Purnendu Chatterjee, Ph.D.
Dr. Chatterjee is the Founder and Chairman of ‘The Chatterjee Group’, a multi-billion dollar global investment conglomerate head-quartered in New York and the sponsor of ‘TCG Lifesciences Private Limited’. He founded the TCG Lifesciences in 1998. He is responsible for providing strategic direction and guidance for the growth of our company. He has over 35 years of industry experience. He is also a founder member of ‘Indian School of Business’, Hyderabad and a member of the governing council of ‘Public Health Foundation of India’. Prior to forming the TCG Group, Dr Chatterjee was advisor to the Soros Fund Management and responsible for over USD 3 Billion in global investments. He holds a B. Tech. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He also holds a M.S. and PhD in operations research from the University of California, Berkley.
Swapan Bhattacharya
Swapan Bhattacharya is the Managing Director of TCG Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Bhattacharya is responsible for the executive leadership and overall management of the company. He has been associated with the TCG group since 1995 and has spear headed the group’s investments in India and its foray into life sciences from 1998. He has over 30 years of experience in national and international organizations. Prior to joining us, he has held positions with Paine Webber Inc. as Senior Vice President; and with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In January 2009 has been awarded ‘Udyog Rattan’ Award by Institute of Economic Studies, India for his outstanding contribution in India’s industrial development. He is also the Ex Co-Chairman of the biotechnology committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (“FICCI”) and holds various committee positions in US India Business Council, CII and AMCHAM. He holds a bachelor’s degree in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, a master of sciences from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, U.S.A and a degree in Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, U.S.A.
Chris H. Senanayake, Ph.D.
Dr. Chris H. Senanayake was born in Sri Lanka and received a BS degree (First Class) in Sri Lanka. After coming to the United States, he completed his MS at Bowling Green State University with Professor Thomas Kinstle in synthetic chemistry. He obtained his Ph.D. under the guidance of Professor James H. Rigby at Wayne State University in 1987 where he worked on the total synthesis of complex natural products, such as ophiobolanes, and completed the first total synthesis of grosshemin in the guaianolide family. He then undertook a postdoctoral fellow with Professor Carl R. Johnson and worked on the total synthesis of polyol systems such as amphotericin B and compactin analogous, and the synthesis of C-nucleoside precursors.
In 1989, he joined the Department of Process Development at Dow Chemical Co. In 1990, he joined the Merck Process Research Group. After 6 years at Merck, he accepted a position at Sepracor, Inc. in 1996 where he was promoted to Executive Director of Chemical Process Research. In 2002, he joined Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He served 15 years as the Vice President of Chemical Development at BI and led a group of highly talented scientists, engineers, and administrative staff located in Ridgefield, CT. In 2018, he joined AstaTech (Chengdu) BioPharmaceutical Corporation as the Chief Executive Officer where he oversees all subsidiaries and founded AstaGreen Chem Inc., in Richmond, VA where he became CEO. In October 2019, he became the Chief Scientific Officer of TCG Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd. and founded TCG GreenChem Inc, in the US where he also became CEO. He was appointed President of AstaTech (Chengdu) BioPharmaceutical Corporation. Dr. Senanayake’s research interests focus on the development of new asymmetric methods for the synthesis of bioactive molecules and heterocycles and on catalytic, enzymatic, and mechanistic studies. He has published and lectured in the area of practical asymmetric synthesis and many disciplines of organic chemistry how to develop drugs on an economical, greener and practical manner in large-scale operation for rapid development of drugs. He is the co-author of >500 papers, patents, book chapters and review articles, and more than 115 patents in many areas of synthetic organic chemistry, drug development, and design of improved chemical entities. Dr. Senanayake participated in many drug development activities including, Crixivan, Lunesta, Jardiance, R, R Formotorol, Desvenlafaxine, HCV and many other drug candidates.
Dr. Senanayake demonstrates the ability to define and optimize chemical research and development strategies and tactics. He is able to “connect the dots” between the purely scientific and commercial perspectives and set up creative and effective strategies for new and proprietary products in ways that build value for the organization and create a competitive advantage. He is an Editorial Advisory Board Member of the Organic Process Research & Development Journal. In 2008, he was the chairperson of Stereochemistry Gordon Research Conference. In 2010, he received the prestigious Siegfried Gold Medal Award for development of practical processes for APIs and Process Chemistry. In 2011, He was appointed as an Editorial Board Member of the Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis Journal. In 2012, he was appointed as an Advisory Board Member of the Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry. In 2013, he was appointed as a Board of Editors Member for Organic Syntheses. In 2016, he joined as an IQ Board Member. In November 2017, he was appointed as an Advisory Board Member of Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry. In 2017, he was appointed as the Board of Director of CURE (connecting Connecticut’s science community). In 2020, he was invited give the Behringer Simon Lecture at ETH on Sustainable Manufacturing Processes for APIs. He was appointed as an Adjunct Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and also appointed a Prestigious Research Professorship at University of Toledo.
Rakesh Pandya
Mr. Pandya is currently responsible for the financial management of MCPI Private Limited. Before joining MCPI, he was associated with TCG Lifesciences (TCGLS), for 21 years as Head of Finance. Prior to joining TCGLS, he was employed with DSP Merrill Lynch, ITC Classic Finance, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Chatterjee Management Services Private Limited. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India.
Goutam Das, Ph.D.
Dr. Goutam Das did his Ph.D. in molecular biology at the Univ of Calcutta and post-doctoral studies at Univ of Rochester, NY, USA. Dr. Das joined as a senior scientist at Astra Research Centre India, Bangalore (later known as Astra Zeneca R&D Bangalore) in 1988. Dr. Das left ARCI in 1994 to set up Syngene Intl Pvt Ltd, Asia’s first CRO/CDMO at the invitation of Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the founder of Biocon group. During his tenure of seventeen years from 1994 till 2010 end, Syngene remained India’s premiere CRO/CMDO. Dr. Das was the COO of Syngene reporting to KMS and the board. Dr. Das was also one of the six members of the Biocon Senior Management team. Later Dr. Das joined the board of Premas Biotech Limited, Gurugram, Haryana, India and he is still with Premas in that capacity. Dr. Das has served many other companies like MMV, Switzerland and TojoVikas Pvt Ltd, Bangaloreas senior advisor and currently associated with Biomoneta, Bangalore as an advisor. Dr. Das has been associated with TCGLS since 2011.