Syngene International has appointed Maninder Kapoor Puri as Chief Human Resources Officer and Abhijit Zutshi as Chief Commercial Officer, effective 1 May 2026, as part of a broader effort to strengthen its leadership team.
Both executives join the company’s Executive Committee and will take on roles that directly influence workforce strategy and commercial expansion.
A global HR mandate for business-aligned growth
Maninder Kapoor Puri brings nearly three decades of experience across biopharmaceuticals, IT services, and consulting, with exposure to North America, EMEA, and APAC markets.
Her mandate at Syngene will centre on leading the global people agenda to support business growth.
Her previous roles include:
- Chief Human Resources Officer at Biocon, where she led enterprise-wide culture and leadership transformation
- Global CHRO at Mastek, overseeing HR across more than 40 countries
- Leadership roles at Accenture and Firstsource Solutions
She has also been recognised by Outlook Business as a face of “Viksit Bharat” and featured among HR Today’s Top 100 Global CHROs and India’s Most Agile Leaders (2026).
Commercial leadership anchored in global market experience
Abhijit Zutshi joins as Chief Commercial Officer and will be based in the United States, leading sales, client partnerships, marketing, brand, digital initiatives, and account management.
He brings nearly 27 years of experience across global pharmaceutical markets.
His career includes:
- A 25-year tenure at Biocon, most recently as Chief Commercial Officer of the generics business
- Leadership of both drug substance and drug product divisions, alongside building global teams focused on generic formulations
- Experience across sales, marketing, business development, portfolio management, and market entry strategies
Earlier in his career, he worked at Pfizer, where he led the India launch of the Zosyn brand.
He holds a degree in pharmacy, an MBA, and has completed the Leadership Development Program at Harvard Business School.
Key details at a glance
- Appointments effective from 1 May 2026
- Both leaders join the Executive Committee
- CHRO role to focus on global people strategy and organisational capability
- CCO role to drive commercial growth across markets
- Leadership additions align with the company’s next growth phase
CEO outlines leadership intent
Commenting on the appointments, Peter Bains, Managing Director and CEO of Syngene International, said, “We are pleased to welcome Maninder and Abhijit to Syngene’s leadership team. Their depth of experience and strong track record in their respective domains will be instrumental as we continue to evolve our service offerings and enhance our value proposition for clients worldwide. These appointments reinforce our commitment to building a world-class leadership team capable of driving our next phase of sustainable growth.”
Syngene operates as an integrated research, development, and manufacturing services company serving sectors including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nutrition, and specialty chemicals.
Key company metrics include:
- Over 8,300 employees, including more than 5,700 scientists
- More than 3 million square feet of research and manufacturing infrastructure across India and the United States
- Approximately 400 global clients, including multinational pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms
The addition of a global HR leader and a seasoned commercial executive points to a dual focus on capability building and market expansion.
For Syngene, the next phase will depend on aligning workforce strategy with commercial execution as demand for integrated research and manufacturing services continues to evolve.