With 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, Ugur Gunaydin has held the position of vice-president and general manager at Amgen Canada since September 2022.

He joined Amgen in 2015, serving as the strategic planning and operations director for Turkey, the Middle East and Africa before assuming the role of commercial director for Amgen Turkey. Prior to moving to Canada, Gunaydin led Russia and the other Commonwealth of Independent States countries as general manager.

A leader who has taken on increasingly senior responsibilities at the company, Gunaydin recognizes Amgen Canada’s role is not only to provide solutions to serious illness with innovative medicines, but also to fundamentally improve the health-care ecosystem. He maintains a people-first approach that’s driven by his personal mandate to care for staff as he cares for customers and patients. His leadership is characterized by his belief that collaboration and teamwork, combined with a positive attitude, are fundamental to integrated success and creating win-win outcomes. As part of that commitment not only to the country but also to regional life sciences communities, Gunaydin serves as chief executive officer sponsor for Innovative Medicines Canada’s West operational team, maintaining close alignment with Amgen’s custom-built, state-of-the-art research laboratory in British Columbia.

A strong believer in Amgen’s mission to serve patients, Gunaydin is also a tenacious advocate for science education and building the next generation of scientists. He commits his time and energy in support of Amgen Foundation programs in Canada, Amgen Scholars and the Amgen Biotech Experience, recognizes Amgen Canada’s commitment as a donor to Let’s Talk Science and also serves as a member of the board of directors of the Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation, underscoring Amgen Canada’s backing as a national health partner of ACT.

Before joining Amgen, Gunaydin worked in various finance capacities in the pharmaceutical and other industries in Europe and the U.S. He holds a master’s in economics from Bosphorus University in Istanbul.