Raman Singh talks about his win at SBR Management Excellence Awards 2019

Mundipharma’s CEO secured his third Executive of the Year Award for Pharmaceuticals.

As CEO of Mundipharma, Raman Singh attributes the company’s success not only to the quality of medicines they deliver and their close ties with new and existing partners but also to his talented and dedicated team of professionals who champion the company’s beliefs and principles. This has resulted in a highly-motivated and engaged workforce to deliver business growth.

Under his leadership, Mundipharma has signed over 40 in-licensing/acquisition deals across multiple therapy areas, covering pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter medicines and fast-moving consumer products, with a philosophy that everyone should have access to basic healthcare and medicine.

Maintaining a patient-centric focus, the CEO is committed to building successful partnerships and embracing technology innovation to deliver better healthcare.

In an interview with Singapore Business Review, Raman shares why the pharma company is one of the “best companies to work for” in the region, as well as future plans of product launches as well as expansion of their most sought-after brands.

What does it mean for you to win the Executive of the Year for Pharmaceuticals for three years running?
I am honoured as this award is not just a win for me but is a recognition of the efforts Mundipharma makes to be an industry leader. I firmly believe that hard work and talent go hand in hand, so this award is the result of having a talented and dedicated team.

It also underlines the sense of responsibility we carry on behalf of patients. To us, leadership means proactively improving the quality of medicines we deliver while at the same time building and maintaining trust with new and existing partners. This award sums up our drive to work harder and deliver better healthcare for all.

Can you tell us more about the recent accomplishments this year and how you contributed to the success of the company?
I believe that our recent accomplishments should be largely attributed to our employees. They have continued to champion our company’s core values and principles in putting patients at the heart of what we do. This is one of the reasons we were recognised as one of the ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia’ by HR Asia in Singapore for the third year in a row. We have received similar recognition in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and China.

My contribution as the leader of our group this year is to ensure we maintain our patient-centric focus while embracing technology innovation to deliver better healthcare. At the same time, I have focused my efforts on building successful partnerships so that we can adapt to patient needs in different markets and keep the company headed in the right direction.

Can you describe to us the 40 in-licensing/acquisition deals that you inked across multiple therapy areas?
Mundipharma believes that everyone should have access to basic healthcare and medicine and we actively pursue innovative treatments and new opportunities. The deals that we have completed to date reflect this drive and as well as our ability to form effective partnerships. We will continue to collaborate widely to achieve our goals and leverage our unique distribution network for the benefit of consumers.

What would be the company’s value proposition to consumers? What are Mundipharma’s future plans?
The BETADINE® brand has actively been marketed, the range has expanded from just antiseptics to a wide range of consumer healthcare products under the three categories: Wound Care; Upper Respiratory Care; Feminine Care. Several SKUs have been launched in a short period of time and the company has high aspirations for all of them.

Mundipharma is hugely proud of what we have already achieved with the BETADINE® brand. We are extremely excited about what the future holds as we continue to launch more and more quality products under the brand.

Amongst the myriad of tasks as CEO of a pharmaceutical company, what would be your primary focus at this point?
In recent years, digital technologies have transformed the way healthcare is delivered. Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have become game-changers. We embrace these new technologies and our constant endeavour is to incorporate technology innovation in the way we deliver access to the treatments we deliver. I am excited to see how digital health innovation can help address today’s global health challenges and help people lead healthier and better lives.