Do you know Samina Hamied?

The executive vice-chairperson of Cipla was recently honoured with Businesswoman of the Year Award by a media house

For the key guys of both corporate world and showbiz, remaining in news all the time is considered essential. However, Samina Hamied does not believe this rule. She remains reclusive and unavailable for media quotes and interviews. After very hectic days with series of meetings in her Central Mumbai office, she returns to her home in the evening to be with her family.

Samina Hamied, 45, was recently honoured with Businesswoman of the Year Award by a media house. "This recognition belongs to each and every one of our 25,000 employees who stand with Cipla, putting patients' interests before their own and upholding our purpose of Caring for Life," Samina Hamied, executive vice-chairperson of Cipla said after receiving the award.

Samina Hamied represents a rich legacy. Her grandfather, KA Hamied, a freedom fighter and nationalist, founded Cipla in 1935, making it one of India's oldest pharmaceutical companies. Of course, she is proud of the fact that Cipla was founded by her great grandfather scientist Khwaja Abdul (KA) Hamied in 1935. The pharma major is an extension of his nationalistic spirit through which he wanted to serve people by making affordable medicines for the masses. She is equally proud that once even Mahatma Gandhi visited the office of Cipla. Even Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Sushila Nayyar, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, Ramaswamy Mudaliar, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Gulzarilal Nanda, Morarji Desai, Sir C.V. Raman, Crown Prince Fazl of Saudi Arabia, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Mohd. Asaf Ali and Maulana Azad have also visited Cipla office.

Samina's uncle Yusuf Hamied is the doyen of Indian pharma known globally for making affordable generic AIDS drugs accessible to millions of patients in Africa and other low- and middle-income countries.

Samina Hamied is a MSc in International Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science.She worked in the UK and the US with leading global firm Goldman Sachs before joining the Cipla leadership team in 2011 as a member of the management team.

In 2013, she was designated as "Head Strategic Projects – Cipla New Ventures". She was appointed as an Executive Director of the Company in 2015 and subsequently she was elevated as the Executive Vice-Chairperson of the Company in 2016. She has been instrumental in driving the Company's current transformation agenda.

Samina Hamied has played a key role in successfully shaping Cipla Health Limited, and spearheading Cipla's ambitious foray into the US market with strategic acquisitions. She has built a top-class leadership pipeline for the Company as it continues to spread its wings globally. As Executive Vice-Chairperson, she focuses on Board and governance issues, in addition to furthering Cipla's strategic priorities through key global partnerships, corporate culture, hiring right talent, and public advocacy.

Recognised as the promoter face of Cipla, she has been feted for her diverse work experience and business knowledge. In 2017, she received the 'Most Powerful Women in Business' award from Business Today. In 2018, Forbes named Samina in their list of top 25 emergent women business leaders in Asia. For 2 consecutive years - 2018 and 2019 – Fortune India named her among the most powerful women in business.

Samina Hamied, one of the biggest moments of her professional career was Cipla's $550-million buyouts of InvaGen Pharmaceuticals and Exelan Pharmaceuticals in 2015. For a long time, this home-grown pharmaceuticals major was viewed as being conservative and somewhat diffident. "We managed to show the mettle of Cipla," said Samina Hamied. The buyouts gave Cipla a big presence in the US, apart from a product portfolio that included central nervous system, cardiovascular and diabetes. There are many occasions through the conversation when she underlines the importance of having the right team. "If you have the right talent and empower them, they are bound to excel," she once said. Outside work, she is a big one for marathons, which she says gives her time to "just think and open the world to different cultures".

Those who follow Pharma sector says Samina has a very strong communication skills. "Communication is key in any setting and as someone in charge, a CEO must learn how to communicate effectively to boost moral when necessary. From motivating his or her team to completing projects in a timely manner, a CEO must be able to communicate what they need, from whom, when they need it by and how things should be done," feels Dr Balram Sharma, who also runs a small Pharma firm in Noida.

Those who know Samina Hamied are of the view that she is always ready to take calculated risks. Taking calculated risks shows confidence and helps you grow as a business leader. Often times, risky decisions may take you on a new, important path. Success won't be handed to you on a silver platter. Embracing risk also helps you overcome the fear of failing.

It is said that one of the greatest traits of Samina Hamied is the ability to read people and adapt management styles accordingly.

Cipla, as an organisation has been built brick-by-brick on the foundation of care. It has a presence in 80+ countries providing over 1,500 products across various therapeutic categories in 50+ dosage forms. To make healthcare more affordable globally. Under the watchful eyes of Samina, Cipla is making deep inroads in the key markets of India, South Africa, the U.S. among other economies of the emerging world. As a CEO of a very prestigious company, she must have very ambitious future plans for CIpla, the extremely respected company. Surely, she would be implement all her dreams into reality as she has fire to achieve her goals.

(The author is Delhi-based senior journalist and writer. He is author of Gandhi's Delhi which has brought to the forth many hidden facts about Mahatma Gandhi)