Thomas Cueni is Director General of IFPMA, the global association of pharmaceutical research companies, based in Geneva and is Secretary of the global Biopharmaceutical CEO Roundtable (BCR). In this capacity, Thomas Cueni was instrumental in creating the AMR Action Fund, a collective venture, launched in July 2020, to bridge the current gap in funding for the development of new antibiotics. Thomas Cueni represents the innovative biopharmaceutical industry on the ACT Accelerator, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a unique global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. Thomas Cueni is Chair of the Business at OECD Health Committee, and also serves as Industry Co-Chair of the APEC Biopharmaceutical WG on Ethics. Furthermore, he is Chair of the Board of the cross-sectoral AMR Industry Alliance, a group committed to tackling the threat of antimicrobial resistance, which includes more than 100 companies and associations representing Rx pharma, generics, biotech, and diagnostics. Prior to joining IFPMA he was Secretary General of Interpharma, the association of pharmaceutical research companies in Switzerland, and for many years was a member of the Board and Chair of a key committee of the EFPIA. Prior to his appointment with Interpharma, Thomas Cueni had a career as a journalist, inter alia as London correspondent for the “Basler Zeitung” and “Der Bund”, and he served as a Swiss career diplomat with postings in Paris (OECD) and Vienna (IAEA, UNIDO). He studied at the University of Basel, the London School of Economics, and the Geneva Graduate Institute for International Studies, and has Master degrees in economics (University of Basel) and politics (London School of Economics).
Fumie Griego is IFPMA’s Deputy Director General and Chief Operating Officer. She joined IFPMA in May 2017 to lead IFPMA’s strategic planning, as well as policy and research for the organization with a focus on health policy and economics topics such as value of medicines, government pricing and reimbursement, and metrics/evaluation. Prior to joining IFPMA, Fumie was Head of Global Oncology Policy and Strategy, Global Government Affairs & Policy at Merck KGaA and Vice President for International Health Policy at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Prior to joining PhRMA, Fumie was as a senior economist in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget where she provided U.S. senior officials in both the Bush and Obama Administrations with policy advice on a range of health policy issues. Fumie holds a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Earth Systems (concentration in environmental economics and policy) from Stanford University.
Melinda Friend is the General Counsel of IFPMA, managing legal and compliance matters across the Association. Melinda began her career in Washington, DC in private food and drug law practice. Melinda expanded her practice to Europe and global product regulatory law after relocation to Switzerland where she has held senior counsel positions in public and private companies, gaining extensive knowledge of the global regulatory framework for therapeutic products, chemicals and consumer goods, and participating in a variety of European and US trade associations and international standard setting bodies. She has called the Geneva area home for the past 20 years and is a dual US –Swiss citizen.
A US qualified lawyer, Melinda holds a joint degree in law, health policy and bioethics (JD –MPH) from Georgetown University Law Center and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Greg Perry joined IFPMA on 1st February 2018, and has responsibility for IFPMA’s external outreach and stakeholder engagement in global health topics including innovation, access, and the international regulatory environment. Greg Perry brought with him more than 20 years’ leadership and advocacy experience in the public healthcare arena.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Greg worked as Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool, which he joined in 2013 and as Director General of the European Generic Medicines Association (1999 - 2013) in Brussels. Previously he worked as a partner in a UK public affairs company as a European Union policy advisor to corporate and non-governmental organizations, and before that as a Parliamentary Advisor to Members of the European Parliament. Greg is a Member of the Advisory Council of the Organization for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA) and is a former member of the Standing Advisory Committee before the European Patent Office (SACEPO). Greg also holds the Golden Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
Janis Bernat joined IFPMA in 2006 to work with the Vaccines Committee and Influenza Vaccine Supply Task Force. She is currently responsible for the policy and technical work in the area of biotherapeutic and biosimilar medicines and leads the organization’s regulatory team.
Janis holds degrees in agriculture, food science, and mass communications from several US universities.
Prior to joining IFPMA, she worked for a US-based multi-national food company in quality assurance and regulatory compliance.
