By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Gavi, the vaccine alliance has appointed a Pakistani Senator Dr Sania Nishtar as next Chief Executive Officer.

In a statement, Gavi said the the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance approved the appointment of Dr Sania Nishtar as its next Chief Executive Officer

Dr Nishtar, currently a member of the Pakistan Senate, will assume the role on 18 March 2024.

Dr Sania Nishtar: “I am honoured by the trust the Gavi Board placed in me and look forward to working with Gavi’s talented staff and skilled Alliance partners.” 

A trained medical doctor, Dr Nishtar has built an outstanding career over 30 years as a global public health leader. In national government, she served between 2018 and 2022 as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, a role with the status of a Federal Minister. In 2013, during Pakistan’s Caretaker Government, she served as a Federal Minister with responsibility for re-establishing the country’s Ministry of Health among other roles, winning acclaim for transparency and accountability during her time in office.

During her career, Dr Nishtar has fulfilled several leadership positions in civil society and international organisations. She founded the non-profit NGO think tank Heartfile, which campaigns for health reform in Pakistan. 

She was the inaugural Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) for women’s and children’s health and Co-Chair of the WHO Independent High-level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases, among many other roles. 

Dr Nishtar served as Chair of Gavi’s Evaluation Advisory Committee from 2011 to 2014, and in 2016 served as an independent member of Gavi’s Board. A prolific thought leader, she has co-authored dozens of academic papers and books, and has been published in many leading national and international newspapers. 

Dr Nishtar graduated from medical school as the best graduate in 1986. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and received a PhD from King’s College London, which awarded her an honorary Doctorate in Science, Honoris Causa, in 2019. 

She is listed among the notable alumni of King’s College and in 2020 was among the BBC’s 100 Women, a list of inspiring and influential women from around the world.

Professor José Manuel Barroso, Chair of the Gavi Board, said: “Over three decades of leadership at the national and global levels, Dr Nishtar has built a reputation as a tireless advocate for health equity, an innovative thinker and a proven doer when it comes to solving complex challenges. 

“I am impressed by her accomplishments and excited by the possibilities her appointment brings for our Alliance and our ambitions to protect future generations,” he said.