AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd. on Wednesday announced the appointment of Dr. Sanjeev Panchal as Country President and Managing Director, AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd with effect from 1st January 2023.

Sanjeev has been with AstraZeneca for 19 years and began his career in India back in 2003 as a Brand Associate. Over time, he progressed through several positions in India, Indonesia, Asia Pacific and International region, based in Singapore and the UK.

“Sanjeev is currently the Country President for AstraZeneca Malaysia, where he has been instrumental in transforming the business, by driving new launches, innovative patient centric partnerships and Market Access strategies, guiding an inclusive and diverse team to achieve double digit growth outpacing market,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

He played a critical role in supporting the government in combating the pandemic through AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine and long-acting monoclonal antibodies, as well as leading the Corporate Affairs strategy and sustainability initiatives, the company stated.

“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. Expansion, innovation, and patient centric partnership are at the heart of how we make health happen, supported by the diversity of our organisation and driven by our shared goal. I am delighted to return to India and take on the journey that Gagandeep Singh has established for the country, and I am really looking forward to collaborating with the team as we continue to push the boundaries of science to make health happen for people, society and planet,” Dr Sanjeev Panchal said in a statement.

Sanjeev is a Science graduate (BSc) with Post Graduation and Doctorate in Business Administration (PhD).

Meanwhile, Gagandeep Singh has resigned from the post of Country President and Managing Director.

“I would like to congratulate the entire India team for achieving great feat in the past 5 years despite the pandemic. With strong consistent growth across disease areas, we are today poised to achieve leadership in existing portfolio and to explore more areas to be able to extend benefits to more and more patients. I am very happy to see my fellow colleague and friend Sanjeev coming into this role and wish him all the best to capitalise on the opportunity ahead of us,” Singh said in a press statement.

Sanjeev will be assuming the new role starting January 2023 and will be taking forward the commitment of the organisation in the country.