Dr Michael Lusiola appointed Kenya BioVax Institute CEO
The Kenya Biovax Institute (KBI) has appointed Dr Michael Lusiola as the substantive chief executive.
In a statement on Monday, the KBI Board of directors said Dr Lusiola will assume office as CEO effective June 2022, taking over from Dr Rabera Kenyanya, who has been the acting CEO cum Director-General since December last year.
“We are confident that, after a competitive recruitment process, we have found in Dr Lusiola, a healthcare and business leader who will head the organization with distinction, scientific innovation, commercial business acumen and integrity,” Mr Mugo Kibati, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kenya BioVax Institute said.
Dr Lusiola is an experienced, senior healthcare executive and pharmaceuticals business leader.
He is also a pharmaceutical research and development business executive with over 20 years’ experience in a multinational setting.
He attained his graduate and post-graduate academic qualifications from Harvard USA (post-graduate, global public health), Reading UK (post-graduate, business management and administration), Liverpool and Aston UK (post-graduate, evidence-based medicine) and Nairobi, Kenya (graduate, pharmacy).
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Dr Lusiola has memberships at the Institute of Clinical Research (MICR) UK, the Royal Society of Medicine (MRSM) UK, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (MRPS) UK, and the International Society for Vaccines.
Having worked as a VP in global clinical development (immunotherapies) at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, UK and USA, Dr Lusiola brings to BioVax a wealth of extraordinary medical-scientific knowledge and expertise as a dynamic and respected leader.
His appointment comes at a time when The BioVax Institute is undergoing inception, with the primary mandate to manufacture and commercialize specialized human health products and technologies (HPTs), including vaccines, gene therapies and assistive medical and diagnostic devices.
The Kenya BioVax Institute board was inaugurated in December 2021 by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, and was expected to begin vaccine production by April this year.
In January KBI announced qualifications for the individual that would head the day-to-day running of the institute.
Currently, Kenya imports 70 percent of her pharmaceutical requirements, including vaccines and other biological products.
