Management
Isabel Afonso
Chief Executive Officer of Arcera
Acino is part of Arcera, a global company in the life sciences sector headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
To learn more about Arcera, please visit www.arceralifesciences.com.
Computer science engineer, Minho University, Portugal
General management program, INSEAD, Paris and Singapore
Executive education programs at IMD business school in Switzerland, Wharton and Harvard business school in the USA
2022-23
International Head of In-Market Brands & Business Innovation at Novartis
2021-22
General Manager China at Novartis Oncology
2020-21
Chief Commercial Officer at Performance Health
2018-21
Managing Director and International Head eCommerce / Digital at Performance Health
2016-18
Head of Global Commercial Operations and Executive Committee Member at Sandoz
2015-18
Head of Global Commercial Strategy and Executive Committee Member at Sandoz
2014-15
Cluster Head BACH (Belgium, Austria and Switzerland at Sandoz
2011-15
Country Head at Sandoz
2007-11
Country Head
Global Head of BA Productivity
Global head of HR IT
at Novartis Consumer Health
Samir El Nasharty
Chief TechOps Officer of Arcera
Acino is part of Arcera, a global company in the life sciences sector headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
To learn more about Arcera, please visit www.arceralifesciences.com.
BSc of Management Sciences, Sadat Academy for Management Sciences, MBA, CPIM /APICS.
2024-24
Chief Operations Officer at Acino, Switzerland
2023-24
Global Head of Supply Chain at Acino, United Arab Emirates
2022-23
Regional Supply Chain Director META – Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Acino, United Arab Emirates
2021-22
APMA (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa) Innovative Medicines Regional Supply Chain Head at Novartis, United Arab Emirates
2016-22
MEA Cluster SC Head at Novartis, United Arab Emirates
2013-16
Supply Chain Head at Novartis (Innovative Medicine), Saudi Arabia
2008-13
Product Supply Section head, Egypt, Near East and North Africa at Novartis OTC, Egypt
2007-08
Material Planner at GSK, Egypt
Rafael Ferrer
Interim Chief Business Officer
SVP, Global Head of Corporate Development of Arcera
Acino is part of Arcera, a global company in the life sciences sector headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
To learn more about Arcera, please visit www.arceralifesciences.com.
MSc in Business Administration, International Business, FIU Chapman Graduate School of Business, Florida
BSc in Biology and Chemistry, University of Miami
2019-24
SVP, Chief Corporate Development Officer at M8 Pharmaceuticals, Miami
2016-19
Head of Business Development and Alliance Management - Latam at Novartis (Sandoz Division), São Paulo and Miami
2012-16
Marketing and Global Strategic Portfolio Development Manager at Stryker, Kalamazoo
2011-12
Regional Product Manager - Latam at LEO Pharma, Miami
Max Sorokin
Chief Financial Officer
MBA, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
BA, Economics, Business, German, Wabash College
2019-23
Head of Group Commercial Finance at Acino in Zurich, Switzerland
2018-19
ESSA Beverages Supply Chain Finance Lead at PepsiCo in Barcelona, Spain
2013-18
Senior Manager Finance at PepsiCo in Geneva, Switzerland
2010-12
Associate Director, Licensing & Business Development at Merck Serono in Geneva, Switzerland
2009-10
Consultant/Talent Partner, Life Science Practice at a-connect in Zurich, Switzerland
2002-09
Various roles in Finance at Eli Lilly & Co in Indianapolis, USA
Richard Letzelter
Chief Human Resources Officer
MSc Business Marketing, Ecole Supérieure des Technologies et des Affaires – ESTA
2020-23
Directeur des Resources Humaines France - P&O Head at Novartis, Paris
2019-20
HR Head Region Europe a.i. at Novartis, Basel
2016-19
Head of Talent management and OD - Region Europe at Novartis, Basel
2012-16
Head of Talent management and OD - Middle East and North Africa cluster at Novartis, Dubai
2007-12
Head of Capability and Organisation Development - Egypt at Vodafone
2005-07
Human Resources Manager global teams - Japan at Vodafone
2003-05
Human Resources Manager - Global Content Services at Vodafone, London
2000-02
Head of Human Resources at Vizzavi, Paris
1997-00
Marketing HR and HR Manger - UK at Altran
Christina Peusch
Chief Legal Officer
German qualified lawyer, University of Passau, Passau, Germany
2013-15
Head of Legal EUCAN (Europe/Canada), Emerging Markets and North Asia, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH, Zurich
2012-13
Senior Director Corporate Legal Affairs, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH, Zurich
2010-12
Senior Director International Legal Affairs, Nycomed Germany Holding GmbH, Konstanz, Germany
2007-09
Director International Legal Affairs, Nycomed Germany Holding GmbH, Konstanz, Germany
2004-07
International Legal Affairs Manager, Altana Pharma AG, Konstanz, Germany
1995-04
Clifford Chance (prev. Pünder, Volhard, Weber & Axster), member of the Commercial Law and Corporate Finance practice areas and (chief) representative of the Beijing office; Frankfurt am Main and Munich, Germany, and Beijing, PRC.
