Hema Srinivasan appointed Chief Access Officer

MedAccess is pleased to announce the appointment of Hema Srinivasan as the social finance company’s new Chief Access Officer. Hema will take up her new role in March 2020.

Hema brings over a decade of experience in healthcare, market shaping and access programmes to reach people with life-saving medicines, medical devices and diagnostics.

Hema will join MedAccess at the end of March, leading a team of professionals working to identify opportunities for financial guarantees to support lower prices and greater availability for medical products to benefit people in more than 50 low- and middle-income countries.

Hema joins MedAccess from Gilead Sciences, where she was Senior Director for South Asia. In this role she led Gilead’s business in the region and developed strategies to increase access to medicines for HIV, viral hepatitis, and invasive fungal infections.

“World class track record”

“Hema is a tireless innovator. Her track record of delivering improved access to vital health products across continents and disease areas is world class, so she is the perfect person to take on this critical role at MedAccess,” said Michael Anderson, MedAccess CEO. “Her wide experience will enable us to explore new ways to collaborate with partners to increase access to healthcare for people living in under-served markets.”

Prior to joining Gilead, Hema was Associate Director of the Global Markets Team at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). In her role, Hema developed global market shaping strategies and led negotiations between suppliers and buyers to increase access to life-saving medicines, diagnostics, and devices in low- and middle-income countries.

During her six years at CHAI, Hema helped to secure price reductions and access agreements for long-acting contraceptives, HIV drugs and diagnostics, and maternal health products, generating more than $500 million in projected savings for purchasers. She also served as Convener of the Global Market Shaping Technical Resource Team of the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children.

“Significant progress but more to do”

“I am excited to be joining MedAccess at a time when social finance offers promising solutions to pressing healthcare needs,” said Hema Srinivasan. “The global health community has made significant progress over the past 20 years through effective partnerships and innovative finance but there is still more to do. MedAccess has a unique role to play in the future of global health, using new financing tools to catalyse access to healthcare and improve the lives of people in under-served markets.”

Earlier in her career, Hema worked in Equity Research covering the Biotechnology and Healthcare Services sectors at Goldman Sachs and at Morgan Stanley. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics and Psychology.