Suresh Pattathil is the General Manager, AbbVie India (Allergan is now a part of AbbVie) which is a global, research based pharmaceutical company and he is responsible for commercial operations in India & South Asia markets. With more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Suresh has held several senior management positions in companies such as Pfizer, Schering Plough, MSD and Ferring. Most recently he was the Chief Executive Officer for Ferring Pharmaceuticals India with responsibility for Commercial operations, Research & Development center and setting up a pilot plant and manufacturing facility in Hyderabad. He has a broad experience in both specialty as well as mass therapeutic areas and in launching global products successfully in India.

Some of the key initiatives Suresh has driven in his career are in the areas of market access, public market business, geographical expansion, customer trade channel strategy and building the marketing capability for Ferring in the APAC region. He has an excellent knowledge & understanding of the pharma market.

Suresh holds a MBA (Marketing) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Science.

Manoj Saxena is currently the Managing Director – Bayer Zydus Pharma and Country Division Head, South Asia – Pharmaceuticals. As part of Bayer’s Asia Pacific Pharma Leadership Team, he is known for his contribution in driving key growth strategies within the region. With a deep understanding of the healthcare industry, he has immense experience across functions and has taken on senior roles in sales and marketing, business analysis and general management. Across various roles, Manoj has had opportunities to work closely on Indian domestic strategy, new launches, new SBE’s and various other organizational projects from time to time.

Manoj joined Bayer India in 2009 as the Business Unit Head for General Medicine and Women’s Health with a vision to expand and increase Bayer’s footprint in the emerging market. He strongly supported Bayer’s joint venture with Zydus Cadila in 2011 to form Bayer Zydus Pharma. He was then part of the Bayer Leadership Team in India and an active member of Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).

In August 2012, Manoj was appointed the Country Head for Pharmaceuticals Division and the Country Representative for Consumer Health and Animal Health divisions in Bayer Vietnam. Here, he was the Board Member (Vice Chair) at Pharma Group Vietnam – a key industry association for the pharmaceutical industry. Following his stint in Vietnam, Manoj was the Managing Director of Bayer Co. (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. and Country Division Head of Pharmaceuticals for the diverse cluster of Singapore & Malaysia. He was also a Board Member of Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (SAPI).

Manoj is passionate about Inclusion and Diversity (I&D). He is also the sponsor of the InfinitUS – the I&D Community at Bayer in India and represents the I&D Council of Bayer Pharma globally. Manoj is a graduate with a Bachelor Degree in Mathematics (Hons) and has completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing.

Shreyas has more than two and a half decades of experience in Finance and Accounting. Shreyas leads the finance and administration function in OPPI overseeing the budget management, accounting, financial planning and analysis, and is also responsible for the smooth functioning of the Secretariat. Prior to OPPI, Shreyas has spent 21 years at Pfizer Ltd and has handled areas such as Financial Planning & Analysis, Budgeting, Forecasting, Long Range Planning, P&L Management, Pricing, Accounts Receivable & Cost Audit. A Cost Accountant from the Institute of Cost & Works Accountants of India (ICWAI), Shreyas started his career with Cadbury India Limited and has worked with Boehringer Mannheim Limited and Ciba Geigy Limited.

Suresh Pattathil is the General Manager, AbbVie India (Allergan is now a part of AbbVie) which is a global, research based pharmaceutical company and he is responsible for commercial operations in India & South Asia markets. With more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Suresh has held several senior management positions in companies such as Pfizer, Schering Plough, MSD and Ferring. Most recently he was the Chief Executive Officer for Ferring Pharmaceuticals India with responsibility for Commercial operations, Research & Development center and setting up a pilot plant and manufacturing facility in Hyderabad. He has a broad experience in both specialty as well as mass therapeutic areas and in launching global products successfully in India.

