Ana Céspedes

Ana Céspedes is a globally recognized leader in the health space, with nearly three decades of experience driving innovation, strategy, access and impact across the business consulting, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and global health sectors. She has held executive leadership roles in some of the world’s most influential organizations, shaping policies and programs that have transformed access to health care worldwide.

As chief executive officer of Vitamin Angels, Céspedes brings visionary leadership, deep expertise, and a relentless commitment to health equity. She is dedicated to advancing Vitamin Angels’ mission of improving maternal and child nutrition worldwide.

Earlier, Céspedes served as chief operating officer at IAVI (formerly, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative), where she provided strategic oversight and played a key role in global expansion efforts beyond HIV vaccines to include tuberculosis and other emerging infectious diseases. 

Throughout her career, she has spearheaded marketing, strategy, pricing, market access, communications, and corporate affairs at pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and strategic consulting organizations including Lilly, Arthur Andersen, Serono Iberia and Merck KGaA. Since 2023, she has also served as an independent board member of argenx, a global biotechnology company listed on Nasdaq and Euronext.

Céspedes graduated magna cum laude with a doctorate in pharmacy from the University Complutense of Madrid. She also holds advanced degrees and certifications from the London School of Economics, IESE, MIT and GAP International. 

Passionate about people, health promotion, leadership and empowerment, she is an advocate for women in science and health. She is the founder of Living Mindfulness, a platform dedicated to helping individuals unlock their full potential, and a founding member of Spanish Women Leaders in Life Sciences, a global network of female leaders committed to the future of health sciences.