SPARC - Key Persons
Bhavna Doshi, independent director of the Company, has experience of over 30 years in the fields of taxation, accounting, restructuring and allied subjects. She is a qualified chartered accountant and also holds Masters Degree in Commerce from Mumbai University. She is former partner of full member firm of KPMG in India. She is serving as independent director on the boards of several listed companies. She is actively associated with activities of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has served for four terms as elected Member of the Council and participated in formulation of accounting standards and research projects. She is the only person from India to serve as a Member of the Compliance Advisory Panel of the International Federation of Accountants headquartered in New York. She has served on the Government Accounting Standards Advisory Board constituted by Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Ms.Doshi was the President of the Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC), a leading trade and industry Chamber in 2011-12. She also served as President of Ladies' Wing of the Chamber which works towards women empowerment. She has served as member of committees of CII and ASSOCHAM and was also a member of Group constituted by the Tax Administration Reforms Commission chaired by Parthasarathy Shome in 2014. She is also associated with various social sector projects.
Chetan Rajpara, CFO, joined SPARC in February 2017 and is responsible for Finance, Accounts, Taxation and Legal & Secretarial functions. Prior to joining SPARC, Chetan was associated with Sun Pharma since 1993 and has spent over 24 years with Sun Pharma in various leadership positions and has worked across multiple areas like Accounts, Distribution, International Logistics and Finance & Treasury. Chetan was instrumental in setting up Treasury for Sun Pharma in 2003. He was responsible for FOREX & Interest Rate Risk Management, Cash & Liquidity Management, Fund Raising, Investments, Banking Relationships, International Trade Transactions, RBI Compliance and Global Insurance Programme. Chetan worked with The Dharamsi Morarji Chemical Company Limited as Chief Accountant from 1990 to 1993. He is a Graduate Member of ICWAI, Calcutta (1989) and a Commerce Graduate with distinction from H.L. College of Commerce, Ahmedabad (1986). Chetan completed his Post Graduate Executive Management Programme from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Non - Executive Director
- Chairman and Non - Executive Director / Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd
- Chairman and Non - Executive Director of Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd
Dilip Shanghvi is the Chairman and Non-Executive Director of Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd and is also the Managing Director of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (Sun Pharma), world's 4th largest and India's No. 1 specialty generic pharmaceutical company. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016 for his distinguished contribution to the Indian Trade & Industry. In January 2018, the Indian Government appointed Mr Shanghvi to the Reserve Bank of India's 21-member central board committee. He is part of the Economic Advisory Council formed by the Government of Maharashtra to achieve rapid and comprehensive development in the state. The Government of Gujarat appointed him as the Chairman of Gujarat Biotechnology University in 2022. Mr. Shanghvi has been conferred with many awards and recognitions. Mr. Sanghvi was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at IFBA 2022. In 2020 & 2021 India Today magazine included him in its annual Power List of 50 influential personalities in India. Some of the other awards/recognitions bestowed on him include Entrepreneur of the Year by All India Management Association (2017), NDTV Business Leader of the Year (2015), Forbes Entrepreneur for the year (2014), Economic Times' Business Leader of the Year (2014), CNN IBN's Indian of the Year - Business (2011), Business India's Businessman of the Year (2011) and Ernst and Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year (2011). He has also been awarded the Economic Times' Entrepreneur of the Year (2008), Business Standard's CEO of the Year (2008) and CNBC TV 18's First Generation Entrepreneur of the Year (2007) He is a former President of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) and has also served as the chairman of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay). He is a former trustee of the Rhodes Scholarship Program at Oxford University. In 2019, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Tel Aviv University, Israel's largest and most comprehensive institution of higher learning.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Global Head
- Global Head of Drug Discovery and Preclinical Development
Dr Venkata Palle Executive Vice President and Global Head of drug discovery and Preclinical Development is responsible for leading scientific strategy, drug discovery and preclinical development efforts of SPARC to build a robust portfolio spanning Oncology, CNS and Immunology through a combination of 'first-in-class' and 'best-in-class' small molecules and other experimental modalities. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore) and conducted post-doctoral work at the University of Rhode Island (USA).Prior to joining SPARC, Dr. Palle was associated with Lupin Pharma as Senior Vice President of Discovery Research. He is a scientific leader who has built and managed large scientific teams from multiple disciplines. Dr. Palle is an inventor of more than 100 granted US patents and has co-authored more than fifty research publications in journals of international repute. He is co-inventor of the currently marketed drug Regadenoson (Lexiscan®) and Licogliflozin, which is in advanced clinical trials. He has also developed several other drug candidates that are in various stages of clinical development. Dr. Palle played important leadership positions in the drug discovery efforts of Advinus Therapeutics, Ranbaxy Laboratories, CV Therapeutics (Now Gilead Sciences, USA) and NeXstar Pharmaceuticals (USA).
