Mr Kumar joins Sanofi from Mr Oliver Wyman and will take the position of executive vice president, external affairs.

In this newly created role, Mr Kumar will be responsible for defining Sanofi's vision for meeting global health challenges.

This will include setting the strategy and priorities for public affairs activities, interactions with governments and international organizations - and aligning internal and external communications around these priorities.

As part of bringing these activities together in a more integrated way, the communications and corporate social responsibility (CSR) teams will report to Mr. Kumar.

"Suresh brings a genuinely unique profile to Sanofi that includes a diversified, international career within the healthcare industry, public sector leadership experience and an intimate understanding of NGOs," said Mr Olivier Brandicourt, CEO, Sanofi. "Suresh's deep relationships with business and government leaders worldwide and his passion for making an impact on improving lives through healthcare will make him a valuable addition to Sanofi and the executive committee."

Mr Kumar has an Economics degree from Delhi University, and a Masters in Management from Bombay University.

A US citizen, born and educated in India, Mr Kumar has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry beginning in 1978 in India with Johnson and Johnson (J&J).