Gilead Sciences, a research-based biopharmaceutical company, has appointed Vitor Papao, as General Manager (GM) of its Middle East operations. Moving from Portugal to Dubai, he will be taking over from Sebnem Girgin, General Manager of Turkey, who has been serving as the interim Middle East head over the past few months.
Industry sources added that having joined Gilead in 2007 as Sales Director in Portugal, Vitor went on to take on several senior titles such as Business Unit Director for HIV, in 2008, and Commercial Lead, between 2012 and 2015, for various therapy areas, and manage international remits in the United Kingdom, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
In March 2015, Vitor was selected for the position of General Manager of Gilead Portugal and led the affiliate toward success as it launched a full FTAF portfolio. He also managed the team while it supported the Kite colleagues in establishing a clear leadership in Cell Therapy with Yescarta. His excellent leadership skills allowed him to lead the Russian affiliate as an interim General Manager during a difficult time, starting June 2022, ensuring patients’ access to essential, life-saving medicine.
Vitor Papao, General Manager, Gilead Sciences, Middle East stated “I am delighted to take on this challenge and lead a dynamic region such as the Middle East, a leader in adopting innovations to support patients and a rapidly growing market for us with significant growth potential. I am very proud to learn that the team in the region has been delivering innovative treatments that aim to prevent, treat and cure life-threatening diseases such as HIV, cancer, and viral hepatitis, supporting more than 96000 patients between 2014 and 2022.”
As of December 2022, Gilead Sciences has 55 employees supporting 12 markets in the region. In the Middle East, the company has 58 active licenses across its therapeutic areas of HIV, HCV, HBV, Fungal diseases, oncology, and COVID-19.
