Shweta Rai to take over as Managing Director of Bayer Zydus Pharma Private Limited

and Country Division Head for Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Business for South Asia, succeeding Manoj Saxena

18th December 2023, India: Bayer today announced that Shweta Rai will take over as Managing Director of Bayer Zydus Pharma Private Limited and Country Division Head (CDH) for Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Business in South Asia effective, January 1, 2024. Manoj Saxena will move out of his present role to take on the role of CDH for Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division and Senior Bayer Representative, Bayer Group for the Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) cluster, with effect from the same date.

Shweta joined Bayer in 2019 and her last assignment was Business Unit Head. With a distinguished career spanning over 22 years, Shweta has a strong track record of leading high performance diverse teams across strategic business positions in the pharmaceuticals and medical device sectors. Her expertise extends across a myriad of therapy areas, including Cardiology, Diabetes, Women’s Health Care, Immunology, Virology, Anti-infectives, Vaccines, Neurology, Orthopedics and Pain Management. Prior to this, she worked with companies of repute like Johnson & Johnson, MSD Pharmaceuticals, IQVIA and Pfizer.

Shweta holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology (Honors) from Miranda House Delhi University, a Postgraduate degree in Management Studies, Mumbai and completed a Strategic Management Program from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kolkata.

Speaking about taking on the leadership role, Shweta said, “I am honored to take on this new role within the organization. I am committed to build on the strong foundation that has been laid by Manoj. I am confident we can continue to build on the successes we have witnessed in the region so far and take Bayer’s mission of ‘Health for All, Hunger for none’ forward. I am excited to work closely with internal and external stakeholders to continue delivering innovative healthcare solutions and exceptional value to our patients.”

Commenting on the appointment, Manoj said, “As I transition to a new role and country within our incredible organization, I am excited about the fresh challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I am happy that Shweta is taking over this role for South Asia. She has been part of the India leadership team and demonstrated strong leadership over the years. I am equally confident that she will take Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals business to greater heights and help us leverage the emerging growth opportunities in this region. I am grateful for the unwavering support of our dedicated teams and look forward to contributing to our shared success in this exciting new chapter”.

Manoj joined Bayer in 2009 and has served in various leadership positions across multiple Asia Pacific countries. He is also currently the President-Elect at the Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).