Santosh Mahil appointed CEO of Sekhmet Pharmaventures

A private equity consortium led by PAG, an Asia-focused investment firm, has appointed Santosh Kumar Mahil as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sekhmet Pharmaventures. The platform was set up to support and scale India’s next generation of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) companies.

Mahil has nearly 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector. He has held leadership roles at companies including Lupin, USV, Unichem, and Shilpa Medicare. Most recently, he served as CEO of Shilpa Pharma Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Shilpa Medicare focused on research, development and manufacturing. His career spans the pharmaceutical value chain across APIs, formulations, intermediates, and contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services. He has led initiatives in strategic expansion, operations, customer relations, and mergers and acquisitions.

Sekhmet Pharmaventures is the Indian arm of Gamot API, a Singapore-based platform formed by PAG in collaboration with Indian private equity firms CX Partners and Samara Capital. Gamot API was created to acquire stakes in growing pharmaceutical companies. The Sekhmet platform includes API manufacturers Anjan Drug (Chennai) and the Optimus Drugs Group of Companies. Both companies operate under regulatory frameworks for global markets.

Nikhil Srivastava, Partner and Co-Head of Private Equity at PAG, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Mahil to the Sekhmet Pharmaventures leadership team. With a proven track record of transforming good companies into industry leaders, he brings the vision and expertise to accelerate our growth. Mahil’s exceptional ability to innovate, drive expansion, and capitalise on new market opportunities perfectly aligns with Sekhmet’s commitment to excellence. We are confident that Sekhmet will achieve even greater success under his leadership.”

Dr D. Srinivas Reddy, Founder of Optimus, said, “This appointment marks a step forward for Sekhmet Pharmaventures and its mission to deliver high quality, affordable health products to customers in India and around the world. Our vertically integrated capabilities give us an edge in meeting customer requirements. As we prepare for our next stage of growth, Mahil’s experience in building customer relationships and driving innovation, will be a perfect fit.”

Dr C. Kalaichelvan, Founder of Anjan Drugs, added, “The business has more than doubled after the consortium invested in Anjan. Mahil is a recognised leader in our industry with strong experience in building businesses. We are very pleased to welcome him to the team as we continue to strengthen the platform further.”

Santosh Mahil said, “I am very pleased to join the Sekhmet platform and look forward to working with PAG and its consortium partners as well as the entire Sekhmet team. I am looking forward to using my experience to help accelerate Sekhmet’s growth into a world-class provider of health solutions.”