James joined the IFPMA as Executive Director of Global Health in January 2021, where he is responsible for leading the work on priorities in global health. This includes industry’s policy and advocacy on pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and global access to medicines and vaccines. In his previous role as Head of Corporate Government Affairs at GSK, James led GSK’s strategic engagement with the UK Government and was a member of the Life Science Strategy Board and Vice-Chair of Business at OECD’s Healthcare Committee. He led GSK’s work on AMR and advised on AMR policy development at the WHO, UN, EU Commission and National Governments. He was also in the Founding team of the AMR Action Fund and led the development of the Davos Declaration and UNGA Industry AMR Roadmap.
Laetitia Bigger joined IFPMA in 2006 and is responsible for vaccines policy. She coordinated IFPMA activities related to anti-doping cooperation, regulatory policy - clinical trial transparency, ethics in medical research and pediatric medicines - and technical standards for innovative medicines, until December 2011. Prior to joining IFPMA, she worked as clinical research associate for the multidisciplinary center on oncology, University Hospital Lausanne. She holds a PhD degree in Biology from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland).
Guilherme Cintra is Director of Innovation Policy at the IFPMA. He oversees the organization’s activities on government outreach, innovation, intellectual property, trade and alliance-building. Guilherme joined in 2005 and has held various positions of increasing responsibility at the Global Health and Innovation teams.
Guilherme holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in Economic History from the University of Geneva as well as a bachelor’s in Social Sciences from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Prior to his current position, he has worked as European liaison on several environmental projects, with a focus on carbon credits trading for the Brazilian SME Green Value.
Abigail Jones is responsible for communications at IFPMA. She joined IFPMA after over 25 years in international communications and public affairs consultancy, where she worked for many blue-chip companies, trade associations, think tanks, coalition and advocacy groups.
As a founding partner of Acumen public affairs, Abigail has advised International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) for many years on strategic communications, media relations and stakeholder engagement. During that time, she supported the launches and ongoing work of the Fight the Fakes campaign, AMR Industry Alliance and Pat-INFORMED.
Following her degree in Islamic Art & Archaeology, Abigail kicked off her career working for Middle Eastern and African economic publications, followed by stints in corporate identity and branding, as well as running information and communication contracts for the European Commission.
Morgane develops and implements public affairs programs that build trust, dialogue and collaboration between the innovative biopharmaceutical industry and other global players in the health community.
Morgane works in the Innovation Team and is responsible for building relationships, platforms and alliances with public health, business, and academic stakeholders to advocate, support and better understand the global biopharmaceutical industry's critical contribution to public health through the research, development and availability of medicines and vaccines for patient needs worldwide. She also leverages and profiles industry’s collaborations which use innovative approaches to tackle global health challenges.
Morgane has international experience in developing and rolling-out integrated advocacy and communications strategies in the global health sector, with specific focus on institutional communications, media relations, alliance building and event management.
Morgane holds a master’s degree in Languages and Literature from the University of Geneva and a post-graduate degree in Special Events Communication from the Advancia School in Paris.
Laurent Renaud joined IFPMA in April 1994. He is responsible for the administration, finances, and human resources. His tasks include the day to day management (book-keeping, account payable), liaison with the Geneva and Swiss administration; including work permit application and renewal process, social security, pension fund and tax issues and all other legal and/or statutory requirements.
Laurent’s previous positions include senior accounting position in two private hospitals and auditor at Société Fiduciaire Suisse-Coopers & Lybrand (now PWC).
Sofie Melis joined IFPMA in September 2016. She leads its Ethics and Compliance portfolio, which includes the global implementation of the IFPMA Code of Practice and the management of the Ethics & Business Integrity Committee (eBIC). As from July 2020, her role was extended to include strategic HR responsibilities. In the last 8 years of her career, Sofie has worked in corporate compliance for both Eli Lilly and Biogen Idec. Prior to that she held several roles in HR training & development in the banking, electronics and consulting industry. Just before joining IFPMA, Sofie completed a one year assignment with the International Committee of the Red Cross as Head of HR Compliance. Sofie holds a master’s degree in Languages and Literature, a bachelor in HR Management, a post-master’s in Adult Education and a certificate in International Compliance and Ethics.
