Management Team

Samira Sakhia - President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Ms. Sakhia joined Knight as President in August 2016, was named President & Chief Operating Officer in June 2020 and assumed the role of President & Chief Executive Officer on September 1, 2021. Additionally, Ms. Sakhia served as CFO from October 2017 to March 2020. Prior to Knight, Ms. Sakhia served as the CFO at Paladin from 2001 to 2015. At Paladin, Ms. Sakhia was responsible for the finance, operations, human resources and investor relations functions. During her employment with Paladin, Ms. Sakhia was instrumental in executing in-licensing and acquisition transactions of Canadian and international pharmaceutical products and businesses. Ms. Sakhia led several M&A and strategic lending transactions as well as equity rounds on the TSX and completed the sale of Paladin to Endo International for $3.2 billion. Ms. Sakhia serves on the board of directors of Dollarama Inc., on the board of the International Advisory Board of McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management and is a member at large of the Board of Governors of McGill University and an independent Board member at the McGill University Health Center. Ms. Sakhia holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma in Accountancy from McGill University.

Amal Khouri - Chief Business Officer

Ms. Khouri joined Knight as Vice-President of Business Development in August 2014 and was promoted to Chief Business Officer in March 2021. At Knight, Ms. Khouri leads the corporate and business development teams as well as corporate strategy. Ms. Khouri was a key player in the acquisition of Grupo Biotoscana in 2019 and led the mandatory tender offer process that successfully completed in 2020. Prior to Knight, Ms. Khouri worked at Novartis Pharma for over 7 years, where she held multiple positions within the global business development and licensing team in Basel, Switzerland. Before joining Novartis, Ms. Khouri worked in business development at Paladin Labs in roles with increasing responsibilities. Ms. Khouri has led due diligence, deal structuring and negotiations on several transactions with a combined deal value of over $1bn. In addition, Ms. Khouri serves on the board of Antibe Therapeutics, a publicly listed clinical stage biotechnology company. Ms. Khouri holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from McGill University and an M.B.A. from the University of Ottawa.

Arvind Utchanah - Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Utchanah joined Knight as Director of Finance in June 2016 and was promoted to Vice-President of Finance in August 2019 and Chief Financial Officer in March 2020. At Knight, Mr. Utchanah is responsible for managing the finance and treasury functions as well as supply chain operations and IT. Mr. Utchanah played a key role in the acquisition of Grupo Biotoscana in 2019. Prior to joining Knight, Mr. Utchanah held a number of senior finance roles with increasing responsibilities with Paladin Labs Inc., most recently as Director of Finance, Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis where he was instrumental in the integration with Endo Health Solutions Inc. Mr. Utchanah’s move to Paladin Labs Inc. in 2012 after having spent 5 years with the global public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, within the assurance services group. Mr. Utchanah is a Chartered Professional Accountant; he holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and a Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy from Concordia University.

Susan Emblem - Global VP Human Resources

Ms. Emblem joined Knight in October 2020 and was named Global Vice President Human Resources in August 2021. At Knight, Ms. Emblem is responsible for leading all HR integration and HR strategy across the business. Prior to joining Knight, Ms. Emblem worked at Paladin Labs for 20 years, where she held a number of leadership roles including as Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Communications. Ms. Emblem was also Marketing Director, where she launched several key brands across several therapeutic areas for the business. Prior to her time at Paladin, Ms. Emblem was Marketing Manager for MSN Australia and she also held brand management roles at Unilever Australia. Ms. Emblem currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors for Marianopolis College. Ms. Emblem has a Bachelor of Commerce with concentrations in International Business and Entrepreneurship from McGill University.

Monica Percario - Global VP Scientific Affairs

Monica has nearly 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Knight, Mrs. Percario was at Sanofi in Brazil where she had been working since 2008, most recently as Head of Regulatory – LatAm and Center of Expertise LatAm. At Sanofi, she also participated in the integration of Aventis with Medley and developed a strong expertise in the generics market as well as mature products. Further, she implemented a regional regulatory function with teams in several countries in Latin America, including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and several other countries, resulting in agility and efficiency across multiple dossiers. Prior to Sanofi, Monica worked in various regulatory roles at Farmasa (now a part of Hypera Pharma). During her time at Farmasa, she created the pharmacovigilance department and participated in clinical research studies in the development of biological products.

Leopoldo Bosano - Vice-President, Manufacturing and Operations

Mr. Bosano has nearly 30 years of experience in operations management including over 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Knight, Mr. Bosano was at Givaudan Argentina where he had been working since 2014, most recently as Head of Operations – LatAm. At Givaudan, he was responsible for production, quality control and quality assurance, supply chain, engineering and maintenance across seven sites located in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Prior to Givaudan, Mr. Bosano worked at HLB Pharma Group where he was Industrial Operations Director. In addition, he worked as General Manager and VP at UV-Vis Metrolab S.A. in Argentina. Prior to these roles, Mr. Bosano was at Bristol Myers Squibb for many years in Argentina as well as in Panama, where he held several roles including, planning, supply chain, procurement, technical operations, plant management and GM for supply to Middle and Far East and Latin American markets. Mr. Bosano holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Universidad Tecnológica Nacional as well as graduate degree in Marketing and Finance from Universidad Católica de la Plata.

Henrique Dias - Global Director of Marketing

Henrique is a Senior Executive with over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Knight in December 2021, he was leading the launch strategy of a major new product at AstraZeneca UK.

He also held leadership positions at AstraZeneca and Janssen, where he managed businesses and new products worth over USD $1 billion in both Specialty Care and Primary Care. With a diverse regional background, Henrique has held Global Positions in the US, Europe, and has led LATAM as BU Head for Hematology and specialty care products. He has extensive experience in new product launches and commercializing products in emerging markets.

Henrique holds a degree in Engineering and an MBA from USP with Honor in Strategy, with a Post-MBA from Wharton BS.