Ms. Malebona Precious Matsoso, former Director-General of South Africa’s National Department of Health, has held distinguished leadership roles across national and global health governance. She previously served as Director of Public Health Innovation and Intellectual Property at the World Health Organization and led the Medicines Control Council for six years. Throughout her career, she has contributed to several high-level international bodies, including as Chair of the WHO Executive Board, member of the UN High-Level Panel on Access to Health Technologies, Chairperson of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, and member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

She currently directs the Health Regulatory Science Platform within the Wits Health Consortium, serves on the Interim Executive Committee of the College for Africa Regulatory Science Professionals (CARSP), and is Adjunct Professor at Sunway University in Malaysia. She is also the recipient of the South African Medical Research Council’s Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ms. Matsoso was nominated for the Doha Best Negotiator of the Year Award for her leadership as Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), where she guided Member States toward consensus on a landmark global health framework on pandemic preparedness. Her negotiation leadership played a decisive role in shaping the Pandemic Agreement, a global framework designed to:

• Strengthen preparedness and surveillance systems;
• Ensure equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics;
• Enhance coordinated response during future health emergencies;
• Uphold solidarity, transparency, and evidence-informed decision-making.

Her work stands as one of the most significant multilateral health achievements of the post-COVID era.