MAM
Orkla India bulks up boardroom with quartet of new directors
MUMBAI: Orkla India has given its board a significant makeover, welcoming four new non-executive independent directors and expanding its ranks to eight. The move aims to bolster the company’s strategic direction and strengthen its corporate governance.
The new additions – Rashmi Joshi, Amit Jain, Shantanu Khosla, and Meena Ganesh – join the existing board members: chairman Atle Vidar Nagel Johansen, Maria Syse-Nybraaten, Per Havard Skiaker Maelen, and Sanjay Sharma. This expansion ensures a broad spectrum of expertise across multiple domains, a vital ingredient for Orkla India’s ambitious growth plans.
“We’re assembling a dream team,” said an inside source, “a blend of seasoned pros and fresh perspectives to drive us forward.”
The restructuring is a clear indication of Orkla India’s commitment to robust corporate governance, aligning with its strategic objectives. “This isn’t just about filling seats,” a company spokesperson explained, “it’s about building a powerhouse board, ready to tackle any challenge.”
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.
