MAM
Chelliah exits Western Digital, leaves strong marketing legacy
MUMBAI: Jaganathan Chelliah has concluded his 11-year association with Western Digital, ending a period marked by significant marketing achievements. His tenure, including a recent consulting phase, saw him drive substantial growth and innovation within the company.
Chelliah acknowledged the mentorship he received from senior leaders, including Nigel Edwards and Greg Kwolek, crediting them with empowering his ambitious goals. He highlighted strong partnerships with sales teams across India, the Middle East, Turkey, Israel, and Africa, emphasizing the collaborative success between marketing and sales.
His leadership of the IMEA regional marketing team delivered consistent brand leadership, innovative campaigns, and strategic growth initiatives. He praised his team’s performance, citing their numerous awards and recognitions, and acknowledged their contributions to setting new industry benchmarks.
A key achievement was the establishment of the Global Creative Development Hub in India, a project realized after five years of effort. He thanked Ravi Pendekanti, Brian Mallari, and Scott Jackson for their support in bringing the hub to fruition.
Chelliah also recognized the early career support from Rajesh Gupta and Gopal Swaminathan.
Looking forward, Chelliah indicated a potential focus on AI, noting the dynamic state of the technology sector. He stated he will take time for reflection before announcing his next steps.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
