Underpinning everything that is done at MSN Group is an intense ambition to help others, rather than solely focusing on the bottom line.
“Our philosophy is: ‘Don’t do business only for the business,’” explains Dr Srinivas Katkam, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing-API Business.
“It’s also important to reach patients in each and every corner of the world and give affordable products to them to reduce the burden of disease. And this is a very important philosophy, which we always follow at MSN Group.”
“I’ve always had the feeling that whenever you really love your job, you’re able to build your career.”
However, with the aim to ensure as many people across the world as possible have access to the right kind of pharmaceutical solutions for illnesses comes inevitable obstacles, as Katkam tells The CEO Magazine.
“The regulatory complications of each region is challenging, but the advantage is that MSN Group is a one-stop shop for anyone to ask about products,” he says.
“It’s not a transactional model, but more of a partnership where we can really make a strategic relationship with partners so that it’s advantageous for all parties.”
A passion for science
With a background in science, having obtained his PhD in chemistry, Katkam has now had almost three decades in the industry across a diverse range of roles.
“Passion for science really pushed me into this field,” he tells The CEO Magazine. “I’ve always had the feeling that whenever you really love your job, you’re able to build your career. I took previous roles as a scientist, and also handled sales and marketing later.”
However, his journey with MSN Group started in 2017 and began the shift toward working in the commercial side of pharmaceuticals instead. In 2021, Katkam took on his current role and has been growing revenue ever since.
“MSN Group entered into emerging markets aggressively because it’s very important to balance the regulated market of the United States and Europe with the emerging markets,” he points out.
“So today, after three years of this focus, 30 percent of the overall business contribution is coming from emerging markets, as well as achieving consistent growth in the United States and European markets.”
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With more than 1,000 customers, MSN Group has had to establish processes to guarantee uniformity across the board.
“Consistency in delivery and quality as well as understanding the dynamics of each and every country is essential, because each has its own regulatory challenges,” Katkam explains. “So how we handle this complexity with future growth is a key focus.
“But what we’ve created over the past 20 years is an ecosystem and internal operations system that can handle that number of customers, so that ultimately growth is an advantage, not just a challenge.”
In the highly competitive, dynamic industry of pharmaceutical solutions, MSN Group is constantly innovating so as to not only set itself apart, but to ultimately benefit those on the front line: the patients.
“That drive and passion for innovation is always keeping us motivated,” Katkam enthuses. “Every year we are developing 35–40 products. So today we are at 505 and next year we’re on track to reach 550 products.
“That speed of development gives the advantage to the patients, as early launch means a formulation to the market that creates affordability.”
Aligning with partners
Managing such an extensive product portfolio means an unavoidable dependence on partners along ever stage of the supply chain. Especially those, like Informatics and IT solutions provider Caliber Technologies, whose principles and ethos align with those of MSN Group.
“The supply assurance is a big challenge,” Katkam admits. “Having the right partners to support and maintain the life cycle of each product is crucial.
“I strongly feel that whatever we are implementing, the relationship or the strategic collaboration with partners is essential to maintain the product portfolio as well as support us for the future.”
“There should always be a customer-first approach.”
One of the measures to safeguard this has been the introduction of in-house manufacturing for pre-starting materials and intermediates, although Katkam adds that it’s not a complete solution.
“We can’t really do everything in-house. It’s not possible because it’s also important to create strategic partnerships with companies that can support us with respect to technologies and key materials,” he notes.
After close to 30 years in the industry, Katkam has learned that there is a particular blueprint that can be employed in order to succeed. From the delivery of consistent quality and compliance to competitiveness, he advises that commercial success needs to be driven by a desire to assist the consumer above all else.
“There should always be a customer-first approach,” he concludes. “Never ever allow customer dissatisfaction into the system. Every part of the business and every employee, not just those in sales and marketing, need to be aligned with customer expectations.”
