Biography

Appointed by the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance on 11 January 2024, Dr Sania Nishtar is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Dr Nishtar, most recently a Senator in her home country of Pakistan, joined Gavi as its 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. In Pakistan’s national government, she served between 2018 and 2022 as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, a role with the status of a Federal Minister. During this time, she founded a social protection programme and chaired the Council on Poverty Alleviation and the Benazir Income Support Program. In 2013, during Pakistan’s Caretaker Government, she served as a Federal Minister with responsibility for re-establishing the country’s Ministry of Health among other roles, winning acclaim for transparency and accountability during her time in office.

During her career, Dr Nishtar has fulfilled several leadership positions in civil society and international organisations. She founded the non-profit NGO think tank Heartfile, which campaigns for health reform in Pakistan. She was the inaugural Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) for women’s and children’s health; and, among other roles, served as Co-Chair of the WHO Independent High-level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases, WHO Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity, World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Health and Healthcare and US National Academy of Sciences’ global study on health care quality in low- and middle-income countries. Dr Nishtar served as Chair of Gavi’s Evaluation Advisory Committee from 2011 to 2014, and in 2016 served as an independent member of Gavi’s Board. A prolific thought leader, she has co-authored dozens of academic papers and books, including Pakistan’s first compendium of health statistics; and she has been published in many leading national and international newspapers.

Dr Nishtar graduated from Khyber Medical College as the best graduate in 1986 and joined the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences as a cardiologist in 1994. She worked at Guy’s Hospital and studied Medicine, graduating in 1996 from King’s College London – which awarded her a PhD in 2002 and an honorary Doctorate in Science, Honoris Causa, in 2019. She is listed among the notable alumni of King’s College and in 2020 was among the BBC’s 100 Women, a list of inspiring and influential women from around the world. Dr Nishtar has received many international awards for her work, including the European Association for Population Studies Award, Pakistan’s prestigious Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) and The Rockefeller Foundation’s Global Innovation Award.

 

Articles by Dr Sania Nishtar

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Gavi at 25: Our ambition is greater than ever

Over its 25 years, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has played a pivotal role in improving global health by vaccinating over one billion children in low-income countries.

The Vaccine Alliance in 2023

Prof José Manuel Barroso, Chair of the Gavi Board, and Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi since 18 March 2024, reflect on the driving forces of progress in 2023 and plans for 2024.

How the lessons of COVID-19 ensured a rapid vaccine response to the mpox outbreak

Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic enabled rapid access to vaccine financing during the early stages of the mpox emergency.

Gavi and the UK can turn a new page together

An expert view from the Chief Executive of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Sania Nishtar.

Regional initiatives provide leadership to drive immunisation forward

Recently back from Vientiane, where Gavi co-hosted an event on the sidelines of the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting, CEO Dr Sania Nishtar considers the power of regional collaboration to 'turbocharge' immunisation progress.

A new era for immunisation dawns

Gavi CEO Dr Sania Nishtar looks to a bright and dynamic future for immunisation as she implements a 180-day plan for the secretariat.

Fifty Years of Immunization Success Call for 50 More

Global immunization efforts have saved more than 150 million lives over the past half-century. On the 50th anniversary of the World Health Organization's Essential Programme on Immunization, it is worth celebrating these remarkable results and…

Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar reflects on her recent visit to Central African Republic and Nigeria

Gavi’s CEO discusses the importance of putting the countries that Gavi supports at the heart of everything the organisation does, and reflects on lessons and key outcomes from her recent trips to Central African Republic and Nigeria.

Sania Nishtar: thoughts and priorities from my first ten days in charge of Gavi

Gavi’s new CEO shares her first impressions and urgent priorities after a packed first ten days at the helm of the Vaccine Alliance.

Last updated: 30 Jan 2025

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