ECN MENA Covid19: The race for a vaccine

Robert is the Director of the Economist Corporate Network based in Dubai and covering the MENA region. Robert works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers.
Robert is a business journalist, editor and publisher with nearly 25 years of experience covering a wide variety of sectors, including hospitality, retail, construction, energy and transport, and a particular interest in human capital management.
He is an accomplished event chairman, moderator and speaker.
Robert completed an MBA at the University of Leicester School of Business in 2012 and holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan is the chief scientist at the World Health Organisation. Prior to that she was the WHO's Deputy Director-General for Programmes. A paediatrician from India and a globally recognized researcher on tuberculosis and HIV, she brings with her 30 years of experience in clinical care and research and has worked throughout her career to translate research into impactful programmes. Dr Swaminathan was Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research from 2015 to 2017. In that position, she focused on bringing science and evidence into health policy making, building research capacity in Indian medical schools and forging south-south partnerships in health sciences. From 2009 to 2011, she also served as Coordinator of the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases in Geneva. She received her academic training in India, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, and has published more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. She is an elected Foreign Fellow of the US National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of all three science academies in India. She has previously been on several WHO and global advisory bodies and committees, including the WHO Expert Panel to Review Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group of the Global TB Department at WHO, and most recently was Co-Chair of the Lancet Commission on TB.

Vishnu is the Managing Director of the Janssen business in GCC based out of Dubai since January 2017. He is a member of the executive committee of the PhRMAG (Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers Association Gulf) and is the mentor of the regulatory working group. Vishnu joined Johnson & Johnson in 2002 and has worked with Johnson & Johnson in Europe, United States, Middle East & Asia Pacific. Vishnu has had a diverse career in J&J having worked across functions including Global Marketing, Product Development, Business Development, General Management and Mergers & Acquisition. Prior to his current role, Vishnu was the Managing Director for Johnson & Johnson in Indonesia with responsibility of leading the Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Healthcare and Vision care businesses in Indonesia. Vishnu was also the Vice President for the Global Orthopaedics Group leading the business for the South Asia cluster-based out of Singapore and a member of the Asia Pacific Management Board. Vishnu holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Pune, India, and an MBA degree from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.