PREPARED FOR FUTURE

A key step in risk mitigation against future disruptions will be the creation of flexible operating models, increasing automation and reliance on technology to minimise human interface, says Rajendra Chunodkar, President – Manufacturing Operations, Lupin Limited.

- Niranjan Mudholkar

Has Covid-19 put you through the toughest leadership test of all times?

A humanitarian crisis of the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a period of great uncertainty and change. While industries and individuals are grappling with the challenges, the global pharmaceutical industry has taken center stage in the fight against COVID-19.

Our contribution during this critical time ranges from vaccine development, research on repurposed and novel medicines while ensuring supply of essential drugs amidst unprecedented disruption. The industry is also supporting the frontline workers and the needy, all while safeguarding the health and safety of our employees. Despite the multiple headwinds, the pharma industry has risen to meet the challenges head-on.

To do all this and be prepared for more, all leaders have had to call upon great reserves of strength, previous learnings and the ability to think out of the box so that daily challenges can be met and new ones anticipated.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted Lupin’s operations?

Being a part of Essential Services, the pharma industry was particularly responsive to the disruption caused by COVID-19 and took exemplary and expedited steps to ensure business continuity. At Lupin, we outlined two main priorities, to keep our employees safe and to maintain our supply of life-saving medicines for the patients and communities in need.

Our manufacturing leaders stepped up to ensure that while we continued manufacturing our much-needed essential medicines, the safety of our people was not compromised.