Joris Silon

I hold the role of US Country President, BioPharmaceutical Business Unit (BBU), focusing on product strategy and commercial delivery for the Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism (CVRM) and Respiratory and Immunology therapy areas.

What is most enjoyable about working for a global healthcare company is our ability to come up with innovative solutions and be part of integrated teams that drive a common goal: give patients across the globe access to the best care possible. I am inspired to have joined such an ambitious team as we share the dedication and passion to make a real difference and improve the lives of millions of patients worldwide.

I have always taken pride in making a positive impact in the lives of others, and this feeling has only gotten stronger throughout my career. I graduated from KU Leuven in my home country of Belgium in 1994 and went on to start my first job in the pharmaceutical firm Astellas Pharma. First joining AstraZeneca in 2000, I began as Brand Leader for a portfolio of life-saving medicines for people living with cardiovascular diseases. Since then, I have challenged myself to take on roles of increasing leadership that have helped shape the delivery of our medicines in specific regions of the world and in various critical disease areas. In 2015, I moved to Singapore and took on the role of Area Vice President of Asia, where I focused on accelerating growth in the Asian market through expansion, innovation and partnerships.

During my time in Asia, I am particularly proud of my team’s work to address the burdens of asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Seeing an opportunity to make a real difference, we launched a programme called Healthy Lung Asia – a project built through government partnerships helping thousands of patients through better diagnosis and treatment for asthma and COPD. We brought policy makers, governments, healthcare providers and renowned thought leaders from different countries together to share their ideas and learn from each other.

Our mission is to help protect 130 million people from the often-devastating consequences of CVRM diseases by 2025. I believe AstraZeneca holds a unique advantage by working across these inter-related disease areas, providing us with important insights into finding ways to better understand patients and collaboratively address their needs.

I look forward to bringing my learnings and insights to the BBU team in the US.