Some of the key initiatives Suresh has driven in his career are in the areas of market access, public market business, geographical expansion, customer trade channel strategy and building the marketing capability for Ferring in the APAC region. He has an excellent knowledge & understanding of the pharma market.

Suresh holds a MBA (Marketing) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Science.

Manoj Saxena is currently the Managing Director – Bayer Zydus Pharma and Country Division Head, South Asia – Pharmaceuticals. As part of Bayer’s Asia Pacific Pharma Leadership Team, he is known for his contribution in driving key growth strategies within the region. With a deep understanding of the healthcare industry, he has immense experience across functions and has taken on senior roles in sales and marketing, business analysis and general management. Across various roles, Manoj has had opportunities to work closely on Indian domestic strategy, new launches, new SBE’s and various other organizational projects from time to time.

Manoj joined Bayer India in 2009 as the Business Unit Head for General Medicine and Women’s Health with a vision to expand and increase Bayer’s footprint in the emerging market. He strongly supported Bayer’s joint venture with Zydus Cadila in 2011 to form Bayer Zydus Pharma. He was then part of the Bayer Leadership Team in India and an active member of Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).

In August 2012, Manoj was appointed the Country Head for Pharmaceuticals Division and the Country Representative for Consumer Health and Animal Health divisions in Bayer Vietnam. Here, he was the Board Member (Vice Chair) at Pharma Group Vietnam – a key industry association for the pharmaceutical industry. Following his stint in Vietnam, Manoj was the Managing Director of Bayer Co. (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. and Country Division Head of Pharmaceuticals for the diverse cluster of Singapore & Malaysia. He was also a Board Member of Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (SAPI).

Manoj is passionate about Inclusion and Diversity (I&D). He is also the sponsor of the InfinitUS – the I&D Community at Bayer in India and represents the I&D Council of Bayer Pharma globally. Manoj is a graduate with a Bachelor Degree in Mathematics (Hons) and has completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing.

Sampada Gosavi joined Astellas in Jan 2023 and leads the India operations of Astellas Pharma, a global Top 20 pharmaceutical research company.

As a highly impactful business leader, Sampada has built and led high-performance teams that created many successful brands and profitable businesses. She has a wealth of experience in handling mass / specialty therapy areas and launching global innovator brands successfully in India. She has deep insights in the areas of Marketing, Sales, Market Access , Healthcare Affairs, Strategy & Pipeline. Prior to Astellas, Sampada has been associated with Abbott, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Ranbaxy & Unichem in key leadership roles

Sampada has won multiple accolades for her work in the industry and recognised among the Top 100 Leaders of 2022. She firmly believes in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion, leading by example.

Sampada has a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a post graduate in Pharma Management

Sanjeev is the Country President and Managing Director for AstraZeneca India.

Sanjeev has been with AstraZeneca for 19 years. Over time, he progressed through several positions in India, Indonesia, Asia Pacific and International region, based in Singapore and the UK.

Most recently he was Country President for AstraZeneca Malaysia, where he has been instrumental in transforming the business, to achieve double digit growth outpacing market. He played a critical role in supporting the government in combating the pandemic through AZ’s Covid-19 vaccine and LAAB, as well as leading Corporate Affairs strategy and sustainability initiatives.

Sanjeev also assumed roles as VP PhAMA – an industry association, a Board of Director for the British Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and actively chairs Malaysia Cancer Care Coalition.

Sanjeev is a Science graduate with Post Graduation (MBA) and holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (PhD). He also holds professional Diplomas in International Business and HRM.

Sanjay joined as Managing Director, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) India in May, 2022. He brings more than sixteen years of rich and diverse experience in healthcare/pharmaceutical businesses in India and internationally (UK, Australia and Japan), in areas such as strategy and business planning, general management, P&L management, sales, marketing, launch excellence, market access and sales force excellence.

Prior to joining BMS India, he was Manging Director at Astellas India and was responsible for leading its country operations. Before Astellas, He has worked in various commercial leadership roles w/ Johnson & Johnson, MSD, Dr. Reddy’s and Ernst & Young.

