The healthcare and life sciences industry is well represented in Forbes Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2023 list alongside sectors such as banking, investments, and retail. In a region that is making some important advances in diversity, equity and inclusion, these five women – including two former PharmaBoardroom interviewees – are blazing a trail for others to follow.
Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari
As managing director of Qatar’s Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) since 2007, Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari oversees 12 hospitals across the country, Qatar’s National Ambulance Service, as well as multiple home and residential care services. Additionally, Al Kuwari serves as Qatar’s Minister of Public health, a role she has held since January 2016. Previously an employee of the World Health Organization as well as a freelance health reporter and writer, Al Kuwari is placed at number eight in the Forbes 2023 list.
Shaista Asif
PureHealth Group is today the UAE’s largest healthcare group, boasting over 25 hospitals, 100 clinics, and 160 labs, as well as providing health insurance, pharmacies, health technology, procurement services, investments, and more. Group COO Shaista Asif co-founded PureHealth back in 2006 before assuming her current role in 2010 and sits at number nine in the Forbes 2023 list.
Reem Osman
The Saudi German Hospitals Group holds sprawling operations across the Middle East region, with regional CEO Reem Osman overseeing the UAE, Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. A rapidly growing company – revenues shot up by 11.7 percent in the first nine months of 2022 to reach USD 409 million – the Group has 18 hospitals in total across MENA with 3,000 beds, serving 2.5 million patients every year. Osman is number 52 in the Forbes 2023 list.
Our hospital group is very unique; we have a full scope of services, not only operating and running the hospitals ourselves but also designing and building them
Reem Osman
Speaking to PharmaBoardroom back in early 2020, Osman outlined how the Group’s expansion strategy differs from those of its rivals. “Our hospital group is very unique; we have a full scope of services, not only operating and running the hospitals ourselves but also designing and building them through our own hospital construction company, which started and built the first hospital in Jeddah over 30 years ago.”
She added, “These are one-of-a-kind projects because everything is done in house, from planning and constructing the building itself to choosing all the equipment, furnishing, recruitment of the team, and of course all the operational aspects. This gives us a fantastic experience and knowledge on how to strive to be better and be more efficient.”
Read the full April 2020 PharmaBoardroom interview with Reem Osman here
Gizem Akalin
With almost a quarter of a century of pharmaceutical industry experience behind her, Turkish national Gizem Akalin today leads the Gulf Region as Vice President and Managing Director for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the world’s tenth largest pharma company. Previously lead for GSK’s commercial operations teams in Russia, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Turkey, the GCC, Mexico, Argentina, and China, Akalin has also worked at Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck (MSD). She occupies the number 57 position on the Forbes 2023 list.
Leadership has no gender, and being a good leader depends on a person’s character and competency. However, men and women must be given equal opportunities to take on these leadership roles; something I am seeing much more of in our industry and in the Gulf region
Gizem Akalin
When PharmaBoardroom spoke to Akalin last year, on the subject of female leadership in the Gulf region, she noted that “There is definitely positive momentum in our industry with several female leaders now represented in the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Gulf (PHRMAG) leadership team. More broadly, regional governments are increasingly promoting women to positions of significant responsibility.”
Akalin also stated that “Leadership has no gender, and being a good leader depends on a person’s character and competency. However, men and women must be given equal opportunities to take on these leadership roles; something I am seeing much more of in our industry and in the Gulf region. Actually, it is beyond gender diversity: we want GSK to be a workplace where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and thrive.”
Read the full August 2022 interview with Gizem Akalin here
Farah Hamdan
Zimmer Biomet is the global market leader in reconstructive surgery – namely hips, knees, and shoulders – and provides digital and robotic technologies that leverage data analytics and AI. General Manager of Zimmer Biomet Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) since 2022, Farah Hamdan oversees 150 members of staff and draws on 18 years of experience in both pharmaceuticals and medical technology at Becton Dickinson, Novartis, Abbott, and Medtronic. Hamdan is placed at number 67 in the Forbes 2023 list.
