Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, November 2025 — Excelra has announced the appointment of Lokesh Bhagchand as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), bringing with him over two decades of leadership experience across life sciences, large-scale delivery, and digital transformation. In his new role, Lokesh will drive growth strategies, innovation, and operational excellence, reinforcing Excelra’s mission to advance global life sciences through data and analytics.
Lokesh joins Excelra after serving as India Head & Chief Operating Officer at Agilisium Consulting, where he led the company’s life sciences-focused transformation and achieved 50% revenue growth. During his tenure, he significantly expanded global footprints with new offices in Hyderabad and Canada, built a robust leadership bench, and launched 20+ GenAI accelerators across R&D, clinical, and commercial domains. His leadership also guided Agilisium to achieve Everest Group Leader recognition (2024) and dual AWS Competencies in Life Sciences and Generative AI—cementing its reputation as a key digital innovation partner in the sector.
Prior to Agilisium, Lokesh spent nearly 25 years at Cognizant, where he rose from Programmer Analyst Trainee to senior leadership roles including Vice President & Delivery Head – Life Sciences and Chief Operating Officer – Life Sciences, overseeing a $1.5 billion global business unit. He played a vital role in driving operational excellence across revenue, resource management, and margin optimization, while establishing Cognizant as a trusted global partner in the biopharma and healthcare technology ecosystem.
His extensive experience across digital transformation, operations management, domain capability development, and strategic innovation makes him exceptionally well positioned to steer Excelra’s operations at scale. Lokesh’s leadership reflects Excelra’s continued focus on scientific excellence powered by technological depth, aimed at accelerating drug discovery and improving patient outcomes worldwide.
Lokesh holds a Master’s degree in Computer Software Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, where he built a strong foundation in technology-led problem-solving—an expertise he has since applied across life sciences transformation and digital delivery excellence.
About Excelra
Excelra is a global leader in biopharma data and analytics, uniquely combining scientific understanding with advanced technological expertise to accelerate drug discovery and development. The company’s integrated solutions transform research data into actionable insights, empowering organizations to make confident, data-driven decisions throughout the drug discovery journey.
Excelra’s multidisciplinary teams collaborate closely with clients to co-create solutions that enhance capability, efficiency, and innovation. With a mission to turn chaotic research data into clarity, the company’s offerings span the entire life sciences value chain—from molecule to market—helping global partners achieve faster drug development and improved patient outcomes.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work
