Dr Rex Kealibile Segadimo is a Secretary for Specialised Health Care at the Ministry of Health Headquarters in Botswana. He is responsible for overseeing the main three referral hospitals, seven district hospitals, as well as the national health laboratory. Dr Segadimo’s work entails experience from both Norway and Botswana as he has served in different hospitals at various levels as a Medical Doctor, Internal Medicine Specialist, and Senior Consultant.

With respect to academic training Dr Segadimo holds a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Tromsoe, with speciality in Internal and Geriatric Medicine, both of which are acquired from Norway. As part of the Executive Team at the Ministry of Health he is involved in the current re-structuring within the health sector and overall governance reforms. Dr Segadimo is most passionate about improving the quality of health care and bringing significant change in the health system of Botswana for the achievement of universal health coverage.

H.E. Aimé Clovis Guillond is a career diplomat and ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary.

The ambassador is the Republic of the Congo’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

In that capacity, he was the Chair of the African Group of Ambassadors and Coordinator of environmental issues and humanitarian affairs in Geneva.

He is also the Republic of the Congo’s ambassador to the Swiss Confederation.

Prior to his service in Geneva, he was the Republic of the Congo’s ambassador to Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Latvia and Finland.

In addition, he was ambassador, head of mission, in Brazil.

Dr. Alejandra Pizarro Ibáñez is the Health Attaché of Permanent Mission of Chile and, since July 2023, the Chilean negotiator of the international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and of Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations. This year, she also became a member of the WHO Executive Board.

Previously, she was an international advisor to PAHO in the Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment Unit, and before that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, she was head of the Epidemiology Department of the Ministry of Health, coordinating the Chilean response about this emergency. Dr Pizarro Ibáñez also directed the Observatory of Infectious Diseases of the Faculty of Medicine of the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile, where she is also a researcher.

Dr Pizarro Ibáñez is medical doctor with a specialization in public health and a Master of Science in Epidemiology.

Carol Nawina Maimbolwa is a renowned TB/HIV/cervical cancer advocate with many years of experience in public health and community engagement. She is the Executive Director of CITAMplus, a community advocacy organization based in Lusaka, Zambia. Carol uses her lived experience with TB, HIV and diabetes, as well as working directly with the affected communities at grassroot level to advocate for policy change at national, regional and international levels.

She has in the past been a Board member on The Global Fund, The Union, and Unitaid and a former member of the Task Force on the Global Plan to End TB. Carol is a member of TB People and TB Women Global, serves as the outgoing Board member representing TB affected communities on the Stop TB Partnership Board and is the Alternate Board Member a.i. of the Unitaid Communities delegation since June 2024.

Abdul-Fatawu Salifu is a young leader and public health advocate from Ghana with over nine years of experience in community engagement. As an HIV-positive individual achieving viral suppression, he champions the rights and well-being of people living with HIV (PLHIV), advocating for equitable access to healthcare. Abdul-Fatawu is a community advocate technical expert with Y+ and a mentor, coaching and training his peers in community advocacy.

Abdul-Fatawu is a member of the Advisory Working Group of the Unitaid Communities delegation since October 2023 and is currently serving as the Youth representative on the Ghana CCM.

Ingrid Etoke joined the foundation in 2021 as Senior Program Officer, Health Products, Programs & Markets at the Gates foundation.

She is responsible for the new products introduction and market dynamics of the Malaria drugs, Vector Control and vaccine pipeline.

Before joining the foundation, Ingrid worked for the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) as Senior Market Access Manager.

She started her career in the pharmaceutical industry where she held several commercial roles in Europe and Africa, overseeing infectious and non communicable disease portofolio. Originally from Cameroon, Ingrid holds Masters degrees in Biochemistry and International Marketing from University of Science and Technology of Lille (France).

Anne-Claire AMPROU is the French Ambassador for Global Health and, since April 2022, the French negotiator of the international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

After starting her career as a hospital director, she joined the Inspectorate-General of Social Affairs. She was a member of the Ebola task force and then Deputy Director General for Health at the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health. Before coordinating the French response to the Covid-19 crisis in 2021, she was Chief General Manager of Universcience, a cultural and scientific institute.

