The Art of Leading Fearlessly: Inside the Philosophy of Wockhardt's Former President

Pharma Now: Welcome to Pharma Now. Today, Pradnya Deshmukh, former President of Wockhardt, is with us. Before we dive into the main discussion, I must say learning about your journey is truly inspiring. Coming from a B.Sc. background in Chemistry and rising to the position of President in a global pharmaceutical company is truly remarkable. 

In today’s conversation, I’d love to explore how you achieved this success. But before we get into that, I want to take a step back and better understand your role. For the general public, terms like API, quality, and compliance can sound complex. So, to start with, could you help us understand what "quality" really means in the pharmaceutical context and what these regulations are all about?



Mrs Deshmukh: To me, the question of "What is quality?" or "What is regulatory?" The answer is: it's a way of life you make.

There's nothing special one needs to do to bring quality into a product or a system. You do things right the first time, to the best of your ability. If you're confident in your approach and can explain it clearly to regulatory bodies or anyone else, without any apprehensions, and if you're using logically sound techniques, managing quality becomes very easy.

I firmly believe that studying regulatory guidelines, interpreting them correctly, and designing your processes and systems accordingly is crucial. If you're in India, aligning with Indian cultural values is equally important to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved. I’ve followed this throughout my career, and I’ve found it to be a very successful approach in meeting regulatory requirements. 

In short, I would say that knowledge, combined with the intention to do your best, helps you achieve both your career goals and the organization's objectives.

Pharma Now: That’s a very, very interesting definition of quality. Thank you for that.

As the President of Wockhardt, one of the top pharmaceutical companies globally, I’d love to know what life is like in that role. What was it like leading at such a high level?

Mrs Deshmukh: At the start of my career, I asked myself one crucial question: Do I want to be a working lady, or do I want to be a career-oriented lady?

It was my husband who encouraged and pushed me to become a career-oriented woman. 

Pharma Now: What is the difference between a working lady and a career-oriented lady?

Mrs Deshmukh: See, a working lady is someone who prefers a 9-to-5 job, enjoys having a good salary at the end of the day, and wants to focus on family life.

But a career-oriented lady is different. She prioritizes her career, not at the cost of family, but with a clear focus on professional growth. She doesn’t complain about not having time. She ensures she's always available for her work, and also for her family.

Sometimes, it may mean not having enough time for yourself, but you must be there for your organization and professional responsibilities. That’s when you truly become career-oriented. And for this journey, you need strong support from your family and your intention to become career-oriented.

In my case, it triggered me to become a career-oriented woman, and everything became important. To reach a global level, I believe there are three key things one must learn and adapt to: You should be able to eat at any time of the day. You should be able to adjust your body clock to sleep at any time. You should be ready to respond to emails and messages from your seniors at any time. If you can implement these three things in your life, you are automatically prepared and designed to operate globally.

I learned this from my associates, Dr. Ajit Singh and Dr. Jagjit Singh, who were the company's Chairmen then. When I worked with them early in my career, they taught me three invaluable lessons: Be able to eat whenever your schedule demands it. Train your body to be flexible enough to sleep whenever time allows. Most importantly, you should always be ready to respond to emails and messages or meet your boss’s expectations around the clock.

Pharma Now: The current generation may not agree with this because they demand a work-life balance. 

Mrs Deshmukh: Work-life balance is possible. Your boss isn’t expecting you to work 24 hours a day. But when the need arises, you should be ready to step up; that’s what matters. Of course, if you're responding to emails at 9:00 in the morning, 7:00 in the evening, or even 2:00 at night, your boss isn’t expecting you to be in the office from 9 to 5. It’s about understanding the needs of your role and your organization. When you make your life flexible and available accordingly, that’s when you truly start operating at a global level. 

No, I don’t believe that your boss would still expect you to be in the office at 9:00 AM the next day if you've worked through the entire night. They are fully aware of the efforts you've put in for the organization's benefit and will support you in managing your work-life balance.

According to me, the definition of work-life balance is this:

Make yourself available for work and home, as and when needed. That’s true work-life balance. Yes, because no family member expects you to spend 24 hours with them. What truly matters is the quality of the time you spend, not the quantity. Even if you spend just two hours with your family, make sure it’s fully family oridentied no office calls, just be fully present with them. Similarly, when you’re at work, avoid personal distractions unless there’s something truly urgent. Focus completely on your professional responsibilities.

Pharma Now: Alright, returning to your role as President, I’m curious to know what a typical day was like for you. Was it truly 24/7? How did you manage it all?

