As the President of the International Region at Sandoz since the beginning of 2019, Francisco (Paco) Ballester manages the company’s most dynamic and diverse region which straddles 19 time zones stretching from Mexico to New Zealand. In this role, he is responsible for driving business growth and access for patients in markets outside of North America and Europe while developing the highly diverse talent in the region.

Throughout his career in the pharmaceutical industry, Paco has also served as the company’s President in the Latin America region for six years as well as General Manager of Novartis Pharma in Spain where he helped build a high-performance culture that resulted in the company being recognized as the best place to work in Spain. 

After more than three decades of working in the pharmaceutical industry in some of the most diverse parts of the world, I remain excited and inspired by the work that I get to do each day, helping patients around the world gain access to high-quality, affordable medicines that make a difference to their lives. This, to me, is not just a duty - it’s a privilege.

Francisco earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree at the University of Valencia, before earning a Master of Business Administration degree from the Universitat Politècnica de València. In his spare time, Paco enjoys spending time with his family and exercising. He is also an extensive traveler.