Shyam Bishen, World Economic Forum

Dr. Shyam Bishen is a senior healthcare executive and board member with over 25 years of global experience in healthcare arena. He joined the World Economic Forum as head of health and healthcare in early 2022 from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle where he was a regional director for seven years and was responsible for partnering to harness advances in healthcare to save lives. He and his team worked with partners to develop and deliver healthcare solutions—including vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics—as well as to discover pathbreaking new healthcare tools that are affordable and reliable. Before moving to Gates Foundation, he headed up emerging markets strategy & innovation at Merck (MSD) in the US as vice president and general manager.  

In addition, Dr Bishen has a specific interest in improving the educational opportunities for young women and girls in developing countries. He is the founder and chairman of Global Girls Scholarship Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) US organisation dedicated to providing scholarships to underprivileged girls.

Dr. Bishen is qualified with a Doctorate from the University of Newcastle. He also holds a master’s in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis. In addition, he received leadership training from Harvard university through a year-long program.