Vaccines Europe Welcomes New Leadership Team 

Vaccines Europe announced today the appointment of Nicoletta Luppi (MSD) as President and Lorenzo Wittum (AstraZeneca) as Vice-President, marking a new chapter for the organisation as it continues to advance the role of immunisation in supporting Europe’s social and economic resilience.

Nicoletta Luppi has served as President and Managing Director of MSD Italia since 2015. 

After a brief experience in consulting, in 1993, she joined MSD, covering a number of positions with increasing responsibilities, ranging from the Lead of the Cardiovascular-Metabolic Franchise and the Joint Venture with Schering Plough to the management of two sister Companies (Neopharmed and Gentili), up to creating and leading the Market Access & Commercial Operations, expanding her expertise throughout the entire portfolio of MSD products. As part of this important dynamic, approximatively 450 million people were reached thanks to MSD medicines and vaccines in 2024. 

In 2012, she was appointed President and Managing Director of Sanofi Pasteur MSD, the European Joint Venture between Sanofi Pasteur – the Vaccine Division of Sanofi – and MSD Vaccine Division. 

In 2015, she became President and Managing Director of MSD Italy, the first woman ever to hold such a role within the Italian affiliate of the Multinational Pharmaceutical Company.  

During her experience in Sanofi Pasteur MSD, she was elected as President of the Vaccines Group in Farmindustria. 

Since January 2020, she has been an elected member of the Board of Vaccines Europe.  

In the same year, until 2024, she was appointed as Chairman of IAPG (the Italian American Pharmaceutical Group that convenes all the US Pharma Companies operating in the Italian market) and as Vice-President of Farmindustria and member of its Presidency’s Committee. 

In 2025, she joined the Presidency Team of Assolombarda for the four-year period 2025-2029, appointed as Vice President with the delegation for “Europe” and “Life Sciences”. 

During her career, Nicoletta Luppi received many recognitions and awards including most recently in 2025 when she was recognized by Forbes – for the second time – as one of Italy’s top 100 successful women, citing her distinctive leadership and role as a catalyst for change. Later that year, she appeared on the cover page of Fortune Italy’s list of “The 50 Most Powerful People in Business” and she was ranked at the top of the “Reputation Index” for the Life Sciences sector. 

“I am honoured to take on this role at a time when investment in immunisation has never been more important. Together, we will continue making the case for preventive care, especially immunisation and screening, as a cornerstone of Europe’s societal and economic resilience. Considering the ageing population in Europe and a demographic scenario with serious consequences for healthcare and welfare systems, prevention is the solution for the sustainability of healthcare services and economic growth in Europe. We will continue to work for the full recognition of the value of immunization and innovation.” – Nicoletta Luppi, President and Managing Director of MSD Italia and President of Vaccines Europe  

Lorenzo Wittum has served as a Vice President in AstraZeneca’s Global Infectious Disease Unit since 2024. Lorenzo was previously President of AstraZeneca Italy, where he led significant strategic initiatives across several Therapeutic Areas including Infectious Diseases. He was also Vice President of Farmindustria and Chairman of EuniPharma, representing European and Japanese pharmaceutical companies in Italy. 

“Europe possesses the scientific expertise and innovative capacity to address the ongoing threat of infectious diseases,” said Lorenzo Wittum. “I am committed to fostering an environment that ensures recognition of the value of immunisation and enables timely access for patients, health systems, and communities maximising benefits for public health across Europe.” – Lorenzo Wittum, Vice President, Global Infectious Disease Unit, AstraZeneca and Vice President of Vaccines Europe 

The appointments follow the conclusion of the mandates of Florence Baron-Papillon (Sanofi) and Juan Carlos Jaramillo (Valneva). Vaccines Europe sincerely thanks Florence and Juan Carlos for their significant engagement and commitment during a successful mandate, which strengthened recognition of the vaccine industry as a strategic asset to Europe’s competitiveness and of immunisation as a public health priority and capital investment. 

Under the leadership of Nicoletta Luppi and Lorenzo Wittum, Vaccines Europe remains committed to building on this momentum by addressing today’s challenges and preparing for tomorrows, while reinforcing immunisation’s role as a strategic health priority. 

“Immunisation remains one of the most powerful tools we have to protect our health systems, support productive societies, and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and resilience. I have had the honour of serving as President during a pivotal period when the value of immunisation became increasingly evident. I am confident that Vaccines Europe will continue to build on this promising momentum.” – Florence Baron-Papillon, Head of Strategic Projects, Corporate Public Affairs, Sanofi and Outgoing President of Vaccines Europe 

“It has been a privilege to support Vaccines Europe’s work at a time when the importance of a strong, competitive vaccine ecosystem in Europe has never been clearer. Together, we have reinforced immunisation not only as a public health priority, but as a strategic investment in resilience and innovation. This progress reflects the strength of collaboration across our industry, and I’m confident the organisation will continue to build on this momentum.” – Juan Carlos Jaramillo, Chief Medical Officer, Valneva and Outgoing Vice President of Vaccines Europe 

About Vaccines Europe
Vaccines Europe is a specialised vaccines group within the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). It represents vaccine companies of all sizes operating in Europe, and currently includes all the major global innovative and research-based vaccine companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises. Their mission is to foster innovation and value recognition of lifecourse immunisation in Europe to protect people against evolving health challenges. For more information, visit https://www.vaccineseurope.eu/