Sanjay holds a Chemical Engineering Bachelor from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay and an MBA degree from Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

Sanjay is married to Shikha and has a 10-year-old daughter, Omesha. Outside of work, Sanjay is into long distance (Marathon) running and likes to read/explore about world history and mythology.

Vineet Gupta, Managing Director, Eli Lilly & Company – India & India Subcontinent was appointed to his current role in January 2022.

Vineet joined Lilly in 2010 as Marketing Director for India and later moved to the Corporate Affairs & PRA Director role in 2012. Over the years he has held diverse leadership positions across the globe including General Manger for Thailand, Philippines & Indonesia. In his previous role before moving to India, Vineet held the strategic position of Go-to-Market Lead for Anti-COVID Therapies for International Markets based at Lilly Corporate HQ, Indianapolis, US. Vineet spent 8 years with Johnson & Johnson Medical in various sales & marketing roles prior to joining Lilly.

Vineet holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in 1999 and later completed his MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta in 2002.

Vineet’s vision for India is to build on Lilly’s legacy of making life better for patients through the innovative portfolio of Lilly and expand our patient reach in India & the subcontinent. Another crucial priority for him is to drive a diverse & inclusive culture and make Lilly an employer of choice in India.

Sudheendra is an accomplished leader in Pharmaceutical Industry with more than two decades of experience across leading multinational and Indian corporations in India and South Asian region.

As CEO of integrated Ferring Pharmaceuticals operations, Sudheendra leads commercial operations, guides R&D and manufacturing operations for India and South Asian countries. He is part of APAC leadership team actively contributing to collaborate across the AP region.

Prior to the current role, he served in senior and increasing leadership roles across MSD, J&J, Ranbaxy and GSK, including managing country commercial operations for MSD India in second half of 2019 during the leadership transition. In prior roles he lead the entire specialty care business at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, successfully managed the alliance of Ranbaxy & Sanofi Pasture for access of vaccines in India in 2004. His passion is in areas of Building coalitions, D&I, Strategy and Market Access for serving patients in this part of the world. He has been an active contributor to OPPI marketing and Access committees since 2010.

Outside of work Sudheendra is passionate about Indian Classical Music, and an ardent follower of Capital markets around the world. He holds a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Karnataka University.

Bhushan Akshikar has been appointed as VP & Managing Director of GSK  India effective 1st December 2022.

Bhushan Akshikar is a seasoned business leader with a successful track record of over 26 years across several geographies within the pharmaceutical industry. Bhushan joined GSK India in September 2011 to lead the specialty business and commercial excellence function. In 2014, he was appointed Head of the Mass Markets business. He was subsequently elevated as the Managing Director of the publicly listed entity of GSK in Nigeria, Africa in end– 2016. Apart from a strong business turn–around, he also built a high performing, resilient team. He then moved to Turkey in 2019 as the VML to drive strategic initiatives and launches in both private and tender segments in the Middle East, Russia CIS & Africa region. In December 2020 he returned to India as the Commercial Head of the General Medicines business and has led a cultural transformation journey delivering strong results reflected in the competitive performance of all flagship brands.

Before joining GSK, Bhushan spent 15 years with Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, in various roles leading both specialty and primary care business units in local and regional positions living in India, S. Korea and Belgium.

Bhushan is married and has two sons. He loves exploring different cultures, languages and cuisine with his family in his free time.

As Managing Director of Janssen India, Sarthak oversees the Company’s operations in India and the South Asian markets of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Sarthak is a member of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) India President Council, as well as the Janssen Asia Pacific Leadership Team.

Sarthak joined Janssen as General Manager – Marketing in 2007. He went on to hold a variety of roles with increasing responsibility, including leadership roles at regional and country level.