Nina Grundmann is Deputy Director, Health Security. She leads the IFPMA’s activities towards better global Pandemic Preparedness. Since 2019, Nina supports the Director General and Deputy Director General as Chief of Staff, through advice, analysis and coordination across strategy, policy and communication activities. Nina joined IFPMA in 2012, previously led IFPMA’s work on antimicrobial resistance and headed the secretariat of the AMR Industry Alliance. Prior to that, Nina has also worked on vaccine regulatory and programmatic policy and influenza vaccines.
Nina holds a master’s degree in International Affairs from the French Institute of Political Studies and a post-graduate degree in Risk Management from HEC Business School in Paris.
Vanessa is Deputy Director for Health Progress at IFPMA. She joined in January 2015 and covers a wide range of global health topics relating to the access to medicines agenda and health systems, including non-communicable diseases, universal health coverage and multilateral engagement.
Vanessa holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from University College London.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Vanessa worked at the Economist Intelligence Unit, where she was responsible for delivering economic, policy and business analysis and advisory services to clients across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before that, Vanessa was a Senior Consultant at GHK Consulting, a public policy consultancy specializing in the evaluation of public projects and programs in the UK and Europe.
Ana-Maria’s journey in public health has taken her to and from consultancies with integrated communications roles supporting private sector businesses, trade associations and start-ups in Brussels, Paris and Bucharest. The common denominator is her ability to find patterns, connect dots and craft solutions that business leaders and policymakers can agree on.
Ana-Maria enjoys anticipating emerging issues, leading scenario-planning and analysing the impact of political change and stakeholder sentiment on business. As a communicator, she enjoys telling stories about the exciting scientific progress happening in pharmaceutical labs and research labs. She leverages her media network and digital comms expertise to ensure voices are heard and understood on the channels that count.
Ana-Maria holds a master’s in European Affairs from Sciences Po Paris, and a bachelor degree in Political Science from the University of Bucharest. In addition to her native Romanian, Ana-Maria speaks English, French and Greek.
Sarah Adam joined the IFPMA in November 2016 and is responsible for leading and coordinating IFPMA activities related to Regulatory Policy and Technical Standards, which includes interactions with key stakeholders and regional organisations involved in pharmaceutical regulatory policy.
Sarah worked for the past 8 years as a Manager for the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), supporting the harmonisation of ICH technical Guidelines and requirements for pharmaceutical product registration.
Prior to this, she dedicated over 10 years of research in academia in the field of pulmonary disease preclinical drug testing and vaccine development. Sarah was an appointed lecturer at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Geneva, she holds a PhD degree in Molecular Biology and an Engineering degree in Biotechnology.
Gabi Cruise is the Executive Assistant to the Director General, Thomas Cueni. She joined IFPMA in August 2018.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Gabi worked with Hoffmann-La Roche AG, OTC Marketing Division and in 1999 transferred to Givaudan International SA, Executive Assistant to Corporate Human Resource and the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Martina Bilova is Office Coordinator at the IFPMA. She joined IFPMA in November 2007 and leads on organization of strategic meetings and supports committees in its projects. In addition Martina provides executive support to IFPMA DG in coordination with Head of DG Office.
Martina holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Geneva and a diploma in Accounting.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Martina worked in administration for trade companies in Slovakia.
Paula Barbosa joined IFPMA in October 2016 as Vaccines Policy Manager and is responsible for the IFPMA Influenza Vaccine Supply International Task Force, as well as vaccine regulatory and programmatic policy, norms and standards. Paula holds a MSc in Global Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a PharmD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Porto, Portugal.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Paula had worked for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Vaccines in different global marketing and commercial roles, and in GSK Rare Diseases Business Unit in a market access function covering the Latin American region.
Sérgio Cavalheiro Filho works as a Manager on Regulatory Affairs at IFPMA. Since joining IFPMA in 2019, Sérgio has been involved in the establishment of the Fight the Fakes Alliance and in supporting different IFPMA workstreams on Global Heath & Access. Sérgio holds a Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Coimbra, Portugal and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Management of Clinical Trials from the University of Geneva. Before joining IFPMA, Sergio built his professional experience working on late-stage drug formulation and development, as well as a community pharmacist in Portugal.
