Carol El Ajouz’s Journey to Leading Healthcare Transformation across the Gulf

The healthcare industry has evolved to a great extent over the last few decades, and thought leaders like Carol El Ajouz are actively shaping such transformations. Bringing over three decades of experience as a pharmaceutical executive, she offers a unique blend of leadership and vision to drive innovation in the healthcare industry. Throughout her career, Carol led diverse executive roles across the field, helping her shape into the leader she is today. 

Currently leading as the General Manager, Middle East at Théa Pharma, Carol has been playing a crucial role in overseeing the group’s operations and development across the Gulf region. Under her efficient leadership, Théa Pharma’s divisions at the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait have delivered double-digit year-on-year growth. From restructuring go-to-market models to building high-performing teams, Carol has established the group as an influential name in the industry.  

Her belief is simple yet strong: the pharmaceutical industry’s responsibility is beyond commercial performance and treatment. Earlier detection and awareness play a crucial role in patient’s journey. Aligned with this philosophy, she fostered a strategic collaboration between Théa Pharma and the Emirates Society of Ophthalmology. 

In February 2025, during the Society’s Congress, Carol signed a MoU on behalf of Théa Pharma alongside Sheikha Dr Noura Al Qassimi, President of the Emirates Medical Association and President of the Emirates Society of Ophthalmology. This partnership proved to establish the framework for the UAE’s first initiative of its kind dedicated to ocular-disease epidemiology mapping; a reflection of Carol’s commitment to the cause.

By helping healthcare professionals identify and interpret disease trends and patterns, the initiative seeks to encourage earlier diagnosis, strengthen secondary prevention, and support informed eye-health planning. Ultimately, the initiative is designed to better serve patients across the UAE by enabling earlier detection and timely treatment of ocular diseases.

As a Lebanese woman leading across the GCC within a French pharmaceutical group, Carol brings a multicultural perspective to healthcare leadership. Guided by integrity, resilience, and a people-centred philosophy, she is committed to deliver impactful results in the healthcare ecosystem.