Vasant Narasimhan

Vasant "Vas" Narasimhan (born August 26, 1976) is an Indian-American physician and the chief executive officer of Novartis.[1][2][3][4] He succeeded Joseph Jimenez who left Novartis in 2018.[5] He worked in McKinsey & Co and Sandoz before joining Novartis.[6]

Vasant Kalathur Narasimhan

M.D.
Vasant Narasimhan
Born (1976-08-26) August 26, 1976
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Chicago
Harvard Medical School
Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government
OccupationCEO of Novartis
Spouse
Srishti Gupta
​
(m. 2003)​
Children2
Medical career
ProfessionPhysician
InstitutionsNovartis

Early life

Narasimhan was born in Pittsburgh in 1976 to parents who originated from Tamil Nadu, India.[7] Narasimhan’s mother was a nuclear engineer for Public Service Electric and Gas Company and his father was an executive at Hoeganaes Corporation.[8]

Narasimhan received his bachelor's degree in biological sciences from University of Chicago, his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and his master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government.[9]

During his undergraduate and post-graduate studies, he worked on public health programs including the National HIV Treatment Program in Botswana, the American Red Cross in The Gambia and child poverty in India.[10][11][12][13][14]

Career

Narasimhan joined McKinsey & Co, on leaving Harvard and was recruited by Novartis in 2005. In his early career, he worked extensively in Africa, Peru, and India on projects focused on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.[15][6]

He served as the Global Head of Development, Novartis Vaccines in the US between 2012 and 2014 before moving to Sandoz as Global Head of Biopharmaceuticals and Oncology Injectables.[6][16]

From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Global Head of Development for Novartis Pharmaceuticals. From 2016 to 2018, he held the role of Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer within the company.[6]

On September 5, 2017, he was named the successor of Joseph Jimenez as CEO of Novartis.[5][17][18][19]

Memberships

Narasimhan is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and a member of the board of fellows of Harvard Medical School.[20] Since February 2023, he serves as the Chair, and is also former board member and treasurer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).[21][22]

He is a Member of the board of fellows, Harvard Medical School.[23]

He also serves on the board of African Parks, a nonprofit conservation organization, and since December 2022 is the Chair of the Board.[24][25]

Recognition

In 2015, Fortune listed Narasimhan 7th in their '40 under 40' list.[26]

Personal life

Narasimhan married Srishti Gupta in 2003, after meeting her at Harvard while organizing an Asian cultural festival.[27] They have two children and in Basel, Switzerland.[16] Narasimhan is a vegetarian.[28][29]

References
  1. Phadnis, Aneesh (2017-09-05). "Indian-origin Vasant Narasimhan to head $48 billion pharma giant Novartis". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  2. Bisserbe, Noemie (2018-02-18). "Novartis CEO Steers Drug Maker Back to R&D". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  3. Phadnis, Aneesh (5 September 2017). "Indian-origin Vasant Narasimhan to head $48 billion pharma giant Novartis". Business Standard India. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  4. Dandekar, Vikas; Sukumar, C. R. (21 August 2018). "There's an explosion of data & digital opportunities in Indian healthcare: Vasant Narasimhan, CEO, Novartis". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  5. "Novartis CEO Jimenez to Quit, Giving Reins to Harvard Doctor". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg Technology. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  6. "Executive Profile – Vasant Narasimhan". Bloomberg. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  7. Phadnis, Aneesh (September 4, 2017). "Indian-origin Vasant Narasimhan to head $48 billion pharma giant Novartis". Business Standard. Retrieved July 8, 2022. Narasimhan, 41, doctor from Harvard Medical School, is a second generation immigrant in the US. His parents moved there from Tamil Nadu in the 1970s.
  8. "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Srishti Gupta, Vasan Narasimhan". The New York Times. March 16, 2003. Retrieved July 8, 2022. His mother, Gira Narasimhan, a former nuclear engineer for Public Service Electric & Gas, is a lecturer in physics at Burlington County Community College in Pemberton, N.J. His father is the vice president for research and development at the Hoeganaes Corporation, a supplier and developer of industrial raw materials, in Cinnaminson, N.J.
  9. "Vasant (Vas) Narasimhan" (PDF). Novartis. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  10. Smale, Will (March 18, 2020). "'It was never my plan to be the boss of a huge company'". BBC. Retrieved July 8, 2022. There was also no let up in his summer holidays, as he was always volunteering overseas; helping to fight malaria in Gambia, tackling tuberculosis in Peru and child poverty in India.
  11. Gelles, David (August 1, 2019). "Vas Narasimhan of Novartis: 'We Are Not at All Prepared for a Pandemic'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2022. I went to the University of Chicago and did pre-med. Then for my junior year of college I went to Gambia where I worked with the Red Cross in malaria control. That was my first exposure to public health.
  12. Mlambo-Ngcuka, Phumzile (August 19, 2019). Redefining Leadership in the Age of the SDGs Accelerating and Scaling Up Delivery Through Innovation and Inclusion (PDF) (Report). Harvard Law School. p. 19. Retrieved July 8, 2022. Narasimhan knows this well. As age 20, Narasimhan took time off of college, to work with the Red Cross in Gambia.
  13. Narasimhan, Vasant; Brown, Hilary; Pablos-Mendez, Ariel; Adams, Orvill; Dussault, Gilles; Elzinga, Gijs; Nordstrom, Anders; Habte, Demissie; Jacobs, Marian; Solimano, Giorgio; Sewankambo, Nelson; Wibulpolprasert, Suwit; Evans, Timothy; Chen, Lincoln (2004-05-01). "Responding to the global human resources crisis". Lancet (London, England). 363 (9419): 1469–1472. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16108-4. ISSN 1474-547X. PMID 15121412.
  14. Narasimhan, Vasant; Brown, Hilary; Pablos-Mendez, Ariel; Adams, Orvill; Dussault, Gilles; Elzinga, Gijs; Nordstrom, Anders; Habte, Demissie; Jacobs, Marian; Solimano, Giorgio; Sewankambo, Nelson; Wibulpolprasert, Suwit; Evans, Timothy; Chen, Lincoln (2004-05-01). "Responding to the global human resources crisis". The Lancet. 363 (9419): 1469–1472. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16108-4. ISSN 0140-6736.
  15. "Emerging Pharma Leaders: Vas Narasimhan". PharmExec. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  16. "Vasant Narasimhan". Novartis. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  17. Times, Sarah Neville and Ralph Atkins, Financial. "New Novartis chief eyes productivity revolution". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  18. "Novartis announces CEO Joseph Jimenez to retire from Novartis in 2018. Vasant Narasimhan appointed CEO, effective February 1, 2018". Novartis. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  19. Standard, Business (2017-09-04). "Novartis names Indian-origin Vasant Narasimhan as the new Global CEO". www.business-standard.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  20. "Authors". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  21. "Vas Narasimhan of Novartis Becomes Chair of PhRMA Board". phrma.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  22. "Novartis CEO, as incoming PhRMA chair, outlines 3 priorities for pharma after IRA setback". Fiercepharma.
  23. "Board of Fellows". hms.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  24. "Vasant (Vas) Narasimhan". www.africanparks.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  25. "African Parks appoints new Chairperson of the Board". www.africanparks.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  26. "Vas Narasimhan". Fortune. 2015-09-24. Archived from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  27. "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Srishti Gupta, Vasant Narasimhan". The New York Times. 2003-03-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  28. "Vas Narasimhan knew what to expect as Novartis CEO—or so he thought: NYT".
  29. "Vas Narasimhan - Agenda Contributor". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
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