Pfizer appoints new regional president for Africa and the Middle East

Patrick van der Loo has been appointed Pfizer’s regional president for Africa and the Middle East (AfME).

Van der Loo’s Pfizer experience spans more than 20 years in leadership roles with multiple successes across geographies. In his new role as regional president for AfME, he will lead commercial operations to bring scientific breakthroughs in vaccines, oncology, rare diseases, internal medicine, hospitals, and inflammation & immunology, to serve patients.

Commenting on his appointment van der Loo says: “This year has made me even more grateful and proud to be part of Pfizer. The global pandemic has accentuated our purpose as a company and reinforced our commitment to patients and communities worldwide. AfME is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing markets with increasing demand for innovative health treatments and services. Overall, the region has shown remarkable resilience due to strong leadership and sound policies.”

Breakthrough to address unmet patient needs

He added: “Pfizer has been operating for over 60 years in AfME. I look forward to continuing this journey and bringing our breakthroughs to address unmet patient needs. My top priority will remain to work with our teams to ensure greater access to our medicines across our strategic therapeutic areas. We will seek even stronger collaboration with healthcare professionals, communities, and governments to change the lives of millions of people and protect them from tomorrow’s health threats.”

Van der Loo has been passionate about the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry from the start of his career. He has managed some of Pfizer’s largest therapeutic areas in cardiovascular and neuroscience globally and led the commercial development efforts of a 500+ molecule business.

In his previous role, van der Loo served as the Developed Asia Cluster lead and general manager for Pfizer’s Hospital Business Unit, responsible for leading and executing Pfizer’s commercial and cultural strategy in Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Before this role, Patrick worked as the Emerging Asia Cluster Lead for the Pfizer Essential Health business.