From 2011-2014, he worked in the Janssen Asia Pacific Strategic Marketing team as Regional Commercial Director for Immunology, Metabolics and Established products and played a pivotal role in ensuring timely access to important medications for patients across the region.

He later relocated to Japan to take on the role of Senior Director of Marketing for Immunology, Pain & Infectious Diseases, again increasing access to our medicines and in turn delivering significant growth for the business. In 2016, he returned to his home country, India, as Vice President – Established Products, Metabolics, Immunology and Dermatology. In this role, he led multiple programs aimed at bringing our transformational medical innovations to the country.

With over 20 years’ pharmaceutical experience, Sarthak is a respected industry leader and currently chairs the Pharmaceutical Committee of the American Chambers of Commerce (AMCHAM) in India and is an Executive Council member of the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).

Sarthak holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. A member of the 5am club, he also serves as a J&J India Health Champion and is committed to helping the company build the healthiest workforce in the country.

Pratima has an extensive experience of over 17 years, with nine years in the pharmaceutical industry, including varied roles across functions in national and global teams since joining Merck in October 2013, including strategy consulting, project management, driving speciality business in healthcare.

In the capacity of Director, Portfolio Management & R&D Strategy – Consumer Healthcare Business, Pratima was part of the Global R&D LT driving set-up and delivery of the innovation projects portfolio in-line with the division’s growth aspirations. In this role she effectively managed monthly Innovation Management Board (IMB) chaired by the CEO for Gate Decisions, Funding Decisions, Innovation portfolio prioritization/review and led key programs for the CEO’s office.

Pratima has headed the Oncology Unit at Merck India Healthcare Business where she led the turnaround of the Oncology business by demonstrating the opportunity to drive strong growth via focused access strategies.

Prior to taking over as the Managing Director of India Operations, Pratima was the Regional Franchise Leader (RFL) of the Cardiovascular, Metabolism and Endocrinology (CM&E) franchise in APAC. An active member of the APAC Leadership team, her efforts have ensured that the CM&E franchise continues to grow in the region and continues its market leadership despite market challenges.

Prior to Merck, Pratima worked with Accenture for 8 years leading cross-functional management and risk assessment projects, among others.

Pratima holds a Masters’ degree in Accountancy from Mumbai university and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, India.
Pratima is an outcome-oriented leader with demonstrated ability to work across cultures, and business areas, and focuses on creating positive impact across the organisation.

Rehan A. Khan joined MSD in India in January 2020 as Managing Director, India Region. He is responsible for driving MSD’s business in India, in-line with the company’s vision of providing patients access to critical therapies.

Rehan is an accomplished international leader with over 20 years of experience in leading large multinational companies across various markets including India, South Asia, Greater China, Southeast Asia and across Asia Pacific. He has been the President Asia Pacific of DaVita, a NYSE-listed dialysis services provider with presence across 50 cities in Asia. Earlier, Rehan was the MD and Executive Director of Abbott India Ltd, a publicly listed Pharma company. Prior to relocating to Asia, Rehan spent over a decade across Europe and in the US with Novartis, Accenture and with Venture Media LLP.

More recently, Rehan was an entrepreneur and founder of First Penguin Capital, a Dubai & Singapore based early stage fund focused on investing in health and consumer tech startups. He has also been an advisor to and board member of several healthcare companies and private equity funds across Asia and Africa.

Rehan is an alumnus of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and graduated with an MS in Health Sciences from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences – a joint program between Harvard Medical School and MIT. He has an MBA from Drexel University and a BS from the University of Wisconsin.

Amitabh is recently appointed as the Country President for Novartis In India. Prior to this Amitabh was the Country President for Novartis Vietnam and was also the General Manager for Novartis Oncology for Vietnam. He was the Chairman of the Local Industry Forum in Vietnam – Pharma Group and was also the Board member of the same. In last 2-year Amitabh has played a significant role in leading on Policy matters for the Industry in Vietnam

Prior to this role Amitabh was the General Manager Novartis Oncology India and was heading business operations for India, Srilanka, Nepal and Maldives. Along with this, he has additional responsibility as Head of Marketing and Commercial Excellence for Asia Cluster. Amitabh has more than 28 years of experience in pharma industry, with consistent track record of achieving business results and has led various business functions. For last 14 years, he has worked in General Management and has been part of various leadership teams.

