There is no thrill greater than inventing a product and no greater challenge than selling it in the market. And for Kewal Handa, chief of Pfizer India, the challenge has proved more an opportunity than an exhausting experience. Setting his goals high, Handa once said: "We would like to grow above the market and have a whole lot of strategies to achieve our objectives." Today, after being appointed managing director of global pharmaceutical major Pfizer India, he knows that he cannot be closer to his dream than. Handa has been serving the company for the last 15 years now and is recognized as an industry expert in the pharmaceutical sector.

A Masters in commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai, Handa is also a qualified management accountant and a company secretary. Given this background, you can well recognize his experience and knowledge now that he heads the India operations of global pharmaceutical major like Pfizer. In his 15 years with the Pfizer India, Handa has been entrusted with positions of increasing responsibility. He has a broad range of experience and has risen above his portfolio as chief financial officer (CFO) by being a key contributor to shaping the future of Pfizer. He has demonstrated leadership and excellence in strategically guiding Pfizer Limited through two mergers with Parke Davis-Warner Lambert (India) Private Limited and Pharmacia respectively. Handa has been widely recognised for his contribution to Pfizer in particular and pharmaceutical sector in general. In recognition to his financial abilities, he was awarded with India CFO 2004 Excellence in Finance in MNC award, which is given by the International Market Assessment Group.

Apart from his work in Pfizer, Handa is also associated with a number of other organizations. As chairman of the Pricing Committee of the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), he has been at the forefront of the industry's efforts to resolve issues pertaining to the pharmaceutical sector. He is also a committee member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) and the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and has also served as president of the Bombay Management Association (BMA).

A visiting faculty member of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management for postgraduate students, Handa is a qualified trainer of the Indian Junior Chamber International and conducts training courses in management development. With the new patent regime in place, Handa is practical about the future of the Indian pharma sector. "Only around 30 new blockbuster products come up in the world in a year. As of today, India has a totally generic market, meaning that Indian companies can launch any product in the world. This implies that the whole world's pipeline is available to you," he once said. Looking at the career profile of Handa and the differences he has made to the organisation he has worked, it won't be surprising to see Pfizer striking a high trajectory path very soon.