Inspired at Hikma: Career growth, leadership and social impact. Meet Zeena Murad

Tell us about your journey at Hikma, and how it all began.

When I graduated from university, I was asked to join Hikma. I remember speaking to my grandfather, the late Mr Samih Darwazah, and telling him that I’d love to join the company one day, but only after gaining experience elsewhere first, so I could bring something back with me — and he loved that idea.

So, I started my career in banking and asset management before eventually joining Hikma as part of the Investor Relations team. It was actually a very smooth transition.

That role gave me incredible exposure. I learned a lot about the company through working with investors, analysts and the market. I spent around six or seven years there, but over time I became increasingly curious about what happened behind the scenes. I wanted to understand how the business really operated day-to-day — the operational side of the company.

That curiosity led me into supply chain. It was a completely different side of the business and a huge learning experience.

Now that you’re leading Hikma’s Social Responsibility efforts across Europe, can you tell us about the experiences that led you to this role?

Hikma was establishing a global procurement function, and I joined the team to help shape the strategy, design policies, and build the global procurement organisation.

We rolled out internal training programmes, and, over time, sustainability became an increasingly important part of procurement. I was eventually given responsibility for leading that area globally.

Soon, the conversations with suppliers weren’t just about products or APIs anymore, they became much bigger discussions around values, operations and impact.

Because of that, I genuinely felt our relationships with partners became far more meaningful.

The transition into Social Responsibility happened naturally because the work overlapped so closely. It felt like an opportunity to continue creating meaningful impact, not only as an employee at Hikma, but also personally.

I’ve always been passionate about community impact. This role gives me the opportunity to do that on a much larger and more official level.

Education is something you care deeply about. Where does that passion come from?

A lot of that comes from my grandfather. He truly believed education could change the future, but his definition of education was much broader than academics. 

For him, education was about exposure: learning about different cultures, understanding different traditions, travelling, opening your mind and embracing different ways of life.

That philosophy has stayed with me throughout my career, and it’s also one of the three pillars of our Social Responsibility framework.

What makes Hikma’s culture special?

I always describe Hikma as a success story built on integrity.

Growing up, my grandfather always reminded us that nothing matters more than integrity, and I genuinely believe that is embedded into Hikma’s culture of progress and belonging. You see it in how we operate, how we approach decisions and how we treat people.

That’s why I think it’s so important to reinforce that we are one team, united by a shared purpose: putting better health within reach, every day.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I’ve never viewed leadership as hierarchy. I genuinely see myself as part of the team.

I’m happy to roll up my sleeves and support wherever needed.

My instinct is always: Let’s figure it out together.

To me, leadership is about creating a sense of shared purpose and supporting people around you. The best leaders make people feel they belong to something bigger than themselves.

You’ve worked across different regions. How has that shaped you?

Being exposed to different cultures and ways of working has been one of the greatest gifts.

Every country operates differently. Germany has a different working culture from the US, Portugal, Morocco or Jordan, for example. Learning how to adapt and communicate across cultures teaches you empathy, flexibility and perspective.

That exposure is one of the hidden gems of working at Hikma. You become far more globally minded because of it.

What excites you most about the future?

We always talk about delivering high-quality medicines and making healthcare more accessible every day. But healthcare is changing rapidly, and technology is evolving even faster.

What excites me most is our ability to embrace innovation, invest in R&D, and adapt quickly to change — while still preserving the culture and values that define Hikma.

That’s why teamwork matters so much here. When people feel connected to a shared purpose, they feel part of the journey. As we continue growing, maintaining that sense of unity is probably one of the most important things we can do.