50 Visionary Women: Shaista Asif, Co-Founder and Group CEO, PureHealth In her role as Group Chief Operating Officer, Asif's direction was been critical in leading PureHealth's commitment to a sustainable future

This article is a part of Entrepreneur Middle East's Special Edition: 50 Visionary Women

With more than 22 years of experience, 16 of which she has spent in the healthcare industry, Shaista Asif co-founded the PureHealth Group in 2006 and assumed her current role in 2010. During her time at PureHealth, Asif has overseen multiple successful acquisitions including Abu Dhabi Health Services Co (SEHA), The National Rehabilitation Center (NRC), The National Health Insurance Co. (Daman), acquiring a stake in Ardent Healthcare and led the landmark acquisition of Circle Health Group, the first-of-its-kind healthcare acquisition by a UAE- based group in the UK, a deal worth more than AED4.4 billion (US$ 1.2 billion).

In her role as Group Chief Operating Officer, Asif's direction was been critical in leading PureHealth's commitment to a sustainable future, becoming part of the United Nations-backed Race to Zero initiative for Climate Change, and pledging Net Zero emissions by 2040. She also spearheaded several AI-driven initiatives, in line with PureHealth's vision, including the launch of Pura, the region's first AI-backed healthcare companion app, which is helping people live healthier, longer lives; as well as the launch of PureNet, a dedicated healthcare cloud providing digital health as a service platform.

As a steadfast supporter of women, Asif organised and hosted over 500 attendees, female leaders, and senior government officials at the Remarkable Emirati Women summit, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, and played a key role in the launch of the Emirati Women Chapter, a mentorship initiative dedicated to empowering and inspiring Emirati women.