Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, December 2025 — V. Simpson Emmanuel has taken on a new role as President at ImmunoACT, marking a significant leadership transition at one of India’s most pioneering cell and gene therapy companies.
In this role, he is responsible for scaling ImmunoACT’s breakthrough CAR-T innovation into a globally credible, patient-centric biotech enterprise, while preserving scientific integrity, affordability, and access.
As President, Emmanuel is driving the commercial growth and global expansion of NexCAR19 and the broader pipeline, shaping ImmunoACT’s India and international commercialization strategy, and building strategic partnerships across priority markets including the GCC, Europe, and other global regions. A core focus of his mandate includes translating strong clinical and real-world evidence into sustainable patient access through robust value narratives, health-economic evaluations, and payer-ready market access strategies.
He also plays a collaborative role in governance and strategic decision-making around global partnerships, including out-licensing, co-development, and international expansion initiatives. Equally central to his role is advancing The Hope Initiative, reinforcing ImmunoACT’s commitment to ethical delivery, institutional readiness, and end-to-end patient support, while embedding technology, analytics, and AI-enabled thinking across commercial and medical functions.
Prior to joining ImmunoACT, V. Simpson Emmanuel served as an Independent Consultant, where he advised pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare leaders across global and emerging markets. Drawing on over three decades of leadership experience, his work focused on commercial strategy, market access, digital health, AI-driven solutions, ecosystem partnerships, and scalable business models tailored to local market dynamics. His advisory engagements spanned innovation acceleration, commercial transformation, supply-chain strategy, and public-private collaboration.
Before this, Emmanuel spent over a decade with Roche, most recently as Managing Director & CEO – India and Neighboring Markets, where he led Roche Pharma India and served on multiple boards within the Roche ecosystem. During this period, he oversaw P&L management, policy engagement, and digital transformation while delivering strong portfolio growth, improved affiliate profitability, and enhanced employee engagement. His leadership was instrumental in driving access-led initiatives across oncology, rare diseases, and hemophilia, as well as establishing globally recognized customer experience centers.
Earlier at Roche Pharma International, he held senior leadership roles including Global Access Innovation Leader and Director – Social Impact and Access Innovations, where he built and led multidisciplinary teams focused on pricing strategy, market access, policy advocacy, institutional business, and innovative patient support programs. His work included collaboration with governments, global health bodies, and private insurers to shape access frameworks and national health initiatives.
Emmanuel’s earlier career includes nearly a decade with MSD Pharmaceuticals (Merck), where he progressed through leadership roles including Director – Hepatitis, HIV & Oncology, Associate Director, and Franchise Manager, driving high-growth business transformations, new product launches, and award-winning marketing excellence. He began his professional journey with Eli Lilly & Co. (India), holding multiple commercial leadership roles over approximately a decade, consistently delivering strong business growth across therapeutic portfolios.
ImmunoACT, spun out from IIT-Bombay in 2018, is India’s pioneer in gene-modified cell therapies and the developer of the country’s first CAR-T cell therapy for the treatment of certain B-cell malignancies. With a rapidly expanding pipeline, ImmunoACT’s mission is to provide affordable access to novel CAR-T cell therapies, positioning India as a global hub for cutting-edge, patient-centric cell and gene therapy innovation.
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