At VIMTA, everything we do stems from our core values, and our leadership team is a reflection of that. Our leadership team leads a strong company culture based on work-ethics and works diligently towards ensuring a measurable positive outcome for all our stakeholders.
Our leadership team is a perfect blend of dedicated business management executives, scientifically expert professionals, strategists, and financial experts; who bring decades of wide spectrum of knowledge and experience to the organization. Meet the team.
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Executive Chairman
Dr. Vasireddi is the Executive Chairman and founder of VIMTA LABS. He founded VIMTA in 1984 and is regarded as the father of CRTO industry in India. He is a visionary leader and an inspitring mentor. Given his extensive experience and success in food and pharma contract research and testing industry, he has served on several national level scientific and advisory Boards. He is an Industry Expert member in the Central Advisory Committee of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, (FSSAI), Government of India, New Delhi (Since 2010). He was a Member of the Research Council of the National Physical Laboratories, India; Area coordinator of National Conference of Standards Laboratories (NCSL), USA and Regional Representative (Asia-Pacific) of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO). He also served as a member of the Technical Committee of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL, India) and is currently on the Board.
Managing Director
Harita Vasireddi is the Managing Director of VIMTA since 2013. She has ~25 yrs of contract research and testing industry experience. She believes in steward leadership and is very passionate about VIMTA’s organizational culture of ‘Quality is our Job No.1’. She joined VIMTA as the Executive Assistant to the then Managing Director in 1995 and since then has held a range of roles of increasing responsibility, which has enabled her to develop extensive operational, functional, and management expertise. Her other roles in VIMTA have included Joint Managing Director, Director-Quality, Director-Projects, Manager Operations (Inspection Services). Harita holds an MBA in Operations Management from Boston College, USA and B. Pharmacy degree from Mysore University, India.
Executive Director - Operations
Harriman Vungal is the Executive Director – Operations and the co-promoter of VIMTA. He is associated with the Company right since its inception. He was inducted to the Board as one of the Promoter Directors in 1990 and was appointed as Technical Director of the Company in 1992. He has extensive lab operations management experience and is a go to senior resource on GXPs. He has led the Company’s effort in building state of the art IT infrastructure, systems and their compliance to applicable regulations. He is a D. Tech in Electronics from Toronto, Canada.
Executive Director
Sreenivas Neerukonda is appointed to VIMTA’s Board of Directors in July 2019. Prior to this, he served as the Global Head of Business Development function at VIMTA from 2015 to 2019. He was responsible for the business development and marketing activities of VIMTA and played a leading role in the growth of organization. He has proven experience in planning, execution and leadership of new business strategies. He also has strong knowledge of VIMTA’s core business sectors i.e., pharmaceutical, biotech and food.
Sreenivas has 20 years of work experience in India and USA. He holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Marketing from University of Oklahoma, USA and B. Pharmacy from Nagpur University, India.
President
As the President of Vimta Labs, Suresh is responsible for leading strategy, managing business operations and strengthening capabilities. He has more than 20 years of extensive experience in the areas of testing, inspection & certification and has worked with a wide range of industries namely, healthcare, food, electrical & electronics, textiles, chemical, infrastructure, oil and gas. Prior to joining Vimta, Suresh worked for over a decade at TÜV SÜD South Asia, where he held leadership positions including COO and Senior Vice President of product service division that he established and nurtured.
A chemical technologist by qualification, Suresh is an alumnus of the prestigious ICT Mumbai and Kerala University. He is also a qualified ISO 9001 lead auditor.
Chief Financial Officer
Narahari is a seasoned and result-oriented Professional and a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and a Qualified Company Secretary; with over 14 years of experience in all facets of Financial Administration including Accounts & Audit, Financial Planning, Formulating Financial Policies & Processes, Strategy, Treasury & Fund Raising, Annual Operating Plan (AOP), MIS, Working Capital Management, Insurance, Taxation, Merger & Acquisition, Restructuring & Business Transformation, Investor Relations, Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audit, Revenue Assurance, Internal Financial Controls Implementation, Regulatory Compliances & Governance.
