Jayasree K. Iyer becomes Executive Director of the Access to Medicine Foundation

“Since joining the Foundation in 2013, Jay has added tremendous depth to the Foundation’s research and our dialogue with the many stakeholders working in access to medicine,” says Wim Leereveld, Founder of the Access to Medicine Foundation. “I am very proud that Jay will lead the organisation as it takes the idea of ranking pharmaceutical companies to the next level.” After 12 years as CEO, Wim now joins the Foundation’s Supervisory Board. 

A list of ambitious but achievable actions 

Wim Leereveld founded the Access to Medicine Foundation in 2003. “I started with a single idea: how can we encourage the pharmaceutical industry to do more to help the world’s poorest people access the medicine they need? Working with experts in the field and from industry, we built a list of ambitious but achievable actions for pharmaceutical companies to take. In 2008, this list formed the basis of the first Access to Medicine Index.” Since then, the Index has grown into a leading sustainability Index for the pharmaceutical industry.

“How to make a difference”

Since 2013, Jay Iyer has built up the Foundation’s in-house research expertise and leads the development and application of its methodology for measuring pharmaceutical company behaviour. As a spokesperson, she is actively involved in stimulating change within the pharmaceutical industry. She plays a central role in the Foundation’s discussions with companies, governments and investors, among others. Jay has worked at the interface of the global health community and the pharmaceutical industry for 12 years, including in public-private partnerships for infectious diseases and oncology. She has worked at various NGOs, academic institutions and think tanks.

“I am honoured to lead the Access to Medicine Foundation,” says Jay Iyer. “The Foundation is recognised as a leading metrics maker for the pharmaceutical industry, and we know that companies act on our insights. Thank you to Wim and to the Foundation’s incredibly dedicated team for bringing this idea so far. Demand for our expertise continues to grow. We will bring specific opportunities for each company to lead on – where to innovate, how to reach the poor, and where to make a difference.”