INDIA – AstraZeneca India has roped in Bhavana Agrawal as the biopharmaceutical company’s new Chief Finance Officer (CFO) following the departure of Rajesh Marwaha.
Bhavana’s appointment comes as AstraZeneca India is gearing up to set up new Centers of Excellence (CoEs) for asthma care in India.
In another development, AstraZeneca has introduced its rare disease drug Selumetinib for patients in India following regulatory approval, marking its entry into rare disease therapy in the country.
AstraZeneca’s bold ambition is to be pioneers in science and transform patient outcomes by delivering a robust pipeline of new medicines and leading in sustainability.
In her new stint, Bhavana will oversee the company’s financial strategy and operations, planning and analysis, and investor relations in the Indian subcontinent.
She brings an extensive experience and expertise in finance functions across large firms in the health and pharmaceutical industry.
What’s more, Bhavana has been a strategic finance partner for businesses with consistent performance in maximizing revenue, margin, and cash for over two decades.
She is an All‐India rank holder as a Chartered Accountant who served as CFO of the Services business at GE Healthcare for the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Russia region.
She has a proven track record in overseeing revenue, costs, cash, planning session, and financial closing activities in more than 30 countries during her tenure at GE Healthcare.
Bhavana will take over the CFO role from Rajesh Marwaha, who has been instrumental in building strategic frameworks for the company in India.
Additionally, he held a board seat on the Company’s board of directors and had been overseeing the implementation of key initiatives focused on improving access to healthcare.
The outgoing CFO leveraged his in-depth organizational knowledge to drive business growth in the country as India’s pharmaceutical sector keeps changing and evolving.
Speaking on the leadership changes, Dr. Sanjeev Panchal Country, President and Managing Director of AstraZeneca India, stated: “Rajesh has been an asset and a guiding light for AstraZeneca given his rich and diverse experience across industries.”
AstraZeneca India’s Country President lauded Rajesh for his exemplary leadership and notable contributions to building the biopharmaceutical company’s legacy in the country.
After a successful stint at AstraZeneca India, including serving as the full-time director of the Company, Rajesh plans to retire from his long-held role at the end of September 2023.
The company said in a statement that Bhavana Agrawal will take up her new role as CFO of AstraZeneca India on 1st October 2023 after the transition period.
At AstraZeneca India, Bhavana will play a pivotal role in fostering sustainable growth and delivering life-changing medicines to patients through innovative science.
Welcoming Bhavana to AstraZeneca, Dr. Sanjeev Panchal underlined: “With her unique global experience, I am confident that we will be able to accelerate our goal of transforming patient outcomes.”
He expressed confidence in Dr. Bhavana Agrawal’s ability to develop and execute the company’s growth strategies.
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