Eugene Zaika
Head of Ukraine and CIS
DBA degree (ongoing), International Management Institute (IMI-Kyiv)
MBA, International Management Institute (IMI-Kyiv)
PhD in cardiology, Research Institute of Therapy (Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine)
MD, Kharkiv Medical Institute, honors
2011-15
Takeda Cluster Head for Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Israel / General Director LLC Takeda Ukraine
2008-11
General Director, LLC Nycomed Ukraine
2005-08
Head of Represenative office of Nycomed in Ukraine and Moldova
2005-05
Marketing Manager, Sanofi-Aventis Ukraine and Moldova
2000-04
Marketing Manager, Aventis Intercontinental (Ukraine)
1998-00
East Ukraine Area Manager, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (Ukraine)
1994-97
Medical representative, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (Ukraine)
1993-97
Cardiologist, scientific associate in the department of clinical pharmacology, Research Institute of Therapy (Kharkiv)
Mansoor Meenai
Interim Head of Middle East, Turkey and Africa
MBA, Finance, Business Administration and Management Sciences, Imperial College London
BSc (Hons), Computer Science
2017-19
Finance Director META Region, Acino
2016-20
Partner, Amwaaj Life Sciences
2001-15
Various Finance Director roles, GSK
1991-98
Various senior roles, SmithKline Beecham
Joel Barlan
Head of LATAM
Ingénieur, Ecole de Purpan, Toulouse
2015-24
CEO at M8 Pharmaceuticals, Mexico
2012-14
CEO of Meizler UCB Brazil
2005-12
Latin America Regional Manager at UCB
2004-05
Interlatina Regional Manager at Sanofi
2000-04
General Manager Central America & Caribbean at Aventis Pharmaceutical
John Norman
Head of Africa
Bachelor of Commerce Majored in Marketing & Economics
2017-18
General Manager Litha Healthcare, South Africa
2014-17
Managing Director Africa at Takeda
2007-14
CEO Takeda South Africa, Sub Saharan Africa & Indian Ocean Islands
1999-08
Marketing & Sales Director Janssen- Cilag Pharmaceuticals, South Africa
1998-99
Business Unit Manager Janssen-Cilag Consumer Pharmaceuticals, South Africa
1993-98
Regional Sales Manager Jannsen-Cilag Pharmaceuticals, South Africa
1991-93
Product Manager Adcock Ingram Pharmaceuticals, South Africa
1988-91
Product Manager J&J Medical, South Africa
1987-88
Professional Sales Representative J&J Medical, South Africa
Gamal Khallaf
Global Head of Supply Chain
MBA, International Public Health/International Health, University of Basel
Bachelor of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Misr University for Science and Technology
2023-24
Director of Distribution, Tender management & Business Development - METAP region at Bayer, United Arab Emirates
2022-24
Sustainability Low Income Consumer Access Program Lead - EMEA at Bayer, United Arab Emirates
2022-23
Head of Distribution, Tender Management & Business Development MEA at Bayer, United Arab Emirates
2020-22
Head of Business Development MEA at Bayer, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates
2018-20
Senior Project Manager - Global SC at Bayer, Switzerland
2012-18
Various Demand and Process Manager roles at Novartis, Egypt and Switzerland
Klyde Takaline
Global Head of Quality
Klyde holds a Master of Science – Physics from the University of Strasbourg and a Master in Project Management
2020-23
VP Head Corporate Quality Assurance, Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany
2019-20
Head Global Development Quality Operations & Continuous Improvement, Novartis, Switzerland
2018-20
Head Quality Business Unit (Anti-Infectives Spain Aseptic Process), Sandoz, Spain
2016-18
Global Head, Strategy & Project Management Office - Novartis Technical Operations (NTO), Novartis, Switzerland
2016-16
Head of Commercial Quality Saudi Arabia, Novartis, Saudi Arabia
2013-16
Global Head Operations & Strategic Planning - Global Pharma Quality, Novartis, Switzerland
2011-13
Site Quality Head, Novartis, Brazil / PM International Assignment at Novartis, USA
2008-11
CVM Business Unit: Sr. Global Progr. Operations Manager - Heart Failure, Novartis, Switzerland
2007-08
Sr. Clinical Manager, Novartis, Switzerland
Eva Kopecna
Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs and Pharmacovigilance
MD University of Palacky, CZ
MSc in Regulatory Affairs University of Wales, UK
PhD in Clinical and Social Pharmacy Charles University, CZ
2019-20
Head of Regulatory Affairs, Zentiva, Prague
2012-18
Senior Director Regulatory Affairs Global OTC, PGT Healthcare, Geneva
2006-12
Regulatory Affairs Director, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Opava, Czech Republic
2004-06
Director of Regulatory Affairs and Pharmacovigilance - CEE Region, Ivax Pharmaceuticals, Czech Republic
2002-04
Regulatory Affairs Manager - CEE region & Site RA, Ivax Pharmaceuticals, Czech Republic
2000-02
Head of Clinical Trials, Head of Clinical Trials, Ivax Pharmaceuticals, Czech Republic
Larisa Bernstein
Global Head of Communications
Larisa holds a degree from the University of Oslo, Norway, where she majored in English and marketing communications.
