AIPM announces that Natalia Kolerova and Anthony Wong have been elected as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Association's Board of Directors

February 04, 2022, Moscow - the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (AIPM) announces that Natalya Kolerova, President of Novartis Group of Companies in Russia, was elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Anthony Wong, Regional Vice President for AbbVie's business in Russia and the CIS region, was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers.

Natalia Kolerova has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 30 years, holding various senior positions in the Russian representative offices of major international pharmaceutical companies. Natalia was appointed as head of the Novartis Group in September 2019, also retaining her position as General Manager of the company's oncology business in Russia, Ukraine and the CIS since 2014. She earned her degree in Pharmacy from the I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy, and a degree in Sociology from the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. She also has an MBA degree. Natalia has been elected as the member of AIPM Board of Directors since September 2019.

"I am honored to be elected as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers. AIPM has highly professional expertise on a wide range of industry issues and is involved in a dialogue with all interested market participants, making a significant contribution to improving the availability of modern, effective medicines and medical technologies in the Russian Federation. AIPM member companies are always at the forefront of implementing breakthrough technologies in healthcare practice, contributing to the growth of innovation in the country, and I am very pleased to continue working in these areas in my new position," says Natalia Kolerova, President of Novartis Group, Chair of AIPM Board of Directors.

Anthony Wong has been managing AbbVie's business in Russia and the CIS as Regional Vice President since 2008. Before that, he was the General Manager of the Pharmaceutical Division of Abbott in Russia. Anthony Wong has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having previously held positions in manufacturing, finance and general management. Before his roles in Abbott and AbbVie, Anthony served as General Manager for Schering Plough for 8 years and 5 years as a Manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in M&A and Strategic Advisory Services in Russia. Anthony Wong graduated from Columbia University with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Engineering and holds an MBA. He has been a member of the AIPM Board of Directors for more than 12 years.

"I thank my colleagues in the Association for their support and election me as Vice-Chair of the AIPM Board of Directors. I see this as an opportunity to provide contribution to the mission of formulating economic and legal policy aimed at developing the pharmaceutical market in Russia as promoting innovation and through transparent legislation to protect intellectual property rights and supporting a focus on patient-centered technology development," said Anthony Wong, Regional Vice President for AbbVie’s business in Russia and the CIS.

Vladimir Shipkov, Executive Director of the AIPM, welcomed the appointment of new senior executives of the Board of Directors, noting the strong involvement and active approach of all Board members in the industrial agenda. "As the search for solutions to the pandemic continues and our society's expectations of health care remain high, the pharmaceutical industry continues to be in the spotlight as one of the drivers of global and national healthcare. The industry is both a source of innovation and an area of continuous development, requiring attention and support from the state authorities, improvements in the regulatory environment and close cooperation between all stakeholders in the interest of the patient. Today, the industry is undergoing a major transformation against a backdrop of growing number of challenges and is under the constant pressure to adapt especially to the emergence of new breakthrough therapy opportunities and the development of digital technology. Our objectives also embrace promoting modern national and supranational regulation, enhancing the attractiveness of the EAEU single pharmaceutical market and maximising the potential of the industry to improve people's health. This requires in-depth expertise and extensive professional dialogue between all stakeholders. We welcome the appointment of Natalia Kolerova and Anthony Wong to the key positions in the Association as a confirmation of our commitment to professional goals and further consolidation of efforts on issues of priority importance for the industry, formulated with the active participation of their predecessors - Oksana Monge, Head of one of the global business units at Sanofi headquarters, and Vasily Ignatyev, CEO of R-Pharm, who previously held these positions," noted Vladimir Shipkov.

Natalya Kolerova took over as Chair of the Board of Directors from January 25, 2022. The new Vice-Chair will take over from February 25, 2022, at the end of the term of the current Vice-Chair, Vasily Ignatyev, who has led AIPM in this position for the past 4 years.

In accordance with the AIPM Statutes, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the AIPM Board of Directors are elected for two years period with the possibility of one-time re-election.

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The Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (AIPM) was established in 1994 and represents in the Russian Federation the leading international pharmaceutical companies - producers and developers of modern effective, safe and high-quality medicines. Today, AIPM unites more than 60 international companies that provide over 80% of the world’s pharmaceutical products and over 60% of medicines imported to the Russian Federation.

For additional information, please contact:

Elena Yankovskaya, PR & Communications Director, AIPM
+7 (495) 933 70 40, Elena.Yankovskaya@aipm.org