Advancing Healthcare Equity: Interview with Simona Grandits - Vice President EMEA, QIAGEN, Saudi Arabia

Meeting Highlights:

• Introducing Simona Grandits, the new VP of EMEA for QIAGEN.  
• Healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege, encouraging countries to invest in healthcare alongside education. 
• Establishing QIAGEN's office in Saudi Arabia with a strong commitment to ESG principles, utilizing local materials. 
• QIAGEN is a leader in Molecular Diagnostics, advancing its presence in the Middle East. 
• Fostering a 'GLOCAL' team culture, blending global expertise with local insights to better serve the region. 
• Implementing public health strategies with a preventive approach, focusing on diseases like Malaria, Meningitis and TB. 
• Recognizing Saudi Arabia's high potential due to its young population, robust infrastructure, and high education levels, leads to educated customers who value QIAGEN's quality offerings. 
• Establishing a localized data center through QIAGEN Digital Insights in Saudi Arabia, driving significant business growth in the region. 
• Partnering with the Saudi healthcare sector to make prevention programs more accessible, aligning with the Health Sector Transformation Program of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. 
• Leveraging AI technology in QIAGEN. Examples of how it translates to its product portfolio, include the AI-driven enhancement to QIAGEN Clinical Insight Interpret. 
• Final Message of Simona on commitment to healthcare 

‍

EF: you have recently been appointed to your new position as VP of EMEA for QIAGEN. What is the mission you set for yourself? 

SG: I come from an emerging market where healthcare often has to be built from the ground up and I am still focusing on developing and emerging countries, particularly low- to middle-income nations, in my role at QIAGEN. In some countries, even the most basic infrastructure is missing and as a healthcare community, we must support these regions through restructuring and reforms with optimism and real backing. Market size and budgets don't matter as much as advocating for people in countries with limited resources. In developed countries, the focus shifts to breakthroughs like faster, easier, and noninvasive biomarker analysis, especially in women's health, where we can provide results with minimal invasiveness. I aim to make healthcare more equal, less invasive and a right, not a privilege reserved for a sub-group of individuals.  

EF: Can you elaborate on the footprint you have in the region and what are your priorities?  

SG: We already have a strong and growing presence in the Middle East, where we’ve been active for many years. In Saudi Arabia, we’re opening a Regional headquarters office for the regional team, along with a showroom where we can host customers, engage with authorities and launch innovations directly in the country. There’s still a great need for specialized training and education; this expansion will help us strengthen those efforts. I’m especially proud that our Saudi office fully aligns with our company’s ESG principles. We’ve implemented a comprehensive waste management plan, sourced building materials locally, and used reusable containers for shipping. We’re also pursuing LEED and WELL certifications, key benchmarks for energy efficiency, environmental design, and well-being standards. This wasn’t easy to achieve; it took a lot of effort and persistence. But it’s a testament to our dedication to reducing emissions and upholding global standards at a local level. Setting ambitious goals is important for an international company, but the true impact comes from implementing global goals locally. 

EF: What are the key things you identify that you are translating from QIAGEN global and localizing it into the Middle East and specifically to Saudi Arabia? And how does it compare to other markets? 

SG: My team devised a great word to describe what we do: glocals. It reflects our approach: team members with global education, training, and experience who apply that knowledge locally. Local teams should drive strategies and investments because they bring long-term commitment, energy, and understanding, unlike those who stay for just a few years and move on. Our Saudi team comprises people already living in the country, working toward a shared vision of transforming healthcare.  

Our strategies are built around local public health needs, market deployment, and technology adoption. One key focus is preventive testing for latent TB infection using our widely adopted solution QuantiFERON® TB Gold Plus. This is especially relevant in the Middle East, where large numbers of expatriates from high-TB-burden countries pose a risk of infection spread. We’re working with the Ministry of Health to integrate preventive testing programs for healthcare workers and communities. 

Another major area is the challenge of meningitis in children, a disease that can be fatal in newborns. We’re collaborating with the Ministry of Health to develop testing protocols using advanced syndromic testing. This allows us to distinguish bacterial from viral infections in a single test, ensuring the right treatment is given. Our efforts align with Vision 2030 and WHO’s 2030 elimination goals for TB, meningitis, HPV, and malaria. For malaria, we’ve developed a new surveillance product planned for launch in 2025 designed for high-burden countries in Africa. It enables detection from a simple finger-prick blood spot, making testing more accessible. Given the movement of people between Africa and the Middle East, this solution could also be valuable for regional public health programs. 

Vaccine effectiveness is another key topic. As we monitor COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, we must assess how well new vaccines work. Malaria could be a major focus in the next couple of years. Traveling to affected regions often requires taking preventive pills, which are expensive and can cause unpleasant side effects. Some of my colleagues have even contracted malaria while traveling. Finding better solutions for prevention and treatment isn’t just a professional goal. It’s a mission that could make a real impact on both locals and travelers alike. 

EF: From a molecular diagnostic perspective, do you think countries in the region understand the importance of this and what needs to be done? 