Mrs Clarisse Paolini is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human development at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign affairs. She was previously Deputy political coordinator at the French Mission to the UN in New York (2023-2024), Head of cooperation at the French Embassy in Colombia (2019-2023), Deputy Head of the political affairs department in the Directorate for United nations and international organizations at the MEFA (2016-2018), and Advisor to the Secretary General of the MEFA (2015-2016). She also served as Advisor to the Executive Director of the Global Fund to find Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (2011-2012) and Deputy Head of the multilateral development banks and development aid unit at the Treasury Department in France (2007-2011). She previous worked as a consultant for the public sector at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2005-2007). She holds a Master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris and a Master’s degree from the University of Paris-Dauphine.

Dr. Nobuharu Imanishi is appointed as Ambassador for global health diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since July 2024.  He is also a Board Member for Global Fund.  As the Deputy Director General for global issues, Dr. Imanishi is responsible for various UN and international organizations in areas of global health, environment, and development aid.  A career diplomat with many experiences in multilateral diplomacy, Dr. Imanishi recently served as Deputy Permanent Representative for IAEA in Vienna.

Dr. Yosuke Kita has over a decade of experience in public and global health. He currently serves as Director of the Global Health Strategy Division at the International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan. Before joining MOFA, Dr. Kita worked extensively within Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), contributing to HIV/AIDS initiatives, revisions of the Immunization Act, and reforms to the long-term care insurance system. From 2009 to 2011, he was seconded to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where he coordinated malaria control strategies. He also gained local governance experience through a secondment to a Japanese local government.

In April 2019, Dr. Kita was appointed Director of the Office of Global Strategy for Medical Services and Health Industry at MHLW. In July 2019, he became Senior Coordinator for Global Health, where he played a key role in handling the 2020 “Diamond Princess” cruise ship COVID-19 response. Subsequently, he served as Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, facilitating the UN General Assembly High-Level Meetings on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPR) in 2023. He also acted as Vice-Chair of the 57th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development. Dr. Kita holds a medical degree and two master's degrees—one in public health from Yale University and another in public administration from Harvard University.

Sharonann Lynch has worked for 25 years in the global health field. She is currently Co-Director of the Center for Global Health Policy and Politics (GHPP) at Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. Previously, Sharonann worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for 15 years, including four years with MSF projects in southern Africa and as the Senior HIV and TB Policy Advisor for MSF International. She currently serves on the UNAIDS Advisory Group and Unitaid Board as alternate member for the NGO delegation.

Over the past two decades, Olayide Akanni has served in various capacities with several other advocacy-based coalitions in promoting Health financing, HIV/AIDS and TB treatment literacy, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), capacity building for media and a diverse range of civil society groups in research, community engagement, and policy monitoring to support universal access to prevention, treatment, and care services.

She is the National Coordinator for the Civil Society Network for the Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria (TB) Network. Before working in the non-profit sector, Olayide was a Health Correspondent for Punch Newspapers, a leading National Newspaper in Nigeria. Olayide holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Biochemistry from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and an MBA from the Lagos Business School of the Pan Atlantic University (formerly Pan African University).

Haitham El-Noush, Senior Advisor, Innovation in Health and Development, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

Mr. Haitham El-noush has been, during the past nine years, managing the innovation portfolio within global health for the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); promoting and scaling-up innovative tools and approaches for health and development; through pursing tasks related to policy, partnerships, and operations. He was also the project manager for the UN Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) Innovation Working Group (IWG); through which he led the creation of thriving partnerships that inspired to consensus building, out-of-the-box thinking, and mobilization of financial and non-financial resources.

El-noush has a long international cooperation career with work experience from nine countries representing three continents; working for both governments, INGOs and the UN. Throughout his career, he has been providing thought-leadership, building and pursuing new initiatives as well as novel work streams and approaches constructed around innovation and digital tools. He has an extensive leadership experience from managing large and complex operations and portfolios.

El-noush has a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture science with agriculture economics as major from University of Khartoum in Sudan, a Master of Science degree in development economics and international development with microfinance as thesis topic from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and a Diploma in pedagogy from Nord (Northern Norway) University. Moreover, he earned a Diploma in impact investing from Saïd Business School at Oxford University; and has recently obtained a course certificate on global health from University of Copenhagen.