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Head
- Head COE's
Dr. Nitin Dharmadhikari is Executive Vice President & Head Operational Excellence. He is responsible for conceiving and leading new initiatives to ensure Operational Excellence at SPARC. Dr. Dharmadhikari has rich experience spanning over 30 years within the pharmaceutical industry. After completing Ph.D. from Nagpur University, Dr. Dharmadhikari worked in corporates like Dr. Reddy's and Ranbaxy. He joined Sun Pharma in 1999 and looked after product development for US, Europe & India. He moved to SPARC in 2007 to oversee the drug delivery system & product development research along with Manufacturing & Quality assurance. Dr Dharmadhikari is a co-inventor of three innovative platforms and more than 50 patents / patent applications.
Dr. Trinadha Rao Chitturi, Sr. Vice-President & Head, Medicinal Chemistry, oversees design and synthesis of NCE's for therapeutic targets of interest with regard to the new drug discovery programs. Dr Rao carries over 22 years of experience in synthetic organic/ medicinal chemistry together at SPIL & SPARC Ltd. Prior to joining SUN, Dr Rao was associated with GlaxoSmithkline Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Thane, as Group Leader in Chemistry R&D. for about 4 years.
Job Titles:
- Vice - President
- Head Drug Delivery Systems
Dr. Yashoraj Zala, Sr. Vice-President leads the Drug Delivery System at SPARC. Her 25+ years of prolific experience has culminated in several successful commercial products. She has a wide span of experience encompassing know-how of novel drug delivery platforms, complex generics ANDA & NDA filings. Her prominent achievements include development of platform technologies like Wrap Matrix TM & GRID TM , Abuse Deterrent & Overdose Protection technology, Solubilisation & oral bioavailability enhancement and topical dosage forms. Her current areas of research interest are biologics formulations and targeted oligotherapeutic delivery for oncology and neurodegeneration. She has to her credit several granted patents and applications. She obtained her Doctorate in Pharmaceutical sciences from Institute of Chemical technology, (ICT), Mumbai & has also completed executive MBA from S. P. Jain institute of Management & Research.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Medicine, Pathology & Immunology
Dr. DiPersio is the Virginia E. and Sam J. Golman Professor in Medicine and Director, Center for Gene and Cellular Immunotherapy at the Washington University School of Medicine. His research focuses on fundamental and translational aspects of leukemia, lymphoma and stem cell biology. As Deputy Director of the Siteman Cancer Center (2000-2023) and Chief of the Division of Oncology (1994-2023), Dr. DiPersio oversees all clinical and basic science research in the cancer center, serves as a mentor of trainees and junior faculty and oversees faculty recruitment and retention in the Division of Oncology. His personal research has focused on the role of stem cell transplantation and novel targeted interventions including cellular therapies to alter the natural history of AML and other hematological malignancies and has published over 450 articles till date. Dr. DiPersio has been a previous recipient of the ASH Mentor Award in Clinical Investigation in 2014 and has been voted as "Teacher of the Year" on four different occasions in three different institutions (UCLA, U of Rochester and Wash U) consistent with his commitment to mentoring. He has mentored over 50 undergraduate, medical students, graduate students and post-doctoral trainees over the past 30 years. He has co-founded two biotech companies (WuGEN and Magenta), filed over 25 patents, and has been a past recipient of several honors including elected membership into ASCI and AAP, AACR, Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research (2014), American Society of Hematology (ASH) Mentor Award for Clinical Investigation (2014), R35 NCI Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute (2017-2024), Giants of Cancer Care Award for Leukemia Research (2022), American-Italian Cancer Foundation's Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine (2022) and the American College of Physicians Harriet P. Dustan Award for Science as Related to Medicine, ACP (2023).
