ABOUT
Ashraf Mallak is the Managing Director for MSD GCC. He has been recognized by Forbes Middle East as one of top 50 healthcare leaders in 2023 and 2022.
He is a member of the Executive Committee of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Gulf (PHRMAG) and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Dubai (AmCham).
Ashraf’s innate commercial and operational capabilities have helped MSD in the GCC to develop an outstanding commercial strategy utilizing digital data and analytics to make effective business decisions that benefit the company and its stakeholders.
Prior to his role as MD for the GCC, Ashraf served as Managing Director for KSA where he led the transformation of the business in the market. Under his leadership, the business in Saudi Arabia grew by 110%. He also led EEMEA regional commercial operations where he worked closely with markets and the global center of excellence at MSD to drive the execution of the company’s data and analytics capabilities as well as the deployment of a rapid response automated tool across EEMEA markets.
Ashraf joined MSD in 2002 and held several local and regional roles across sales, marketing, market access, business unit management, commercial and operations and general management.
Ashraf holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmaceutical Science from Jordan University and an MBA from the American University of Dubai (AUD). He is a graduate of the MSD Leadership program (ELP) from Harvard Business School.
STATEMENT
MSD is a leading global biopharmaceutical company, and as a leader for MSD GCC, I have been privileged to advocate for American businesses in the UAE and contribute to fostering strong ties between the two nations.
Serving on the Board of Directors of AmCham has been a rewarding experience, where I actively represented our organization during pivotal events and engagements. During my tenure, I have had the pleasure of spearheading numerous activities that resonate with our shared visions and objectives. Notably, I had the honor of participating in a briefing with H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America, and Saud Al Nowais, Commercial Counselor and attaché for the UAE to the USA, engaging in constructive dialogue about policies.
Moreover, MSD hosted a hearing session on data law policies, which included AmCham representatives from different industries, Executive Committee Members of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Gulf (PhRMAG), US Chamber of Commerce, and the American consulate (commercial & Health attaché). The agreed discussion points were later shared in a dialogue between the UAE and U.S. Governments in Washington, D.C. through the US Chamber and followed up with MSD meeting in the UAE Embassy in DC.
Additionally, MSD has been actively participating in the activities and discussion of several committees such as the Healthcare Committee and Human Resources Committee, we will expand our activities to the American Brands Forum as MSD come with a wealth of experience in the IP field and can add value to discussion related to anti-counterfeit, protecting the American brands.
For the coming two years, I will continue to advocate for American brands in the UAE building on strong participation to continue delivering on partnerships with the key public stakeholders resulting in building strong ties between US and UAE offering strong value propositions for leadership thoughts and dialogues. MSD has a lot to offer in the innovation of new medicines, in strong experience in IP and HR and we are seeking a collaboration with the UAE Government for COP 28; hence we can continue to save and improves lives with our commitment to ESG initiatives.
On a light note, MSD achieved several remarkable awards under Ashraf’s leadership such as 'Cancer Awareness Partner of the Year' in 2022, World Guinness Record for raising awareness during world cancer day in 2022.