Growth in pharma industry has fuelled employment opportunities across functions including research and development, sales and marketing, finance, project management and supply chain. However, identifying the right talent for every role, and retaining talent over the long term remains a significant challenge for the industry. Industry leaders and experts deliberated on relevant challenges on similar lines on the occasion of recently concluded HR Summit on the theme of 'Attracting, Developing & Retaining Talent' organised by Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).

The event witnessed participation of business leaders, academia and HR professionals from the pharmaceutical and allied industry.

At the event, distinguished speakers discussed the HR challenges of the pharmaceutical industry and drew upon experiences from other industries to provide likely solutions to these challenges.
In his inaugural address Dr. Shailesh Ayyangar, president, OPPI and managing director, India & vice president, South Asia, Sanofi said, “Each business leader needs to be a good HR manager. It is important that the pharma industry is cognizant of the current HR challenges. Innovative talent development programmes along with competency and skill development workshops are the need of the hour to harness young talent.

“Dr. Ayyangar further stressed that younger generation has to believe that this industry is indeed a great place to work in. This can happen only when they are empowered with independence along with accountability.

While moderating a CEO’s panel discussion during the summit, Ajay Bhatt, Regional Human Resources Director, Abbott India, said, “It is only when the talent can see a clarity of role, a clear career path and more importantly feels valued that he/she finds fewer reasons to leave. The onus is on business leaders and HR managers to provide this clarity and create a participative environment.”

The panel concluded that the nuances of the pharma industry demand a quality workforce. This calls for significant investment in continuous skill upgradation and will go a long way in talent retention.

Venkat Changavalli, a leadership mentor and management consultant, and Santosh Babu, an organisation leadership development consultant, spoke on various HR issues and stressed on the importance of mentorship and inclusive leadership.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry has been growing at a steady pace and now exports drugs to more than 200 countries across the globe.