Mahender Nayak

Mahender Nayak is the Area Head for Takeda Pharmaceuticals in the ICMEA region, which includes India, CIS, the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. He enjoys over two decades of performance-driven leadership across the pharmaceutical and broader healthcare industries.

Driven by innovation, Nayak has a strong track record in strategic functional leadership and general management which spans more than 11 years of in-country leadership, eight years of regional successes as well as four years global experience.

In his current capacity, Nayak is overseeing the development and growth of Takeda in the ICMEA region. His proven ability to lead, motivate and develop people across geographies and cultures is key to ensure the success of the company in accommodating pharmaceutical growth trends.

Prior to joining the ICMEA region, Nayak was in charge of portfolio management for the Growth and Emerging markets while at Singapore between the years 2018 and 2020. Nayak was also the General Manager of Takeda’s operations in Korea.

During the period between 2013 and 2015, Nayak was the Senior Director of Global Marketing – Cardiovascular and the Executive Commercial Operations for Asia Pacific, where he established the regional commercial operations infrastructure to drive capabilities across a broad range of business functions. He was also the Marketing Director for Asia Pacific between July 2011 and May 2013.

An industry veteran, prior to joining Takeda, Nayak assumed various regional commercial responsibilities while at AstraZeneca, where he was a critical success factor in leading commercial growth across the region.

Mahender Nayak joined Takeda Pharmaceuticals in 2011, since then, grew within the company to hold various senior roles and responsibilities in different markets. His expertise and understanding of the healthcare sector’s dynamics, coupled with his ability to lead teams to achieve robust business results reflects his strategic insight and overall passion.