MedGenome appoints Dr Amit Kakar as New Chairman of the Board
FOSTER City, Calif. and BANGALORE, India, Sept. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — MedGenome, a leading global genomics-driven diagnostics and research services company, announced the appointment of Dr. Amit Kakar as Chairman of its Board, effective immediately.
Dr Kakar takes over from Dr. Felix Olale, MD, PhD, who concluded his two year term as Chairman of the Board and will focus his efforts on leading the growth of MedGenome’s US and North America business.
Dr Amit has served on the MedGenome board of directors since 2022 and is Managing Partner and Head of Asia at Novo Holdings, a global life sciences investor wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, an independent philanthropic enterprise foundation. He has over 30 years of experience in the Healthcare and Life Sciences industry and serves on the boards of Doctor Anywhere, an omni-channel healthcare service provider; ESCO, a Singapore-based life science company; and Qure.ai, a leading health tech firm headquartered in India.
“I am honored to be serving as Chairman at an exciting time for the company. MedGenome has been at the forefront of revolutionizing healthcare through its deep technology and innovation capabilities in the field of genomics. I look forward to working closely with the board and management team as we continue to play our part in making healthcare solutions affordable and accessible for all. Together with the talented team at MedGenome, we will work towards expanding our reach and ensuring that our solutions can make a difference in the lives of people across the globe.” said Dr. Kakar.
Dr. Kakar previously served as the Head of Healthcare Investments at Avenue Capital for 8 years where he was responsible for the company’s pan-Asia healthcare investments. He was also part of GE Healthcare for over 14 years, holding various senior positions in India, China, and the US; and was Head of M&A and Business Development at Everlife Asia in Singapore. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades of healthcare investing, operations, management and leadership, his commitment to excellence, coupled with a deep understanding of the markets, will provide strong strategic direction to MedGenome’s next phase of growth in the coming years.
Commenting on this significant announcement, Mahesh Pratapneni, Group CEO & Co-founder of MedGenome said, “I am pleased to welcome Dr Amit Kakar as Chairman of the MedGenome Board. As a board member over the past few years, Dr. Amit has played a pivotal role in guiding the company to accomplish its organic and inorganic expansion plans. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Dr. Amit will continue to guide the company on its growth initiatives. His sector expertise, leadership experience, strong industry connections, and deep knowledge of our business are powerful assets to both the board and the company as we execute our long-term strategy. We look forward to working closely with Dr. Amit to ensure MedGenome continues to make a positive impact on human lives. I also want to thank Dr. Felix for his tremendous contributions as chair and look forward to his continued contribution as a valued member of the MedGenome leadership team.”
This appointment reiterates MedGenome’s commitment to strong governance and its dedication to the mission of improving global health by providing data driven insights into complex diseases through its genomic research and diagnostics solutions.
About MedGenome:
MedGenome is a leading global genomics-driven diagnostics and research services company with a mission to improve global health by decoding the genetic information contained in an individual’s genome. It provides data driven insights at the genetic and molecular level to diagnose complex diseases and facilitate research in precision medicine. MedGenome is the market leader for genetic testing in India offering over 1,300 high-end genetic tests across major disease categories – Oncology, Inherited diseases, Reproductive Diseases, Infectious Disease and Preventive Wellness. Genessense, MedGenome’s direct-to-consumer division, launched in 2021 provides tests in the preventive wellness category which help understand an individual’s genetic susceptibility to various lifestyle diseases. The company over the last decade has sequenced over 350,000 exomes and genomes, built a network of over 5,000 hospitals and more than 15,000 clinicians across India, set up the largest database of South Asian genetic variants and is a founding member of GenomeAsia 100K, an initiative to sequence 100,000 South Asian genomes. MedGenome has a global presence with the largest CAP-accredited genetic testing laboratory in South Asia, a high-throughput Next-Generation Sequencing lab in Foster City, California and operates across the US, India, Singapore and Africa. To learn more, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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