In a milestone event for India’s pharmaceutical sector, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the country’s largest drugmaker by revenue, has announced a leadership transition. Kirti Ganorkar, a veteran executive, has been appointed as the new Managing Director (MD), starting in that role on September 1, 2025. He will succeed Dilip Shanghvi, the founder of Sun Pharma who has guided the company towards its advanced global stature. Shanghvi will continue to be actively part of the team as Executive Chairman, where he will have a part-time focus on the company’s specialty portfolio and long-term strategy. This transition statement demonstrates Sun Pharma’s commitment to providing continuity in leadership and sustainable growth opportunity in a highly competitive international market.
A Succession Route Map for Sun Pharma:
Sun Pharma’s announcement on June 13, 2025, reflects incredible planning for succession, and was announced with shareholder approval for Ganorkar as MD as the business moves towards its AGM. Sun Pharma would have planned the succession carefully to enable smooth transition at the top for the ₹52,041 crore pharmaceutical company. Nurturing talent in-house is obviously continues to be Sun Pharma’s method of choice in its next phase of growth, however structure and organization will matters.
Dilip Shanghvi is now 69 years young, and he has always been a legend, taking Sun Pharma from a small generics company to an incredible business with $5.8 billion revenue. Shanghvi stepping aside as MD to remain Executive Chairman is a strategic move to allow him to focus on
the company, the specialty high margin products and managing the long term, “Kirti has become a strong leader in so many positions at Sun,” Shanghvi said. “I’ve great confidence Kirti can lead the company into its next growth phase”.
Kirti Ganorkar: A Legitimate Leader for Sun Pharma’s Future
Kirti Ganorkar (MBA, B.E. Chemical Engineering) joined Sun Pharma 1996 and took on significant roles in various areas including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), international development, marketing, business development and intellectual property (IP). As the head of the company’s India business since June 2019, he’s aided in steady growth and increased market share in perhaps the most competitive pharma market in the world. Some significant contributions include leading Sun Pharma’s foray into specialty with innovative products like Ilumya and increasing Sun Pharma’s presence in Japan and Europe.
“Sun Pharma faces an exciting time with all its businesses primed for growth,” Ganorkar said in his press release. “I look forward to further building on the strong foundation of Mr. Shanghvi and with the support of our global leadership team, I am confident we can continue our trajectory.” His appointment as MD for the next five years reflected Sun Pharma’s strong talent pipeline and more importantly, its commitment to its values.
Dilip Shanghvi’s Future Role and Family Involvement
Though Dilip Shanghvi is stepping down as MD, he will continue to be a key player as Executive Chairman while focusing on the strength of Sun Pharma’s specialty portfolio, which represents nearly 20% of consolidated sales. His strategic mind will be critical during an uncertain time, including threats from price pressures in the U.S. generics market and proposed U.S. tariffs on pharmaceutical industry imports. In facing these challenges and potential risks, Shanghvi’s innovative thinking previously sheltered Sun Pharma from a 1,000 million dollar drop in revenues in the U.S. through dedicated efforts invested to build specialty products and separate value from new emerging markets.
More noteworthy in the succession plan, and further amplifying the possibility Dilip’s vision for Sun Pharma will be worked towards in the future, is the greater participation of his family in developing roles within the firm. His son, Aalok Shanghvi, was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) in February 2025, and now heads the North America business where the new CEO Richard Ascroft will report to Aalok.
Aalok, who joined Sun Pharma in 2006, holds experience in various areas of the organization, including engagement in Emerging Markets, generic R&D, and Global Business Development. Concurrently, Dilip’s daughter, Vidhi Shanghvi, holds the role of Vice President and is leading consumer healthcare, nutrition, and India distribution, adding to the prominence of family shaping Sun Pharma’s future.
Other Leadership Transitions
The leadership transition goes beyond the vacancy of the MD position. Abhay Gandhi, former President and CEO of North America has stepped back to pursue interests outside of Sun Pharma. His successor, Richard Ascroft, brings over thirty years of experience in the biopharmaceutical field that provides the foundation to deliver growth in the U.S. market. The succession plan highlights Sun Pharma’s proactive efforts to align leadership with the organization’s global aspirations, especially in high-growth specialty and generics businesses.
Why this is Important for Sun Pharma, and the Industry
Sun Pharma’s succession plan comes at a pivotal time for the wider pharmaceutical industry, with pressures including U.S. tariff threats and generics pricing challenges. That’s why it is timely for them at a strategic level, especially focused on specialty products, following the recent acquisition of UNLOXCYT for a type of advanced skin cancer and the upcoming MMII a treatment for osteoarthritis pain, Sun Pharma is preparing to take advantage of significant differential margin with its specialty products. While Ganorkar’s promotion is clearly important, his success will depend on his execution as a leader to also maintain Sun Pharma’s leadership position in India and other emerging markets.
The news has been received very positively. Industry analysts and commentary on social media have highlighted Sun Pharma’s structured succession plan. Posts on X have highlighted the positive sentiment, as users have pointed to Ganorkar’s long career and the possibility of Shanghvi remaining in donor/member zoos for at least ten more years.
As Sun Pharma gets ready to undertake this transition in leadership, the company has a considerable advantage and can indeed navigate the complexities of the global pharmaceutical landscape. With Kirti Ganorkar taking over the company’s leadership backed with strategic advice from Dilip Shanghvi and with a strong management team, Sun Pharma has the capability to uphold the legacy of innovation and growth it has established over the years. As a next step, the AGM will be especially important for those involved as it will be shareholders who vote and confirm Ganorkar’s appointment and the next phase of Sun Pharma’s journey.