Ahmedabad-based Zydus Lifesciences has announced the appointment of Punit Patel as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Americas. He will be responsible for the business operations of all Zydus entities in North America which include generics, injectables and specialty business, rare and orphan disease portfolio and also future forays into novel therapeutics. He will be based out of the group's office in Pennington, New Jersey, US.

A licensed pharmacist who earned his Doctorate of Pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Patel has more than 20 years of experience in the generics and branded pharmaceutical marketplace.

His deep understanding of the complex generic pharmaceutical market (specialty, 505b2, injectables & biosimilars), coupled with his people leadership and results-driven style, unlocks value by enabling long-term strategy to be translated into actionable plans.

Prior to his joining Zydus, Patel was the President of Red Oak Sourcing, helming a multi-billion-dollar generic portfolio. He was overseeing all aspects of Red Oak's business including setting and implementing the strategic roadmap, overseeing supplier relationships, managing financial obligations, transforming company culture and collaborating with the company's stakeholders – CVS Health, Cardinal Health and OptumRx. Under his leadership, Red Oak was recognised as a Great Place to Work for the first time since its inception. Patel has also worked at Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics and CVS Caremark.