2020-21
Senior Communications Leader, Global Neuroscience and Rare Diseases DTA, Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland
2018-20
Communications Leader, Global Medical Affairs, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Switzerland
2010-18
Marketing and Communications Manager, Landis+Gyr, Switzerland
2006-09
Senior Corporate Communications Manager, Nycomed (now Takeda Pharmaceuticals), Denmark & Switzerland
2000-06
PR and Communications Manager, Nycomed Russia/CIS (now Takeda Pharmaceuticals), Russia
Ralph Halter
Global Head of IT
BSc Marketing, University of Applied Science FHNW Basel
2009-19
Corporate Head of IT Strategy and Planning, Panalpina, Basel
2003-05
Head of IT Competence Center Latin America, Panalpina, Brazil
1995-03
Head of Corporate Data Center, Panalpina Basel
1993-95
Senior Data Administrator Retail, Ikea, Southern Europe, Basel
1990-92
Product Manager, Fides Informatik, Basel
Isabel Afonso
Chairwoman of the Board of Acino Group since June 2024
Computer science engineer, Minho University, Portugal
General management program, INSEAD, Paris and Singapore.
Executive education programs at IMD business school in Switzerland, Wharton and Harvard business school in the USA.
Isabel Afonso is the CEO of the Life Sciences international platform, owned by ADQ. Prior to this role, Isabel was the Head of In-Market Brands and Business Innovation for Novartis International based in Basel, Switzerland. Before moving to HQ she was the general manager in China for Novartis Oncology, a major focus market for Novartis. Until beginning of 2021, Isabel served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Performance Health. Between 2002 and 2018, she held multiple business and functional leadership roles in the Novartis group.
Milad Hadziabdic
Member of the Board of Acino Group since December 2023
MBA (honors), The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA
BS Electrical Engineering, Grove City College, USA
Milad Hadziabdic is the Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at ADQ. Prior to ADQ, Milad was a Managing Director in Mergers & Acquisitions Investment Banking at Citigroup for over 16 years in both New York and London. At Citigroup, he led M&A advisory efforts for the Healthcare Services sector in the US and for the Industrials sector across EMEA. Prior to Citigroup, Milad spent 7 years at General Electric, in engineering and finance roles, most recently managing finance for a division of GE Transportation Systems.
Hamda Eid AlMheiri
Member of the Board of Acino Group since December 2023
Corporate Director Certificate from Harvard Business School
Hamda Eid AlMheiri is the Head of Government Affairs at ADQ and a member of Presight’s board of directors . In a prior position at ADQ, Hamda led the Corporate Planning and Performance Department which forms part of the Strategy function. Her professional track record includes roles with the Abu Dhabi Executive Office as a Project Manager in charge of financial policy and efficiency and the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi as a Financial Policy and Efficiency Specialist. Previously, Hamda served as Manager Commercial Analyst for Strategy and Planning at Etihad Airways.
Abdullah Tahlak
Member of the Board of Acino Group since December 2023
Executive education, Yale School of Management
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance, American University of Sharjah
Abdullah Tahlak is an Investment Manager of ADQ’s Healthcare, Life Sciences and Financial Services Portfolio. Prior to joining ADQ, Abdullah served as an investment professional within Mubadala Capital’s Private Equity Team.