Vasant “Vas” Narasimhan is an Indian-American physician who was named CEO of Novartis International AG, a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical firm, in September 2017. In February 2018, he is slated to succeed Joseph Jimenez, the current CEO. Narasimhan has been with the Swiss pharmaceutical behemoth since 2005, holding several senior positions in the company’s development and commercial functions. Narasimhan, who was born in New Jersey to Indian parents, was a bright student from an early age. His parents are both competent professionals who made certain that their little boy received the best education available. He went to Harvard Medical School to study medicine after receiving his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Chicago. He subsequently went on to Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to get a master’s degree in public policy. He formerly worked at McKinsey & Company and as the Global Head of the Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals and Oncology Injectables business unit before joining Novartis. He has spent much of his career working in developing countries on a wide range of health issues. He is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine in the United States.
Childhood and Adolescence
Vasant Kalathur “Vas” Narasimhan was born in Moorestown, New Jersey, in 1976 to Indian parents. Dr. Kalathur Narasimhan, his father, was a former vice president for research and development at Hoeganaes Corporation, and his mother, Gita Narasimhan, is a former nuclear engineer with Public Service Electric & Gas and a physics lecturer at Burlington County Community College. Vasant was raised in an intellectually stimulating environment by two competent professionals. He became a brilliant student in school, with a strong interest in science, thanks to his parents’ continual supervision.
In 1994, he enrolled at the University of Chicago to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology after graduating from high school. In 1998, he received his bachelor’s degree with honors. He subsequently went on to Harvard Medical School to study medicine and obtained his MD in 2002. He graduated from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government with a master’s degree in public policy in 2003.
Career of Vas Narasimhan
Vas Narasimhan began working as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in 2002 after completing his schooling. Following that, he was promoted to Engagement Manager. He joined Novartis, a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical business headquartered in Basel and one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical corporations, in 2005. He began his career at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, where he eventually rose to the position of Global Head, Meningitis Franchise in 2007.
His career flourished in the drug company’s demanding and dynamic atmosphere. By 2008, he had been promoted to Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics’ Vice President, US Marketing. He was quickly promoted to President, US Vaccines, as well as Region Head, North America. He was also the Global Head of the Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals and Oncology Injectables business segment during this time. He was in charge of the division’s biosimilars pipeline, among other things.
Narasimhan was promoted to the role of Global Head, Development in 2013. He was in charge of the entire general medications pipeline in this position. He was in charge of a significant drug development program, overseeing 9,600 personnel working on 143 projects, 500 ongoing clinical studies, and a multi-billion dollar budget while working for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical corporations.
Vas Narasimhan was named Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer at Novartis in early 2016. He has the key duty of unifying the operations of the many departments within the Novartis Development organization under a unified, worldwide umbrella as the company’s first ever Chief Medical Officer.
He is also a member of Novartis’ Executive Committee.
In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the operations of all Novartis Group companies as well as heading a team of over 15,000 personnel working on 140 global development programs. In January 2017, he was elected to the Novartis Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
The Novartis Board of Directors chose Vas Narasimhan as the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in September 2017. On February 1, 2018, he is slated to succeed Joseph Jimenez, the current CEO, in this post.
Major Projects of Vas Narasimhan
Vas Narasimhan, despite being in his early 40s, is a very experienced leader at Novartis. He was instrumental in advancing the medications from research to commercialization. He has held many leadership positions with the company since 2005 and has extensive experience in research, development, and commercial responsibilities.
Personal Experiences of Vas Narasimhan
While pursuing his medical degree, Vas Narasimhan met Srishti Gupta, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jagdish K. Gupta. They met in 1998 while organizing an Asian cultural event and went on to collaborate on a number of initiatives in impoverished nations such as Africa, Asia, and North and South America. They went on a camping vacation to Mount Kilimanjaro after finishing their projects, when Narasimhan proposed to Srishti at over 19,000 feet above sea level! The couple eventually married in 2003, with their parents’ blessings. Their wedding was a traditional Hindu wedding in India. The couple has two children as of now.
Estimated Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Vas Narasimhan is about $12 million.