Marte Bøe Wensaas is working as a Senior Advisor in Global Health for the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). Marte has during the past 20 years been working on the Global Health agenda. In her current role she is responsible for managing parts of the Norwegian development aid in global health and provides technical advice related to Norwegian ODA for global health to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian embassies, and partner organizations/institutions.  Her principal responsibilities include areas like public health, SRHR Commodities, HSS and MNCH.  She has also been working in Norway’s GAVI and GFATM teams. Previous to her current position she worked for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Recently she came back to Norway after heading of health portfolio at the Norwegian Embassy in Malawi for several years.

Professional with more than 20 years of experience in Development cooperation, with long time work in developing and fragile context such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic, in NGO sector and mainly with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). Since 2021, based in HQ of AECID where she is Chief of Multilateral and EU Cooperation Department. Graduate in Journalism and Master in Development and International Cooperation and Master in Corporate Social Responsibility.

Ian is the Head of the Manufacturing and Market Shaping Unit at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). He has over a decade of senior engagement in Health & the Life Sciences including at the UK’s Medicines Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the European Commission, the OECD and United Nations. Most recently he led the FCDO’s global pharmaceuticals and diagnostics response to COVID-19, including as Chair of the WHO/ACT-Accelerator Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics Group bringing together Governments, civil society, global health institutions and industry to examine the challenges to access during the pandemic.

He is also an Advisor to the World Health Organisation on Regional Manufacturing and Board Member of the Access to Medicines Foundation, bringing an in-depth knowledge of institutional and delivery architectures, alongside a well-established understanding of regulatory and policy frameworks.

Rob joined FCDO in 2019, having previously worked across UK Government departments including tax, education and the environment. He worked on FCDO’s flagship humanitarian demining programme, before moving to Kinshasa (DRC) to help lead the UK’s response to Ebola, COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks. Rob previously sat on the Strategy Committee for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative for 2022-23. He has been the FCDO lead for UK funding to Unitaid since January 2024.

Jeremy is the Assistant Director-General, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care at the World Health Organisation.  As Assistant Director-General Jeremy leads WHO's work on communicable and noncommunicable diseases, health through the life course, health promotion and social determinants of health, nutrition and food safety, One Health, Migration and health, and the impacts of the environment and climate change on health. Between 2023-2025 Jeremy was the Chief Scientist at the WHO.

Jeremy is a clinician scientist who before joining the WHO was Director/CEO of the Wellcome Trust 2013-2023. Between 1996-2013 he was Director of the Clinical Research Unit Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City Viet Nam. Professor Farrar trained in neurology and infectious diseases in Oxford, London, San Francisco and Melbourne. He has a PhD in Immunology from the University of Oxford and over 600 publications. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences UK, the National Academies USA, the European Molecular Biology Organization and a Fellow of The Royal Society.

He was awarded the Memorial Medal and Ho Chi Minh City Medal in Viet Nam and in 2018 the President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian of the Year.  He was named in the Fortune list of 50 World’s Greatest Leaders in 2015, included in the Politico’s Class of 2022 most influential people in Europe. Jeremy was knighted in the Queen’s 2018 New Year Honours for services to Global Health, the Public Service Medal Government of Singapore 2021 and was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun and Gold Ray Neck Ribbon in 2020 from the Japanese government in the name of the Emperor of Japan for contributions to global health.  In 2022 Jeremy was named in the Politico 28 Class of 2022 most influential people in Europe and in 2024 Jeremy was named in the Time100 list of 100 most influential leaders in health.

Issa Matta is Principal Legal Officer heading the Corporate and Contractual Matters Unit in LEG, who joined WHO in 2003.

His principal responsibilities include legal and governance support to WHO partnerships and alliances, the WHO Foundation, the WHO Academy and on legal matters relating to engagement with non-state actors, as well as commercial and contractual issues.

In 2008, Issa spent a year as a senior lawyer at the Global Fund. He also acquired significant private sector legal experience during his time as corporate counsel with the pharmaceutical company Merck-Serono as well as in-house attorney with the global consulting firm Andersen. Issa began his career as a legal consultant in the Abu Dhabi Office of a leading New York based international law firm.

Issa has a J.D. from the University of Virginia and is admitted as an attorney before the New York bar. Prior to his legal studies, Issa specialized in international relations with a focus on the Middle East.

Issa is from Lebanon and also lived in Jordan, Kenya, Iraq, UAE, and the USA.