Narahari, worked at various leadership roles companies like Navabharath Ventures Limited, Coromandel International Limited, Gati Limited, GVK Biosciences Private Limited, Hyderabad and Ernst & Young LLP.
Sr. VP - Preclinical
Dr. Bhatnagar is the Vice-President and Test Facility Management of VIMTA’s Preclinical division. He has over two decades of pharmaceutical industry experience in nonclinical drug discovery and development (small and large molecules) along with toxicological assessment of Botanicals, Food Additives, Medical Devices and Agrochemicals in both R&D and CRO settings. He had held scientific and leadership roles with leading global organizations like Vanthys Pharmaceutical Development (Eli Lilly – JBL), Nektar Therapeutics, Lupin and Orchid. Prior to joining VIMTA in 2016, Dr. Bhatnagar worked with Cadila Healthcare Ltd. where he supported the development of NCEs, biologicals and generic drugs as Senior General Manager – Toxicology. He has published and presented several papers in international journals and seminars. Dr. Bhatnagar holds a PhD in Life Sciences from Bhopal University and MBA (TQM) from National Institute of Management. He received postdoctoral training in investigative and regulatory toxicology and is a European Registered Toxicologist.
VP - Food Division
Dr. Jagadeesh Kodali is Vice President of VIMTA’s Food Division since 2016. He has close to 18 years of experience in lab management, analytical research and testing industry. He started his career in VIMTA as Trainee Scientist in 1999 and spent over 6 years handling pesticide residues and toxins analysis in Food & Agri and Beverages. Further he worked for several MNCs in India & abroad in Analytical Research and Testing Field at Senior Manager levels. Before his second stint at VIMTA, Mr. Jagadeesh was Head-Lab Operations for INTERTEK India Food Services. During his career he mastered chromatographic techniques (HPLC & GC), mass spectrometry (LC-MS / MS, GC-MS / MS, Time of Flight and Magnetic Sector HR-MS) and spectroscopy (AAS & ICP-MS). Mr. Jagadeesh holds a Master of Science in Chemistry degree from JNTU, Hyderabad, India and pursuing Ph. D. in Chemistry from BITS-Pilani, India.
VP - Clinical Reference Lab
Chandra Shekhar Sharma is the Vice-President for VIMTA’s Clinical Diagnostics business. He brings on board more than two decades of rich experience in the diagnostics industry, having worked with major market leaders in the areas of Retail, Specialized & B2C business. His key competencies are in the areas of Strategic Planning, Market Analysis, Sales & Marketing Management, and he brings on board the best industry practices on Health & Wellness initiatives. He is a post-graduate in management studies (MBA), along with a certificate course on Integrated Marketing Communication from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. .
Shekhar has strong experience in setting up operations, expanding laboratory & franchisee network across India for leading brands. He has also driven expansion of business in international markets in his earlier assignments. His last assignment was with Oncquest Laboratories.
VP - Environment Services
Janardhan Mergoju, is the Vice President of VIMTA’s Environment Division since 2004. He has close to 26 years of industry experience in the fields of environmental assessments, environment management, regulatory clearances and compliances for the major industry segments such as power, mining, ferrous and non-ferrous, cement, infrastructure such as airports, townships, pulp & paper and chemical. He is an approved Environment Coordinator and Functional Area Expert under QCI-NABET Scheme. He had joined VIMTA in August,1997 as an Environmental Engineer and during the last 19 years went on to grow in ranks as Group Leader, Associate Vice President, Vice President and subsequently now heads the Environment Division. He started his career as Research Fellow at NEERI, Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and worked for two years. Subsequently, worked with Kirloskar Consultants Limited, Pune (Maharashtra) as consultant for five years in the fields of Environmental Engineering and Environment Management. Mr. Janardhan is a graduate in Civil Engineering from College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India and Post Graduate in Environmental Planning from CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India.
