Emmanuel is Co-Founder of Axmed.
He is a seasoned executive with a blend of professional experiences spanning 14 years across finance, public/private partnership, and healthcare.
Emmanuel began his professional journey as an analyst at JPMorgan Investment Bank. He then progressed to Merck KGaA, taking on the role of Associate Director of Corporate Strategy. His leadership continued as he spearheaded the Value Based Healthcare Practice at the World Economic Forum.
In 2019, Emmanuel joined Novartis as a Director of Corporate Strategy, with an immediate mandate to reshape the company’s strategy for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). He delivered a Board approved strategic plan, seamlessly integrating innovative commercial models, backed by financial and patient-access metrics as central performance indicators. Emmanuel’s background and passion for access improvement drove him to initiate and co-lead the issuance of Novartis’ Sustainability Linked Bond, a first for both the company, and the pharmaceutical industry, that fortified the company’s access commitments with a EUR 1.85Bn ($2Bn) in financing. Subsequently, Emmanuel stepped into the role of Chief Commercial Officer for the SSA region, where was privileged to lead a 100+ strong organization of passionate associates in improving access to Novartis medicines across 47 countries. Under his leadership, Emmanuel’s team collaborated seamlessly with both internal and external stakeholders, with their efforts being instrumental in establishing the Africa Medicines Supply Platform to expedite vaccine distribution across the continent at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Emmanuel holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, an M.Phil. in Technology Policy from the University of Cambridge, and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Hertfordshire.
Emmanuel Akpakwu