Luca Deplano joined IFPMA in September 2018, where he currently works as a Assistant Manager on Innovation and Access Policy. Luca supports on IP and Trade affairs, while advancing research and analytical work on different subjects relating to intellectual property, pharmaceutical innovation, and access to medicines. In addition, he contributes to various projects, including IFPMA engagement with youth.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Luca was Assistant Manager on IP and Competition Policy at the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Before joining EFPIA, Luca gained professional experience at the Embassy of Italy in Indonesia, within the Political and Commercial Sections, and at Deloitte, in the Strategy Consulting practice. Luca holds a Master of Arts in European Economic Studies: European Law and Economic Analysis from the College of Europe and a Master in International Business & Economics from the University of Pavia.
Natra Elmi joined IFPMA in January 2020 to work as an administrative assistant and receptionist. She assists in administrative functions and meeting organization as well as in charge of the reception at IFPMA.
She is a British and Swiss National and holds a Swiss CFC diploma in hospitality. Prior to working for IFPMA, she built her professional experience as an administrative assistant and receptionist working for hotels and an international organization in Switzerland.
Mümün Gencoglu joined IFPMA in August 2017. He works in regulatory affairs especially related to biotherapeutics. Mümün has also research duties on health economics and policy such as the value of the pharmaceutical research industry. Prior to joining IFPMA, Mümün was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Basel’s Biozentrum working mainly on biological network dynamics and behaviour. Mümün holds a Ph.D. in Systems Biology and Genetics from University of Basel. Prior to his Ph.D., he completed a Master’s degree in Biology at University of Zurich and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical and Bioengineering at Koç University.
Cyntia Genolet joined IFPMA in 2012 to work as the responsible for the anti-counterfeiting portfolio. In addition to this role, she leads since 2017 IFPMA engagement in Africa and deals with other Global Health policies. She also worked on policy issues related to biotherapeutic and regulatory domains. Cyntia holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and a master’s of advanced studies in Health Economics and Management from HEC Lausanne.
Prior to joining IFPMA, she has worked for Sanofi in the office of relations with the International Institutions, in Geneva. She has built her professional experience working for NGOs, international organizations and governments in Africa, South America and Switzerland.
Komal leads the Intellectual Property & Trade Policy portfolio. She works with UN Members States, International & Regional Organisations to promote global health solutions by advocating international best practices for IP protection, removal of market access barriers and the need to create a sustainable ecosystem necessary to incentivise innovation.
Prior to IFPMA, Komal led the United States Patent & Trademark Office’s attaché program in South Asia. She was the principal strategic advisor to the US Government (USG) on all aspects of Intellectual Property for India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives. She led negotiations with South Asian Governments relating to IP policy initiatives of the USG. She has developed and executed several technical assistance and capacity building programs aimed at creating a sustainable innovation ecosystem one that promotes, protects and enforces IP.
Her experience as a corporate attorney and a trusted government advisor allows her to work across multiple sectors to resolve complex domestic and international policy and business challenges. Her thorough understanding of the law as well as a strong grasp of the trade and economic implications, has allowed her to better understand the practical challenges raised by both industry and governments, as new policies are considered.
She has designed and taught law courses at leading law schools. Komal serves as an expert on IP law and policy at various at national, regional, and international conferences. She has also been a TeDx speaker on the Importance of Innovation for Entrepreneurs.
She was recognised as one of the Powerful Indian Women in IP, World IP Forum 2021. She is the recipient of the Director’s Award for Professional Excellence, Organisation and Contributions to USG, US Businesses & Stakeholders 2019. She holds a LLM in Intellectual Property from the George Washington University and a BSc/LLB from the National University of Juridical Sciences.
Grega Kumer joined the IFPMA IP and Trade team in September 2016. Grega is responsible for outreach to relevant multilateral organisations and engagement with Governments. In addition, Grega leads industry work on biodiversity. Grega also serves as the liaison between IFPMA and its National and Regional Associations. Since 2009 Grega has been engaged in multilateral negotiations at WIPO and WTO. Before joining the IFPMA he represented the interests of UK government on Intellectual Property related topics across Geneva based multilateral organizations. He also served as the Vice-Chairman of the WIPO Advisory Enforcement Committee. Prior to that, he performed the duties of the Slovenian Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO and served as WIPO Regional Coordinator for Central European and Baltic States. He also worked as a Legal Adviser to a start-up company, with a focus on patent and trade mark protection. Grega has legal background and holds a Master’s degree in the European Union Law.
