Sapan Gandhi

As Global Head of Direct Procurement at Zentiva, I lead sourcing for APIs, Excipients, Key Starting Materials, and Packaging Materials — shaping Zentiva’s supply base across Europe and Asia. My focus: building a resilient, cost-competitive, and sustainable procurement ecosystem that fuels Zentiva’s mission of making quality medicines accessible to millions. I’m passionate about transforming procurement from a cost center into a strategic business enabler — driving savings, supplier innovation, and ESG impact through data, partnerships, and digital tools. With 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry, I work at the intersection of strategy, operations, and leadership, helping Zentiva strengthen its supply resilience, profitability, and carbon-neutral journey. Procurement, to me, isn’t about buying — it’s about building trust, resilience, and impact.

Leading direct materials procurement (includng strategy and transformation) with a spend base of € 200 mn, optimizing supplier partnerships, advancing sustainability, and delivering multimillion-euro savings. Leading a global team of 8 professionals based in Prague, Romania, and China, fostering cross-cultural collaboration.

Orchestrated strategic procurement initiatives driving transformation across Zentiva’s global operations. Spend Cube Development: Created a comprehensive 5-year spend cube from scratch, providing full visibility on direct material spend and driving actionable insights for procurement strategies. Strategic Procurement Initiatives: Derived actionable insights from the spend cube, initiating projects to unlock value, improve supply security, and enhance cost efficiencies. Supply Risk Mitigation: Launched dual-sourcing projects for key mono-sourced materials and introduced material optimizations for efficiency gains. Savings Achievement: Contributed to €2.5M in cost savings by developing intelligence tools to strengthen supplier negotiations. Award-Winning Performance: Recognized with the Top Team Award (2022) for ensuring supply security and competitiveness through Unprecendented turblulent times. CEO Engagement: Delivered weekly strategic presentations to the CEO in 2022, evolving into monthly overviews in Business Reviews to maintain alignment with corporate goals. BOM & Strategy Linkage: Integrated Bill of Materials (BOMs) with the long-range strategy plan, identifying key materials for the next 5 years and guiding supplier classification efforts. Supplier Relationship Management: Designed and implemented a high-functioning, end-to-end SRM module for direct materials, enhancing supplier collaboration and performance tracking.

With a team of 2 high performing analysts, I am responsible for the overall strategy for direct materials (spend base of ~€200 mn) procurement and for presenting the monthly procurement updates to the global CEO and COO Won the top team award in the 2022 annual awards for ensuring supply security while maintaining supply competitiveness by using analytics to identify priorities Linked the BOMs to long range plan/ strategy plan to identify the key materials over the next 5 years and utilize it for material and supplier classification Designed and Implemented a high functioning end to end SRM module for direct materials Zentiva Group a.s. (UK, Czechia) Jan 2022 - Dec 2022 With a team of 2 high performing analysts, I am responsible for the overall strategy for direct materials (spend base of ~€200 mn) procurement and for presenting the monthly procurement updates to the global CEO and COO Won the top team award in the 2022 annual awards for ensuring supply security while maintaining supply competitiveness by using analytics to identify priorities Linked the BOMs to long range plan/ strategy plan to identify the key materials over the next 5 years and utilize it for material and supplier classification Designed and Implemented a high functioning end to end SRM module for direct materials Helped in generating savings of ~€ 2.5 mn by creating intelligence tools for better negotiations

As the Business Development and Commercial Strategy Lead for the Norwegian market, my focus was on driving growth and implementing effective strategies. Over a span of two years, I achieved significant results by adopting a customer-centric approach. By closely engaging with retail customers and building strong relationships, I was able to expand our business by four times its initial size. Additionally, I successfully entered the hospital tender business by collaborating closely with authorities, which further contributed to our market reach. Introducing multiple new products also played a key role in diversifying our offerings and capturing new market segments. In my role as the OTC Business Development and Commercial Strategy Lead for the UK, I had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the largest OTC companies in the country. One of the highlights was creating a well-established brand name for an OTC product, which gained significant recognition in the UK market. This endeavor involved starting from scratch and successfully developing it into a prospective multimillion-dollar business. I also conducted market analysis to identify potential products suitable for conversion to OTC licenses, thereby expanding our product portfolio and addressing customer needs. As the Anti-retroviral Portfolio and Commercial Strategy Lead, my responsibility was to finalize the European portfolio for the next 5 to 9 years. This involved working closely with a global portfolio team and conducting advisory board meetings with top HIV doctors across Europe. By gathering valuable insights and aligning them with market trends, we were able to develop a comprehensive portfolio plan. Furthermore, I undertook various projects for the business head's office, such as managing the transfer of a dosage form between production lines within the same unit and leading the first-to-file conversion of a prescription drug license to an OTC license.

