Dr. Nibal Dahaba

From Pharmaceutical Leadership to Building Africa’s Vaccine Future

For more than two decades, Dr. Nibal Dahaba has built a career at the intersection of healthcare, pharmaceutical innovation, public health, and strategic business leadership. Her journey across Egypt, Africa, the Gulf, and the Levant has placed her at the forefront of some of the region’s most significant healthcare initiatives, from expanding access to vaccines and treatments to building new capabilities for local pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Today, as Co-Founder and General Manager of Gennecs Pharmaceuticals and General Manager of Gennvax, Dr. Dahaba is focused on a challenge that extends beyond commercial success: helping build a stronger and more sustainable healthcare ecosystem in Africa.

Her career reflects a consistent belief that pharmaceutical leadership should create measurable impact, not only for businesses, but also for patients, healthcare systems, and communities.

A Foundation Built on Science and Strategic Leadership

Dr. Dahaba began her professional journey with a strong scientific foundation, graduating as a pharmacist from Cairo University before earning a postgraduate diploma from George Washington University.

That combination of scientific knowledge and strategic education became the foundation for a career that would take her into senior leadership positions within some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

Over the years, she has held executive and regional leadership roles at global organizations including MSD, AbbVie, Novartis, and Sanofi Pasteur. Across these positions, she developed extensive experience in business transformation, market expansion, government relations, vaccines, public health programs, and strategic partnerships.

Expanding Access to Vaccines Across Emerging Markets

One of the defining chapters of Dr. Dahaba’s career came during her leadership at MSD, where she headed the governmental and public market function regionally and played a key role in launching the company’s vaccines portfolio across the Middle East and Africa.

The work required more than commercial expertise. It involved navigating complex healthcare systems, developing relationships with governments and public institutions, and understanding the different challenges facing immunization programs across multiple markets.

Her experience in this area would later become an important part of her broader mission to strengthen vaccination coverage and healthcare infrastructure throughout the region.

Leading Transformation at AbbVie

At AbbVie, Dr. Dahaba took on another significant leadership challenge. As Corporate Head for the Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan, she helped lead the company's strategic spin-off from Abbott and its launch across 52 markets.

Under her leadership, the business achieved substantial growth, doubling both top-line and bottom-line performance within two years. Her contribution came during a transformative period for the company and coincided with the continued global expansion of Humira, which became the world's top-selling drug.

The experience further established her reputation as a leader capable of managing complex multinational operations while delivering significant business results.

Contributing to a National Healthcare Milestone

Dr. Dahaba’s impact has extended beyond corporate leadership. She has also been involved in major public health initiatives in Egypt, including the country’s Hepatitis C treatment access campaign.

At a time when Egypt faced one of the highest Hepatitis C burdens in the world, she played a direct role in supporting the effort to expand access to treatment, acting as an important liaison between Egyptian and U.S. stakeholders.

The campaign became one of Egypt’s most significant public health success stories and ultimately contributed to the country receiving the World Health Organization’s highest recognition for achieving the elimination of Hepatitis C as a public health threat.

For Dr. Dahaba, the experience demonstrated what can happen when pharmaceutical expertise, government collaboration, and a clear public health objective come together at scale.

Advancing Immunization Through Sanofi Pasteur

As General Manager of Sanofi Pasteur for Egypt and Africa, Dr. Dahaba continued to focus on vaccination and public health, driving initiatives aimed at elevating national immunization coverage across the region.

Her work involved engaging with governments, healthcare institutions, and international organizations to support the expansion of vaccination programs and improve access to essential vaccines.

Throughout her career, she has also developed strategic relationships with organizations including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and several African governments, helping translate pharmaceutical expertise into large-scale healthcare initiatives.

Building the Next Chapter: Gennvax

Today, Dr. Dahaba is applying decades of pharmaceutical and public health experience to one of her most ambitious projects yet.

Through Gennecs Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiary, Gennvax, she is helping build a $150 million, full-production-cycle vaccine manufacturing facility in Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone.

The project represents a major step toward strengthening local vaccine manufacturing capabilities and reducing reliance on imported products. Operating under technology-transfer agreements and holding a golden license to produce 29 vaccines, the facility is designed to scale production to approximately 270 million doses annually.

Beyond manufacturing capacity, the project is also expected to contribute to Egypt’s pharmaceutical ecosystem through the creation of hundreds of new jobs and the development of specialized capabilities in vaccine production.

For Dr. Dahaba, Gennvax represents more than the establishment of another pharmaceutical facility. It is part of a broader vision for developing Africa’s capacity to produce essential healthcare products within the continent and creating a more resilient regional healthcare system.

Leadership Beyond the Boardroom

Dr. Dahaba’s leadership extends into public service and community development. For more than two decades, she has contributed to initiatives beyond her corporate responsibilities, including serving as an Executive Board Consultant to Zewail City of Science, Technology and Innovation.

She has also supported leading healthcare institutions and charitable organizations, including Hospital 57357 and Baheya Foundation, while contributing to national initiatives focused on youth development and women’s empowerment.

Her work has earned recognition through international awards spanning intellectual property, emerging-market healthcare initiatives, diabetes programs, vaccination expansion, and women's leadership in the Middle East.

A Leadership Philosophy Built Around Impact

What distinguishes Dr. Nibal Dahaba’s career is the breadth of her impact. She has operated at the highest levels of multinational pharmaceutical companies, worked alongside governments and international organizations, contributed to national healthcare programs, and now participates directly in building pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.

Her professional journey illustrates a shift that is increasingly important to the future of healthcare: moving from simply delivering healthcare products to building the systems, capabilities, and partnerships required to make healthcare more accessible and sustainable.

From vaccines and immunization programs to Hepatitis C treatment and local manufacturing, Dr. Dahaba has consistently worked at the point where business strategy meets public health.

As she continues her work with Gennecs Pharmaceuticals and Gennvax, her focus is no longer only on leading within an established pharmaceutical industry. It is on helping shape what that industry can become, particularly for Egypt and Africa.

Her story is ultimately one of transformation: transforming businesses, expanding access to healthcare, developing local capabilities, and creating a lasting impact on the future of healthcare in the region.