Hikal is managed by a team of experienced technocrats, chemists and finance professionals.
Jai Hiremath is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Hikal and has over 40 years of experience in the fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry. Mr. Hiremath developed Hikal into one of the leading global development and manufacturing companies. A Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, he is a 2002 alumnus of Harvard University, USA. His contribution to the industry has been recognised across global forums. In 2005, he was presented the Chemtech Business Leader of the Year Award (Chemicals). Mr. Hiremath was the former President of the Indian Chemical Council (ICC), as well as the Chairman of the Chemicals Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He served as a board member of the Drug, Chemical and Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) headquartered in New Jersey, USA. He is a board member of Novartis India Ltd and a member of CII’s Pharma Committee.
Baba Kalyani is the Chairman & MD of Bharat Forge Limited, the flagship company of the USD 3 billion Kalyani Group. He received his B.E. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, and subsequently, earned an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA, in 1972. Mr. Kalyani has been conferred with civilian awards from many countries, which include Padma Bhushan by the Government of India; Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star (Japan); Cross of the Order of Merit (Germany); Commander First Class of the Royal Order of the Polar Star (Sweden); and Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour (France). Mr. Kalyani is a nominated member representing the Indian Industry in the Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). Mr. Kalyani also serves as the Co-Chairman of the India-Japan Business Leaders’ Forum and the India-Sweden Business Leaders’ Roundtable. He is an active member representing Indian Industry in other such forums, including in the USA, UK, Israel and France.
Sameer Hiremath is the Managing Director of Hikal. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the Company, which includes Research & Technology, Manufacturing Operations to Sales & Marketing. He has over 25 years of experience in technical plant operations, business development and strategy. He has held several key positions at Hikal, including that of an Executive Director. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA and MS degree in Information Technology from Boston University, USA. Sameer was conferred the ‘Business Leader of the Year’ award by the World Federation of Marketing Professionals and World Federation of Human Resources Professionals in 2019 and the ‘CEO of the Year’ award by The World Leadership Congress & Awards in 2021. He is also a member of YPO.
Kannan Unni is one of the pioneers in crop protection with over 54 years of experience in the crop protection and animal health industry. Mr. Unni worked in multiple capacities in Hoechst, AgrEvo, Aventis Crop Science and Bayer Crop Science Group. He was the Chairman and Managing Director of Bilag Industries, a 100% Bayer Crop Science-owned company. Mr. Unni has technical and commercial experience in the agricultural and animal health businesses, having worked in a variety of roles. He is the Chairman Emeritus of CropLife India. He is a graduate in Agriculture and holds a degree in Business Administration from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Bombay and a Diploma in Marketing from IMEDE, Switzerland.
Prakash Mehta is the Managing Partner at Malvi Ranchoddas & Co., Advocates & Solicitors, a leading law firm in Mumbai. He brings extensive experience in corporate and commercial legal matters. Mr. Mehta is on the board of several listed and unlisted companies in India. He is a member of the Managing Committee of The Bombay Incorporated Law Society. He holds a degree in law from Mumbai University.
Sugandha Hiremath has more than 39 years of experience in the financial industry. She is an active participant in the Audit Committee at Hikal. She also serves as an Independent Director on the board of several companies.
Ranjit Shahani has extensive experience in the life sciences industry. He started his career with ICI in the Fibres & Speciality Chemicals business. He then oversaw their Asia Pacific and Latin American operations for their Petrochemicals and Plastics division. He was the CEO at Roche Products Limited, after which he moved to Novartis in India in 1997, following the merger of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy as CEO Healthcare. He recently retired from Novartis India after 20 years as Vice-Chairman and Managing Director. Mr. Shahani brings with him diverse and broad experience to drive strategic growth plans. Over his career span, he has delivered strong and successful business outcomes within complex environments. Mr. Shahani is the former President of Swiss Indian Chamber of Commerce. He is President Emeritus of Organisation of Pharmaceuticals Producers of India (OPPI), and former President of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was also on the Council of the International Federation of Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA, Geneva). Mr. Shahani is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT-Kanpur and has an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.