- Established warehouses with third party logistics providers in Belgium, UK, Spain and Germany (including full procurement responsibility) - Designed the warehousing strategy for centralised distribution and finalised the optimal location for efficient distribution. - Responsible for end to end warehousing project (from RFQ to negotiation to implementation) - Helped set up ERP as subject matter expert and end user with the help of IT team - Managed regional demand sales and operations planning, helping to improve forecast accuracy from 35% to 74% in 4 years - Responsible for creating the 5 year strategic plan for the business for 4 years in collaboration with business leaders - Part of the project team as a supply chain specialist to restructure the business - re-allocating stock, closing orders, optimising logistics routes etc. - Created in-house advanced Excel model for MRP (customised to business situation) - Reported monthly obsolete stock forecast based on demand plan, stock life plan and incoming stock - Assisted in the smooth launch of some blockbuster products as part of the project team - Responsible for logistics and customer service including sending samples for testing, shipping and invoicing B2B customers locally in Europe, logistics and customer support for Norwegian business - Part of successful project team responsible for MHRA audit - Managed a number of warehouse moves following the decision to change 3PL - Started role in Belgium and then moved to London - Managed a team of 3: 2 planners and 1 customer service and logistics operations specialist - Conducted regular stock audits and ensured system stock was in line with actual stock. - Documented process flows to aid knowledge transfer

I began my journey at Cipla as a management trainee, fortunate to be selected for the prestigious "Young Managers Program" alongside a group of talented individuals from top business schools across the country. In my role as a Business Transformation Manager within the CEO's office, I had the privilege of overseeing various projects. These projects often involved collaborating with esteemed consulting firms that partnered with our company. I had the opportunity to contribute to initiatives such as procurement transformation, supply chain transformation, and indirect procurement transformation. My primary focus was to ensure the successful and timely completion of these projects. I played a hands-on role, actively participating in specific workstreams and closely collaborating with the procurement team, supply chain team, and global shared services team. Together, we worked towards implementing strategies that would enhance our operational efficiency and effectiveness. Key activities included establishing control towers, facilitating performance dialogues, and fostering cross-functional collaboration for critical projects aligned with the functions' goals. Additionally, I had the privilege of organizing steering committee meetings with the project sponsor, where we collectively reviewed progress, addressed challenges, and ensured alignment with the overall project vision. Through effective coordination and teamwork, all projects were successfully concluded within the predetermined timelines. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to contribute to an integration project that involved the seamless integration of a newly acquired company based in Croatia. Being part of this project team provided me with valuable insights into integration processes and further enriched my skill set.

2nd in the cohort with 90% marks. An intense and rewarding 8-month journey that sharpened my financial leadership, strategic thinking, and decision-making skills. Designed for senior leaders preparing for the C-suite, the program covered cutting-edge insights in business, finance, and leadership — all taught by world-class ISB faculty with deep industry and policy influence.

Distinction, Merit Scholarship

Brand Management Market Research

Bachelor's in Biotech Technology provided a comprehensive understanding of molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, and cellular biology. Explored principles of bioprocessing, fermentation, quality control, and regulatory compliance. Learned genetic engineering, gene cloning, and their applications in healthcare. Introduced to bioinformatics for analyzing large datasets and performing genomic and proteomic analyses. Emphasized ethics, responsible research, and regulatory frameworks. Developed research skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication through independent projects. Equipped with a strong foundation in biotechnological principles, genetic engineering, bioinformatics, ethics, and research capabilities. Prepared for diverse career opportunities in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, research institutions, and regulatory agencies.