Board of Directors, Management & Advisory Council
Board of Directors
Vivek Sharma
Executive Chairman
Vivek Sharma
Executive Chairman
Vivek’s extensive knowledge of the CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) sector is reflected in his prior leadership roles, including serving as CEO of Piramal Pharma Solutions from 2014 to 2019, where he led global growth initiatives, and as Chairman and CEO of Adare Pharma Solutions, a technology-driven CDMO, from 2020 to 2022. He also served as CEO of Decision Resources Group, a leader in healthcare analytics, from 2019 to 2020, and most recently as CEO of Saama, an AI-driven clinical analytics company, from 2022 to 2024. In recognition of his significant contributions to the pharmaceutical industry, Vivek was honoured as ‘Global CEO of the Year’ by the CPhI Pharma Awards in 2015.
Vivek holds an Executive MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and is a Chartered and Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Beyond his professional accomplishments, Vivek is passionate about philanthropy, actively supporting causes focused on women’s empowerment, social and educational advocacy, and environmental sustainability. Since 2019, he has been a board member of CEM and continues to serve on the boards of several biotech and technology startups.
Dr Prasada Raju V
Managing Director
Dr Prasada Raju V
Managing Director
Dr Prasada Raju served as an Executive Director at Granules India Ltd., where he played a key role in driving growth strategy, managing the product portfolio, overseeing scientific and regulatory affairs, handling intellectual property matters, and leading new business initiatives. Moreover, he was instrumental in establishing R&D and Greenfield projects within the company. As part of his responsibilities, he served on the Boards of Granules Omnichem Pvt Ltd (Vizag, India), Granules Pharmaceuticals Inc. (DC, USA), and USpharma Ltd (FL, USA).
Dr Prasada Raju's impressive academic background includes a PhD in chemistry, a PG Dip in patent law, and specialised training in material sciences at IIT, Chicago, USA. He is also an alumnus of the Senior Management Program at IIMC (Indian Institute of Management). With over 30 years of techno-commercial experience in the pharmaceutical industry, spanning various aspects of the value chain, he has held leadership roles at Granules India Limited and Dr Reddy's Laboratories. During his tenure at Dr. Reddy's, from 1994 to 2012, he provided technical, strategic, and operational leadership in uniquely challenging positions within the pharma sector.
Overall, Dr V. Prasada Raju's extensive experience and expertise make him a highly respected and accomplished figure in the pharmaceutical industry, where he continues to make significant contributions in his current roles.
Pankaj Patwari
Non-Executive Director
Pankaj Patwari
Non-Executive Director
As Managing Director - of Advent India PE Advisors Private Limited, he has managed Advent's investments in Manjushree Technopack Limited and Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV). He has also been a Director at Manjushree Technopack Limited and Gokaldas Intimatewear Private Limited.
Having worked with Bain Capital before Advent for six years, Pankaj worked on several pharmaceutical and industrial transactions. Before his stint at Bain, Pankaj spent four years with McKinsey & Co., focusing primarily on financial services.
K G Ananthakrishnan
Independent Director
K G Ananthakrishnan
Independent Director
Educationally, Mr Ananthakrishnan holds a Master's in Marketing Management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, and a Bachelor's in Science from Osmania University, Hyderabad. To further enhance his knowledge and skills, he has completed Executive Development Programs at the Wharton Business School, USA, and the Finance for Non-Finance Program at INSEAD, France.
With over 40 years of progressive leadership experience in the pharmaceutical market, Mr. Ananthakrishnan’s career began in 1976 with Novartis India Limited. He then held key positions at Pharmacia India, Pfizer India Ltd., and Fulford (India) Ltd. Notably, during his tenure as Vice President and Managing Director of the South Asia Region at MSD, he successfully transformed the company into a rapid-growth pharmaceutical powerhouse.
Matangi Gowrishankar
Independent Director
Matangi Gowrishankar
Independent Director
With over 40 years of experience working with senior leadership teams, Ms Matangi Gowrishankar brings knowledge and insights to support organisations' growth and transformation endeavours. Her extensive Business and Human Resources professional background has provided her invaluable global exposure and a deep understanding of various leadership aspects.
