Thomas B. Cueni (diplomatic studies programmes, ’82-‘83) has been named as the new Director General of The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Based in Geneva, IFPMA represents pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe, an industry of 2 million employees which researches, develops and provides medicines and vaccines that improve the life of patients worldwide.

During his career representing the pharmaceutical industry, Mr Cueni served for many years as Secretary General of Interpharma, the association of pharmaceutical research companies in Switzerland. Until the end of 2011, he was a member of the Swiss Federal Medicines Committee, and since 2015 he has sat on the Supervisory Board of the Swiss Medical Board (SMB), evaluating the cost-effectiveness of medical services.

In his new role, Thomas Cueni will lead the IFPMA team in engaging with global organisations such as the World Health Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization and the OECD, as well as governments and civil society organisations, to acknowledge the value of pharmaceutical innovation. He will also act as Secretary of a Roundtable of global pharmaceutical CEOs. Thomas Cueni said “I am honored to lead IFPMA at this pivotal moment in global health. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a robust framework for progress and the biopharmaceutical innovation is already making a major contribution to achieve Universal Health Coverage. We look forward to collaborating with partners in Geneva and around the world to help broader access to life-saving medicines and vaccines that the industry discovers and develops”.

During his time at the Graduate Institute, Mr Cueni studied under professors including Franz Blankart,  Arthur Dunkel and Lucius Caflisch.