Competition Commission approves takeover of Shell Pakistan by Saudi Asyad Group

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani scientist Dr Mehmood Khan this week joined the ranks of eminent doctors, researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs from across the world who have been granted Saudi citizenship, according to a list published by financial news portal Argaam.

Dr. Khan is an American citizen and currently serves as the CEO of the Hevolution Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the number of treatments for aging, accelerating drug development time, and increasing the availability of life-extending therapies.

A global nonprofit based in Riyadh, with a North American hub and an annual budget of up to $1 billion, the Hevolution Foundation is the second largest funder of geroscience, with plans to open offices in other international locations. Geroscience is a field of biomedical research that aims to understand how aging processes cause chronic disease.

Dr. Khan was granted Saudi citizenship after the kingdom opened its citizenship to highly skilled professionals as part of its Vision 2030, which aims to attract and retain exceptional global talent to boost the kingdom’s economic and social development. A royal decree to that effect was issued in November 2021, allowing those in specialized fields such as science, medicine, culture, sports and technology to apply for citizenship.

Dr Khan, who earned his medical degree from the Medical Faculty of the University of Liverpool in England, was also named among the distinguished individuals who received Saudi citizenship this week at Argaam.

“So I grew up in England, I didn’t really have the opportunity to grow up in Pakistan,” Dr. Khan said during a 2015 interview with OPEN Silicon Valley, an international organization of Pakistani entrepreneurs. “I’m proud to be Pakistani (though).”

He advised aspiring corporate leaders and those aspiring to make a career in the healthcare industry to take risks in life and follow their passions.

“Take risks. Don’t be afraid to take risks and do what you can, but follow your passion,” he said.

The Pakistani-American scientist has an impressive profile, having held senior corporate and healthcare positions throughout his three-decade career.

Dr. Khan served as CEO of Life Biosciences Inc., Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Global R&D at PepsiCo. from 2007 to 2019, and President of Global R&D at the renowned Japanese company Takeda Pharmaceuticals from 2003 to 2008.

From 2001 to 2003, he served as director of the Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Nutrition Research Unit at the prestigious Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical School.

Dr. Khan is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the American College of Endocrinology.

He served as Chairman of the US-Pakistan Business Council from 2016 to 2019 and continues to serve on the Board of Reckitt Benckiser, a British multinational consumer goods company with a global reputation.

Dr. Khan advised those who want to achieve high positions in corporate and medical careers to “renew themselves.”

“You can’t be the same as you were 30 years ago,” Dr. Khan told OPEN Silicon Valley. “If I kept doing what I learned 30 years ago, I wouldn’t be able to practice medicine, let alone do what I do today.”