Having closely collaborated with Senior Leadership teams, Ms Gowrishankar possesses valuable expertise in emerging skills such as Contemporary Leadership, Leading in a digitally enabled world, and leadership transformation. She collaborates closely with organisations to develop leadership capabilities that align with the demands of a rapidly evolving business landscape, ensuring sustainable success and growth. As an Independent Director, she contributes her wealth of experience and strategic guidance to the Company, playing a significant role in its development and progress.
Vinod Rao
Independent Director
Vinod Rao
Independent Director
Throughout his career, Mr Rao has developed a deep understanding of developing and developed markets, including India, China, Southeast Asia, the UK, and Europe. This global exposure has enabled him to navigate diverse business environments and contribute valuable insights to organisations operating in different regions.
Pravin Rao
Independent Director
Pravin Rao
Independent Director
Shweta Jalan
Non-Executive Director
Shweta Jalan
Non-Executive Director
Management Team
Dr Sudhir Kumar Singh
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Sudhir Kumar Singh
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Singh's academic background includes a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from one of India’s premier research organisations, Central Drug Research Institute, followed by a post-A doctoral fellowship in the USA and a faculty member at Rutgers University, New Jersey, with over three decades of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. He has served as the Chief Operating Officer at Aragen Life Sciences Ltd. Dr Singh led a team of 2000 scientists in India's largest Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). His strategic guidance and exceptional project management have driven the organisation's growth and success.
With a strong drug discovery and development background, evidenced by his significant research contributions and patented innovations, Dr Singh has played a crucial role in advancing drug development efforts within the industry.
Gaurav Bahadur
Chief Human Resources Officer
Gaurav Bahadur
Chief Human Resources Officer
Mr Gaurav Bahadur is the Chief Human Resources Officer of the company. He was appointed on 29 September 2023. He is responsible for overseeing and managing various aspects of the human resources function within the company.
Gaurav has held leadership roles in renowned companies such as Vodafone Essar, Yahoo! India, and Philips India. His transformative tenure at Sanofi India, where he spearheaded strategic HR initiatives, showcases his expertise in building performance-driven cultures. Gaurav holds a master’s degree in Personnel Management from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.
Raju Komaravolu
Chief Strategy Officer
Raju Komaravolu
Chief Strategy Officer
Mr Raju Komaravolu is the Chief Strategy Officer of the Company. He was appointed on 29th September 2023. He is responsible for the Company's overall Strategic choice-making, M&A Integration, Strategic Marketing and Transformation agenda.
Raju has a B Tech from NIT Warangal and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and has worked for ITC Ltd, McKinsey & Co. and Dr Reddy’s Labs Ltd.
Raju brings over 27 years of multi-industry experience across Strategy, Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, and Project Management. Raju held several P&L leadership roles during the last five years at Dr Reddy’s. His leadership strengths lie in strategy development and strong execution.
Brian Shaughnessy
Chief Commercial Officer
Brian Shaughnessy
Chief Commercial Officer
Mr Brian Shaughnessy is the Chief Commercial Officer of the Company. Brian is responsible for leading and managing all aspects of the Company’s commercial initiatives and activities, including sales, marketing, and business development functions. He has 20+ years of experience in the CDMO and life science industries.
He has held various positions of increasing responsibility with companies, including Aragen (formerly GVK BIO), Piramal, Dr Reddy’s, and Johnson Matthey. Brian is passionate about developing highly motivated teams that focus on cultivating trusted relationships with client partners by providing reliable and value-added solutions.
Brian has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University.
Himanshu Agarwal
Chief Financial Officer
Himanshu Agarwal
Chief Financial Officer
Mr Himanshu Agarwal our Chief Financial Officer was appointed on the 2nd of Jan 2024. He is responsible for overseeing and managing Finance, IT, Legal, Secretarial and Investor Relations.
