Bridging Worlds to Shape the Future of Diagnostics

Amit Nastik joined Unilabs in October 2025 as Group Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager for Switzerland. With more than 20 years of international leadership experience across commercial, manufacturing & supply, and corporate roles in the life sciences sector, including leading one of the biggest manufacturing transformations in the industry as well as being Chief Commercial Officer for Europe at a major pharmaceuticals company, he brings a global perspective paired with operational insight.

In this article, Amit discusses the evolving role of diagnostics, the opportunities ahead for Unilabs, and how integrating excellence in commercial and operational activities through his dual role will shape the organisation’s future.

What motivated you to join Unilabs, and how would you describe the purpose of your role today?

I was drawn to Unilabs because diagnostics sits at the centre of healthcare decision-making. A successful diagnosis leads to improved patient outcomes, making this a particularly meaningful place to contribute.

My dual role is interconnected. As Chief Commercial Officer, I focus on strengthening partnerships with clinicians, customers, and health systems across Europe. As General Manager for Switzerland, I ensure operational excellence and a consistent, reliable experience in one of Europe’s most advanced healthcare markets.

The combination allows me to bridge global strategy with local execution. It’s two worlds – or polarities – that need to work together to deliver impact.

What experiences have shaped your leadership philosophy?

It’s a mix of early personal experiences and diverse professional roles. While growing up in Switzerland, I spent  my childhood summer holidays in India. With little to do and no one to play with, I spent a lot of the time at my uncle’s small, rural neighbourhood pharmacy located opposite a hospital. I observed patients going in and out of the hospital and the pharmacy. This is where I noticed how diagnostics, medicines, and human connection could make a real difference in people’s lives. Those early experiences stayed with me. 

Leadership to me is something that is everywhere. In every situation you are leading or are being lead, by someone else or by yourself. In childhood it was your parents, your teachers, your sports coaches that lead you. Later it’s your bosses and at some point in life you might be “leading” your own kids, which is where the circle closes. And from every leader you can learn something – how to do it, and sometimes how not to. I have been carefully capturing all my learnings along the way and would say that beyond purpose, the ultimate key to leadership is that you need to like people and be interested in their development and wellbeing. Bringing out the best in people by giving them the conditions to succeed is key, but it all starts with “liking people”, including yourself.

As healthcare evolves, what is the role of diagnostics and where can Unilabs create the most impact?

Diagnostics sits at the heart of modern healthcare. The shift from reactive “sick care” to proactive healthcare begins with earlier insight, better decisions, and therefore more precise treatments.

According to the WHO, diagnostic results influence roughly 70% of healthcare decisions, yet only 3-5% of healthcare budgets go to diagnostic services. This ratio underlines just how pivotal the role of diagnostics is in making sure clinicians know where to focus their efforts for the benefit of patients and overall health systems.

Our Unilabs impact comes from scientific expertise supported by reliable operations and strong medical quality. 

What opportunities or priorities are you focusing on in your area or markets this year?

Switzerland offers an excellent environment to show what strong commercial and operational alignment can deliver. Expectations and healthcare standards here are high, and that pushes us to refine how we serve clinicians, partners, and patients.

Across Unilabs, one of my priorities is to establish a more consistent business framework: a shared way of looking at our business drivers and ensuring we engage and enable our people as we are entering a period of natural workforce evolution. Around 40–50% of colleagues will change over the coming years due to retirements, attrition, new hiring, and other transitions. I see this as an opportunity to build on the existing deep expertise in our organisation, develop new skills and mindsets, and build an employer brand that attracts a broad spectrum of talent. 

What kind of workplace culture do you believe enables high performance at Unilabs?

As mentioned earlier, leadership is everywhere, in every situation of your life. I will say that the following three points are key for developing a high-performance organization:

Psychological safety and trust. In a complex and fast-moving sector like diagnostics, people need to feel comfortable sharing ideas, raising concerns, and taking initiative. Trust enables better decisions and faster learning.

Purpose. It anchors people in their work. In healthcare, it’s the understanding that what we do can change the course of someone’s life. At Unilabs we hold a unique position: we help people not become patients by providing earlier clarity and guiding better decisions. When colleagues feel connected to that mission, the sense of responsibility and motivation naturally follows.

Clarity and direction. High performance starts with clarity of vision, expectations, and how each person’s work contributes to the outcomes we deliver. When people understand what we’re aiming for, they can focus their efforts where it matters most. Leadership is about creating coherence in complex environments – and giving teams the trust and  clarity they need to excel. 

Looking ahead, my ambition is for Unilabs to become the place where the next generation of healthcare professionals aspire to work. Building that culture of psychological safety, purpose and clarity is essential to our future.