Mark has an extensive experience of over 30 years in the life sciences industry and biotechnology and specialty pharma transactions. Mark is an Advisor and co-founder of Torreya Partners, LLC, a global investment banking firm serving companies in the life sciences industry. Prior to co-founding Torreya, Mark was a Managing Director and head of life sciences investment banking at Citigroup from 2002 to 2005 where he covered global pharmaceutical companies with a focus on large-capitalization players in the US, Europe and Japan. Prior to Citigroup, Mark served as a Managing Director at Robertson Stephens in San Francisco and New York where he was responsible for covering the biotech investment banking sector. During his tenure overseeing the group, he was involved in raising 45% of all biotech dollars raised in the US from 1999-2001. Prior to joining the investment banking group, Mark was a senior biotech research analyst at Robertson Stephens, and was named a Wall Street All-Star Analyst for three years in a row. He began his career at Kidder Peabody as a biotech research associate in 1984 and participated the IPO of Genzyme and the early financings of companies such as Amgen. Mark currently serves on the board of directors of Portage Biotech Inc. Mark also serves on the board of several disease advocacy and philanthropic foundations in the oncology, CNS/neuroscience, and metabolic areas. He is also a strategic advisor to the founder of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Mr. Anil Raghavan is the Chief Executive Officer of SPARC since April, 2014. In his role as CEO, Mr Raghavan sets SPARC's strategic priorities and focuses on developing the portfolio prudently and driving long-term stockholder value.Mr. Raghavan is a senior Pharmaceutical Services executive with significant global exposure spanning business strategy and operations. Prior to joining SPARC in 2014, he served as the Managing Director of India and Sri Lanka business of Quintiles and has been an active member of their Asia Management Board. Under his watch, Quintiles India maintained strong double-digit revenue and operating surplus growth in a turbulent business environment. He spent the first half of his career in the Consulting Industry with leading firms such as Arthur Andersen, KPMG and Cambridge Technology Partners. He helped the leadership teams of several companies in developing/evaluating strategies and improving business performance. He has led/participated in several industry sector studies, working with business lobbies and industry associations to highlight sectoral opportunities and challenges. Mr. Raghavan is an Industrial Engineer with a deep interest in evolving science and technologies enabling pharmaceutical R&D and healthcare. His other interests include the New Media, Digital Photography and Carnatic Music.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
Mr. Sudhir V. Valia is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and carries more than three decades of experience in taxation and finance. He has been a director of Sun Pharma since the inception of the company and is also on the board of Taro Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Mr. Valia has won CNBC TV18's CFO of the Year award in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Sectors for two consecutive years (2011 and 2012). He has also been awarded the Adivasi Sevak Puraskar (2008-09) by the Government of Maharashtra for his contribution towards the welfare of tribals, particularly in the field of education in his capacity as Director of the Shantilal Shanghvi Foundation.
