The Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (SAPI) board of directors has elected Mr Guillermo Frydman (Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson Singapore) as President of the association, effective immediately. He previously held the position of Vice-President of the association and served as the Chair of the Public Policy Committee. He replaces outgoing President, Mr Ashish Pal, who has played a leading role in the association for the past four years. In addition, Ms Poh Hwee Tee (Managing Director, Novartis Singapore) will take over as one of the two Vice-Presidents of SAPI, joining Ms Celine Ting (Managing Director, Eisai Singapore) in that role. 

As President of SAPI, Mr Frydman will represent SAPI on all matters pertaining to the association and with a focus on fostering collaborations with policymakers, healthcare providers, and patient groups to improve access to innovative medicines and vaccines.

Established in 1966, SAPI currently comprises 41 members, including 33 global biopharmaceutical companies in Singapore, employing close to 10,000 people in the country. With a total projected output close to $22 billion, the industry accounts for a fifth of Singapore’s manufacturing activity and 4 percent of the country’s GDP.  

“Ashish has been instrumental in driving the advocacy strategies for SAPI that strengthened our industry engagement and advanced our goals as a valued and trusted industry partner in the Singapore healthcare ecosystem. I thank him for his strong leadership, commitment and significant contributions to SAPI and wish him the very best in his next role in Merck,” said SAPI’s Executive Director Christina Teo.

Guillermo will continue to lead SAPI in strengthening SAPI’s strategic advocacy efforts with key stakeholders and enhancing access to innovative medicines and vaccines in Singapore as we work towards advancing Singapore’s position as a global biopharmaceutical hub.