DIA Global CEO Barbara Lopez Kunz To Retire

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Drug Information Association today announced that Barbara Lopez Kunz will step down from her position as DIA President and Global Chief Executive at the end of the year after over nine years of serving in this role. In addition to effectively navigating the organization through the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, she has led the organization as it strengthened its relevance, transformed its strategy and governance model, built a sustainable business infrastructure, and launched new impactful initiatives benefiting members around the globe. 

“Barbara has had an enormous impact on the DIA community over her tenure, building bridges and meaningful collaborations with all parts of the healthcare ecosystem, in particular with our global regulatory community. Her vision for DIA, focused on thought leadership, has been a catalytic force to many of the meaningful outcomes DIA has delivered over the past and will be part of our work into the future,” says Cynthia Verst, PharmD, MS, Chair of the DIA Board of Directors. “We owe Barbara a debt of gratitude for her role leading DIA’s transformation and enduring differentiation, including the commitment and strengths that exist within our Leadership Team and Board of Directors. We look forward to Barbara’s continued leadership through the rest of 2022 as the Board conducts a search for her successor, and we implement a smooth transition. We wish her all the best as she enters the next chapter of her life in 2023.”

Kunz joined DIA in 2013 and has overseen a transformation that readied the organization for the opportunities and challenges faced over her tenure. Kunz has been instrumental in building diversity, equity, and inclusion into the culture and guiding principles for DIA. She focused DIA’s content on unique aspects of therapeutic development that require convening and research, culminating in a substantial body of knowledge that benefits members and helping to advance clinical development transformation, including published works on patient engagement in healthcare. She has been at the helm of the globalization of DIA, resulting in significant impact and relevance across Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, building on historical strengths in North America and Europe. She has overseen the refinement of DIA’s approach to neutrality and how it enables the association to advance therapies to patients around the globe. Most recently, Kunz led strategic initiatives to pivot the business model and cement the digitization of DIA’s knowledge, further enabling professional development for the health and life sciences community around the globe.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as DIA Global Chief Executive,” Kunz says. “DIA continues to advance its mission through the efforts of our dedicated staff, Board of Directors, advisory councils, Fellows, and volunteers. I look forward to continuing my service to DIA from within its membership ranks.”

Prior to joining DIA, Kunz held leadership roles in the life science industry, including over two decades of experience in leadership roles at ICI, DuPont, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she held the titles of VP R&D, GM, and SVP. Prior to DIA, she served as the President of the health and life sciences global business at Battelle, serving all parts of the healthcare continuum from global public health, clinical research, and medical product development. Her volunteer priorities in children’s health have led her to a number of board roles, and she currently serves as the Chair for the research, education, and innovation board at Children’s National Medical Center. She also has served on a number of private and public boards.

About DIA

DIA (founded as the Drug Information Association) is a global association that mobilizes life science professionals from across all areas of expertise to engage with patients, peers, and thought leaders in a neutral environment on the issues of today and the possibilities for tomorrow. As a member-driven, volunteer organization, professionals from 80 countries have affected healthcare outcomes by engaging with DIA through an unparalleled network, educational offerings, and professional development opportunities.

DIA is based in Washington, DC (US) with regional offices representing the Americas (Horsham, PA, US); Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, (Basel, Switzerland); and Asia (Beijing and Shanghai, China; Mumbai, India; and Tokyo, Japan).

For more information concerning the leadership opportunity at DIA, please contact Lorraine Lavet at Korn Ferry (Lorraine.Lavet@KornFerry.com).

Learn more at DIAglobal.org and connect with DIA on TwitterLinkedIn, and Facebook.