Dr Gilles Amsallem

J Rajagopalan has recently been appointed chief finance officer and general manager, administration for the entire company. He has over 25 years of management experience in several senior roles covering finance, legal and administration, at Britannia Industries Ltd. 
Also Dr Gilles Amsallem has been appointed the chief operating officer, with responsibilities of driving all operations within the company. Dr Amsallem has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the development of international biotechnology companies. He has also founded and headed a successful biotech company, MIXIS Genetics. He has also lent his vast experience of the industry for corporate and business development to a number of major companies and emerging players such as Dupont, Fisher Scientific International Inc, Sorin Biomedica, Eurobio Laboratories. 
Avesthagen's founder and CEO, Dr Villoo Morawala Patell said, “Our new appointees for COO and CFO come to us from successful entrepreneurial and established companies, and I look forward to working with them in leading our three business units into their next phase of development and commercialization.â€? 
Avesthagen's team leaders for R&D and Business Development in each of the business units consists of experienced personnel with vast experience and an entrepreneurial spirit. Koen Wentink, will head the legal affairs and logistics section. 

V K Jairath replaces Vishwas Dhumal
In the recent reshuffle of the Maharashtra state secretariat, Vishwas Dhumal, principal secretary, Department of Industries, Maharashtra government, who was looking after biotechnology in the state since the launch of the state biotechnology policy in 2001, was transferred to the Water Supply and Sanitation Department. Dhumal was instrumental in the development of pharma-biotechnology park at Hinjewadi near Pune and also in the development of biotech industry in the state. 
V K Jairath has replaced Vishwas Dhumal. 

New CEO for ICRISAT Agri-Science Park

VR Prasad

Venkatraman Raghvendra Prasad has joined the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Agri-Science Park, Patancheru. His joining coincided with the first day of the BioAsia 2005 on February 10. He has a B.Tech degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, and a Master of Business Administration from IIM-Bangalore. 
Prior to joining ASP, Prasad worked as the executive director of PSG-STEP (Science & Technology Entrepreneurial Park) in Coimbatore, where he established the largest IT incubator cum software park attached to an educational institute which nurtured 80 startup ventures. The Ministry of Science & Technology had recognized PSG-STEP with the Best Science & Technology Entrepreneurial Park in the country in 2002. 
Prasad has also worked in the areas of profit center management with BHEL, Haridwar and Crompton Greaves Ltd., Mumbai, and has been active in many expert panels constituted by CII, NASSCOM and other trade and industry associations. Outside work, he is interested in playing bridge, traveling and creative writing.