Before joining Novartis, Amitabh worked with Roche a leading Swiss pharma company as the Business Director of Oncology Business Unit and has been responsible for launching some blockbuster molecules in India. In his tenure of 12 years with Roche, he has lead successfully functions of corporate affairs, business operations, marketing and sales. He started his career in pharmaceutical industry as front-line sales role with Nicholas Piramal India Limited. Amitabh is well versed with various aspects of the pharmaceutical market in India including the corporate affairs, regulatory & IP environment, pricing, sales, strategic marketing, business development, distribution and supply chain. Amitabh Is extremely Passionate about Healthcare strengthening and focus on improving the Quality care for Patients . He is also very Focused on developing and promoting talents in Pharmaceutical & Healthcare space

Amitabh has been an active member and part of various industry associations. He holds a Master’s degree in Bio Chemistry and has been part of business executive programs of Insead University France, Tuck Business School University Dartmouth (US), and Columbia Business School (US).

Vikrant Shrotriya is Managing Director & Corporate Vice President for Novo Nordisk’s India business. He is based in Bengaluru.

Vikrant has a distinguished career spanning over 20 years in the healthcare industry, in India and internationally. He has studied at Delhi University and Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB), Pune and has worked in many national and international organisations in India, South East Asia and more recently in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries where he was Vice-President for Novo Nordisk’s GCC business and Corporate Vice President for Saudi Arabia.

Vikrant has been honoured with several accolades throughout his career. Most recently, he received one of the highest awards from the Danish Government – “His Royal Highness Prince Henrik’s Medal of Excellence” – in recognition for his outstanding contribution to business and trade.

Mr. Motoyuki Sakiyama, holding a degree of Bachelor in Biochemical, started career in Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. in Japan as a Medical Representative in 1998 till 2008. A successful business leader with more than 2 decades of experience in healthcare domain having a strong track record of leadership development and building strategies for the brand Otsuka, across various region. Prior to his current role, as CEO of Otsuka Pharmaceutical India Pvt. Ltd., he was President Director of PT Otsuka Indonesia Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. He has been associated with various companies of Otsuka, such as Otsuka International Asia and Arab Division, Thai Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., PT Otsuka Indonesia Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. He was also associated with various institutes such as Pharmaceutical Research & Manufactures Association in Thailand, Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and IPMG as Board of Directors and Chairman of JPCI. He is widely recognized for his perfect business strategies and for being a very good orator. He believes, for running any organization successfully, the communication flow across, should be transparent, and that has been his one strategy for his success along with any organization he has been connected with. Mr. Sakiyama is married and has 3 children.

Mr. S. Sridhar is leading Pfizer Inc’s commercial business in India. He has in his career successfully steered many strategic projects, global brand launches, business restructuring actions, Mergers & Acquisitions and Joint Ventures. A Chartered Accountant with three decades of experience, Sridhar has successfully donned multiple hats in his career as Chief Financial Officer, Business Unit/Supply Chain Head and the Managing Director of Pfizer India business since March 2016.

Sridhar is the President of Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (an association of Research Based Organisations) and is also the Chair of its Finance and Taxation Work Group. He is also the Former Chair of The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Pharma Committee. In this capacity, he has effectively advocated for policies that are pro patient, encourage innovation and provide for a positive environment for the industry to grow.

Prior to joining Pfizer, Sridhar spent 13 years with Diageo, the world’s largest alcoholic beverages company. He was the Finance Director when he left Diageo India.