Dr. Needleman received his B.Sc. in pharmacy and M.Sc. in pharmacology from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, where he joined the faculty in 1967, and later became Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology from 1976 to 1989. During that time, he was selected Basic Science Teacher of the Year five times. In 1989 he became senior vice president of Monsanto. In 1993 he became president of Searle Research and Development. He served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist of Pharmacia from 2000 to 2003. In 2004 he served as Associate Dean for Special Projects at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. He is currently a member of the Washington University Board of Trustees and chairs the Medical School National Council. Dr. Needleman's research focuses on two main areas. His studies of the regulation of vascular, cardiac, and renal function led to the discovery of first pass drug metabolism the mechanism of organic nitrate tolerance; the first peptide angiotensin receptor antagonists; and the atrial natriuretic factor (the hormone by which the heart communicates with the kidney, adrenals, blood vessels and brain). His second area of research was on the role of prostaglandins in arthritis, an area in which he made multiple contributions culminating in the discovery of Cox-2, the isoform of cyclooxygenase responsible for the inflammation and pain suffered by arthritis patients. His work at Monsanto/Searle resulted in the 1998 FDA approval of Celebrex. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 1987, the Institute of Medicine in 2003, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. In 2009 he served as President of the Donald Danforth Plant Sciences Center, and in 2011 he became President of the St. Louis Science Center. He helped create the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev at Ben Gurion University, and served on the Barnes Jewish Hospital Board. Dr. Needleman has garnered numerous honors, including the John Jacob Abel Award of the American Pharmacology Society (1974); Research Achievement Award from the American Heart Association (1988); Washington University's Distinguished Faculty Award (1987), Second Century Award from the medical school (1994), and honorary doctorate degree (1999); C. Chester Stock Award from Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2001); and the American Society of Experimental Therapeutics Award. Dr. Needleman was selected for the Industrial Research Institute Medal in 2001, and in 2005 the NAS Award for the Industrial Application of Science.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Immunology and Microbiology and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Immunology, Scripps Research Institute ( La Jolla
Richard joined the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla CA) in 1972 and is currently a Professor of Immunology and Microbiology and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Immunology. He received his BA from Washington and Jefferson College (1966) and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania (1971). His career is marked by multiple, seminal scientific discoveries in the field of innate immunity. These include the identification of LPS binding protein, an analysis of the biological function of CD14 and the discovery of p38 MAP kinase and elucidation of many of its biological properties. He is the author of more than 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Ulevitch has also been affiliated with several Life Science Investment funds including The Lombard Odier Immunology Fund (1995-2005; Geneva, Switzerland), Aravis Ventures (Zurich, Switzerland) and 5AM Ventures where he is currently a Venture Partner Emeritus (2002-present; San Francisco/Boston). He has also served as a consultant to more than twenty large Pharma and biotech companies. In addition, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors of multiple San Diego Arts organizations including the La Jolla Playhouse and the San Diego Opera.
Dr. Spiegel has over 30 years of extensive R&D and operational experience in biopharmaceuticals including Big Pharma, biotech, and academic startups as well as advisory roles with venture capital and private equity. Dr Spiegel was Director of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at NYU Medical Center and then spent over 25 years at Schering-Plough where he joined as the first Director for Oncology Clinical Research. He subsequently held a series of senior executive positions, including Senior Vice President for worldwide Clinical Research and Chief Medical Officer. During his time at Schering-Plough he took numerous drug candidates through clinical development and was involved with over 30 NDA approvals. Since 2011 Dr. Spiegel has been a consultant to the biotech industry and has served on the Scientific Advisory Board and Board of Directors of multiple biotech companies. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Geron Corp, Cyclacel Therapetics, Ayala Pharmaceuticals, and Athenex. He is currently the president of Spiegel Consulting LLC and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also a Senior Advisor to the private equity firm Warburg Pincus and an Advisor to the Israel Biotech Fund. Dr. Spiegel received his B.A. from Yale University and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his specialty training at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resource Officer
Shanta Gupta, Chief Human Resource Officer is responsible for the organization's human capital management, steering the company towards progress by aligning human potential with the organization's vision, mission and goals. Prior to joining SPARC, Shanta was CHRO for the EPC business of Reliance Infrastructure, instrumental in successfully transforming its business model through change management. She played a crucial role in the start up, successful production and divestment of its Cement business. Before joining Reliance she held roles in many HR consulting companies, one of them being Stantonchase International, where as an Associate Director she has recruited several top leaders in the Financial Services industry. Shanta has over 25 years of experience across industry verticals like Manufacturing, Financial Services, and Infrastructure. She has expertise in conceptualizing and aligning Human Resources in line with the overall business strategy. She has wide experience in assessing existing processes and accordingly designing and implementing measures aimed at enhancing process efficiency, organizational effectiveness and employee potential. Shanta has done her Post Graduation from Jadavpur University and has been identified as the 100 Top HR Minds by World HRD Congress.
