Leaving home to face new challenges isn’t easy. But Jayasimha Reddy chose this path when he took leadership roles in Latin America. As General Manager, Mexico, at Cipla—a company that cares deeply about health—he uses his experience to make medicines more accessible and healthcare better.

He began his career in India, learning sales, marketing, and strategy. In 2018, he moved to Latin America, a place with many countries and rules. Living in Colombia, Panama, and now Mexico, he found that leading here means being flexible, understanding people, and building strong teams.

Jayasimha believes in steady progress, not perfection. He values clear communication, trust, and celebrating small wins. For him, leadership is about more than business goals—it’s about making a real difference in people’s lives. That’s what drives him every day at Cipla.

Let’s delve into the interview details below!

Can you share an overview of your professional journey, highlighting key milestones that have shaped your leadership in the pharmaceutical industry?

I started my professional journey in Sales & Marketing, thereupon taking lead roles in marketing, brand management, and strategy in renowned multinational companies. My work in India helped me to develop the necessary competencies of working in multiple therapeutic areas, diverse cultures, life cycle management, and adapting to intense competitive scenarios.

In 2018, I moved to Latin America as Head of Strategy & Marketing – LATAM. This gave me a good launch pad to understand the nuances of the pharmaceutical market in LATAM, in terms of diversity of various markets, and at the same time appreciate the opportunity that exists for branded generics. As part of a career transition, I opted to move into general management and began leading the operations in Central America, the Caribbean, and now in Mexico. During the course, I lived in 3 countries in LATAM — viz. Colombia, Panama, and Mexico. This gave me the opportunity to develop as a person as well.

What inspired you to pursue a leadership role in the Latin American pharmaceutical sector, and how has your vision evolved over time?

I was initially a little hesitant to move to LATAM from the comfort of India, considering challenges like distance from the home country, language, family, and education needs. But after some research and talking to my mentors, I could appreciate the opportunity that exists for quality pharmaceutical products in LATAM, especially due to the inherent gaps that prevail in healthcare access across LATAM. Over the years, I have been able to develop and work with a network of partners for the larger vision of providing more accessible medicines and ultimately contributing to the health of patients, which gives me a lot of satisfaction.

What is your company’s mission, and how does it align with the broader goal of improving healthcare equity in Latin America?

The mission of our company is Caring for Life. Over the last 90 years, this spirit of contributing towards making life better for everyone has been the driving force of our company. The principles of integrity, trust, responsibility, and quality products with innovation are aligned with our broader goal of improving access to healthcare in Latin America.

How does your organization adapt its strategies to address the diverse economic and healthcare challenges across different Latin American countries?

We approach each country as an independent market. Our efforts of adaptation start right from the beginning, which includes portfolio selection for each market, setting an accessible price, and improving access—this requires coordinated efforts with different stakeholders like regulatory authorities, patient advocacy groups, medico-marketing, insurance, and ultimately creating a winning Go-To-Market strategy.

Describe a significant challenge you faced in your career within the pharma industry. How did you overcome it, and what did it teach you about leadership?

I think it is difficult to specify a challenge per se, but I can relate more to the initial quarters after moving to LATAM. It meant I was starting from the initial stage (if not zero), considering that I had a lot to learn about the diverse pharmaceutical markets in LATAM, manage diverse teams, and launch operations in different countries. Although LATAM is considered as one region, there are many peculiarities in each country. This means that, as a leader, you need to be agile in your planning and execution.

How do you foster innovation within your team to address the unique healthcare needs of Latin American markets?

We invest adequate time and resources in the skill development of teams. We also have periodic exchanges of ideas across teams to share good practices from different markets.

What leadership principles do you rely on to build and sustain high-performing, culturally diverse teams across Latin America?

Empowering teams and making them an integral part of the journey brings involvement and ownership. We understand that, given these markets are diverse and dynamic, you may not always have the perfect plan—but what’s important is to make progress. It is paramount to have constant communication to maintain focus on goals, build trust, and take time to celebrate successes.

How do you balance regulatory compliance with the need for agility and innovation in the fast-evolving pharmaceutical landscape?

Regulatory compliance is not a choice but a responsibility, which helps build trust in your company, team, and products. Again, due to the diversity of the LATAM market, the regulatory pathways are not uniform, which often creates challenges in business planning. New product approvals and launches, which are scattered, create operational complexity. So, planning becomes very crucial to remain agile and perform effectively in these situations.

What is one critical piece of guidance you wish you had received as a young professional starting in the pharmaceutical industry?

In my early days in the professional journey, I was fortunate to have worked with some incredible leaders who were instrumental in giving me challenging projects that helped me grow as a professional, and I am thankful for their guidance. From the perspective of the current competitive era, one piece of advice I would consider important is to focus on progress, but not necessarily perfection.