Mrs Deshmukh: Yes, as a Global President, managing different time zones, like the U.S. and the U.K., was certainly a challenge. The time difference between India and the U.S. is about 10.5 hours, and with the U.K., it's around 4.5 hours. So, the ideal time to work across global teams was usually between 4:00 PM and around 7:30 or 8:00 PM IST. I used to schedule most of my global meetings during that time. This helped ensure minimal disturbance for both sides and allowed smooth work distribution. The following day, I would typically conduct one-on-one sessions to review the work status, track progress on targets, and ensure alignment. In addition, we held a monthly management review meeting, which was essential in evaluating whether the team was moving in the right direction and meeting the company’s strategic goals.

I’m someone who doesn’t believe in micromanagement. I carefully select my team and give them the freedom to work independently. For me, delegation is one of the most important elements of success delegation with trust and proper training. As I mentioned in my speech, be ready for your team to make mistakes. Own those mistakes with them. They are the right people to work with as long as they’re not repeating the same mistakes. Mistakes will happen, and that’s acceptable, once. Or even if it's a new mistake each time, it can still be a learning opportunity. However, repeated or careless mistakes, especially at senior levels, can't be allowed. In my experience, when someone reaches the level of GM, Sr. GM, or Vice President, they typically don’t repeat or make multiple errors. So, when building your team, especially those who report directly to you, it’s important to be very clear about who you're selecting.

Pharma Now: I really wanted to come to this point, team selection. It's a challenge for so many organizations and leaders. So, what was your thought process when selecting a team? 

Mrs Deshmukh: I learned this from a senior mentor, Mr. Dilip Shanghvi, at Sun Pharma. He was always clear about how much time he would allocate to each individual who reported directly to him. I adopted the same strategy. I would assess how much time I could realistically spend with each team member, maybe one or two hours per week. From the start, I’d clarify that to them: “This is the time I can dedicate to you, and within that, I expect results.”

Now, if I find myself needing to spend four, five, or even six hours a week with someone, beyond the initial settling-in period, it usually means one of two things: Either I am doing their job, or I am not the right person for you to work with them.

Once this benchmark is clearly defined, everyone knows what’s expected from them and me as a leader to move things comfortably. 

I believe in a simple yet effective time allocation strategy for any leader: 30% of your time should be spent with your team, guiding, mentoring, and reviewing their progress. 30% should be dedicated to your work, focusing on the goals and responsibilities assigned to you. 10% should go toward preparing for your next role, investing in your growth and readiness for future responsibilities. 10% should be reserved for interactions with your boss, for alignment, feedback, and direction. This kind of structured time management helps create a balanced approach. 

Pharma Now: That's an interesting formula. As an entrepreneur currently setting up a team and scaling up, I face this challenge quite often. I feel like I’m not doing the work that I need to do for my own business; instead, I’m doing the job for others. But I think I should start implementing this formula.

Mrs Deshmukh: Yes, and sometimes what happens is that we tend to go back to the work we’ve already mastered, the work we love doing. When the team is handling a task that we’ve done in the past and are really good at, we naturally feel tempted to jump in and take over, thinking, “I can do this better than you.” But that’s not always the right thing to do. Instead, we need to step into roles we’ve never done before, roles that push us to grow and lead at a higher level. 

In my experience, I’ve yet to come across a single person who isn’t capable of being successful when supported in the right way. It’s important to understand your team’s individual aspirations. Some people thrive in challenging roles, while others prefer routine, stable tasks. Somebody is more interested in you know, communication and travelling roles. When you take the time to align responsibilities with their interests and strengths and design systems around those aspirations, the team is bound to deliver results.

Pharma Now: At any time did you face any big disappointment with your team?

Mrs Deshmukh: It happens because a team means multiple people, each with different mindsets and personal circumstances. Every day, someone might come to work carrying a challenge: maybe they struggled with their commute, maybe there’s family pressure, or their child didn’t do well in exams. People arrive with different emotional and mental states. Just like Sachin Tendulkar doesn’t hit a century every day, we can’t expect peak performance from everyone, every single day. But if the overall outcome you planned for the day is achieved, then that day is a success. One shouldn’t measure success by the day. Every day won’t be a winning day, but every month can be. And if each month is successful, by the end of the year, you’ll have become a successful person. So, be ready for failures. Be prepared to face days that aren’t perfect. Don't expect too much; that’s part of life.