Himanshu brings with him 29 years of professional experience and prior to joining Suven, he held leadership roles in ICI India, Astra Zeneca Pharma, Akzo Nobel India, Huhtamaki Oyj and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Himanshu brings broad Global and Indian experience in Finance, M&A, Strategy, Investor relations, operations and technology enablement in coatings, chemicals, Pharma, Packaging and Media Industries.
He has successfully led many strategic initiatives including business-enabled finance transformation, profit turnaround, value chain optimisation and several M&A deals and integrations. He has enabled technology deployment from ERP to BOTs, enabling process transformation and simplification.
Himanshu is a rank-holder Chartered Accountant, a company secretary, a cost and management accountant and has been awarded best CFO by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Dr K Nagendra Babu
Chief Quality and Compliance Officer
Dr K Nagendra Babu
Chief Quality and Compliance Officer
Dr. K. Nagendra Babu comes with 25+ Years of comprehensive experience (Finished Dosage and APIs) in the fields of Global Audit and Compliance, Vendor Management, Third Party Management, Quality Operations (QA, QC, DQA & CQA), Manufacturing of Finished Dosage, Manufacturing of APIs and in conducting Quality Audits of varied suppliers. Dr. K. Nagendra Babu comes with experiences gained from Mylan Pharmaceuticals (Viatris), Gravity Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, Granules India Limited, Mylan Pharmaceuticals (Mylan Inc.) GSK Pharmaceuticals Limited, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Aurobindo Pharma Limited.
Dr. K. Nagendra Babu, with his Doctorate in Chemistry and the numerous trainings that he has undergone, has a robust understanding of various quality operations, regulatory affairs and GxP audit processes. He will work closely with the Quality Operations, Regulatory Affairs and the Operations team in designing and implementing best-in-class quality and compliance standards and systems.
Advisory Council
Annaswamy Vaidheesh
Vice-Chair
Annaswamy Vaidheesh
Vice-Chair
Prior to his current roles, Mr Vaidheesh has amassed a wealth of experience in the industry. He held significant positions, including the President of OPPI (Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India) and Chairman of various committees and councils of Industry bodies in India and the region. He was recognised by various prestigious organisations like the Economic Times for his leadership capabilities.
Additionally, he has served as an operating partner with Advent International.
Venkateswarlu Jasti
Advisor
Venkateswarlu Jasti
Advisor
Mr. Jasti is a highly accomplished individual with a strong background in pharmacy and business. He has pioneered CRAMS business model in India. He founded Suven Pharma Ltd and Suven Life Sciences Limited and successfully led the company since its inception in 1989. Under his leadership, Suven Life Sciences Limited has developed innovative business models and initiated discovery programs resulting in a pipeline of 13 molecules, including SUVN-502, currently undergoing a Phase 3 study in the USA for Agitation in Alzheimer's disease and completed SUVN-G3031, Phase 2 study targeted treatment for Narcolepsy, excessive day time sleep disorder. Mr Jasti has also played vital roles in forming the A.P. Chief Minister's task force for Pharma, the establishment of Pharma City in Vishakhapatnam, and the creation of PHARMEXCIL. He has held significant leadership positions in industry associations such as the Indian Pharmaceutical Association and the Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association of India.
Stefan Stoffel
Advisor
Stefan Stoffel
Advisor
Mr Stoffel has held significant roles throughout his career, including Head of Lonza Pharma & Biotech Strategic Growth Investments and Ibex Solutions, Head of Lonza Pharma & Biotech Operations, and General Manager of Lonza Chemical Operations Business Unit.
Abhijit Mukherjee
Advisor
Abhijit Mukherjee
Advisor
Mr. Mukherjee had worked with Hindustan Unilever Ltd for 13 years and with Atul Limited for nine years. Apart from serving on the board of Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited and ZCL Chemicals Limited, Mr. Mukherjee is on the board of ICE in Milan, Italy.
James C Mullen
Advisor
James C Mullen
Advisor
Jim also serves on the Board of Directors of Thermo Fisher Scientific. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Patheon, Biogen, Insulet and PerkinElmer, Inc. He was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.
Jim holds a BS in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Villanova University.