Mrs. Natasha Poonawalla

Chairperson

Natasha Poonawalla is the Executive Director of Serum Institute of India, one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers by volume. She also serves as Chairperson of Serum Life Sciences, a newly-established business focused on developing, producing and supplying pandemic vaccines, and works on creative and business strategy for Cyrus Poonawalla Group companies.

Additionally, Natasha is Chairperson of the Villoo Poonawalla Foundation, her family’s foundation, which was launched in 2012 to improve lives through a focus on increasing education, healthcare, safe water and environmental sanitation. The Foundation invests in a wide range of social projects to help advance the life outcomes of underprivileged communities in India, including establishing its own schools to provide much-needed education, and investing in clean drinking water and a large-scale sanitation program in the city of Pune.

Natasha serves as the Director of the Poonawalla Science Park, Netherlands, is Chair of the British Asian Children’s Protection Fund for India, and is a member of the British Asian Trust’s India Advisory Council.

Passionate about business, philanthropy, fashion and design, Natasha holds an M.Sc. in Organisational Behaviour from the London School of Economics.

Mr. Parag Deshmukh

Director

A Mechanical Engineer with an Masters in Business Administration from the University of Pune (India), Parag leads the Global Business Team at the Serum Institute of India (SII).

Through his 14-year tenure at SII, Parag has overseen direct exports to more than 90 countries and is responsible for engaging on business matters with international goverment bodies and global partners like UNICEF, PAHO, MSF, Gavi, etc. His experience in managing strategic public-private partnerships has helped SII establish strong long term business contracts worldwide.

Being part of the Strategic Corporate Core Group in the company, Parag helms the Logistic and Supply Chain Team at SII, which supplies vaccines to over 145 countries. As Lead Coordinator for global supply chain activities including supply of COVID-19 vaccines he is actively involved in negotiations and liaisons with governments and licensing partners.

Mr. Jamshed Wadia

Director

A global citizen at heart, Jamshed was born in Bombay and educated in Switzerland. He moved to the UK where he qualified as a barrister and later as a chartered accountant.

In 1977 he joined Arthur Andersen, London, in its tax practice. In 1993 he became the Managing Partner of the London office and was appointed CEO of Arthur Andersen worldwide from 1997 to 2000. In 2002 he became Chief Operating Officer of the international law firm Linklaters, where he remained till 2005.

Jamshed is actively involved in many startup companies and brings his years of experience and incisive understanding of legal and finance matters tempered by a global consciousness.

An ardent Chelsea F.C. supporter, Jamshed is married with two children and four grandchildren. He resides in London, a city with which the Wadia family has a connection dating back to 1895 when his maternal great grandfather Sir Mancherjee Bhownagree was elected Member of Parliament of the Conservative Party.

Mr. Andrew Coll

Chief Financial Officer

Andrew Coll brings over 30 years of business and finance experience to his role as CFO of Serum Life Sciences Ltd, leading the company’s financial operations and responsible for accounting, audit, treasury, tax, risk management, corporate finance and investor relations. He also oversees and manages all human resources and facilities activities.

Andrew’s business experience spans industry sectors, and includes international high-tech, project-based and retail businesses. He also brings with him many years of experience working with Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals and Family Offices. He has served in leadership roles for diverse organisations ranging from large US and UK corporates, an AIM listed plc and PE/VC backed businesses.

A UK Chartered Accountant by training, Andrew served as CFO at Impulse Dynamics, a Hobart Group company until 2020, where he professionalised the Finance function, supported 3 rounds of fundraising and structured international expansion. His previous roles have encompassed the gamut of financial management including business strategy, tax planning, fundraising, mergers & acquisitions and investor relations.

Mr. Chand Mehta

Head of Business Development

Chand is responsible for negotiating manufacturing and licensing deals as well as forging partnerships with new organisations and institutional stakeholders. Having worked closely with key global health players such as Gavi, BMGF & CEPI, he complements the team with his deep knowledge and understanding of vaccine markets.

Prior to joining Serum Life Sciences, Chand led a team at the Clinton Health Access Initiative focusing on vaccine market access in low- and middle-income countries. During early stages of the pandemic, he helped map global vaccine manufacturing capacity and establish a network of Drug Product manufacturers.

Chand’s career started in Finance at Novartis, driving a $1.3bn portfolio spanning 50+ brands in the Ophthalmological Medical Device division. He graduated from Oxford University with a BA Hons in Economics & Management and an MSc in Social Sciences. Chand is a passionate skier and rock climber, as well as an avid Liverpool FC supporter.