Amit Kalyani is a member of the management board and Deputy Managing Director of Bharat Forge Limited (BFL), the flagship company of the USD 3 billion Kalyani Group. It operates in speciality steel, hi-tech metallurgical manufacturing, automotive components and infrastructure, along with speciality chemicals sectors. He has been involved with driving the group’s strategy and in the execution of its diversification over the past decade. He is also responsible for finance and M&A. His key focus is on nurturing talent and developing new skills within the organisation, driving growth in new areas and products in the EV space. Mr. Kalyani has been a part of many committees of the Government of India on manufacturing, education, skill development and bilateral relations. He serves as an Independent Director on the board of Schaeffler India Ltd, and he is also a member at USIBC & YPO. He holds a BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University, Pennsylvania, USA, and is a graduate from the OPM Program at Harvard Business School.
Shivani Bhasin Sachdeva is the Founder & CEO of India Alternatives, a reputable mid-market private equity fund focused on investing behind transformational themes in India. She has over 18 years of global private equity experience in the US and in India at top private equity funds, including GE Equity, Lightyear Capital and IDFC Private Equity. Shivani has been an active member on the boards of all her portfolio companies, where she has been instrumental in guiding management teams and shaping strategy. Shivani has previously served on the boards of HealthCare Global and Gokaldas Intimatewear, and currently serves on the boards of Brinton Pharmaceuticals and Seclore Technology. She is also an Independent Director at Emaar India. Shivani has received several accolades and recognition for being one of the top women leaders in finance in India, including winning an award for the Top 25 Women Leaders in Finance category by Association of International Wealth Management of India as part of India's Top 100 Women in Finance campaign. She is a frequent speaker on private equity at domestic and international conferences, including Super Return Europe and Singapore and the Indian Venture Capital Association. Shivani received an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Economics from Mount Holyoke College (Phi-Beta-Kappa, Magna Cum Laude, Sarah Williston Scholar).
Shrikrishna K. Adivarekar is a qualified Chartered Accountant (Fellow member of the ICAI) with over 18 years of experience. He graduated in Commerce from Pune University in 2002 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2003. He has been working with M/s Kunte & Vaidya Chartered Accountants since 2000 in various capacities and has been a partner since 2005. Mr. Adivarekar has experience dealing with various corporate and legal matters under Direct Tax Laws, Company Law, FEMA etc for various large corporate groups. Mr. Adivarekar serves as an Independent Director on several boards.
Dr. Axel Kleemann has in-depth knowledge and experience in research and development, production, engineering and drug safety. He was the Director of Corporate Organic Research of Degussa AG (now Evonik Industries) for over 10 years. He was appointed as a member on the management board of Asta Medica AG with the responsibility of research and development, production, engineering and drug safety till 2000. Besides being a board member in various organisations and scientific societies in Germany, Dr. Kleemann was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Protagen AG from 2001 to 2017. He was also a member of advisory boards of several biotech and fine chemical companies. He is the co-author of the standard reference book, Pharmaceutical Substances (5th edition and online version), as well as a member of the editorial board of Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. He is an Honorary Professor of Chemistry at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main.
Dr. Goverdhan Mehta is a globally recognised organic chemist. He is currently University Distinguished Professor and Dr. Kallam Anji Reddy Chair at the School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad. He holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Pune University and has conducted his post-doctoral research at the Michigan State and the Ohio State universities in the USA. Dr. Mehta has been a CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow, National Research Professor as well as the Director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and Vice Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad. He has mentored over a hundred doctoral and post-doctoral students and published nearly 550 research papers. He has over 50 prestigious awards and honours to his credit, nationally and internationally. He has been conferred D.Sc. by over a dozen universities in India and overseas. He was awarded the civilian honour, Padma Shri, in 2000 by the President of India and Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 2004 by the President of France. Dr. Mehta was conferred the 'Order of Merit-Commander's Cross' (Bundesverdienstkreuz) by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2016. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and several Academies and Societies around the world. He is a former President of the Indian National Science Academy and the International Council for Science (ICSU). Mr. Mehta has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister of India.
Dr. K. Nagarajan has over 58 years of experience as a Research Chemist. He was the Head of Medicinal Chemistry at Ciba-Geigy Research Centre and Director, Searle R&D Centre, both in Mumbai. He is a recipient of the Bhatnagar Prize in Chemistry and LifeTime Research Award from the Chemical Research Society of India. He spearheads the scientific research initiatives at Hikal. He has been associated with several national research institutions such as the CSIR Central Drug Research Institute, scientific agencies such as the Department of Biotechnology and projects of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Dr. Nagarajan obtained his B.Sc (Hons) in Chemistry from Loyola College, Madras, and Ph.D from the University of Madras. He is a post-doctoral fellow from Wayne State University, Detroit, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and Zurich University, Zurich.
