Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) on Wednesday announced the appointment of Pankaj Patel as the new chairperson of the Board of Governors of the institute as the incumbent chairperson Kumar Mangalam Birla completed his four-year term.
Healthcare giant, Zydus Group’s chairman Patel has been a member of the IIMA Board of Governors for eight years. On Wednesday, he took charge as the fourteenth chairperson of IIMA since its foundation in 1961. Patel has been appointed as the part-time non-official director in Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India. Also he is on the Governing Board of IIM Udaipur, Invest India, and India Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
The past president of the industry body, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Patel is also a Member of the CEO Advisory Committee of the International Generics and Biosimilars Association (IGBA). Commenting on his appointment, Patel said, “My appointment as a Chairperson comes at an important juncture for the Institute when it is at the cusp of the next phase of its growth. I am excited to be a part of this esteemed institute and look forward to working with the Board of Governors, faculty members, students, staff members, the alumni group, and all other relevant stakeholders.”
Important juncture
“The Board envisages robust growth for the IIMA and has outlined plans to lead the Institute in this direction. I will be happy to support and share my expertise to help the Board in bringing alive our collective vision for the Institute,” he added. Patel is the Executive Chairman, Vice President and Trustee of the Gujarat Cancer Society and Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, a Regional Cancer Centre and one of the largest cancer centres in India, reaching out to the needy and underprivileged cancer patients.
In recognition of his contributions to the healthcare industry in India, Patel is a recipient of several awards including the Acharya PC Ray Memorial Gold Medal Award and also the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Life Sciences category among others. Through his various associations with educational institutions and not-for-profit organisations that serve at the grassroots, Patel champions and supports the causes related to education, health, and innovation, an IIMA statement said.