Melchior Kuo joined IFPMA in June 2021. He works on issues related to biodiversity and more specifically the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol. More broadly, Melchior supports IFPMA work in vaccine policy and pathogen sharing, and coordinates industry engagement with the Commonwealth.
Melchior holds a master’s degree in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology & Law from the London School of Economics. Prior to joining IFPMA, Melchior was involved in work with the Intellectual Property Unit of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He speaks English (native), French (bilingual), Mandarin Chinese (CEFR B2) and Spanish (CEFR B2).
Minji Kwak joined IFPMA in April 2015. She coordinates the Access Accelerated initiative and liaises project partners and members.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Languages and Cultures at Chiba University, Japan.
Minji previously worked at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as an Account Assistant and has built her professional experience working for NGOs, international organizations and private companies in Japan and Switzerland.
Lisa graduated from the oldest French hospitality school in 2011, and built her career in a multicultural environment between France, Switzerland & Jordan in the luxury hospitality industry during the past 10 years. She has recently joined the IFPMA organization as their administrative assistant and receptionist.
Ann-Lise Mikolajczak joined IFPMA in June 2019 to support the policy development on the value of and access to medicines and vaccines, as well as strategic engagement with WHO, OECD, G7 and G20 on health and innovation. She is now working towards improving access and affordability of health products, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, being engaged in multi-stakeholder initiatives for improving access to healthcare and innovation and sustainability of health systems. Prior to joining IFPMA, Ann-Lise was a Public Affairs Coordinator for Global Health at Sanofi, and has gained diverse experience in market access, medical affairs and medico-economics during her time at MSD France, the French Health Technology Assessment Agency (Haute Autorité de Santé), and the University Hospitals of Bordeaux and Toulouse in France. Ann-Lise holds a PharmD with a specialization in Hospital Pharmacy, with complementary diplomas in medico-economics, global health, and statistics for medical trials.
Nicholas Misso joined IFPMA as the Associate Director of Operations for the global ‘Access Accelerated – Moving NCD Care Forward’ initiative.
Nicholas has more than ten years of operations experience, gained within International Organizations, Public-Private Partnerships, and the Private Sector.
Prior to joining AA Nicholas spent eight years in global public health, initially with the Rollback Malaria Partnership and later with the World Health Organization (WHO), both headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. At WHO Nicholas worked across a variety of programmes including Antimicrobial Resistance, Quality Universal Health Coverage, Infection Prevention, Primary Health Care and Ebola.
Nicholas worked in both West Africa and Geneva during the first Ebola outbreak where he was the operations interface between WHO Headquarters, and the Ebola phase 3 vaccine trials managed by WHO in West Africa.
Prior to moving into global public health Nicholas was in the private equity sector in Switzerland, and in the Netherlands where he worked for a division of the Carlyle Group.
Nicholas holds a Master’s Degree in Finance and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
Mara Nakagawa-Harwood joined IFPMA in February 2017 as Manager for the global ‘Access Accelerated – Moving NCD Care Forward’ initiative. She has a wealth of international working experience with multistakeholders partnerships across sectors, HIV policy and advocacy and civil society engagement.
Prior to joining IFPMA Mara served as Grant Coordinator for a multi-agency initiative with WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UN WOMEN and the World Bank, at UNAIDS and as Liaison for the Fast Track Cities Initiative for the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC). Mara served in multiple capacities at the International AIDS Society (IAS), worked as an editor in the UK, as a journalist in Japan and as a trader for export-import companies in Brazil.
Mara studied Letters (B.Litt.) at Faculty Ibero-Americana in Brazil and Master of Public Health with specialization in International Public Health (MPH) at University of Liverpool.
Gwendoline Navarro joined IFPMA in August 2018 as Administrative Officer for the global ‘Access Accelerated – Moving NCD Care Forward’ initiative. She assist in administrative functions and support for the all team.
She holds a Swiss diploma in administration (CFC) and a Swiss maturity in languages.
Gwendoline Navarro previously worked in a Fiduciary in Geneva as an Administrative Assistant and has built her professional experience working for international organizations in Switzerland.
