CHAMPIONING A BRAVE NEW ERA FOR BIO-TECH

BioTech - Pharma visionary and CEO of Sphaera Pharma Pvt. Ltd., Abhinav Dhandia is inspiring his team to explore bold new frontiers in pre-clinical drug discovery and development – spearheading new journeys for the industry. 

MEET THE LEADER

Abhinav Dhandia is a pharmaceutical and biotech business professional with over 15 years in the drug discovery and development industry. He’s been part of multiple global drug discovery endeavours and has been instrumental in creating new companies to advance small molecule based therapeutics towards clinical development, raise independent financing and create value for patients and stakeholders. 
Abhinav Dhandia is currently the CEO of Sphaera Pharma Pvt. Ltd. - an integrated drug discovery and development organization led by globally feted pharma and biotech professionals. The organization’s overarching goal is to bring innovative therapies to patients with unmet medical needs by developing a balanced portfolio of early stage discovery projects and clinical programs. Sphaera’s research facility in India has established in-house capabilities in various aspects of pre-clinical drug discovery and development, such as medicinal chemistry, process development and scale up, in-vitro and in-vivo pharmacology and early clinical development.
We begin the session by probing into his life and success mantra. “Perseverance and Innovation can surmount any challenge. If you haven’t found a solution, it’s because you haven’t looked hard enough. I apply this philosophy in my personal and professional life” responds the man, who lets his conviction and passion do most of the talking. 

THE BIG IDEA 

We move onto the essence and significance of the idea Abhinav is evangelizing. How would he describe it for our readers? Abhinav articulates…. 
“Pharmaceutical R&D is a classic example of how human grit is capable of solving some of the greatest challenges. We’ve worked on projects for years before coming across ground-breaking science. As individuals and innovation engines we must always leave room for serendipity. Great ideas and breakthroughs often come from places where you least expect them. We just have to be diligent and observant to recognize them – and then follow with unwavering focus.”

THE TRIGGER 

Why and how did this idea or philosophy become the prime driver of his journey? Was there any specific incident or person who drove or inspired it? Abhinav reflects on the source of his focus and dedication… 
“A very dear friend of mine had been pursuing CA from when we passed out of school. While a lot of us went on to make good careers and great jobs, this friend, for a variety of reasons, couldn’t complete his CA examinations. But he kept at it for 11+ years and finally achieved his goal. He’s now a reputed professional at a big 4 consulting firm. His perseverance convinced me that to achieve anything you have to keep at it. Timing often is not in our control but if we set our eyes on what we want, we’d get it – sooner or later.”

THE INFLUENCE 

Passionate leaders touch hearts and transform lives well beyond their limited circles. So how has his idea been impacting the life and work his teams, alliances and, indeed, his ‘personal ecosystem’? The idea leader shares how the culture of resilience – a critical piece of the jigsaw in any organization – has been systematically ingrained in the collective psyche of his teams… 
“Innovation and science often cannot be forced in the timelines of commercial demands. Sphaera as an organization has been resilient through the ups and downs of R&D and has delivered many first in class/ best-in-class projects, collaborations with some of the most prestigious academic centres globally, and delivered drugs to the clinical doorstep. 

THE FUTURE

So what is the bigger target or goal he wants to solve in the future with the help of his idea / mantra? Abhinav grabs the opportunity to reveal his bigger purpose…
“I want to make a meaningful contribution in improving the life of People. Look at health holistically and improve the quality of human life. 
The realms of medicine can transcend multiple knowledge basis and currently, these operate in complete silos. There’s a lot to be learnt from each other.”

FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS 

The journeys of passionate leaders often turn into tested success templates for the next generation. We solicit Abhinav for advice that can inspire future leaders. The man shares…
“Being passionately committed to a cause can drive individuals to become the best version of themselves. This sounds cliché but can never be over-rated – find something that is capable of driving you to your limits. In this journey, we need team members who are equally passionate and share the vision. A good leader must always invest their time in their team and the right team will carry any organization through the worst of lows into the best. At Sphaera, we are fortunate to have a team that has not only managed to ride the crisis through Covid but has also grown in terms of size and scale. 

FOR VOH READERS

A revealing and inspiring session is drawing to its conclusion. We sign off by requesting the idea first leader to share a short line or two about VOH, and how leadership content such as this one is important when it comes to adding direction, inspiration and positive energy to the healthcare community. Says Abhinav…
“It is our experiences that inspires the future leaders and learning from our mistakes will help them chart their paths better. Platforms like VOH can enable sharing of ideas that is beyond commercial objectives and are truly motivated by human health. VOH has innovative formats for facilitating these interactions and has built an impressive viewership in a short time.”

*This is Published by VOH Team.*