Roche appoints Thomas Schinecker to be Group CEO effective March 2023

SWITZERLAND – Roche has appointed Thomas Schinecker as its new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the company has announced, replacing Severin Schwan whom the pharmaceuticals giant has nominated to be its next chairman. The move caps a rapid rise for Schinecker, who joined Roche’s management development program in 2003 and was previously head of the company’s diagnostics division. He will replace CEO Severin

Schwan, who has led a successful yearslong campaign to diversify away from Roche’s traditional focus on cancer. The changes, effective after Roche’s annual general meeting on March 14, 2023, see the end of Schwan’s 14-year tenure as CEO.

Under Schinecker’s leadership, the company’s diagnostics business expanded significantly as a result of its COVID-19 test kits, which included PCD-test kits obtained through Roche’s acquisition of long-term partner TIB Molbiol of Germany. Roche added that Nestle CEO Mark Schneider and Akiko Iwasaki, an Immunobiology professor at Yale University, would stand for election as new board members at next year’s annual general meeting.

Prof. Padmashree Gehl Sampath appointed as special advisor to AfDB’s president for pharmaceuticals and health infrastructure

IVORY COST – The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has appointed Professor Padmashree Gehl Sampath as a special advisor on pharmaceuticals and health infrastructure to the Bank’s president, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. She will also be leading the technical work related to the setting up of the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation, a new pan-African institution launched by the Bank, at the request of Regional Member Countries.

At the African Development Bank, she will provide strategic guidance on pharmaceuticals and health, which have become important focus areas for the Bank in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. A well-respected thought leader in the field of development studies and global health, Professor Gehl Sampath is working on some of the world’s most pressing challenges, predominantly from technology, trade, and industrialization perspectives. She is one of the original thinkers on new paradigms for international technology transactions that can better secure global public goods, with a focus on pharmaceuticals and health.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals appoints Ashraf Allam as its new Global COO

INDIA – Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd., an Indian multinational pharmaceutical company based in Ahmedabad, has welcomed Ashraf Allam as the Global Chief Operating Officer (COO).

“Ashraf Allam will be based at Bhat corporate office and will report to Cadila’s Group Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Rajiv Modi,” the Ahmedabad-based manufacturer informed in an official statement.

With over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Ashraf Allam is an accomplished and well-regarded business leader who joined Cadila Pharma on November 30, 2022. The energetic entrepreneur served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Public Investment Fund prior to joining the Indian multinational pharmaceutical company. In addition, he is currently appointed as the senior executive advisor for a number of global private equity funds and family offices in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

INDIA – AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd. has appointed Dr. Sanjeev Panchal as Country President and Managing Director for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2023. He succeeds Gagandeep Singh Bedi, who will be reappointed in a global position within the group.

With over 19 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, he will be taking forward the commitment of the organization in the country. He has progressed through multiple positions at AstraZeneca in India, Indonesia, Asia Pacific, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

He also serves as a board member for multiple American and European companies in the healthcare sector including pharma, biotech, medical devices, diagnostics, self-medication and technology firms.

Sanjeev is currently the Country President for AstraZeneca Malaysia, where he has been instrumental in transforming the business. He has been driving new launches, innovative patientcentric partnerships and Market Access strategies. He expressed his readiness to collaborate with the AstraZeneca India team to ensure they continue to push the boundaries of science to make health happen for people, society, and planet. Dr. Sanjeev Panchal underscored that expansion, innovation, and patientcentric partnership are at the heart of how the group makes health happen, supported by the company’s diversity and driven by their shared goal.