Sebastian Arias

Global Access Policy Leader, Roche

Sebastian Arias works as a Global Policy Leader at Roche where he is currently leading the company’s engagement strategy to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, a main priority in the area of health for the European Commission.

He has held a number of global and affiliate leadership positions within the pharmaceutical industry in the area of Policy and Public Affairs. In his various roles Sebastian has supported the evolution of Roche’s work with Global Health institutions like the World Bank, EFPIA and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). In addition, he led the company’s strategy for Access Accelerated and City Cancer Challenge, two global public-private partnerships focused on fighting Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).

Before joining Roche, Sebastian worked for Janssen, the pharmaceutical division of Johnson & Johnson, as the Communications and Corporate Affairs Manager for the Latin American North region.

A native of Cali, Colombia, Sebastian holds a degree in Communications and Political Science, a Master in Humanitarian Rights from Javeriana University and an Executive Certificate on Advocacy in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID). He is currently located in Basel, Switzerland.