I am a dynamic innovative leader, with a patient-focussed, insights-led, customer-centric approach. I have over 17 years of experience in pharma across medical, commercial, and access projects. My experiences have led to a deep understanding of product strategy and customer focus in an evolving competitive environment.

I am thrilled to bring the best of pharma industry’s ambitions to life with AstraZeneca as Head of Medical Affairs for Europe and Canada. Here we can really lead medical teams to be trusted innovative strategic partners; aiming to deliver a better outcome to every cancer patient in our EUCAN Region.

After completing his medical studies and a Master’s Degree in Pharmacology in South Africa, Danie spent 3 years working in a primary care setting including his own private practice. He joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1993, worked in Medical Affairs, Marketing, Pharmacovigilance and Clinical Operations. He held roles of increasing responsibility and leadership, including Senior Vice President and Head of Worldwide Medical Affairs at GlaxoSmithKline. Danie is the Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs for Kyowa Kirin International and joined the company in Aug 2019.

He is registered with the medical councils in the UK and South Africa and completed his MBA through Heriot Watt University and Edinburgh Business School in 2006. He is a Director and Chair of the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) Board, and an affiliate member of the Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision (APECS).

Following Graduation in Medicine at the Free University Berlin, Michael pursued a career in General, Cardiovascular and Surgical Oncology in Germany and the UK, gaining an MD and an FRCS.  He joined pharmaceutical industry 25 years ago and has since been in clinical development, project leadership, and commercial and medical affairs roles at country, regional and global level. To date, Michael leads the Medical Affairs Team of Novartis Oncology, Region Europe.
Throughout his industry career, Michael mainly covered specialty care areas, e.g. Oncology and Immunology. He also qualified as a Pharmaceutical Physician and as an MBA. Research interests and publications are in Oncology and Immunology as well as in general aspects concerning Medical Affairs and Medicine Development in the Industry.

Dr. Elena Rizova, holding an M.D. and a Ph.D., boasts an impressive 25-year tenure in the biopharmaceutical sector, with a primary focus on international drug development. Her extensive experience spans from the early stages of clinical development to product launch. This rich background seamlessly blends clinical medicine and fundamental scientific research, with a geographical footprint encompassing Europe, the USA, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Until recently she serves as the Vice President and Head of Medical for the Biogen Intercontinental Region, a role she assumed in February 2021. This region encompasses Latin America, Australia, Asia, Japan, the Middle East, Turkey, and Russia.

Throughout her career, Dr. Rizova has honed her abilities in working with and leading multidisciplinary teams. Her expertise lies in integrating Research and Development, Medical Affairs, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, and Pharmacovigilance seamlessly.

Dr. Rizova's journey includes a series of senior leadership positions with escalating responsibilities. She commenced her career as a Medical Director at R&D Galderma and subsequently held various senior roles at Janssen (J&J) between 2007 and 2015. At J&J, she achieved remarkable milestones, notably as the Head of Immunology Franchise for Europe, where she led the launch of Stelara. She then ascended to the role of Head of Asia Pacific Medical Affairs, overseeing all franchises, and eventually became Head of External Innovation cross-sector at J&J.

In 2015, Dr. Rizova embarked on a new chapter, joining Sanofi Genzyme as the VP and Head of World Wide Medical Affairs Immunology, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the medical strategy for the global launch of Dupixent. After an impactful six-year tenure at Sanofi, she transitioned to Biogen as the Head of Biogen Intercontinental Region, responsible for the Medical Team across Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, overseeing all Biogen franchises.

Dr. Rizova's academic credentials include an M.D. from the Academy of Medicine in Sofia, Bulgaria, a Ph.D. in Immunology, and a Diploma in Pharmacoeconomics from the University of Paris XI, France.

She brings to the table a diverse skill set, a profound commitment to innovation, and an unwavering dedication to personal and professional growth. Her forte lies in thriving in dynamic, collaborative environments, leveraging her exceptional communication and leadership skills to steer teams towards achieving collective objectives.

Arron is part of the Medical Capabilities group at BMS, leading an international team responsible for developing global and local medical content. He is also, Co-Lead for the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) Medical Strategy & Launch Excellence Focus Area Working Group. Prior to BMS, Arron was a Senior Scientific Director in Global Medical Affairs at GSK Oncology and Novartis Oncology, responsible for scientific strategy and communications. He has also worked in medical communications agencies in London and Switzerland.  

Emma is currently Head Medical Capabilities for Amgen (Europe) GmbH. In her capacity she is overseeing medical excellence and the digital transformation across the organization, focusing on new ways of working through streamlining process, delivering new/enhanced systems and driving capability build and engagement.