Pharma Now: Just to take this conversation a bit further, being a quality professional, I’m sure you must have faced a lot of conflicts on the shop floor, especially with the operations team. After all, as a quality person, you’re often the one who has to say, “This needs to be done,” or “This process must be corrected,” or “This guideline has to be followed.” How did you handle and resolve those kinds of conflicts in your day-to-day work?

Mrs Deshmukh: Yes, in the early part of my career, I did face such conflicts. As a quality professional, there’s often a mindset of “I am the quality person,” and that can unintentionally create a gap. Over time, with growing maturity, I realized that being a quality person is not something superior; rather, quality is everyone’s responsibility. Unless the entire organization works toward quality, you won’t achieve sustainable results. If you want people to commit to quality, the first step is to put yourself in their shoes, understand where it’s difficult for them, what’s blocking them from doing it right, and support them with empathy. No one shows up thinking, “Today I won’t work with quality.” Everyone wants to do a good job. It’s often some limitation, be it system, time, training, or pressure, that holds them back.

So, it requires a lot of handholding, empathy, and collaboration. Once the team sees that you're there to support them, not just monitor them, they begin to own the quality mindset. In my experience, it would take around 6 to 8 months to get fully settled in a new organization and build that trust. But after that, I never had to struggle for quality output. The team would take ownership and deliver on their own. The early months are crucial, as well as understanding people and their challenges and building that bridge. Once that’s done, quality flows naturally.

Pharma Now: I really want to understand the current landscape of quality in the pharmaceutical industry right now. In the Indian environment, we've seen a couple of unfortunate incidents reported from the regulatory side, especially related to some cough syrups and similar issues. So, how is the current pharma landscape in the Indian pharmaceutical industry?

Mrs Deshmukh: See, the current landscape of the Indian pharmaceutical industry is much better than what it was even five years ago. India is now receiving a lot of support from international countries, particularly in terms of foreign investments in pharmaceutical companies. Infrastructure development, technological advancements, the use of AI, and digitalization in the pharmaceutical industry are all significantly improving the ecosystem. It’s making life better not only for pharmaceutical professionals but also for the industry as a whole, much better than it was in the past.

From a critical business point of view, India needs to move towards the development of complex APIs or difficult-to-make dosage forms. This will help ensure that we can earn more revenue with less volume. This is where focused effort is needed if we truly want to become a global leader. For that, the technical upgradation of our workforce is essential. When I say technical upgradation, I mean there needs to be significant investment in innovation, new drug discovery, new drug development, and advanced manufacturing technologies. 

We also need a culture similar to the army when it comes to implementation, with everyone walking in the same direction and everyone doing the job in a harmonized way. This kind of discipline will lead to fewer failures and more consistent outcomes. Also, considering the new generation entering the pharma industry, digitalization, automation, and the use of robotics must be clearly and effectively implemented on the shop floor. I believe there is still a lot of scope for the Indian pharmaceutical industry to grow and advance in this direction.

But there’s still a lot to be done, and we really need to speed things up. Because time doesn’t wait for you, you need to catch up with time. In this context, we also need to provide handholding support for the small-scale industry. While the government may be offering financial assistance, what they truly need is technical support. For that, larger pharmaceutical companies need to take a handholding approach. 

Pharma Now: Agreed. What do you think about the startups that are coming into this area? Are they really making a dent?

Mrs Deshmukh: Yes, startups are emerging. The government is doing a lot under initiatives like "Make in India" and "Make for the World." But what’s equally important is how many startups are actually getting through. Currently, the success rate of startups in the pharma industry is around 30 to 35%.

They need more time and, as I mentioned earlier, more technical handholding to succeed. Big pharmaceutical companies should consider adopting a mentorship approach, especially for startups in areas like packaging, key starting material development, resource management, and so on. If large companies can support them technically, or even in areas like transport and logistics, it would truly help these startups grow and scale into successful enterprises.

Pharma Now: I think it's time to go back to your childhood, please put more light on it, I would like to understand your journey. As someone in Mumbai and getting onto the world map, how has the journey been? Wanted to understand how you started your journey. Have you ever imagined yourself being the president of Wockhardt or some big leader in the pharma industry?

Mrs Deshmukh: To tell you very frankly, I never planned my journey into pharma. My father was an architect, and my dream was to become an architect too. After my 12th grade, I got admission into VJTI. But because my father had passed away at a very early age, I didn’t have a strong financial background. I was staying with my grandmother, and my uncle and grandmother were the ones supporting my education and everything else.

