Roche has appointed Carlos Justiniani Ugarte as General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Egypt and North Africa Network Lead, tasking him with expanding diagnostic access, digitalisation, and the ethical deployment of artificial intelligence across the region.
“Egypt is at a genuinely exciting moment in its healthcare journey,” Ugarte said in a statement. “The ambition is real, the infrastructure is growing, and there is a genuine appetite across the system for change that reaches patients.”
Ugarte transitions to the Egyptian affiliate after serving four years as Country Manager for Morocco. During his tenure, he built the Moroccan Diagnostics affiliate and established the country as a strategic hub for the Francophone West Africa network. In Morocco, he introduced telepathology solutions to address patient access gaps in remote areas and deployed near-patient care and clinical decision tools across underserved communities. The company noted that the division became a reference for its approach to emerging markets by being locally grounded, regionally connected, and focused on patient outcomes.
Bringing 27 years of international experience with Roche, Ugarte has held executive leadership roles in Switzerland, France, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Morocco, and Egypt. His career spans five continents—Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa—where he has developed expertise in diagnostics, healthcare transformation, and business leadership. Roche credited Ugarte with combining a global perspective with strategic vision and an understanding of healthcare system challenges, noting his reputation for turning strategy into action by empowering people, building high-performing teams, and leading organisations through transformation.
In his new capacity, Ugarte aims to build stronger, more resilient healthcare systems through strategic partnerships and broader access to high-quality diagnostics. He also stated a commitment to developing entrepreneurial teams and future leaders who will create lasting impact for patients, communities, and regional healthcare systems.
He joins an affiliate with an established track record of partnerships across Egypt’s healthcare sector and plans to work closely with public and private institutions to advance diagnostic access. Roche Diagnostics Egypt is involved in several national health initiatives, including supporting the country’s HCV elimination programme and expanding breast cancer screening, while driving the adoption of digital pathology and total lab automation in both the public and private sectors.
“The leadership at Roche Diagnostics has built something to be proud of, and my focus will be on carrying that forward, deepening the impact and developing the people who will sustain it long into the future,” Ugarte added. “I also look forward to strengthening our partnerships with the Ministry of Health, public and private institutions, and all the stakeholders who share our commitment to better diagnostics for every patient.”
Ugarte holds a BSc in Business Administration (Économiste d’entreprise HES) from the Haute École de Gestion Arc in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and has completed Executive Leadership Education at the London Business School.