Natasha Hansjee, PhD, is a global principal scientific communication director at Roche. She is also  an executive coach and a storyteller. She has over 20 years of pharmaceutical marketing experience: sales, local & global strategic product management; global product commercial strategy training; scientific communications; mentoring, coaching and facilitating - and has worked across all stages of the life cycle (early launch, launch, LoE). 

Following her graduation as Doctor in Veterinary Medicine and her specialization in tropical medicine at the Universite de Liege (Belgium), Pamela practiced as a veterinarian in zoos and several small animal practices.

She then began her career in the industry in Clinical Research as Clinical Research Associate then Program Manager in a contract research organization.

After leading the Scientific Communication at Mars/Royal Canin for Belgium and Luxemburg, she joined Takeda 10 years ago and has since held several positions in Medical Affairs at country, regional and global level. She is currently Global Medical Excellence Lead and takes care of developing and implementing Medical Affairs processes and capability building initiatives for the Medical colleagues across the organization, mainly around Insights Generation and Evidence Generation.
Throughout her industry career, Pamela mainly covered specialty care areas, e.g. Oncology and Immunology (GI).

Ana Amaral is the Customer Insights & Analytics Lead at Merck. Ana has held various roles within Regional and Global Medical Affairs and has experience developing and implementing strategies, operating models, and tools for Medical Information, HCP Engagement, Capability Building, Performance Management, Content Management, Medical Insights, Data Management, and Analytics. She holds a degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from the University of São Paulo and is currently an Executive MBA candidate at IESE Business School.

After undertaking his Doctorate in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at The University of Western Australia, Mark rose to the rank of Associate Professor before moving to Switzerland to take up a role in the medical device industry.   In his first role, he led the creation of the Medical Affairs discipline in a fast-growing medium sized company.  Following this, he moved to a family-led investment firm before taking on a role as Managing Director for a Swiss-based startup launching into the US.  More recently, he has moved into the role of Vice President of Medical Affairs for Implantica, a rapidly growing company specializing in soft-tissue, smart implants.  Through all these roles, Mark has developed expertise in building and integrating the Medical Affairs function into fast-growing commercial organizations. 

Liz Clark is a pharmaceutical physician with over 25 years’ experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry.  Having qualified in Medicine at Imperial College London, she undertook 4 years of general medicine prior to joining pharma.  She has held both office and field based roles in Medical Affairs, Marketing and Sales Management, working with both medicinal products and devices.  She is currently Vice President of Medical Affairs at Norgine Ltd. where she is responsible for leading Norgine’s patient engagement work.  In her spare time Liz enjoys gardening, running and yoga.

1. A passionate, experienced senior leader in sales enablement, commercial excellence, and omni-channel transition and transformation, Dirk has worked for over 30 years in the health and life sciences for different companies, geographies, and roles, including Nestle and Reckitt.
   At Pitcher, focusing on GTM and Customer Success Management, he successfully helps Health and Life Science companies turn to omni-channel translating commercial strategies into actionable omnichannel engagement executed with excellence and supported by tech. He firmly believes that delivering the right actionable insights to all stakeholders results in increased advocacy and sustained business growth. 

Caroline Halford is Development Director for Medical Education at Springer Healthcare (part of the Springer Nature group).  Her career started at Adis journal group, developing and launching their open access medical journal portfolio.   She now works with global teams to deliver multiformat, omnichannel medical education solutions. Her key passion is ensuring content is digestible and engaging whilst maintaining scientific rigour.   

Gemma is an Executive with Vynamic, a Healthcare Industry Management Consulting company that approaches healthcare as five interwoven sectors. Gemma has more than 20 years of Healthcare experience, with a major focus on Global Medical Affairs. Her interests are in partnering with clients to design and implement strategic frameworks, business processes, and operating models that complement the evolving priorities of pharma and biotech organizations.

Chris Bassett is Sales Director for UK and Northern Europe at Springer Healthcare (part of the Springer Nature group).  Based in the UK, Chris started his Springer career as Commercial Partnership Manager, managing Springer’s relationships with key society and content stakeholders, such as ASCO and ASH.  In recent years, Chris has developed and now leads an expert team of educational content developers, delivering a wide range of solutions for healthcare professionals.   From in-person expert meetings and traditional print tools, through to interactive learning modules, live and on-demand webinars, and harnessing the power of digital opinion leaders.  Chris’s expertise lie in identifying the optimal content, delivered in the best format, to enact positive change for the healthcare industry.