Vasant Narasimhan

Vasant "Vas" Narasimhan (born August 26, 1976) is an Indian-American physician and the chief executive officer of Novartis. He succeeded Joseph Jimenez who left Novartis in 2018. He worked in McKinsey & Co and Sandoz before joining Novartis. Early life Narasimhan was born in Pittsburgh in 1976 to parents who originated from Tamil Nadu, India. Narasimhan's mother was a nuclear engineer for Public Service Electric and Gas Company and his father was an executive at Hoeganaes Corporation. Narasimhan received his bachelor's degree in biological sciences from University of Chicago, his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and his master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. During his undergraduate and post-graduate studies, he worked on public health programs including the National HIV Treatment Program in Botswana, the American Red Cross in The Gambia and child poverty in India.