In his career spanning over 25 years, Milind has a wealth of pharmaceutical and OTC experience across organizations such as Ranbaxy, Novartis Medical Nutrition, GSK and Merck; and across the entire value chain of R&D, Operations, Sales & Marketing, Commercial Excellence and General Management. He joined Merck India as Business Unit Head for General Medicine in 2012. He then moved onto progressive roles of increasing responsibility within the organization as Director – Commercial Excellence, Market Research & BD for Biopharma in 2014, and for Healthcare India in 2017. Prior to taking over as General Manager of Healthcare & subsequently the Managing Director of Merck India Limited, Milind had also taken on additional responsibility as the Commercial Excellence Lead for APAC Biopharma, coordinating the ACE (Academy of Commercial Excellence) initiatives in the region. To Milind, it is People who make an organisation. Therefore, he is both an advocate and a sponsor of People Development and Organisational Culture initiatives both within and outside his organisation.

Simpson oversees India affiliate’s operations and provides guidance towards achieving the company’s North Star of Delivering Better Outcomes for More Patients, Faster.   

Simpson has nearly 20 years of experience in the Indian pharmaceutical sector, especially in areas of marketing, strategic planning, sales management, new product planning and patient access programs. He joined Roche in September 2014 and since then he has led various functions and teams at a national as well as global level. 

He holds a Master’s degree in Health Economics (Economic evaluation and health technology assessments) from the University of York, UK, a Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration in Marketing & Systems and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics.

Rodolfo Hrosz is the Country Lead and Managing Director of Sanofi India Limited. Present in India since 1956, Sanofi is an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.

Hrosz joined Sanofi as General Manager of the Consumer Healthcare business in Brazil in 2017. He brings with him a wealth of rich experience from commercial, marketing, and general management roles across several multinational companies.

His diverse global experiences, particularly in key emerging markets, are assets that will hugely benefit the company’s development.

Prior to joining Sanofi, he has worked with Pfizer, LVMH, Heineken and Procter & Gamble in USA and in Brazil.

An MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, Hrosz is also qualified as a naval engineer and in finance and accounting.

Pierre is a Pharma Executive with over 25 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, country and region management and P&L within the Pharmaceutical industry – in Europe, North and South Africa, Near and Middle East Region and Asia.

After different positions for multinational Pharma companies, Pierre is currently the CEO of SERDIA Pharmaceuticals (India) Pvt. Ltd. (an affiliate of the SERVIER group, a French multinational company with more than 22,000 employees worldwide). He leads a team of 500+ collaborators in India and is responsible for steering and promoting all the activities of SERDIA in INDIA.

His experience includes markets, regional and global roles, both in launching therapeutic innovations in different therapeutic areas, optimizing life-cycles of brands and opening & developing new markets. He has forged strong relationships with local health authorities, leaders and professional organizations.

His expertise lies in Cardiovascular, CNS, Diabetes, HIV, Oncology therapeutic fields, as well as management, marketing strategy, sales management, product launches, project management, regulatory, finance, market access, people development and leadership.

Hobbies and interests include – Sports, Music and Travel.

Serina Fischer was appointed the General Manager for Takeda in India in March 2022. Serina has over 17 years of progressive experience in the Biopharmaceutical industry and is an accomplished, dynamic leader with experience in designing strategy, building capabilities, tracking execution, and delivering customer value. She has held several roles in sales, marketing, and operations.

Driven by innovation and a passion to serve patients, Serina believes that performance driven leadership and dynamic capability are instrumental to driving growth for the organisation and her team. In her current role, Serina will lead the company’s business in India, ensuring patient access to the company’s highly innovative medicines.

Serina joined Takeda in 2017 and has held various leadership roles in its US affiliate. She assumed various  roles at Eli Lilly and company, Independent Capital Management and Citadel Law Corporation before  joining Takeda. 

Serina earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science (B.A.Sc.), Sociology- Human Development from  California State University, Long Beach logo and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.