Dr. Shailesh Ayyangar

Biography

Dr. Shailesh Ayyangar spearheads Sanofi’s presence in India and South Asia. His patient-centric approach, combined with an astute business acumen and farsightedness, has helped Sanofi transform from a modest pharmaceutical company in the country in early 2002, to a major diversified healthcare company serving the patients of South Asia. Dr. Ayyangar joined Sanofi in 2002, and has been instrumental in growing the business organically as well as through various acquisitions. Prior to joining Sanofi, Dr. Ayyangar held senior positions for 14 years in SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in India and in Great Britain. He began his career as a practicing veterinarian in the rural areas of Gujarat where he was employed by the National Dairy Development Board. With his wide-ranging experience of over three decades in the industry, Dr. Ayyangar leads the OPPI (Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers’ of India) - an industry body representing research based pharmaceutical companies of India. Since 2013, he has been unanimously elected as the President of OPPI. In November 2016, for his outstanding achievements in business, and commitment to French-Indian relations, Dr. Ayyangar was conferred with one of the highest civilian honours - officier de l’Ordre national du Merite (Officer in the National Order of Merit) - on behalf of the Honourable President of France by H.E. Alexandre Ziegler – Ambassador of France to India. Dr. Ayyangar has also featured among the Business Today-PwC 2016 list of India's top 100 CEOs. In 2014, he was listed as ‘India’s Best CEOs’ in Mid-Sized Companies category by Business India magazine, and in 2013, he was recognized as the ‘Most Valuable CEO’ in Mid-Sized Companies category by Businessworld magazine. Dr. Ayyangar holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, and holds the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Gujarat University, India. He is an alumnus of INSEAD Business School, France having been part of the 2008 batch of Advance Management Programme.

Research Interest

Biomedical Sciences