Jai Hiremath is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Hikal and has over 40 years of experience in the fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry. Mr. Hiremath developed Hikal into one of the leading global development and manufacturing companies. A Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, he is a 2002 alumnus of Harvard University, USA. His contribution to the industry has been recognised across global forums. In 2005, he was presented the Chemtech Business Leader of the Year Award (Chemicals). Mr. Hiremath is the past President of the Indian Chemical Council (ICC), and the former Chairman of the Chemicals Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He served as a board member of the Drug, Chemical and Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) headquartered in New Jersey, USA. He is the present board member of Novartis India Ltd and a member of CII’s Pharma Committee.
Sameer Hiremath is the Managing Director of Hikal. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the Company, which includes Research & Technology, Manufacturing Operations to Sales & Marketing. He has over 25 years of experience in technical plant operations, business development and strategy. He has held several key positions at Hikal, including that of an Executive Director. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA and MS degree in Information Technology from Boston University, USA. Sameer was conferred the ‘Business Leader of the Year’ award by the World Federation of Marketing Professionals and World Federation of Human Resources Professionals in 2019 and the ‘CEO of the Year’ award by The World Leadership Congress & Awards in 2021. He is also a member of YPO.
Anish Swadi, is the Senior President – Animal Health & Business Transformation. He has 24 years of industry experience. He is leading the "Business Transformation" initiative at the company. He is also responsible for Investor Relations and IT operations. He serves on the board of Rx-360, an international pharmaceutical supply chain consortium. Previously, he worked as an International Financial Portfolio Manager with Merrill Lynch in the US. Mr. Swadi holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business and Finance from Ithaca College, New York, USA
Kuldeep Jain, is the Chief Finance Officer. He has over 30 years of experience in financial operations and strategic planning and brings a wealth of experience in accounting, financial planning, analysis, taxation and audits. He has been with Hikal for the past 23 years. Mr. Jain has been responsible for the planning, implementation and management of all the financial activities of the Company, including business planning, budgeting, forecasting, investment analysis and analysing the Company's financial strengths and weaknesses. He has partnered across the business and led various projects such as ERP implementation, GST transformation, new MIS and costing systems and digital finance initiatives. Kuldeep is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, New Delhi.
Manoj Mehrotra, is the President, Pharmaceuticals Business. He has over 34 years of experience in the fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry. He has a B.Tech (Hons) in chemical engineering from IIT-Kharagpur and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur. In his last assignment at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, he was the global head of the Custom Pharmaceutical Services (CPS) business. Earlier, Mr. Mehrotra worked in companies such as Thermax and SRF Limited. At SRF, his last role was strategising and growing the fluoro-speciality business. At Hikal, he is responsible for strategy, sales and operations of the pharmaceutical division.
Vimal Kulshrestha, is the President, Crop Protection Business. He has over 34 years of experience in the fine chemical and agrochemical industry. He completed his B. Tech in Chemical Engineering from H.B. Technical Institute, Kanpur and Executive Management from IIM Kolkata. Mr. Kulshrestha has worked in companies such as Grasim Industries, Modipon Limited with a long stint in Jubilant Ingrevia Limited. He has experience in the B2B speciality chemicals and agrochemical industry, handling P&L and senior leadership roles. At Jubilant, Mr. Kulshrestha spent the first 8 years overseeing the technical and manufacturing aspects of the business and in his last assignment, he was the Sr. Vice President and SBU Head of the Ethanol division. He also led the Crop Protection business with the responsibility of strategy, sales, marketing, business development and operations. At Hikal, he is responsible for the P&L of the Crop Protection division.
Ratish Jha, is the President, Human Resources. He is a transformational leader with cross-industry experience of 26 years, having worked in different countries and multiple sectors like Pharma, Energy, Automotive, Metal & Mining, Packaging, Manufacturing and Services. Mr. Jha is an alumnus of TISS Mumbai and has attended different business certifications program at IMD Switzerland, University of Michigan, AOTS Japan, ISB, IIM-A. Under his leadership, the companies that he worked for were listed in several forums & won multiple business awards such as - Great Place to Work Award, Companies with Great Managers Award, Most Innovative HR Practices Award by NHRD, Best in class for cultural transformation and Best in class for Most Innovative HR practices by People Matters. Mr. Jha has an enriching experience in talent management, culture change management, capability building. learning & OD interventions, performance management, capability building, employee relations, employee engagement & retention programs.
