Emcure Pharmaceuticals has appointed four independent directors namely Dr Shailesh Ayyangar, Vijay Gokhale, Hitesh Jain and Dr Vidya Yeravdekar. Earlier this year, Berjis Desai had taken over the Chairman of Emcure Board, the company said in a statement.

It said that the new members’ collective strength across legal, pharma spectrum, policy developments and academics will provide additional thrust to Emcure’s growth trajectory.

Commenting on the appointments, Satish Mehta, Managing Director and CEO, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, said, “We are delighted to have highly accomplished industry stalwarts as part of our board. New members’ combined experience and wider perspective from their respective fields, will play an instrumental role in strengthening our strategic operations to grow in domestic and international markets. It is an exciting time for the organisation, and we look forward to achieving newer heights with our new members on board.”

Desai has been associated with the company for over three decades. Having practised transactional and dispute resolution laws for the last 37 years, he retired as the Managing Partner of JSA, a national law firm. A Master of Law from the University of Cambridge, he is now an Independent Legal Counsel engaged in Private Client Practice, said the statement.

It also mentioned that Dr Ayyangar, who has been appointed as Additional Director, comes with an experience of 34 years in health care supplies and pharmaceuticals. He served as Managing Director in his latest stint at Sanofi and was the member of International Leadership Team and Country Chair for India and South Asia. For nearly 18 years, he ran all business interests of the Sanofi Group including pharmaceuticals, specialty care, vaccines, animal health and consumer healthcare.

Gokhale’s previous assignments include postings in Hong Kong, S.A.R., China, Hanoi, Beijing and New York. He has also served as the Deputy Secretary (Finance), Director (China and East Asia) and Joint Secretary (East Asia) during his stints at the Headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs. His geo-political perspective brings in an additional dimension to the future prospects for Emcure, it added.

Further, according to the statement, Jain is the Managing Partner at Parinam Law Associates. His practice spans 24 years of experience across all branches of litigation and clients from multiple sectors. He has advised clients on a range of issues like international corporate commercial transactions, banking and labour matters along with mergers and acquisitions.

Dr Yeravdekar is the Principal Director of Symbiosis Society, and the Pro Chancellor of Symbiosis International University. She has also been the Chairperson of the FICCI Committee on Higher Education, Member of India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) and the Central Governing Council of Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), etc., notified the statement.