After the 12th, I stood first in college. I went with my friends and secured admission to VJTI. Everything was done. My grandmother had no idea what VJTI was. But when it came time to pay the fees, she said she wanted to see the college. She came with me, and when we reached, she noticed that everywhere around us, there were only boys. I was the only girl. She asked the staff how many seats there were; they said 60, and then asked how many girls. They said, "Just one, her." That was it. My grandmother said, “You are not going.”

I pleaded with her. I told her that VJTI is a dream college for so many people, and this was a huge opportunity. But she was firm. She said, “You’re going to a college near our home.” At that time, it was very frustrating for me. At such a young age, when your dreams don’t get fulfilled, it’s difficult to accept. But then I told myself, “Maybe this is just life’s way of guiding me, maybe something better is waiting for me.” And that’s how my journey unfolded.

But I said to myself, “I will achieve my targets, maybe not in the way I initially planned.” So I completed my M.Sc., then my Ph.D., and eventually entered the pharmaceutical industry. But even before stepping into pharma, at a very young age, I realized that financial independence was a must. I knew I needed it to make decisions and have control over my life. That’s when I started working as a teacher in a tutorial class. When I was in the seventh standard, there was a local tutorial called Unique Tutorial Classes. They offered lessons from the second to the tenth standard and operated from a residential building. The neighbors had agreed to allow the classes only under one condition: there should be no noise between 1 PM and 4 PM. Unfortunately, those hours were assigned to the third, fourth, and fifth standard students, who were the noisiest!

It was very difficult for the owner to keep them quiet. So he gave me a challenge: “Take a 45-minute class. I’ll pay you five rupees per class.” Now, in the early '70s, five rupees was a big deal! He told me, “Do whatever you want, but none of the students should step outside the class, and no noise should reach outside.” I still remember that I used to tell them stories, make them sing, play housie, and play other games—anything to keep the class quiet and engaged for those 45 minutes. Honestly, that’s when my managerial skills began developing.

Thanks to that early success, I continued teaching at that tutorial for many years, even alongside my pharma job. My day used to start at 5:30 AM with classes, then I'd head to my pharmaceutical job by 7:00 AM. I’d return home around 7 or 8 PM, and then again teach tenth standard students until 10:30 PM. Even now, if someone asks me to teach, I’m happy to do it. I love teaching; it refreshes me. 

But it was that early experience, starting in the seventh standard, that taught me two valuable lessons: first, that financial independence gives you the power to make choices about your career and life; and second, that managing people, especially kids, requires patience, empathy, and adaptability. Every child is different, and learning to handle them as a team truly shaped my leadership skills.

Pharma Now: I have a question here. You mentioned that you did your B.Sc., M.Sc., and then your Ph.D. But that was a time when most Ph.D. holders were going abroad, either to the U.S. or Europe, for their careers. Did you never think of going there?

Mrs Deshmukh: Very frankly—never. From 2001 onwards, international travel became a way of life for me. I first traveled to the U.S. in 2001, and since then, I’ve continued traveling regularly. My job required me to travel abroad for almost 10 to 15 days a month, and the rest of the time I was in India. I did get a lot of offers to settle in the U.S. for work, but somehow it never felt right. I always wanted to come back to India after a few days. So, I never really felt the need to go abroad for studies.

I genuinely believe that India teaches you so many things, far more better than international study. Even now, if I compare myself with someone who has studied in the U.S. or the U.K., I feel that I have far better practical experience. I can manage small-scale operations, work with multinationals, handhold someone who is new to the job, or collaborate with someone who is a master in their field. That kind of versatility, I believe, comes from my Indian culture and the environment in which I’ve worked here. So, I feel my decision not to go abroad to study was absolutely the right one. India teaches you a lot, beyond textbooks.

Pharma Now: Amazing. So after completing your PhD, you obviously started taking up different job roles, and eventually moved into leadership functions. I think you mentioned starting with IPCA, then Sun Pharma, and so on. What was that one attitude or mindset you had that helped you grow into those positions and ultimately reach leadership roles?

Mrs Deshmukh: See, as a woman in the industry, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, you're always expected to give 50% more than what others do. So, be ready for that. And second, whatever it is that scares you or makes you doubt yourself, whether you think, "Is this my cup of tea?" or "Will I be able to do it?" do that first. Whenever you're afraid of something, tackle it head-on. Worst case? You’ll fail. Then try again, until you succeed. And once you’ve mastered that role, move on. Find the next thing that scares you and take that on, too.

Pharma Now: I heard about your leadership Mantra. I want you to understand what it is. 

