Dr. Stavros Nicolaou

Dr Nicolaou has almost 34 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, mainly in domestic and international general management.

Nicolaou has been recognized in the Global Top 100 Health Edition Honorees Most Influential People of African Descent(MIPAD) in Healthcare, received Greece’s ARGO Public Service award from the President of Greece in 2023 and recently received the International Federation of Pharmacists IPS Medal for 2024 for Outstanding Contributions in Industrial Pharmacy . He is a previous winner of the SA Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) Health Care Marketer of the year Award, has been inducted as a fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa and was elected as an honorary member of the Southern African Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

In 2019 he received an honorary doctorate in Medicine from Wits University and was awarded the Order of the Lion of St Mark by the Greek Orthodox Pope Theodoros II and is a recipient of the Title of “High Commander of the Order of the Apostle & Evangelist Mark” of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. He’s presently the Group Senior Executive for Strategic Trade for Aspen Pharmacare Holdings and is a member of the Holdings Group executive which has oversight of the more than 60 countries Aspen operates in globally. Presently serves on a number of industry boards and advisory councils including the President’s National Orders Advisory Council. Nicolaou is particularly passionate about diversity, transformation, championing localisation and building bridges between the private and public sector in order to improve access to treatment for patients in emerging markets and improving healthcare outcomes in these markets.

Stavros Nicolaou is a member of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited Group Executive Committee and is the Group Senior Executive responsible for Strategic Trade Development. Previously he was CEO of Aspen’s Export Business. Aspen is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and a now world leader in Anaesthetics and injectable anti-coagulants.

Aspen is one of South Africa’s most globalised multinational companies with a presence in over 50 geographies globally, with 23 manufacturing facilities across 6 continents. He was instrumental in introducing the first generic ARV’s on the African Continent developed by Aspen, which has gone on to save hundreds of thousands of lives in South Africa and on the African Continent. During COVID, he was appointed as the South African organised business lead in coordinating business’ contribution to the overall South African COVID response, which included inter alia the sourcing of PPE and other critical medical countermeasures and the COVID vaccine rollout, where he served on the South African National COVID Vaccine Co-ordinating Committee (NCVCC) .

AWARDS

Awarded the Public Service ARGO Award by the President of Greece
Recognized in the Global Top 100 Health Edition Honorees Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in Healthcare at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Sidelines
Honorary Doctorate in Medicine from Wits University
Awarded the Industrial Pharmacy Section Medal 2024 by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)
Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) Health Care Marketer of the Year
Awarded Order of the Lion of St Mark by the Greek Orthodox Pope Theodoros II
Recipient of the Title of “High Commander of the Order of the Apostle & Evangelist Mark” of the Patriarchate of Alexandria
Recipient of Monty Rubenstein Award for proficiency in Pharmaceutics
Inducted as a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA)
Appointed as an Honorary Member of the Southern African Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Inducted as a Member of the Argonauts Society of Greece
Elected Honorary Life Member South African Pharmaceutical Students Federation (SAPSF)

Dr. Stavros Nicolaou

Stavros Nicolaou is the Aspen Pharmacare Group’s Senior Executive responsible for Strategic Trade Development. Previously he was CEO of Aspen’s Export Business. Aspen is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and a now world leader in Anaesthetics and injectable anti-coagulants. Aspen is one of South Africa’s most globalised multinational companies with a presence in over 50 geographies globally, with 26 manufacturing facilities across 6 continents. He was instrumental in introducing the first generic ARV’s on the African Continent developed by Aspen, which has gone on to save hundreds of thousands of lives in South Africa and on the African Continent.

Nicolaou has over 28 years’ experience in the South African and International Pharmaceutical Industry and is a previous winner of the SA Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) Health Care Marketer of the year Award. He was inducted as one of the youngest Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA), one of the highest honours bestowed by the PSSA, and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in Medicine from Wits University, the first pharmacist in the country to receive this.

He has previously and continues to serve on a number of Industry & associated structures some of which include:

Chairman of the Public Health Enhancement Fund (PHEF) – A joint collaboration between the Private Health Sector and the Minister of Health.
Appointed by the Minister of Public Enterprise, as Chairman of the Board of SA Express Airways (2005-2009)
Appointed by the Minister of Public Enterprises, to the Board of Transnet Ltd. (2004-2010)
Appointed by MEC’s for Economic Development, as a Director of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), (for 2 Consecutive Terms). He Chaired the Trade and Investment Committee of the Board of the GGDA.
Appointed by the Minister of Trade and Industry to serve on the BRICS Business Council. He was recently reappointed to the Council for a second term.
Appointed by the Minister of Trade and Industry to serve on the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Advisory Board.
Appointed by the President of the Republic of South Africa, to the Board of Brand South Africa. He presently chairs the HR and Remuneration Committee of the Board.
Appointed by the Minister of Trade and Industry, to the Board of Proudly South Africa and presently chairs the Marketing Committee of the Board.
Presently serve on the Executive and Management Committee of NEDLAC (National Economic Development and Labour Council)
Elected as a Non-Executive Director of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), South Africa’s apex business organisation and serves on its Remuneration Committee.
Elected Chairman of the South African Pharmaceutical Producers Association (PHARMISA) and as Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Task Group (PTG), overall Pharmaceutical Industry Umbrella Organisation.
Appointed to World Bank/IFC Technical Advisory Board on the strengthening of African Health Systems.
Served on the IBSA (India Brazil South Africa) CEO’s Forum and the India – SA CEO Council
Appointed as a Director on the North-West University (NWU) Business School Advisory Board (2014 to present)
He was awarded, the Order of the Lion of St Mark by the Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch, Theodoros II.

He has been a speaker at a number of conferences, including the Economist Roundtable, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and recently delivered a lecture on ARV developments at the Raigon Institute, a JV between Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital.