Board of Directors
Senior Management Team
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Mr. Nitin Deshmukh, Chairman and Independent Director
Mr. Nitin Jagannath Deshmukh, is the Chairman and an Independent Director of our company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in bachelors of pharmacy from Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), He holds a post graduate degree in master of pharmacy from University of Mumbai and a post graduate degree in masters of administrative management from University of Mumbai. He also completed a post graduate program in Pharmaceutical Technology from University of Ghent, Belgium. He is an alumnus of Institute of Chemical Technology (earlier known as UDCT). In past, he has been associated with Dresdner Kleinwort Benson Advisory Services India Private Limited, Technology Development and Information Company of India Limited and also with Kotak Investment Advisors Limited for over 16 years and Cipla for over three years.
He is the Chairman of Stakeholders Relationship Committee and Nomination and Remuneration Committee, and member of Audit committee of the Company.
Ms. Jeanne Hecht , Independent Director
Ms. Jeanne Taylor Hecht is an Independent Director of our Company. She holds a bachelor’s degree of science from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. She has over seven years of experience of working with IQVIA (formerly known as Quintiles, Inc.). She has also been associated as the chief executive officer of Ora, Inc. in the past as well as the chief operating officer of MEDIAN Technologies.
Mr. Rakesh Bhartia , Independent Director
Mr Rakesh Bhartia is an Independent Director of our Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from University of Calcutta and is also a certified chartered accountant and company secretary and he has also a certified management accountant. He has an experience of over 11 years being positioned as chief executive officer at India Glycols Limited and currently holds the post of vice president at Aum Capital Market Private Limited.
He is the Chairman of Audit Committee and member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the Company.
Mr. Ajay Tandon, Managing Director
Prior to joining Veeda Clinical Research in May 2019, Mr Tandon was Partner-Operations with CX Advisors LLC, an India mid-market focused private equity investment advisor, where he worked with portfolio companies in developing and enabling strategic initiatives and performance improvements and supporting operational due diligence of target investments. Prior to CX, Mr. Tandon was a Managing Director with The Rohatyn Group and a Director with CVCI, prior to its acquisition by The Rohatyn Group. During the eight years he worked there Mr. Tandon identified, managed and exited a large number of companies across a wide spectrum of industries including, among others, automotive, financial services, IT, IT enabled services, infrastructure, oil & gas services and mining. Prior to CVCI, Mr. Tandon gained 15 years of banking experience with Citibank during which he managed and advised several mid and large corporate clients across diverse industries. Mr. Tandon earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a B.Engineering (Honours) degree in Electrical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi University.
Mr. Apurva Shah, Non-Executive,
Non-Independent Director
Mr. Apurva Shah is a founder and Director of Veeda Clinical Research. He has a MBA in International Finance & Entrepreneurship from Babson College in Boston USA. With his strong entrepreneurial and organizational skills, he has been able to grow Veeda to become one of the premier CROs in the country. As a Board member, he gives strategic and financial direction to all Group Companies. Mr. Shah strongly believes in giving back to the society and hence as a Managing Committee member of the NGO ‘Each One Teach One’ (www.eotoindia.org) he helps in furthering the cause of education and development of under privileged children in cities and tribal areas. During his tenure as the Chairman of Association of CROs in India (www.acroindia.org) from 2010-2014, he was able to grow the association membership 5 fold, increase the awareness of the industry and work with the Regulatory Agencies to facilitate the growth of the industry. He believes that if done in an ethical manner, clinical research is a very attractive socio-economic opportunity for India. He is on the Governing Board of the Life Science Sector Skill Development Council (www.lsssdc.in) set up by the Government of India. He has also been a member of the Pharma committee of CII for the past 5 years. Mr. Apurva Shah and Mr. Binoy Gardi were awarded the prestigious Entrepreneur of the year in 2009 by the BioSpectrum magazine as recognition for his contribution to the industry and were awarded the SME Entrepreneur of the year by Business Today and Yes Bank in 2010.
Dr. Kiran Marthak, Non-Executive,
Non-Independent Director
Dr. Marthak comes with a rich experience in Clinical Research of nearly 40 years. Dr. Marthak has conducted many Phase 1 studies including First in Human studies, and complex clinical trials. He has held senior positions in several Indian and Global pharmaceutical companies such as Ciba – Geigy (Novartis), GSK, Pfizer and Ranbaxy, and in leading CROs and has experience in conducting clinical trials across several geographies including USA, UK, Europe, China, Japan and South Africa. Dr. Marthak’s last assignment was as a Member of the Board of Directors in Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd. Dr. Marthak was a Board member during our formative years.
Dr. Marthak is highly respected amongst regulatory authorities for his knowledge of international clinical research guidelines. He is one of the accredited members for GCP training by CDSA, India and contributed to the New Clinical Trial Rules implemented in March 2019. Dr. Marthak is also the Co-Chairman of the Medical Committee of IDMA and a member of the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Committees of the Confederation of Indian Industries. He is a renowned speaker in International and National Conferences, besides being actively involved in academics. Dr. Marthak is a qualified M.D. in Internal Medicine from Grant Medical College, Fellow of American College of Clinical Pharmacology, Fellow of Royal Society of Medicine, U.K. and Fellow of Faculty of Pharmacology, University of London.
Dr. S. N. Vinaya Babu , Non-Executive,
Non-Independent Director
Dr. S.N. Vinaya Babu is a Non-executive Direcotr of our Company. He has been associated with our Company since [July, 2021]. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science from University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. He the founder and managing director of Bioneeds, with over 17 years of experience in various segments of pre-clinical development. In the past, he has been associated with Rallis India, Limited and Aurigene Discovery Technologies Limited.
He is a member of Risk Management Committee of the Company.
Mr. Vivek Chhachhi, Non-Executive Nominee Director
Prior to joining the Investment Advisor in 2010, Mr. Chhachhi was a Director with CVCI, where he gained 15 years of investing experience. During his tenure with CVCI, Mr. Chhachhi worked to identify, manage and exit a large number of companies across a wide spectrum of industries including, among others, IT, pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals, IT enabled services, financial services, automotive, metals and mining, infrastructure, oil & gas services, media and textiles. Prior to CVCI, Mr. Chhachhi spent two years as an equity research analyst at a Citi-affiliated brokerage firm, Citicorp Securities & Investments Limited. Mr. Chhachhi has served on the boards of Fund 1 portfolio companies Thyrocare, Nueclear, Thyrocare Gulf, Sutures and Natco. Prior to this, Mr. Chhachhi also served as a board member or as an observer on the board of several CVCI portfolio companies, such as i-FLEX, Jubilant Organosys, Sasken Technologies, RelQ Software, Newgen Software, Himadri Industries, Techno Electric, IVRCL, Perlecan Pharma, International Tractors, Jai Balaji, and Globe Capital, among others. Mr. Chhachhi holds an MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, University of Mumbai and a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.
Mr. Chirag Mahesh Sachdev, Non-Executive Nominee Director
Mr. Jagannath Venkat Samavedam, Non-Executive Nominee Director
Mr. Jagannath Venkat Samavedam is a Non-executive Nominee Director of our Company. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management Society, Lucknow, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Osmania University. He is presently a Director at Sabre Partners India Advisors Private Limited, and was also associated with Sabre Partners Investment Managers Private Limited in the past. He has an experience in investment advisory and was previously associated with APIDC-Venture Capital Private Limited and Advaita Capital Private Limited as well. In the past, he was also associated with ICICI Bank Limited as well, and has also served on the board of directors of companies such as, Laurus Bio Private Limited and Ventureast Drug Discovery Services Private Limited.
Mr. Ajay Tandon, Managing Director
Prior to joining Veeda Clinical Research in May 2019, Mr Tandon was Partner-Operations with CX Advisors LLC, an India mid-market focused private equity investment advisor, where he worked with portfolio companies in developing and enabling strategic initiatives and performance improvements and supporting operational due diligence of target investments. Prior to CX, Mr. Tandon was a Managing Director with The Rohatyn Group and a Director with CVCI, prior to its acquisition by The Rohatyn Group. During the eight years he worked there Mr. Tandon identified, managed and exited a large number of companies across a wide spectrum of industries including, among others, automotive, financial services, IT, IT enabled services, infrastructure, oil & gas services and mining. Prior to CVCI, Mr. Tandon gained 15 years of banking experience with Citibank during which he managed and advised several mid and large corporate clients across diverse industries. Mr. Tandon earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a B.Engineering (Honours) degree in Electrical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi University.
Mr. Nirmal Bhatia, Group CFO and Company Secretary
Mr. Nirmal Bhatia is a Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary, LLB and PGDBA in Finance handling all the national and international operations in Veeda. Mr. Bhatia has 27 Years of experience in handling Finance, Accounts, Treasury, Internal Finance Control Systems, Business Planning, Legal, Taxation (Domestic and International), Company Secretarial and Allied Laws, Costing, Management Information Systems, Inventory management and Mergers and Acquisitions. He has worked with many multinational organizations like Suzlon, Pepsico and Deloitte at various senior positions in the past.
Dr. Venu Madhav, Group Chief Quality Officer (GCQO)
Dr. E. Venu Madhav has a Ph.D. in Pharmacy with an MBA in Finance and has 25+ years of rich experience in CROs and Pharmaceutical companies like Ranbaxy & Sun Pharma. He has a demonstrated expertise in executing Bio studies from Pilot to Pivotal stage for different formulations like Injectables, Nasal sprays and Topical preparations besides Conventional dosage forms. He has handled special population studies including patient population studies for oncology products. He has hands on experience in designing Protocols for IND/NDA/ANDA projects. He has been responsible for developing Complex Bioanalytical methods for Hormonal, Steroidal and Peptide products. He also has an expertise in Pharmacokinetics, Statistical evaluation of data and providing technical write ups to Regulatory Authorities. During his tenure, he used to handle Regulatory queries of US, Europe, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Japan and other Regulatory Authorities on study designs, GLP/GCP Compliance and Regulatory compliance. He has so far handled 50+ Regulatory Inspections from across the Globe successfully. He also has a thorough knowledge in Bio studies Project Management.
Dr. Sailendra Goswami, President
(COO)
Dr. Sailendra Kumar Goswami has joined as President (COO – Healthy Volunteer Studies) and he will be providing leadership to the teams in Clinical Research, Bio-analytical Research, Clinical Affairs, Biopharmaceutics, Project Management and Administration &
Maintenance department.
Dr. Sailendra has an extensive experience of more than 27 years in clinical research and Bioavailability-Bioequivalence studies along with complex studies and has profound expertise in planning, designing and establishing CROs to global standards. During his professional career, Dr. Sailendra has successfully executed Phase-I to IV clinical trials and Bioequivalence studies and has handled numerous audits from regulatory agencies which include USFDA, MHRA, EMA, ANVISA, ISP, NPRA and WHO.
Previously, Dr. Sailendra was President at Enem Nostrum Remedies, Mumbai. During his career, he has also worked as CEO and Director at Admerus Biosciences Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad and was associated with various leading CROs and companies in India which include Vayam Research Solutions, Raptim Research, Synergicus Research, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, GVK Biosciences, Zydus Research Centre and Lambda Therapeutics wherein he played leadership roles in clinical research.
Dr. Sailendra is an M. Pharm. and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from LM College of Pharmacy, affiliated to Gujarat University. He has secured several diplomas in different aspects in Management and has a rich experience and deep knowledge of clinical research and drug development.
Mr. Sivakumar Vaidyanathan, Head – Clinical Trials
Mr. Sivakumar Vaidyanathan has joined Veeda Clinical Research Limited as Head – Clinical Trials. He is providing leadership to the teams in Clinical Operations, Medical Affairs and Pharmacovigilance.
Backed by experience of more than 25 years, Mr. Sivakumar has professional experience of more than 20 years in clinical research with significant exposure of working closely with CROs and Pharmaceutical Industry. He has played a crucial role in various clinical research studies which include studies related to biosimilars, novel biologics, small molecules and generics in various therapeutic areas.
A Post Graduate (M. Pharm. in Pharmacology) from Manipal Academy of Higher Education and a Bachelor in Pharmacy from Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mr. Sivakumar brings vast professional experience and deep understanding of key responsibilities related to planning, implementation, conduct, completion and reporting of assigned clinical trials and/or projects (Phase-I to IV), in an efficient and timely manner.
Prior to joining Veeda, Mr. Sivakumar was associated with Biocon Biologics India Limited, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Jubilant Clinsys, and Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited. His overall work experience also includes his association with academic institutes wherein he taught pharmacology and physiology to college and university students.
Dr. Sanjib Banerjee, Chief Operating Officer (Biopharma Division)
Name: Dr. Sanjib Banerjee
Designation: Chief Operating Officer, Veeda Biopharma
Ms. Swati Guttikar, Head – Bioanalytical Research
Mrs Swati Guttikar having a vast experience of 27 years in Bio analytical field. She is Masters in Pharmacy with specialization in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and has technical and scientific expertise. Under her leadership the team comprises of almost 300 trained staff. Senior team is associated with Veeda since its inception and is very well versed with the Guidelines and regulatory requirement.
Dr. Hiren Mehta, Vice President Clinical Affairs
Dr. Hiren Mehta has joined Veeda Clinical Research Limited as Vice President – Clinical Affairs. He will be providing leadership to the team of Biostatistician, Data Management, Pharmacokinetics and Feasibility, Medical and Report Writing, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Control of Clinical Affairs.
With more than 19 years of professional experience, Dr. Hiren has deep understanding and expertise in managing clinical pharmacology functions, medical and scientific affairs, and writing, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) data analysis – reporting and regulatory compliance.
A Doctorate in Clinical Pharmacology from West Coast University, and basic pharmaceutical research education from L M College of Pharmacy, Dr. Hiren has provided scientific and strategic leadership in the area of Drug Development and Clinical Research across several leading pharmaceutical and contract research organizations. Dr. Hiren had a long stint of working in Canada-based companies where he extensively worked for almost a decade and facilitated in developing clinical and non-clinical pharmacological capabilities. He has strong experience and expertise in early-phase/late-phase clinical trials across various therapeutic segments.
With strong regulatory knowledge related to pharmaceutical industry and deep understanding of contract research organizations, Dr. Hiren brings wealth of Clinical Pharmacology experience to Veeda Clinical Research.
Ms. Amee Kanuga, Head – Quality Assurance
Mrs Amee Kanuga is functioning as a Head – Quality Assurance of Veeda Clinical Research and is responsible for managing audits and quality assurance related deliverables for Vedant facility. She has faced several regulatory audits and inspections from leading regulatory bodies including but not limited to DCGI, USFDA, ANVISA, AGES, UK MHRA, ANSM, WHO.
Mrs Amee Kanuga is a M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry and having “Professional Diploma in Clinical Research (PDCR)” from Catalyst Clinical Services, Delhi. She has about 14 years of experience in Quality Assurance of CRO based Industries. She possesses Good working knowledge of the Clinical Research processes, Good Clinical Practices, Good Laboratory Practices, and relevant Regulatory requirements. Mrs Amee had successfully completed the exam conducted by Society of Quality Assurance, USA and had received title RQAP-GLP (Registered Quality Assurance Professional Good Laboratory Practices). She has been working with Veeda for over 12+ years. Prior to Veeda, she was associated with Lambda Therapeutic Research working in quality assurance department.
Mr. Rajkumar Agarwal, Chief Business Officer
Rajkumar Agarwal heads the business development team at Veeda and is responsible for the different services provided under the Veeda umbrella. He currently has 11 years of experience in the field of Bioavailability /Bioequivalence and has handled various markets in this period.
He leads a team of more than 15 people and is responsible for ongoing and future business.
He is responsible for client acquisition, maintaining client relationships, key account management, delivering/sustaining business growth, and aligning team as per the organization’s requirement apart from constantly looking for new business opportunities.
He has completed his MBA in marketing and holds a degree in B-Pharmacy.
Dr. Pranav Dalal, Chief Information Officer
Dr. Pranav Dalal has joined Veeda team as Chief Information Officer. He will be responsible for the overall operations of our Information, Communication and Technology Systems.
Dr. Pranav is an experienced professional with over 20 years of experience in digital transformation and automation projects and has joined us from Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited, where his most recent position was General Manager. Prior to that, he was associated with D.E Shaw India Pvt. Ltd as a Project Manager & Business Analyst.
Dr. Pranav is B.E in Industrial Electronics, completed his Ph.D. in Biophysics and Bioengineering and also possesses a degree in MBA. He is an author of more than 10 International peer reviewed publications and more than 25 abstracts.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Pranav and wishing him success in his new engagements.
Ms. Devangi Dave, Head – Training & Development
Devangi Heads the Training and Development Department at Veeda. She holds a Master’s Degree in Bio Medical Technology. She has a cumulative experience of more than 17 years out of which 15 years have been with Veeda Clinical Research. Devangi brings in in-depth understanding of technical aspects of Clinical Department and almost all procedural working of a CRO. She held critical positions in Clinical Department for almost 12 years before choosing to follow her passion of Training and Development at Veeda. Devangi has been instrumental in SOP development across the organisation. She has been witness to an important contributor to the evolving regulatory compliances. Devangi has faced numerous audits including CDSCO, USFDA, ANVISA, WHO amongst others. She was also the part of the core team to set-up Clinical Unit at Malaysia on behalf of Veeda.
Her communication skills, in-depth knowledge of GCP, knowledge of ethics committee vis-à-vis a CRO have enabled her to impart and design numerous successful training workshops at Veeda. At TDD Devangi has been instrumental in bringing a paradigm shift in the way TDD was working. She has led the digital transformation of pedagogy especially developing the interactive digital modules and facilitated the implementation of the LMS.
Devangi brings experience and a proven track record of success in the training and development area.