A Strong Foundation For A Stronger Tomorrow

Few years ago, a famous FMCG brand aired an advertisement for their soap with the storyline of an Indian maa or mom who defies the ravages of time. The TVC imbibed a common narrative of a mother who is a young vibrant woman. This is the first image, which came to our mind when we spoke to one of our bright Young Leaders, from our API team, about her journey.

A budding singer. A proud leader. A young mother. Shipra Suresh Kumar from CYLP 2017 has many feathers to her hat.

“It has been 4 years now since I joined the erstwhile Cadila Pharmaceuticals as a Young Leader and the journey of the last few years have been as exciting as ever. In spite of being a fresher in a new industry, the experience I gained is quite immense.”

Cadila Young Leadership Program (CYLP) is a program we are all extremely proud of at Cadila. When young leaders come up to us and talk of their successful experiences, we are assured that we are on the right path. Shipra currently heads two major regions in the API business.

“I was fortunate enough to get a chance to work in diverse profiles like sales, marketing and new business development. I started as a support to the regional heads of APAC and Japan regions for our chemical business. However, within a few years I was independently handling other international markets (Japan and SAARC). This would not have been possible without the support and trust of Cadila’s top leadership.

Building New Connections

I always aimed to be in the Pharmaceutical Industry after completing my Integrated BS-MS in Chemical Sciences from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research.. In 2014, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to publish my paper while working with two APIs (Metronidazole and Sulphathiazole) as a part of my MS Thesis. Since then, I was hooked to API and wanted to work in this business profile. Post my MBA from IIM Raipur, my dream of being in a Pharma company came true in 2017, when I got a chance to be part of Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ CYLP programme.

My role at Cadila also gave me a chance to meet our customers face to face. Every customer interaction is an opportunity to create positive experiences. It is a two way process – you get the opportunity to create a positive image for your brand in the mind of customers and at the same time improve your brand based on the feedback received. Meeting my customers on site in Korea and in international exhibitions like CPhI China was a huge learning moment for me. This on-ground experience coupled with exposure to business development by Cadila’s management, helped me understand the holistic overview of the business. This aided me to develop greater insights about the products and understand how much the customer relationships/connections are important.

Laying One Brick At A Time

I am very thankful to Cadila Pharmaceuticals for the trust, exposure and responsibilities showered on me in several opportunities, thus giving me the best platform for along-term sustainable journey ahead. The Cadila culture has care in its core. At all steps of my journey I have been extended support by my colleagues across hierarchy from various functions – Finance, Supply Chain, Logistics, Purchase, R&D, Regulatory Affairs, HR etc.  An organisation with a progressive culture of gender equality, higher flexibility and accountability is a huge plus point for youngsters like me. It helps us enjoy our freedom but with responsibility. In a new city, Cadila became like my second home and my team has become my family – the support I received during my pregnancy had been beyond expectations. I strongly believe that the joy doubles when you thrive in such positive environment with your initiatives being appreciated by your leaders and clients alike. Higher work life balance helps me explore my hobbies too. I am looking forward to starting my own YouTube channel soon.

In this day and age, we all want things done quickly to see the result — everyone is guilty of this. Just like in the story of the three little pigs, with everything rushed, we are used to taking the easy way out by building our houses out of straws or sticks and seeing immediate results. My message to the latest CYLP batch is to be patient when building strong foundations in life. Make most out of the limitless opportunities in this ocean of Cadila. The stronger you create the foundation, the longer you will go and it would prove to be more fruitful for both your professional and personal endeavours.”