Roche’s pharmaceuticals division has promoted Ehab Yousef to the newly created role of sub-region head for Middle East, overseeing the market activities in GCC region, Egypt and Yemen.

Tthe move results from an effort by the company to drive focused market growth in this region, said a statement from Roche.

Ehab Yousef will report directly to Peter Hug, the regional head of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA), and will lead the business for Roche’s main therapeutic areas in the region: Oncology, Virology, Inflammation and Metabolic Disorders.

Roche is currently the market leader in providing innovative solutions across these therapies fulfilling unmet medical needs across a range of diseases like cancer, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, anemia and transplantation.

Commenting on the new role, Yousef said, “The Middle East market has a huge potential for growth with increasing demand for innovative medicines. As a research-focused healthcare company we are striving to improve people’s health and I look at this as a very exciting time for the company.”

Yousef joined Roche’s pharmaceutical division in 2011 as the general manager of Roche-Egypt. He brings over 20 years of pharmaceutical business experience having held various positions of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing at global pharmaceutical companies including Eli Lilly.

In 2009, Yousef conducted executive general management program in Harvard Business School.

Roche UAE has a long history. Commencing licensed operations in 1997 with only 10 employees, Roche in the UAE has grown to become a Management Centre (MC) for 15 markets including the GCC, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with almost 500 employees across the region.-TradeArabia News Service