Zainab is a pharmacist with a Master of Science in Medicine (Pharmaceutical Affairs) from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She is a seasoned regulatory affairs professional and has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility at both country and regional levels.
Currently, Zainab serves as an Associate Director in the Global Regulatory Affairs Policy team at Novartis, where she supports regulatory policy initiatives across the Middle East and Africa. She is also the co-chair of the IFPMA Africa Regulatory Network and an active member of the EFPIA Middle East Regulatory Network.
She is an Advisory Board Member on the Corporate Council Africa Regulatory Network, is a proud member of the Africa Medicines Agency Treaty Alliance, promoting the ratification and implementation of the AMA Treaty and has previously served as the industry representative on several AMRH technical committees.
Zainab has led and contributed to numerous key regulatory initiatives, including regulatory harmonisation, clinical trials oversight, regulatory capability building, digital transformation, and regulatory flexibilities, bringing together regulators, industry and other key stakeholders.