‘’We are planing to open 15-18 centres all over India with an invest $100 million by end of FY16’’

Would you start off with a brief overview of what you do?

Jay Highman

I was Chairman, President & CEO at IntegraMed America, Inc before joining Bourn Hall. IntegraMed was founded as a fertility company in the early 90s as a result of an international relationship with some of the pioneers of modern fertility treatment. I came to the company when in vitro fertilisation was first emerging in the US as an effective form of therapy for couples with infertility. At that time, it was a very fragmented market and quality was quite variable among hospitals and physicians providing these services. Over almost 20 years, IntegraMed grew to approximately 175 locations across the entire US and today IntegraMed fertility centres account for over 25 per cent of all fertility care in the US. In the process we helped raise the bar of clinical service and saw quality of care improve dramatically.

Comment on the fertility market in India and your interest in Bourn Hall?

The fertility market in India is huge. Also since it is very unorganised, it gives us the advantage to establish Bourn Hall Clinic as the only corporate in this business. In addition, I see great similarities between the Indian market today and the US market for fertility care in the mid-90s. My expectation is that Bourn Hall International can play a similar role in India by helping bring high quality, modern fertility treatment to the emerging middle class of India.

How will this market change in the future?

With the rising middle class comes a demand for high quality medical care including infertility treatment. But consumers need to be educated about what to look for in a high quality fertility centre. For example, with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines becoming a reality, there will be an increase in transparency and honesty to be followed by all fertility centres. Bourn Hall already has internal standards that exceed these guidelines and we expect to continue to raise the bar for the entire fertility market in India.

What are Bourn Hall’s expansion plans for the rest of the year?

Bourn Hall International currently operates three centres – two in India and one in Dubai. We are in the very early stages of expansion. We’ve succeeded in building three very high quality programmes and expect to build on that success along with the world renowned reputation of Bourn Hall, UK to continue expansion in the region.

From a competitive point of view, what makes you unique?

Well there are many things which makes us unique, if I have to highlight some of them, then first would be that we are the pioneers, then the only clean room lab in Asia. As mentioned earlier, we are also the only clinic with ICMR certification in India.

Could you share with us your short-term financial outlook as well as your long-term objective?

We are a commercial enterprise and expect to provide our shareholders with a good investment. That being said, having run a publicly traded company providing infertility services across the US, I believe that everything starts by providing excellent clinical care to patients and investing in the best facilities and people. Bourn Hall International has made those investments and expects to continue making investments to bring high quality services to the region. With that will come outstanding financial results. We are planing to open 15-18 centres all over India with an invest $100 million by end of FY16. As part of the expansion plans, Bourn Hall International also plans to add 900 people to its employees strength in India by end of FY16. Our long-term objective is to become the largest organised fertility brand in India.

What is the key message that you would wish to convey?

When you combine great science with sufficient investment and human talent, extraordinary things are possible. IVF is an exciting field of medicine and we’re fully committed to moving forward with our research, and pursuing the original vision for Bourn Hall Clinic: “Pioneers in treatment, experts in care”.

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