Speaker Profile

BIOGRAPHY

Dr Fabienne Benoist is a global health and regulatory affairs/sciences expert with nearly 30 years of experience. She currently serves as Director of Regulatory Sciences at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) in Geneva, Switzerland, where she leads the regulatory sciences department providing innovative regulatory strategies for the whole DNDi portfolio and policy advocacy to strengthen health systems and improve access to essential medicines in underserved regions.
Her career spans leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, including Global Program Regulatory Director at Novartis, where she oversaw regulatory strategies for several communicable and non-communicable diseases in all continents. She served as Regulatory Policy Head and Chair at the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) for the African regulatory Network team, and as a regulatory expert advisor to the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP).
Fabienne’s expertise includes regulatory sciences, policy development, clinical trial oversight, and stakeholder engagement with global health authorities, WHO and international stakeholders such as WHO, the Gates Foundation, and African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) initiative... She has worked in Africa and Asia, including field roles with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde (MDM), contributing to HIV/AIDS programs and health system strengthening.
She holds a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Paris VI and a Master’s in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Fluent in French and English, Fabienne is known for her strategic leadership, advocacy and passion for equitable access to medicines, and commitment to mentoring and sharing experience.