The Board of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK India) appointed Bhushan Akshikar as managing director of the company for a period of four years effective from December 1, 2022.

Akshikar succeeds Sridhar Venkatesh who is moving to a new senior role within GSK Group from November 30.

The firm places on record its appreciation for the guidance and support provided by Sridhar Venkatesh during his tenure.

Akshikar with over 26 years experience within the pharmaceutical industry, joined GSK India in September 2011 to lead the specialty and commercial excellence business units. In 2014, he was appointed Head of the Mass Markets business. He was subsequently elevated as the MD of the publicly listed entity of GSK in Nigeria, Africa in end- 2016. Apart from a strong business turn-around, he also built a high performing, resilient team. He then moved to Turkey in 2019 to lead GSK’s vaccines business to drive strategic initiatives and launches in both private and tender segments in the Middle East, Russia CIS and Africa.

In December 2020 he returned to India as the commercial head of the General Medicines business and has led a cultural transformation journey for the large Rs 2500+ crore General Medicines business. He has built a strong leadership pipeline reflecting in leadership positions and improved competitive performance of several flagship brands of GSK.

Before joining GSK, Bhushan spent 15 years with Janssen, Johnson & Johnson in various roles leading both specialty and primary care business units in local and regional positions living in India, South Korea and Belgium.

Bhushan holds a postgraduate MBA in marketing from SPJIMR and a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences from University of Pune. Bhushan is married and has two sons.