New Delhi, India, August 2026 — Mankind Pharma Limited has appointed Nilesh Kulkarni as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), effective July 2026. In his new role, he will serve as Group HR Head, leading Mankind Pharma’s overall people agenda across talent, organization design, succession, leadership development, workforce capability, and culture as the company continues its next phase of growth.
Nilesh brings more than 26 years of multi-geography human resources experience, with a strong track record of influencing business outcomes through people practices, organization design, succession planning, talent management, and leadership development. He moves into the role from Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited, a Mankind Group company, where he served as Chief Human Resources Officer for more than six years and led the HR function through a period of growth and organizational evolution.
Before Bharat Serums and Vaccines, Nilesh served as Director – People & Organization at Novo Nordisk India, where he led the India HR function. Prior to that, he spent close to six years with Roche, first as HR Director, Roche Pharma India, where he also supported Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and later as Global Lead – Succession & Talent Management Process, Group HR in Basel, Switzerland. In that global role, he served as a key point of contact for succession and talent management practices across Group functions.
Earlier in his career, Nilesh held senior HR leadership roles with Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis Consumer Health, and Sanofi, where he led HR for large sales organizations, supported post-merger integration, built staffing and HR capability frameworks, and contributed to transformation and due diligence initiatives. He began his HR career with Voltas Limited and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, building hands-on experience across industrial relations, statutory compliance, workforce restructuring, HRIS, recruitment, and employee relations.
Across these roles, Nilesh has developed deep expertise in strategic HR, talent and succession management, organization transformation, leadership capability, integration, industrial relations, and multi-country HR leadership, positioning him to lead Mankind Pharma’s enterprise-wide people strategy.
About Mankind Pharma Limited
Mankind Pharma Limited is one of India’s leading pharmaceutical companies, with a broad presence across prescription medicines, OTC products, and FMCG categories. Founded in 1995, the company has grown to an employee base of more than 20,000 people and operates across India as well as international markets.
Mankind Pharma’s portfolio includes well-known brands across healthcare and consumer categories, while its international operations extend to more than 30 overseas markets across Asia, Africa, South-East Asia, the Gulf region, and CIS countries. The company remains focused on developing and delivering affordable and accessible healthcare products while continuing to expand its capabilities and market presence.
Read Also : How HR Leaders Are Redefining Talent Development for the Future of Work
Selective Increments, Strategic Hiring: How AI Skills Are Reshaping India Inc’s Appraisal Cycle
From Org Charts to Skill Graphs: The Reinvention of Enterprise Design
Rethinking Talent in the Age of AI: Why Workforce Agility Starts with the 4Bs
The HR Leader’s Real AI Problem Is Not Adoption. It Is Architecture.









