Samia Kanawati is an experienced and highly respected communications professional in the region, that brings with her more than 15 years diversified  experience in Communications, Public Affairs and Regulatory in many therapy areas including rare diseases, HIV, oncology, respiratory, eye care and medical aesthetics among others.

She oversees 40 countries in EEMEA as part of her remit in leading Allergan Aesthetics-an AbbVie company internal and external communications efforts across several practices- including public affairs, social and digital communications, public relations, patient advocacy group relationships as well as crisis communications, dealing with a wide range of stakeholders such as health authorities, medical societies and associations.

What distinguishes Samia Kanawati is her entrepreneurial mindset and dynamic approach not only in her daily tasks but also on a personal level. When she’s not wearing her communicator hat, Samia is passionate about empowering women to play active roles in their communities and loves to join gala events and be part of public awareness initiatives.

Prior to joining Allergan, Samia ran the regulatory and communications functions at Shire Middle East, where she built robust relationships with regional authorities and associations while also advising the company on brand strategies focused on consumer activations. During her tenure she developed a detailed understanding of the legal framework, processes and legislative agendas of regional policy-makers and was influential in communicating Shire’s point of view in the region.

Samia graduated from the University of Jordan with a degree in Pharmacy. She holds an Executive MBA from Bradford University, School of Management in the United Kingdom, as well as a diploma in bio pharmacy from The Martin Luther University of Halle Wittenberg, Germany. She is fluent in English, Arabic and French

Five Achievements

Samia’s passion for diversity and inclusion has enabled her to lead the women in leadership initiative, positioning Allergan as ‘Winner of the most Women Friendly Employer Award’ in October 2019 by Naseba Foundation. Her contribution to policy shaping to provide innovative approach enabling early access to medication enabled her to participate with Allergan in launch of UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention innovations’ s strategy hence receiving an “ Appreciation” For Allergan participation in event in January 2019.

Giving back to the community is at the heart of her endeavors. Samia has led a multitude Corporate Social Responsibility campaigns such as World Glaucoma Week, World Primary Immunodeficiency Week, World Hemophilia Day and International Women’s Day in both Allergan 2018 and Shire 2017.

Moreover, she has coveted many awards including the International Powerhouse Award for the Women in Leadership initiative by Allergan, the Best Project Management Award according to Shire and the Silver Award for Partner of Choice to the Business during her tenure at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).