Kai Mjaanes named general manager of EMVO

Kai Mjaanes will succeed Andreas Walters as general manager of the European Medicines Verification Organisation (EMVO) from January 1, 2025.

Mjaanes (pictured above) will join EMVO – a non-profit organisation tasked with overseeing the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS) designed to keep falsified medicines out of the EU supply chain – from Nomvec AS, which developed and operates Norway's national NoMVO platform that links to the EU system.

The handover has been prompted by the retirement of Walters, who has been with EMVO since it was formed in 2015 to operate the European hub for the EMVS, a point-of-dispense medicines verification platform mandated by the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD).

Mjaanes has been managing director of Nomvec and NoMVO since 2018 and according to the EMVO board has extensive expertise in the pharmaceutical sector, including roles in both wholesaler and pharmacy organisations. He is a graduate of the Norwegian Air Force Academy, holds an MBA and has pursued further qualifications in project management, finance, and logistics.

"As we move forward with this transition, we are confident that EMVO will continue to strengthen its collaboration with the NMVOs," said the board in a letter to stakeholders. "The partnership of each NMVO has been crucial to the success of the EMVS, and we believe that under Kai’s leadership, this cooperation will only grow stronger."

Mjaanes said in a LinkedIn post that he is "eager to join forces with my colleagues across Europe in our work to protect our medicines supply chain and keep counterfeit products out."