SG: The understanding of these issues is growing, which is encouraging. Take Saudi Arabia, where the government invests heavily in educating young people worldwide. I see many graduates from top universities returning and driving discussions around prevention with much greater awareness and urgency. A great example is latent TB Infection screening. Scientific organizations estimate that for every dollar invested in screening programs, there’s a $46 return in healthcare savings, preventing disease spread and boosting economic stability. That’s a powerful argument for governments and decision-makers in the region. 

Women’s health, particularly cervical cancer prevention, is another major focus. In Africa, women in their 30s and 40s are dying from cervical cancer, leaving behind children and causing both personal tragedies and economic strain on their countries. The impact goes beyond individual families and affects entire communities and national economies. 

I want more awareness and quicker action. However, real progress depends on leadership in national programs, cancer registries, and key decision-makers pushing for preventive measures. When the right people champion these efforts at a national level, the discussions become stronger, and real change happens. I am optimistic that we are headed in the right direction. 

EF: How are you strategizing your experience through difficult times like the pandemic to become more responsible and resilient in future situations? Do you think there is global preparedness, and is the country prepared?  

SG: The WHO’s last three reports on pandemic preparedness illustrate strong opportunities for growth. A year after the pandemic, countries were quick to commit budgets and ramp up infrastructure, but now they are falling short of those promises. We are already forgetting the importance of preparing for the next crisis. At QIAGEN, we have a dedicated team of scientists worldwide tracking signals of potential outbreaks, whether it is a pathogen spreading outside its usual area or one that’s being detected more intensely. For example, we have seen Ebola resurface in Uganda and the Marburg virus in Tanzania. I get a detailed report on these signals from our global monitoring sites every Monday. This helps us stay prepared.  

During the pandemic, we were the first company to have a syndromic respiratory pathogen test to be used for testing for COVID-19. It was a QIAstat-Dx cartridge with primers for the virus. We’ve kept that flexibility because we can make internal decisions much faster than other, larger med-tech companies which have to deal with more intern bureaucracy. This agility is our advantage, and we used it for Mpox, for instance. We developed a cartridge for our syndromic platform that could differentiate Mpox from chickenpox. Countries were thrilled because it allowed them to identify outbreaks and respond effectively and quickly. It was also interesting to see adult infections at levels we hadn’t seen before. The point is that we’re staying vigilant and ready to act, even if others aren’t. 

EF: Why is a dollar invested in Saudi Arabia better than anywhere else? 

SG: Saudi Arabia is a market with enormous potential. Its young population, strong infrastructure, and high level of education are truly inspiring. Traveling nationwide, visiting hospitals, and meeting researchers are truly inspiring. Investing in Saudi Arabia feels like investing in the future. It’s a rapidly evolving country with growing tourism, expanding into less populated areas, and launching initiatives to attract people despite the challenging conditions some might imagine. For us, it’s a growing and exciting region. 

One thing I appreciate about the Saudi market is that while they are price-sensitive, they are also reasonable. What sets Saudi Arabia apart from other Middle Eastern markets is its demand for quality. Customers recognize and value high standards. At QIAGEN, most of our production is in Germany, Spain, and the U.S. We don’t compete with low-cost brands, but that works in our favor in Saudi Arabia. The market is filled with educated customers who understand the value of quality and are willing to invest in it, which makes it an attractive place for us to grow. 

EF: When it comes to AI, how do you see QIAGEN leveraging AI internally and externally? Do you have the same practices globally, or are you carrying out different practices across different markets? 

SG: Our CEO has clarified that our goal is to become the biggest AI company in healthcare. That vision drives everything we do and integrates AI across the board. One of our strongest assets is QIAGEN’s bioinformatics division, the largest commercial entity in the world focused on focused on bioinformatics solutions, content and services, serving customers across research and development to clinical reporting. This portfolio alone generates around $100 million in sales. Beyond that, we’re heavily focused on digitalization, transforming how our distributors interact with us, how our sales teams gather market insights, and how we handle processes like quotations and order management. We’re running several internal pilot programs to optimize these workflows, reducing time spent on manual tasks so our teams can focus more on customers. Efficiency is critical for us to compete with the industry's bigger players. On a local level, our QDI team is setting up a data center in Saudi Arabia. This will ensure compliance with national regulations requiring data produced in Saudi Arabia to stay within the country. In the past, data had to be sent abroad for processing and interpretation, but that’s no longer an option. With our fully operational centers launching in Q1, we’re providing localized access, making expanding our business in the region much easier. 

This investment is a game changer, particularly in precision medicine, where massive amounts of data need smart AI-driven software for interpretation. With this setup, we’re significantly strengthening our presence in Saudi Arabia, giving more customers access to advanced solutions. 

EF: Five years from now, when you give your speech after all these years, what would you like to be recognized for? 

SG: I want us to be seen as true partners, not just other companies making business transactions but collaborators working alongside officials, authorities, and end users. Ideally, to see headlines that reflect our impact: making prevention programs more accessible, bringing affordable and practical solutions to more countries, and empowering local talent to take on key roles. The growth in these functions must come from within the communities we serve. 

At the same time, sustainability should always be part of the conversation. From reducing plastic and cardboard waste to cutting emissions, these efforts often get overlooked, but they are essential to our mission. I want us to stand out not just for our innovation, affordability, and accessibility but also as a trusted, eco-friendly partner that genuinely supports local development. That’s the legacy I hope we build.