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.

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).

Ron Weathermon, PharmD, is a seasoned Medical Affairs leader with more than 25 years of experience spanning global, regional, and local roles in the pharmaceutical industry. As Head of Innovation and Scientific Excellence at Teva Global Medical Affairs, he drives the development of forward-looking medical strategies, fosters cross-functional collaboration, and champions scientific innovation and governance across the organization. Prior to joining Teva, Ron served as Global Head of Medical Affairs Governance at Novartis, where he led large-scale organizational transformations, established a global governance framework, and expanded medical field capabilities. Recognized for his ability to align scientific excellence with business strategy, he has built and developed high-performing teams, enhanced medical compliance systems, and integrated medical functions across diverse therapeutic areas—advancing both innovation and operational rigor.

SSourav is currently the Head of Global Services, Medical and Scientific Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim. He leads the Medical and Scientific Affairs Communication services hub in the Barcelona delivery unit, supporting our Medical Affairs teams in HQ and regions execute on their scientific communication priorities across Field and digital channels at scale. He has over 18 years of experience in the industry and has held medical engagement strategy and execution roles across Life Science companies driving capability building and change at scale in complex big pharma matrix environments.

Emma is currently the Head of Global Digital Health Technology Innovation at Amgen. 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.

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.

Mikko is Senior Director, Integrated Communications Strategy at Prime, a trusted, world-leading partner in life science communications, engagement and value optimization for the bio‑pharmaceutical industry. In his role, Mikko partners with pharma and biotech companies to design innovative strategic engagement programmes that drive clinical behaviour change, primarily under a Medical Affairs remit. He has worked across multiple therapy areas, with particular experience in oncology, rare diseases, and neurology, across Global, Regional, and Local levels – including a stint in Pfizer’s Rare Diseases business. Mikko holds an Executive MBA from Cranfield School of Management.

Dr Sheetal Patel leads the learning and behaviour change strategy at Amiculum, where she applies learning, behavioural and cognitive sciences to enhance audience experiences and deliver measurable outcomes at individual, team, and organisational levels.

With nearly 20 years of experience in medical communications, Sheetal has worked across medical education, healthcare marketing, patient engagement, and strategic planning — always with a single goal: driving meaningful change in audience behaviour. She has developed a behavioural strategy framework for organisational change, helping teams adopt impactful approaches to learning and engagement.

Sheetal began her career in medical research, earning a PhD in Gene Therapy, an MRes in Bioinformatics, and a BSc in Human Genetics, before moving into teaching and later transitioning into medical communications.

Her passion is using behavioural science and creative ideas to inspire learning, boost engagement, and drive lasting behaviour change in healthcare.

After 20 years at the world's biggest scientific publisher where Mike spent time carefully curating journal data, he's now spent 10 years on the outside, where he spends much of his time picking journals' reputations apart and using data science to reveal their hidden secrets. You can expect many anecdotes from the 'inside' from this "gamekeeper turned poacher". Mike's PhD is in Open Access publishing and altmetrics.