Dilip Shanghvi, chairman & managing director, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, has been named as the Ernst &Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2010. In an interview with Ranju Sarkar, Shanghvi shares his thoughts. Edited excerpts.
What does this award mean to you?
I think it is a recognition of what Team Sun has been able to deliver in terms of consistently producing above-average growth by focusing on fulfilling what our customers expect from us. So, our focus is on research, manufacturing high-quality products, and looking for products that our customers need to treat our patients with.
What would be your strategy going forward for Sun Pharma as well as Taro?
We would like to create centres of excellence in technology in different research sites that we have in India as well as now in Israel and Canada, and leverage these capabilities to produce innovative and differentiated products and sell them not only in India and the US, but also in regulated and semi-regulated markets as a brand company.
What’s the progress in R&D in your innovation company?
If your question is related to our innovation company (Spark) then I think we are quite excited about our products that are in development for treatment of cancer, certain opthalmological conditions, we see big opportunities when these products will come to market in the next 3-4 years.
What do you think are the key attributes of a good entrepreneur?
A good entrepreneur is able to spot an opportunity before others see it. He is able to risk money for opportunities that don’t exist today, and he’s able to create a team around him who share his vision, and helps in execution and I think continues to learn all the time.