Tagged with Talent

USA Ramona Sequeira of Takeda has taken the reins as chair of US industry lobby group PhRMA’s Board of Directors, becoming the first ever woman to hold the role. She succeeds Lilly Chairman and CEO David Ricks at a juncture when the industry is under pressure from proposed US pricing reforms…

MEA Seasoned executive Mohamed Nasser currently oversees 16 markets for Amgen across the MEA region, including its most important – Saudi Arabia. He shares some of the key skills that pharma executives overseeing his region need to succeed.   As region head for a company that is only 40 years old,…

Saudi Arabia Before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed office in 2017, Saudi Arabian women had only a marginal presence in the Kingdom’s labour force. However, since then notable milestones achieved include granting women the right to drive, access to sports, a first female ambassador, freedom to travel, the right to live…

Denmark Catherine Mazzacco’s two-year stint as CEO of Danish dermatology specialist LEO Pharma is over. With the company’s board planning for an initial public offering (IPO) within the next four-to-five years, LEO is now on the lookout for a replacement with capital market experience and the ability to steer the firm…

Denmark Although Zealand Pharma has been around for 23 years, it has made rapid progress since French national Emmanuel Dulac took the helm as president and CEO in April 2019, with a first new drug application (NDA) and approval, a first in-licensing, and two acquisitions.   Dulac – a veteran of…

Saudi Arabia Medtronic’s country director for Saudi Arabia, Mohammed El Ansari, comments on the implications of the company’s decision to move to a direct presence in the Kingdom, positioning the affiliate as a career launchpad for local talent, the local manufacturing of ventilators, and why Medtronic considers Saudi Arabia a priority market.…

Turkey Few Turkish companies are experiencing such a transformational moment as GEN. In 2021 alone, the Ankara-based organization made its public debut on the Istanbul Stock Exchange and signed an exclusive collaboration agreement with Dutch biotech Sulfateq BV for the development and commercialization of a therapy against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative…

China Portuguese national Isabel Afonso, a Novartis and Sandoz veteran of almost 20 years, has taken on a new role as general manager of Novartis’ highly strategic oncology franchise in China as of November 2021.   Since first joining the company back in 2002, Afonso held a variety of roles IT…

Saudi Arabia Dr Mona Obaid, chief medical officer for Lilly in Saudi Arabia, explains how the country’s Vision 2030 is shaping the pharma industry and society at large, Lilly’s role in increasing awareness of diabetes, and the opportunities for Saudi in regional clinical trials.   There is a huge opportunity ahead for…

Denmark Kasper Bødker Mejlvang oversees Novo Nordisk’s operations in its historic home market of Denmark, as well as Iceland. Here, Bødker Mejlvang explains his strategy for steering the Danish affiliate through the COVID-19 pandemic, the evolving access landscape for the company’s next-generation diabetes and obesity treatments, and why Denmark – despite…

Saudi Arabia In a recent royal decree, Saudi Arabia has appointed Fahad Al-Jalajel as its Minister of Health, replacing Dr Tawfiz Al-Rabia who had served since 2016. Here, we give a quick run-through of Al-Jalajel’s career thus far.   The holder of a bachelor’s degree in computer science from King Saud University,…

Switzerland Barbara Fritsche-Surchat outlines Servier’s historic commitment to Switzerland, how the French mid-cap’s global oncology pivot is translating into its Swiss operations, and comments on the evolution of pharma salesforces post-pandemic.   Over the years, we have developed a real expertise, predominantly in the cardiovascular field, but we will leverage this…