RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia advances Vision 2030 reforms across healthcare, leadership expectations are evolving, with greater emphasis on accountability, collaboration and measurable patient outcomes.
That shift is also being felt in the pharmaceutical sector, where access, pricing, and evidence-based decision-making increasingly shape strategy and leadership priorities.
Rabab Khodary, senior expert in market access, pricing, and health economics and an advisory board member at the HTA Office, told Arab News that leadership in pharma begins from within, driven by character and emotional discipline rather than title.
“I believe that leadership is not a designated spot on an organizational chart; it is a psychological architecture built on character, values, and emotional mastery,” Khodary said.
She said meaningful leadership starts by mastering one’s own responses and priorities. For her, this approach aligns with servant leadership — a style focused on self-awareness, emotional agility and helping others succeed. She added that leaders need clarity under pressure and teams that stay focused on outcomes rather than panic.
“In the pharmaceutical industry … a leadership mindset within this context means shifting to ownership ‘till no patient is left behind,’” she said.
Rabab Khodary, a senior market access and health-economics expert, says pharma leadership starts with mindset and patient outcomes. (Supplied)
From an analytical perspective, economists say leadership improvements should be reflected in system performance, not just organizational culture.
While leadership is often framed in personal terms, economists argue it must be reflected in system performance.
Abdullah bin Haddas, an economist and academic expert, told Arab News the strongest indicators are those that improve outcomes, access, efficiency and prevention at the same time — a framework he said aligns with Vision 2030’s Health Sector Transformation Program priorities of access, quality and efficiency, prevention, and digital transformation.
“From an economist’s perspective, the strongest indicators are those that show improvement in outcomes, access, efficiency, and prevention at the same time,” he said.
Bin Haddas said he would watch five metrics closely: timely access, quality outcomes, system efficiency, patient experience, and prevention performance, to see whether improvements are happening together rather than in silos.
“A leadership model is improving system performance when the system becomes faster without becoming wasteful, broader in access without sacrificing quality, and more preventive rather than simply more reactive,” he added.
Over the next three to five years, bin Haddas said leaders should track not only spending or expansion, but whether the system is moving toward value-based healthcare — better outcomes per riyal spent—a direction he said is embedded in the Ministry of Health’s Healthcare Transformation Strategy.
“In short, the key analytical question is this: is the system becoming more outcome-driven, more preventive, and more efficient under pressure? If the answer is yes, then leadership is improving not only in style, but in substance,” he said.
Khodary’s approach reflects a wider change in Saudi Arabia’s pharmaceutical landscape, as localization gains momentum and organizations place greater focus on sustainable access and outcomes.
As the sector changes, national efforts to broaden leadership pipelines have expanded across healthcare. The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties says its Women’s Leadership Program is designed to develop female leaders in the sector.
Saudi officials have also pointed to rising participation and leadership representation more broadly.
In a 2025 statement, Economy and Planning Minister Faisal AlIbrahim said women’s labor force participation has doubled since the launch of Vision 2030, and that the number of women in upper and middle leadership positions has doubled since 2017, reaching 43.8 percent at the start of 2024.
“While senior female representation has historically been rare in (the) market access field, we are witnessing a new era,” Khodary said. “A rising generation of female leaders is now proving their mettle through assertiveness, strategic brilliance, and impressive courage.”
Across the sector, collaboration and mentorship are becoming more visible, as professionals share expertise and support the development of local capabilities. Such efforts align with national goals for innovation and long-term sustainability.
After more than a decade in the field, Khodary attributed her steady performance to what she described as a “trio pyramid” of high emotional intelligence, intentional self-care and effective leadership.
She also mentors emerging talent, encouraging them to build emotional agility and lead with clarity under pressure.
Her concept of “market access to mindset access” captures what she sees as the next phase of Saudi pharma.
“Moving from a transactional model to a transformational one is not just a strategic choice; it is a necessity for any pharmaceutical organization that wants to remain relevant,” she said.
Khodary said this transformation aligns with Vision 2030’s focus on quality, sustainability and national capability-building. She also pointed to collaborative innovation and shared responsibility across departments as key to strengthening patient access.
She added that in a demanding, data-driven industry, sustained performance often comes down to how leaders manage pressure, set priorities, and keep teams focused on patient outcomes.