VP - Clinical Research
B Venkat Ramakrishna Rao (BVRK) who is presently Heading the Projects is taking up newer responsibilities as Head of Clinical Research effective 1st January, 2021.
BVRK joined Vimta Labs in the year 2000 and grew in the organization, both vertically and horizontally playing diversified roles in the last two decades. As part of his career progression he will take up the BU Head role for Clinical Research Division.
BVRK has his Masters in Pharmacy and has two decades of strong experience in Analytical and Bioanalytical Services. He is a champion of GMP! His commitment and consistency in his contribution in the roles he played in the past enabled him to grow in his career.
VP - Electrical and Electronics
Anurag Khare as Vice President. Anurag brings around 28 years of vast experience into Sales, Marketing, operations etc. His major competencies are Sales Strategies, Key account management, P&L, Operations, Business development, Inventory Control and Sales. He brings good business understanding and the impact the overall electrical business.
Anurag is a Bachelor of engineering from Awadhesh Pratap Singh University. He Green belt in Six Sigma.
Anurag has served organization like Intertek, GE, Regal Beloit, KOEL, Crompton Greaves, KEC before joining us and brings in a unique experience of multifunctional experiences in various departments like Sales, Marketing, Business development, Projects Management, Operations, Liaison with Govt. and Statutory Agencies.
Company Secretary
Sujani Vasireddi has 15 years of experience, and is a qualified Company Secretary from The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). She also holds degrees in Law and in Commerce from Osmania University of Hyderabad. She was appointed as a Company Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer from September 2018 and heads secretarial and legal functions.
Independent Director
Prameela Rani is an Independent Director on Vimta’s Board since 01.12.2017. She is an experienced professional with a successful career in banking sector spanning 36 years, including key areas of expertise viz., credit, foreign exchange, Business development and Management. Prior to joining Vimta’s Board, she was associated with Andhra Bank responsible for Large and Mid Corporate Credit, MSME Credit & Planning. She is a graduate in Science and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Andhra University and is a certified member of CAIIB from the Indian Institute of Bankers.
Independent Director
Dr. Yadagiri Pendri is an independent Director on Vimta’s Board since 10.08.2020. Dr. Pendri is a recognized leader in the areas of process research and development; an inventor of over 15 US patents; and author of over 35 published papers, reviews and book chapters. He is the founder of Escientia Life Sciences, a multinational CDMO with headquarters in USA. He expertise includes trade relations, strategic partnerships, marketing & sales, development, manufacturing, and supply. He is experienced in fiduciary responsibilities of Board of Directors, provides guidance to executive teams in developing compelling strategic plans and market positioning strategies.
Independent Director
G P Rao is an Independent Director on Vimta’s Board since 11.05.2019. He has more than three decades of experience in Statutory Audits of Public limited and Private Limited Companies of varied nature viz., manufacturing, trading, service industry (Hospitals, Hotels) software and technology companies. He runs a consultancy practice and heads a team of professionals who perform special Audits for Banks / Financial Institutions, and management audits of various companies. His expertise pans across matters dealt with taxation, company incorporation, project financing, loan syndication, liaison with banks and financial institutions and other allied areas. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (F.C.A.), New Delhi. Holding Certificate of Practice from February, 1984. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) awarded by the Association of Certified Examiners, USA.
Independent Director
Sanjay Dave is an Independent Director on Vimta’s Board since 11.05.2019. He has over four decades of rich professional experience, including a long tenure in agri, trade and food safety at National/International organizations. He is the Chairperson of the Codex Coordinating Committee for Asia (CC-Asia). He is also the Chairman of Surakshit Khadya Abhigyan (National Mission for Safe Food) launched by the Government of India in July 2015. He is developing country SPS expert from Asia to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) of the WTO. He functions as the Senior International Consultant to FAO, WHO and International Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of FSSAI. In the past, he has also served as Chairperson of Codex Alimentarius Commission (a UN – FAO/WHO – body) from July 2011 to July 2014; Advisor of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India, New Delhi; Adviser (Agriculture) in the Mission of India to the European Union at Brussels; Director of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India, New Delhi.