Leena Gandhi Tewari, chairperson of Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company USV Ltd., leads a reclusive social life. A philanthropist for social causes, Tewari shies away from Mumbai’s parties and events circuit.
The privately held company founded by her grandfather Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi, is among the top five in two key therapeutic areas of oral anti-diabetics (OAD) and cardiovascular (CVS) segments. Around 80% of its domestic revenue and 70% of total revenue come from OAD and CVS therapeutic segments, respectively. The Indian business contributes around 82% to the company’s total revenue, while the rest comes from the export of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Fixed Dosage Formulations to over 65 countries. The company is setting up a ₹450-crore formulations plant in Vadodara, likely to be completed by December.
USV’s anti-diabetic formulation, Glycomet, ranks among the top 3 in the domestic industry. The firm acquired the Jalra brand from Novartis India in December 2019 in the OAD segment.
An MBA from Boston University, Leena is an avid reader and travel enthusiast. — P.B. Jayakumar