IFPMA speaking @WHA70 side events

Thomas Cueni

Director General, speaking on 25 May - Informal Breakfast for Participants: How the WHO GCM/NCD adds value now and in the future and Partnerships and the SDGs: Accelerating Access to NCD Care

Thomas B. Cueni is Director General of IFPMA since 1 February 2017. Prior to joining IFPMA he was Secretary General of Interpharma, the association of pharmaceutical research companies in Switzerland. For many years Thomas Cueni has been involved in the work of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, EFPIA, where he most recently served as Vice-Chair of the European Markets Committee and association representative on the Board. He represented the industry on the EU High Level Pharmaceutical Forum, was Chairman of EFPIA’s Economic and Social Policy Committee and Chairman of the EFPIA Task Force on the EU Commission’s Pharmaceutical Sector Inquiry. Thomas Cueni also represented Interpharma, which he successfully transformed from the association of Swiss Rx companies to the association of pharmaceutical research companies in Switzerland, on the Council of IFPMA.
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 Basle, 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, LSE).

Fumie Griego

Assistant Director General, speaking on 23 May - Transparency for Innovation and Access to Medicines: What are the benefits & risks, obstacles & solutions?

Fumie Griego was appointed IFPMA’s Assistant Director General for Strategic Planning, Policy and Research on 1 May 2017. Fumie leads IFPMA’s work on health economics and policy such as value of medicines, 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.

Brendan Shaw

Assistant Director General, speaking on 25 May - A Blueprint for Success: How a sustainable new partnership model can improve access to medicines and save lives in evolving healthcare systems

Brendan Shaw is Assistant Director General at IFPMA and was appointed in 2014. Brendan assists the Director General in leading on a range of policy and representational functions particularly in innovation policy, intellectual property, trade, health technology assessment, ethics, compliance and vaccines.
Brendan holds an honors degree in economics from the University of Queensland and a PhD in management, business and economics from Monash University.
Prior to joining IFPMA, Brendan was Chief Executive of the Australian pharmaceutical industry association, Medicines Australia, and before that was the senior executive at MA in charge of health policy and research. Brendan has also worked as an economist and policy advisor in government and politics, in academia and as a consultant.

Grega Kumer

Head of DG Office & Legal Issues, speaking on 21 May - Introduction to the World Health Assembly: A Briefing for New Delegates

Grega Kumer joined the IFPMA IP and Trade team in September 2016. Grega is responsible for outreach to relevant multilateral organisations with focus on IP issues and leads IFPMA work on biodiversity. In addition Grega provides strategic support to IFPMA DG and handles any outreach activities. Since 2009 Grega has been engaged in multilateral negotiations at WIPO and WTO. Before joining the IFPMA he represented the interests of the UK on all Intellectual Property files across Geneva. 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 the 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 studied Law in Slovenia, Spain and the UK and holds a Master’s degree in the European Union Law.