Job Titles:
- Head Operations
- Vice - President
- Head Operations Management
Shravanti Bhowmik, Vice-President and Head Operations Management, oversees Program Management, Procurement, Quality Assurance, Investigational Product Supply Chain Management, and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Development- Technology Transfer. This includes initiation and execution of programs involving cross-functional teams with internal and external resources; planning and directing schedules; budgeting. Shravanti brings 22 years of experience in academia, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, clinical operations, clinical development, and project management to the role. She is a Doctor of Medicine, a Project Management Professional Certified by Project Management Institute USA, and has completed executive MBA from S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice - President for Clinical Development & Operations
- Head Clinical Development
Siu-Long Yao, Executive Vice-President for Clinical Development & Operations, oversees design & execution of clinical research globally. Siu brings in 20 years of experience in clinical research. Prior to joining SPARC, he held positions of increasing responsibility in Clinical Pharmacology & Oncology at Merck, Sanofi-Aventis and Schering-Plough. He completed sub-specialty training in hematology & oncology at Johns Hopkins and is a Board certified Internist, Hematologist and Oncologist.
Dr. Rajamannar Thennati is highly experienced and qualified in the field of Pharmaceutical Research & Development and an inventor in several research areas. He has completed M. Sc. from University of Madras, Ph.D in Organic Chemistry from IIT Madras and Post-Doctoral from University of Zurich, Switzerland. He has filed over 250 patent applications and has 37 research publications in international journals. Several of his innovations were commercialised successfully and some of them were licensed. Further, he has recently filed one of the fastest IND from India in 30.5 months by HISHS research group (High impact innovations - sustainable health solutions), in the therapeutic area of metabolic disorders, addressing diabetes, obesity & fatty liver disorders. Drug discovery projects directed by Dr Rajamannar while in SPARC are in phase 2 and phase 3 development in the areas of immunology and oncology, likely to have significant patient benefit with unmet medical need. Dr. Rajamannar was invited to deliver Dr. J. C. RAY oration lecture at Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata 2023. He is a recipient of Sir U N Brahmachari Award in 2021. Dr. Rajamannar is a Chairman, Academic Planning and Development Committee, NIPER, Kolkata, Former Research Council Chairperson of CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, Member, Research Council, CSIR-NCL Pune, & CSIR-IICB, Kolkata. Member, Board of Governors of NIPER, Mohali. Expert committee member of CSIR Drug Discovery Research Programs; Domain Expert on development of mission mode project on active pharmaceutical ingredients for affordable health care, APIs-AHC, CSIR and Governing Council Member of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC, DST). He was invited to the formulation of India's 5th National Science Technology & Innovation Policy, STIP2020, on Industrial Research & Innovation. Dr. Rajamannar has delivered several lectures at National and International Conferences. He was a faculty for Ph.D Course work program in Organic Chemistry at NCL, Pune, also a Program Advisory Committee (PAC) member of DST-SERB (Science & Engineering Research Board). He was invited to be an Expert Review Panel Member, at Departments of Chemistry IIT, Chennai (2013) and IIT, Delhi (2014). His Professional Membership includes American Diabetes Association (ADA), European Association for the study of Diabetics (EASD), European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL), Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI), Chemical Biology Society of India, and American Chemical Society (ACS).
Job Titles:
- Head
- Vice - President
- Head Preclinical Development
Vikram Ramanathan, Sr. Vice-President and Head Preclinical Development oversees Pharmacology, DMPK & Bioanalysis and Toxicology at SPARC. He received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Pharmaceutics Pathway) from the University of California, San Francisco where he studied the role of epithelial neurotransmitter transporters in pharmacokinetics and disposition in Dr Kathleen M. Giacomini's laboratory. Vikram then did a post-doctoral fellowship in molecular neurobiology in Dr Zach W. Hall's laboratory at the NIH (Bethesda) where he investigated the role of glycosylation in subunit folding and oligomerization of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Vikram started his industry career in the DMPK department of SmithKline Beecham/ GlaxoSmithKline in the Philadelphia area. He later moved to India where he has worked at Advinus Therapeutics and Zydus Healthcare prior to joining SPARC in 2018. In his last stint, Vikram was COO of Advinus with responsibility for its scientific functions including Chemistry, Anlytical R&D, Pharmacology, DMPK and Safety Assessment. In his career Vikram has been involved in the filing of several INDs and has conducted studies in support of altabax, eltrombopag, nelarabine and tranilast, as well as other candidates that reached late clinical development.