Agenda
PharmaConnect, a recognised platform for strategic dialogue across Europe’s health ecosystem, will convene decision-makers and experts at its 2026 edition to exchange insights and practical experience on what it will take to safeguard equitable access to medicines, strengthen resilience, and ensure our shared critical infrastructure continues to deliver its essential role amid systemic change.
MAY 26, WELCOME DINNER
19:00
DAY 1, MAY 27
OPENING REMARKS BY GIRP PRESIDENT
Katarina Gabrielson, CEO, Oriola
9:00-9:05
KEYNOTE AND Q&A
Sophie Løhde, Danish Ministry of Health (TBC)
9:05-9:35
KEYNOTE – The Future of European Health Systems
Bogi Eliasen, Executive Director, Movement Health Foundation
9:40-10:00
PANEL – Future Foresight: How Will Europe Look Like in 2040?
- Bogi Eliasen, Executive Director, Movement Health Foundation
- Rafał Kierzenkowski, Senior Counsellor for Strategic Foresight, OECD (TBC)
- Dr Anna Laura Ross, Head of Foresight, Leadership and Ethics in Science, World Health Organization (TBC)
- Kai Kaasalainen, Director General, Tamro; Member, World Economic Forum Specialist Group
10:00-11:00
COFFEE BREAK
11:00-11:30
FIRESIDE CHAT – AI: What’s Coming Next?
- Dr Kanwar Preet Singh Sandhu, Global Head of Strategic Initiatives, Cyber Security, Tata Consulting
- Kasper Ernest, Director General, GIRP
11:30-12:00
PANEL – AI in Practice: How Can AI Improve Productivity?
Moderator: Kasper Ernest, Director General, GIRP
- Dr Kanwar Preet Singh Sandhu, Global Head of Strategic Initiatives, Cyber Security, Tata Consulting
- Dr Klaus Dohrmann, Vice President, Global Head of Innovation & Trend Research, DHL
- Andreas Koch, Chief Wholesale & Logistics, Galenica
- Matthias Dalkner, Vice President, Healthcare Solutions, KNAPP
12:00-13:00
LUNCH
13:00-14:00
PRESENTATION – GIRP Sector Study on Pharmaceutical Systemic Wholesalers
Fatima Wafqui, Research Associate, Medical Technology Research Group, London School of Economics
14:00-14:15
PANEL – World Without Systemic Wholesalers: What if Public Service Providers Were No More?
Introduction by Irena Toneva, Director, Supplier Services, IQVIA
Moderator: Kasper Ernest, Director General, GIRP
- Maja Leon Grzymkowska, Legal Officer, Medical Products: Quality, Safety, Innovation, DG SANTE
- Ancel·la Santos Quintano, Head of Food, Health, and Chemicals Safety, BEUC (The European Consumer Organisation)
- Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary, SGI Europe (TBC)
- Alain Roudergues, Director General, SECOF
- Fatima Wafqui, Research Associate, Medical Technology Research Group, London School of Economics
14:15-15:15
PRESENTATION – Outlook on Shifts in the US Pharmaceutical Market
Heather Meade, Principal, EY/Washington Council Ernst & Young
15:15-16:00
END OF DAY 1
16:00
GALA DINNER
19:00
DAY 2, MAY 28
KEYNOTE
Rasmus P. Gjesing, Regional Adviser, Access to Medicines & Health Products, WHO Europe
9:00-9:15
IQVIA – The Changing Shape of Healthcare Markets
Simon Tottman, Vice President, Strategic Partners, IQVIA
Max Newton, Principal, Global Strategic Partners, IQVIA
9:15-10:00
PANEL – The Future of Pharmaceutical Distribution: New Practices, New Actors, New Challenges
Moderator: Eddy Gilissen, Senior Director, Supplier Alliance, IQVIA
- Bo Kristensen Jessen, Head of Strategic Account, Europe and Canada, Novo Nordisk
- Dermot Ryan, Chief Operating Officer, Uniphar (TBC)
- Matthias Heck, Senior Advisor Strategic Alliance Development, EUCOPE
- Pascal Bekaert, Head of Global Trade Effectiveness & Channels Strategy, Sanofi
10:00-11:00
COFFEE BREAK
11:00-11:30
PANEL – The Role of Preventive Care in a Shifting Health Architecture
Introduction by Kelsey Stoddart, Senior Consultant, IQVIA
Moderator: Kasper Ernest, Director General GIRP
- Antoine Pivron, Vice-President, Health Solutions, Withings
- Prof Magnus T. Jensen, Chief Executive Officer, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
- Tom Murray, President, Irish Pharmacy Union
- Representative, Wholesaler (TBC)
11:30-12:45
CONCLUSION AND CLOSING REMARKS
Kasper Ernest, Director General, GIRP
12:45