MAM
Zomato appoints four women directors
NEW DELHI: Restaurant aggregator and food delivery platform Zomato has appointed five independent directors, including four women, on its eight-member board.
The newly appointed independent women directors are ex-Olympian Aparna Popat, Zalora Group former chief executive officer Gunjan Tilak Raj Soni, Airveda founder Namita Gupta, and ABN Amro Bank NV (India) former head of private health business Sutapa Banerjee. The male member in this new cluster of independent directors is TARI founder Kaushik Dutta.
The other three members on this board of directors are Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal, Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikchandani, and Ant Group SVP Douglas Faegin.
“Up until now, we had a largely investor-run board. But today, I’m elated to share that we have five independent members on our board of eight people, four of whom are women. More than gender diversity though, what we have always been gunning for is cognitive diversity across levels in our organisation. Evidence-based, research shows that a key prerequisite for innovation comes from cognitively diverse people” wrote Deepinder Goyal on Zomato’s blog.
Goyal also added that he is happy about the fact that “each of our board members come from different occupational backgrounds bringing diverse cognitive skills and perspectives to the table.”
MAM
Cipla appoints Achin Gupta as MD and global CEO
Veteran pharma leader with 20-plus years takes charge from 1 April 2026, succeeding current MD.
MUMBAI: Cipla’s next chapter just got a seasoned prescription because when it comes to leading a pharma giant, Achin Gupta knows exactly which dose delivers results. The Mumbai-based drugmaker announced on 23 February 2026 that Achin Gupta, currently global chief operating officer, will step up as managing director and global chief executive officer from 1 April 2026. He succeeds the outgoing leadership team and will steer Cipla’s worldwide operations, market expansion, operational efficiency, and innovation pipeline across its broad portfolio of generics, specialty drugs, and consumer healthcare treatments.
Gupta brings more than 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience to the corner office. Before rejoining Cipla, he spent over eight years at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals in senior roles, having also worked there earlier between 2004 and 2012. His career path also includes key stints at Abbott Laboratories and management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, giving him a well-rounded view of global pharma strategy, operations, and growth.
In his current COO role, Gupta has already been deeply involved in streamlining Cipla’s supply chain, boosting manufacturing agility, and driving digital transformation moves that positioned the company strongly amid post-pandemic supply challenges and rising competition. As MD and Global CEO, he’ll now have full accountability for executing Cipla’s long-term vision, from deepening presence in key markets like the US, Europe, and emerging regions to accelerating R&D in complex generics and biosimilars.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Cipla, as the industry navigates pricing pressures, regulatory shifts, and the push for affordable innovation in chronic therapies. Gupta’s track record of scaling operations and delivering consistent performance makes him a logical internal choice to keep the momentum going.
For a company that’s long been a household name in affordable medicines, this leadership handoff is less about a big shake-up and more about steady continuity with fresh energy ensuring the next dose of growth is as effective as the last.
