Hevolution CEO Discusses Career in Innovation, Medicine, and Business

Dr. Mehmood Khan, CEO of the Hevolution Foundation, the largest philanthropy organization funding aging medicine in the world, expressed that receiving Saudi citizenship will boost his scientific and practical capabilities.
He said this new status will help him advance his research, especially in addressing aging.
This comes as part of a recent royal decree granting Saudi citizenship to several notable scholars, doctors, researchers, and innovators.
“Our Chairman, his Royal Highness (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), has very high expectations of our work and the impact we need to do; We were created in part because of his vision,” Khan told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Living up to the expectations and challenges we get faced with is itself exciting, but it is challenging,” revealed Khan, affirming that Hevolution’s team is “up to that task.”
Khan, who has experience in both corporate and medical fields, told Asharq Al-Awsat that his work across academic, public, and private sectors has been a continuous learning process, with each area enhancing the others.
According to the CEO, these industries are interconnected, and combining their strengths often leads to the best solutions.
This insight inspired the Hevolution initiative, which brings together the scientific community, NGOs, pharmaceutical companies, policymakers, academia, biotech firms, CEOs, and others to promote healthy aging.
Khan highlighted the value of integrating insights from different sectors.
Academia provides detailed research, the public sector offers insights on population health and regulations, and the corporate world brings innovation and efficiency, explained Khan, adding that by merging these perspectives, the world can tackle complex health challenges more effectively.
“We’ve been working through, and are now investing, funding and partnering with over 200 scientists around the world, and over 150 different university labs,” said Khan.
Hevolution uses this integrated approach to advance healthy aging.
This initiative embodies my passion for addressing major challenges and offers a significant opportunity to make a global impact.
Khan talked about the first $400 million commitment Hevolution made in the last 23 months, calling it “unprecedented.”
“There has never been a non-profit organization in the world that has gone from not existing to now becoming the largest philanthropy funding aging biology and medicine in the world,” affirmed Khan.
Khan stressed that work at Hevolution not only pushes scientific boundaries but also promotes cross-sector collaboration to improve global health outcomes.
Since Khan’s early days in medical school, he’s been deeply interested in nutrition and population health, which was an unconventional focus back then. This journey set the foundation for his later work in community health.
Khan’s time as an endocrinology faculty member at the Mayo Clinic was crucial. He led programs on diabetes, endocrine diseases, metabolism, and nutrition, which strengthened his expertise in designing disease prevention systems.
In the private sector, Khan took on a key role at Takeda Pharmaceutical as the global head of R&D, which shaped his approach to innovative healthcare solutions.
At PepsiCo, as Chief Scientific Officer, he learned crucial principles of scale, impact, transformation, and tackling global challenges.
As CEO of Hevolution, Khan uses all his professional experience to advance the foundation’s mission of developing health sciences to address age-related diseases.
Khan serves on the boards of Reckitt Benckiser and the Saudi Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA).
He is the CEO of Life Biosciences, a member of Saudi Arabia’s biotechnology strategy committee, and the chair of the advanced technology visiting committee at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Khan told Asharq Al-Awsat that he feels honored to have recently become a Saudi citizen by royal decree, while also holding dual US and UK citizenship. This helps him lead Hevolution effectively and work closely with international partners.
Khan commented on his recent Saudi citizenship, saying that in addition to feeling honored to receive Saudi citizenship by royal decree, alongside other distinguished individuals, this recognition is a great privilege.
Being a Saudi citizen, as per Khan, is a significant milestone and acknowledges the progress in his work in aging science and global health. It also strengthens Khan’s commitment to the work at Hevolution.
Khan noted that this new status enhances his ability to build relationships and collaborate within the Kingdom and internationally. It offers a deeper connection with the local community and better opportunities to engage with policymakers and leaders.
He also said that this recognition boosts Hevolution’s global presence and credibility, making the foundation’s collaborations with international scientists and business leaders stronger. It positions Hevolution as a key player in addressing age-related diseases.
Khan emphasized that this honor reflects the hard work and innovation of Hevolution’s entire team.
The CEO said that it was collective efforts that have made this achievement possible.
Khan also said he is excited to engage more deeply with the scientific and medical community in the Kingdom, adding that his new citizenship helps him contribute to Vision 2030 and the national biotechnology strategy, promoting innovation and attracting top global talent.

Salih Muslim, the co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main party of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), reaffirmed commitment to holding local elections in August despite increased Turkish threats of military action.

Muslim emphasized that these elections are aimed at managing local affairs in areas outside Syrian government control, stressing they have no intention to secede from Syria.

The PYD leader disclosed that US officials urged Syrian Kurds to announce the elections promptly.

He noted that Turkish reactions, which he termed “provocative,” were met with silence from the Syrian official side. He added that the Damascus regime fully understands that there are no Kurdish separatist plans from the Syrian state.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat at his office in Al-Hasakah, Muslim explained the reasons for the repeated delays in local elections in AANES regions.

“The elections were first postponed from May 30 to June 11 due to logistical issues with the Higher Elections Commission. There was a lack of preparation, possibly due to inexperience or unfamiliarity with our area,” said Muslim.

“Secondly, some political parties objected to the Commission's decision to shorten the campaign period from 20 days, as stipulated in the social contract, to just 10 days.”

“Thirdly, we wanted international and Arab observers and guests to monitor the elections.”

“However, arranging their travel takes time, especially since our region requires visas and approvals that can delay the process. We could only provide them with a 10-day notice.”

“These were the actual reasons for delaying the elections until August, despite claims linking it to American pressure and Turkish escalation.”

“It was expected, as hostile parties such as Türkiye would object to any local efforts to manage our region’s affairs,” clarified Muslim.

When asked about commitment to holding elections, Muslim said: “We are committed to proceeding with these elections as planned.”

“The decision lies with the entities involved in the Higher Commission and political parties.”

“The postponement aims to address initial shortcomings, but it is imperative that these elections proceed on schedule,” he affirmed.

As for the US reaction when elections were announced by the AANES, Muslim said: “They told us, ‘We see you are moving quickly with this.’ That was their only comment, without further explanation.”

Muslim agreed that the US might have a point regarding logistical preparations and significant deficiencies in organizing elections, particularly concerning visits by foreign delegations and observers.

However, Muslim said that the real reason behind the US caveat on rushing elections remains unclear.

Hevolution CEO Discusses Career in Innovation, Medicine, and Business