Dr Sania Nishtar joined Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 18 March
2024. A trained medical doctor, Dr Nishtar has built an outstanding career over 30 years as a
national and global leader. She served as a Senator in her home country of Pakistan; as Special
Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation; and as a Federal
Minister with responsibility for re-establishing the country’s Ministry of Health. Dr Nishtar has
fulfilled several leadership positions in civil society and international organisations; founded a
health reform non-profit NGO think tank in Pakistan; co-authored dozens of academic papers and
books; and published in leading newspapers. A graduate of Khyber Medical College and King’s
College London, she has received many international awards; in 2020, the BBC named her among
100 inspiring and influential women around the world.