Stéphane PAPES joined IFPMA in February 2019 and is in charge of IFPMA overall Information technology.
He oversees IFPMA servers and infrastructure and constantly work to identify opportunities to improve and update software and systems.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Stéphane was already working closely with us for 10 years as an engineer at IconSa, a Geneva IT solution provider company.
In his previous position, he built his professional experience working for various companies in various fields of activity, all around Geneva and Lausanne.
He constantly followed Microsoft trainings on information systems and IT security.
email address : s.papes[at]ifpma.org
Before joining IFPMA, Micaela Neumann was the Communication Coordinator and Policy & Research Officer with The Lancet & Financial Times Commission Governing health futures 2030: Growing up in a digital world. She led the Communications Team and supported Commissioners on gender, human rights, and equity policy related to the international cooperation for and governance of digital technologies and data for health—particularly the health and well-being of young people and future generations.
Previously, Micaela worked as Advocacy Manager with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). In this role, she launched and managed UICC’s ‘Treatment for All’ advocacy initiative, supporting national civil societies in 20 low- and-middle-income countries to shape meaningful advocacy campaigns that call on governments for equitable access to cancer services. Micaela has also consulted at The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, with additional work experience at Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and Dimagi South Africa, a mobile health social enterprise.
Roxana Shakeri joined IFPMA in April 2017 as an administrative assistant and receptionist. Since July 2019 she has a new role as Personal Assistant to the Deputy Director General and COO, responsible for the day-to-day planning of the DDG office.
Roxana holds a Swiss Diploma in International Hotel Management from Hotel Institute Montreux, Switzerland.
Edin Salkanovic joined IFPMA in October 2020 as an Ethics & Compliance Manager. Edin supports IFPMA on the implementation of the IFPMA Code of Practice and related workstreams in the Ethics & Business Integrity portfolio.
Prior to joining IFPMA, he worked at Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb company, as a Senior Legal Specialist. Before that, Edin held several compliance and legal functions in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Before engaging in the healthcare industry, Edin advised multinational companies active in Switzerland on Swiss immigration law and provided translation services to Swiss cantonal and federal authorities.
He holds an LLM in International and European Economic and Commercial Law from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and a Master of Laws from the University of Rijeka, Croatia.
Luka Šrot joined the IFPMA in March 2018, where he currently works as Manager in Health Security. Initially, his primary role was to support IFPMA’s antimicrobial resistance (AMR) portfolio, and the work stream on ethics & business integrity. Since then, his work has centered on various global health policy topics, as well as specific cross-functional areas such as “vaccines for AMR” and digital health.
Luka holds a master’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He completed part of his master thesis at the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Netherlands. Before joining the IFPMA, he was heavily involved in the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF), where he spent a year in its executive committee as the Chairperson of the European Regional Office.
Paloma Tejada is Senior Strategic and Corporate Communications Manager. She joined IFPMA in July 2020 after having led the launch and development of Rare Diseases International, a global advocacy platform for rare disease patient organisations.
Paloma had previously been responsible for Communications at the European federation of rare disease patients (EURORDIS). There she launched the first Rare Disease Day growing it from a European patient awareness day to an international communications campaign that today mobilises all stakeholders in more than 90 countries.
Paloma began working in the field of global health in 2004 as a Programme Coordinator for Médecins du Monde’s international HIV/AIDS network. She has extensive experience working for non-governmental and international organisations in Europe, America and Asia.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Print Journalism from the American University in Washington DC, Paloma went on to complete a Master of Science in Development Management at the London School of Economics.
A dual Peruvian-French national, she grew up in Lima, lived in Washington DC, London and Paris. She has been based in Geneva since 2014.
Yoshitomo Tanaka is Japan Liaison Executive at IFPMA since April 2021. He facilitates coordination between the IFPMA and Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and works for global health.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Yoshitomo has worked for Daiichi Sankyo for 13 years in Japan and has gained diverse knowledge and experience in external affairs’ activities, managing global R&D project and clinical development. Yoshitomo had worked as a Deputy Director at Office of Healthcare Policy, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan seconded from Daiichi Sankyo for 2 years.
Yoshitomo holds a Master's degree in Pharmaceutical Science and a Master's degree in Business Administration.