Pfizer taps industry veteran Meenakshi Nevatia as Managing Director

INDIA – Pfizer India Limited has elected industry veteran Meenakshi Nevatia as the new Managing Director and to the additional role of Director for a five-year term beginning April 3, 2023.

The appointment of Meenakshi will be subject to shareholders’ approval through the Postal Ballot and the Central Government, the pharma giant said in a statement.

With over 30 years of business leadership and consulting experience, she is well-suited to lead Pfizer Inc’s commercial business in India.

Prior to joining Pfizer, Meenakshi served at multinational companies such as Mckinsey and Co, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Stryker Corporation.

The seasoned leader has worked in over 8 emerging and developing economies. In addition, she has progressed through several General Management roles across multiple markets such as Thailand, Spain, and India.

Meenakshi received her Bachelor’s in Science (Economics) from Presidency College, Kolkata, India and completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the highly acclaimed Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA).

She fills a position left open by S Sridhar, who served as the Managing Director for Pfizer India Limited for the last 6 years.

Sridhar has worked for Pfizer for more than ten years in various capacities, including Chief Financial Officer, Commercial Lead, Country Manager, and Managing Director.

The company announced Sridhar’s departure internally in August 2022. Sridhar will be stepping down as Managing Director with the close of business hours on March 31, 2023.

Commenting on Meenakshi’s appointment, Pfizer Emerging Markets Global President Nick Lagunowich said: “India is critical to the healthcare ecosystem in the region and globally.”

He underscored that the drug major plans to bring more ground-breaking breakthrough therapies and health solutions to patients across sectors of the Indian economy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Meenakshi who comes at an important time when we are poised to scale up our contribution to the Indian healthcare industry,” President Nick Lagunowich added.

Meenakshi’s appointment comes as the company enters into “the most important 18 months in the history of Pfizer” in an effort to reach its 2030 revenue goals.

Pfizer’s trajectory changed after the company launched its massively successful COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and its antiviral Paxlovid.

The company is set to introduce 19 drug launches or label expansions over the next year and a half. The launches, in total, are expected to generate US$20 billion in sales by 2030.

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