30] something special so that we can go and do amazing things together. Um, and I feel [00:53:35] like again, that’s been really harnessed and the energy, honestly, over the last two days has been absolutely [00:53:40] superb. I guess the thing with conferences like this is. [00:53:45] First of all, they do cost a lot of money. Secondly, they take a bit of time in organising. [00:53:50] There’s a massive sacrifice from all of you to be here. Clinicians not being in in [00:53:55] surgery, you not being in your practices. Um, I saw the trading results from yesterday [00:54:00] at 1040 this morning and I felt a little bit sick and a bit depressed. Um, [00:54:05] but this is a massive investment and it’s only worth doing if we move beyond [00:54:10] just having a really nice time for two days. But if we go back to our practices, to our support [00:54:15] centre, to our functions, and basically decide that we’re going to start doing things even better [00:54:20] tomorrow, we’re going to take the stuff that we’ve taken on board, the things that you’ve learned in the in the [00:54:25] clinical sessions or the, the other learning sessions, or just the messages that you’ve picked up or the conversations [00:54:30] that you’ve had.

Andrew Bower: We have to take that and then kick on again tomorrow. And it’s [00:54:35] not about doing loads more new things. It’s about taking the spirit of this conference [00:54:40] and integrating it into your to do lists and resolving to be even better and just fill those gaps, [00:54:45] particularly that piece around the leaky bucket. So please do take this and take [00:54:50] it back in with you. Um, tomorrow there is a dental health is live [00:54:55] um, toolkit in a box. I think that’s on its way to you that you can then go back and share [00:55:00] with your practices and try and keep that spirit going. So please do everything you can to, to really [00:55:05] make sure we keep this energy going. And the final thing for me really is [00:55:10] just to say a massive thank you to all of you. Honestly, it’s been a real privilege to be part [00:55:15] of it. It’s been really great to be able to spend time with, with, with all of you watching the energy last night, [00:55:20] even people trying to drag me up. I did make it onto the dance floor. I was in the centre of the [00:55:25] mosh pit, which I thought was fine. Um, but my dance lie at the start of yesterday’s [00:55:30] session was exposed when I saw a video this morning of some really, really bad dad dancing.

Andrew Bower: Um, [00:55:35] but your energy’s been really superb. And what’s been really energising [00:55:40] for me personally is two things. One is the number of people who’ve come up to tell me [00:55:45] that the things that we’re doing are making a difference. So, you know, I’ve got this new chair. Thank you. [00:55:50] This has been great. Or I’ve learned something. That session really moved me. All of that stuff is great. [00:55:55] But what’s just as powerful is a number of you have still come up and said, can I talk to you? In fact, I’ve [00:56:00] seen you out of the corner of my eye, waiting while I’m talking to someone else. And I’ve spoken to you and you’ve [00:56:05] said, thank you for the conference. It’s been great, but can I tell you about something that’s still not good enough? And [00:56:10] that is what will help us move forward. We mustn’t lose that ability to keep calling out the things that we need [00:56:15] to do better, and particularly that us as a Dental executive team need to stay focussed [00:56:20] on so we make your lives easier so you can carry on doing amazing things for our patients. So thank [00:56:25] you so much for everything. It’s a real privilege to to have been here with you over the last two days. [00:56:30] And please have a safe journey back to wherever you’re travelling. So thanks very much.