A highly accomplished and internationally recognised biopharma R&D executive with three decades of experience driving innovation from ideation through post-market approval. Known for strategic leadership at the senior executive level (Ferring, Janssen, Elan), Araz has a proven track record of establishing and scaling global R&D organisations and leading diverse, cross-functional multinational teams across the US, EU, and Asia.
A strategic decision-maker with Board and Governance Committee experience, she has consistently directed R&D growth, defined investment strategy, and successfully steered complex portfolios. Her deep expertise spans drug discovery and clinical development across multiple therapeutic areas (Infectious Diseases, Fertility, Gastroenterology, Autoimmune Diseases), resulting in four product approvals and the progression of many projects to development stages.
Passionate about translational medicine, technology innovation, and promoting diversity and inclusion as an advocate for women in STEM leadership. Araz holds a Bachelor degree in Pharmacy from the University of Baghdad, Iraq, PhD in Pharmacology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, and an MBA from the Smurfit Graduate School of Business, Dublin, Ireland.