Express Pharma

Panel discussion: The future of pharma CIOs

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The role of CIOs has transitioned from that of a being who keeps the IT infrastructure running to someone who is attuned to the company’s technological needs to meet current and future challenges. The CIO has become pivotal to the growth of a company. As the life sciences industry finally implement IT best practices and become more tech-savvy, the impact of CIOs in this industry is going to be profound.

Hence, Pharma CXO Summit 2019, a thought leadership platform for the life sciences industry, witnessed a panel discussion titled, ‘The Future of Pharma CIOs.’ As the title suggests, the discussion saw an expert panel comprising Venkata Naga Prasad Vaitla, CIO, Granules India; Gyan Pandey, Global CIO, Aurobindo Pharma; Suryamohan Surumpudi, Sr Director & Head of Quality IT, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Dalveer Singh, Head-IT, Kusum Healthcare, examine and explore the future of pharma CIOs.

The discussion covered various facets such as the CIOs’ role and the opportunities they have to shape the way information is accessed and applied in their company. Pointing out that the role of CIOs are growing more complex, the experts highlighted that the CIO is not just an enabler but also a collaborator in the growth and progress of the pharma industry. They explained the strategic value of CIOs in strengthening business understanding and achieving the goals of each business unit.

The CIO leaders on the panel advised their peers that modern technologies are very nimble, very flexible, and very adaptable, they make organisations more agile and responsive. They highlighted that the CIOs need to select the right technology for his company to be a facilitator of its success. They further explained that the role of pharma CIOs will involve deploying technology to get data insights which can provide pivotal business intelligence and will help their companies to grow exponentially. They also deliberated on the deploying predictive analytics to better position their drugs, improve relationships with customers, and gain a competitive edge. The conversation also highlighted the need to develop strategies to fortify cyber security as the pharma industry deals with very sensitive and crucial data.
Experts established that the CIOs have a very crucial role to play in the future. They are walking into boardrooms and delivering their strategies to provide competitive advantages to their organisations. The discussion concluded with the observation that as they emerge as the cornerstone for a business with the skills to influence and motivate people in various ways to drive the business forward, CIOs could be the CEOs of the future.

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