Mrs Deshmukh: Whatever you fear the most, do it first. Believe me, all my team members, anyone who has worked with me, even for just a month or two, if you ask them, they'll all tell you the same thing.

Pharma Now: How did you come up with this?

Mrs Deshmukh: Because I did it that way, I was always afraid of travelling at night. Of course, an international role required late-night or early-morning travel. As a typical woman, I used to expect that my husband would come to pick me up from the airport or drop me off. But he clearly said, “Sorry, I can't do all these things. I'm a police officer. Expecting me to always be available for you is not possible. You have to live your life independently. You should struggle, you should learn everything a man can do.” That was very interesting. It included travelling late at night or early in the morning on my own, having drinks with male colleagues, enjoying the nightlife, everything, but with control. He told me, “Start doing everything. Master it. Only then can you be a global person. Don’t expect me to always travel with you or do everything for you, it’s not possible.” And I think he was the right person in my life. He gave me so much freedom, and it was up to me to design the canvas of my life. So, I started doing it.

Whatever you fear the most, do it first. I think this applies especially to upcoming leaders, and particularly to women. Women often have many reasons to feel afraid. Some worry, “If I say something, what will people think?” Let them think whatever they want. You speak. You might be wrong the first time. You might be wrong the second time, too. But by the third time, you’ll have learned from your mistakes, and that’s how you grow.

Pharma Now: I agree. It is absolutely wonderful! Dr. Pradnya, it’s been truly insightful talking to you on all these fronts and learning from your experiences. Now, I have a few quick, rapid-fire questions for you. So, to start with:

In all your leadership roles, which books have inspired you the most?

Mrs Deshmukh: Honestly, it’s not books, it’s all my bosses who inspired me. Books give you concepts, but real leadership is something you understand through experience. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a good book, and I used to receive a lot of books as birthday gifts. I read them, yes, and picked up a few things.

But real learning comes from real-life experience. Like the idea of “do the thing you fear first”, that doesn’t come from a book. That comes from facing situations head-on. Listening to people empathetically, doing handholding in the beginning before putting across your views, understanding others first, and accepting people as they are are leadership lessons you gather through real-world experiences. Yes, reading books helps, but how much you implement from them entirely depends on your environment, your team, your company, and your challenges.

Pharma Now: Let me rephrase the question —who were some of the inspirational figures in the pharma industry who shaped your career and influenced your leadership journey?

Mrs Pradnya: One of the key figures who inspired me was Mr. Premchand Godha, the Director of IPCA Laboratories. The second is Mr. Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharma. I had the opportunity to work very closely with him. 

Pharma Now: What was your favourite quality about them? 

Mrs Deshmukh: Premchand Godha taught me the essence of risk management. He would always say, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? You’ll fail—so go ahead and take the risk.’ I remember going to him worried about an audit, and he’d simply say, ‘Go ahead, take the risk.’ That kind of confidence shaped me. It taught me to trust my team the same way, trust them beyond their own capabilities, and they will give you the result. 

From Mr. Dilip Shanghvi, I learned business leadership at its finest. He is truly a down-to-earth person who embodies how to digest success, manage failure, and lead through teamwork. His handholding approach, his willingness to take on even the most junior role if it impacted results, and that humility and drive taught me so much. Even today, when I face a tough situation, I often ask myself, ‘What would Dilip Shanghvi do in this moment?’ and the answer becomes clear. I consider myself incredibly fortunate and privileged to have worked so closely with both of these leaders.

Pharma Now: Wow, wonderful. I wanted to have three mantras for upcoming leaders—pharma professionals who want to step into leadership roles. Just three mantras.

Mrs. Deshmukh:  I'm having only one mantra, and I told you the first: Whatever you fear the most, do it first. The second is if you want to be a global leader—make yourself available to people. You should be ready to eat and sleep at any time and be able to respond anytime. Then, you automatically become global.

These two things I’ve implemented in my life. And today, I consider myself successful. My daughter, who has just joined Siemens in Germany, tells me these things too. I say, "With maturity, it will come naturally to you." But I learned these lessons a bit late. If you learn them early, you’ll be ahead. I took 10 years to become a leader; you can become one in 5.

So, these two things are very important in life.

Pharma Now: Wonderful. Thanks a lot, Dr. Pradnya, for talking to us and sharing your insights. I really enjoyed it, and I’m sure our audience will enjoy it too.

Mrs. Deshmukh: Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to showcase my life journey. And I’m sure, if even one person can learn something from my experiences, that would be a great achievement for me.

Pharma Now: I’m sure about that. Thank you very much.