Mr. Rakesh Bhargava is one of India's senior-most executives in pharmaceuticals, medical nutrition, and medical devices domains, and has held top management positions in several companies in India and abroad. He is the former Chairman of Fresenius Kabi Oncology Ltd, an Indian subsidiary of Fresenius SE&Co KGaA, a US$ 42 billion German multinational healthcare group.
Mr. Bhargava did his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1973 and subsequently went on to earn an MBA degree from IIM Ahmedabad in1975. He later completed courses in Financial Management and Advance Management at lnstitut Europeen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD).
Before assuming Chairman's position, Mr. Bhargava was the Executive Vice President, South East Asia of Fresenius Kabi Asia-Pacific, responsible for the company's business in 15 Asian countries. He simultaneously held the position of Managing Director & CEO of Fresenius Kabi India Ltd and was a board member of several Fresenius Kabi subsidiaries in South- East Asia. Prior to joining Fresenius, he was the Managing Director of Lupin Chemicals (Thailand) Ltd. located in Bangkok and has also served as the Business Head of ICI Pharmaceutical in India.
Mr. Rakesh Bhargava has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India, and Chairman of its Legal Committee. He was also a member of the National Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Committee of Confederation of Indian Industries, and President of the Pharmaceutical Form-Fill-Seal Association of India. He has contributed to many pharmaceutical policy reforms in India through his active role in these industry bodies.
Service to humanity is very close to Mr. Rakesh Bhargava's heart. During 2005 to 2007 he personally supervised several mega-tsunami rehabilitation projects of Rotary in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Sri Lanka. He was adjudged Rotary's President of the Year worldwide in 2013-14, and has been awarded The Rotary Foundation's "Citation for Meritorious Service". His contributions were internationally recognized when he was invited as a speaker at Rotary International's International Convention in 2018 held in Toronto. Currently, he is a member of Rotary India's National Working Group on CSR and National Advisory on Disease Prevention & Treatment and Maternal & Child Health.
Mr. Bhargava has also given back to society by mentoring start-ups in the medical device field, including those which have been incubated at IIT Kanpur. He is fostering innovation and promoting "Make in India & Atmanirbhar Bharat" themes in the medical devices sector. He is the recipient of the prestigious IITK Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2021.
