Steps Bio Inc, USA
Ashish Vengsarkar
Executive Chairman – Board of Directors
Ashish Vengsarkar has extensive experience leading technology and business organizations in the high-tech networking space. In a career spanning three decades, he has played pivotal roles at large companies like Google, building optical networks, as well as driving growth at tech startups that he has founded. He is currently the CEO of nEye.ai, a company that is transforming AI infrastructure.
Ashish serves on the boards of startups Endoluxe (Medical Devices), Reva (Mental Health) and Maker Bhavan Foundation (STEM education via hands-on learning).
Ashish holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
Manoj Nerurkar, Ph.D.
CO-Founder
Manoj Nerurkar is a Co-founder of Steps Bio, Inc. Before founding Steps Bio, Manoj was Chief Operating Officer of Syngene International Ltd, where he was responsible for strategic leadership and operational management underpinning Syngene’s growth over past 10 years, leading to a successful IPO on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
Prior to Syngene, Manoj worked for Novartis Healthcare and Bristol-Myers Squibb in various positions of increasing responsibilities. Manoj holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kansas and has completed a management program from The Wharton School of Business.
Harshal Bhagwatwar, Ph.D.
CO-Founder
Harshal Bhagwatwar is Co-founder of Steps Bio, Inc. Before founding Steps Bio, Harshal was Senior Vice President and head of injectable R&D at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, where he was instrumental in establishing the injectables vertical. Harshal has led development of over 30 generic and 505(b)(2) products in injectable and ophthalmic space.
Prior to Dr. Reddy’s, Harshal worked for Sun Pharma and Wockhardt in various positions of increasing responsibilities. Harshal holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Houston, Texas.
Louise Hucal
Chief Financial Officer
Louise Hucal is Chief Financial Officer of Steps Bio, Inc. Prior to her current roles in the start-up sector, she held senior financial management roles with Inventiv Health, Caremark and Baxter International. Concurrent roles include Chief Financial Officer of Inkbox Ink Inc. and Endoluxe Inc. Louise holds MBA from the University of Tulsa, ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors, Illinois State CPA certification and B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, Stout.
Vish Shetty
Chief Commercial Officer
Vish Shetty is Chief Commercial Officer at Steps Bio, Inc. Prior to joining Steps Bio he held the position of Chief Strategy Officer at Medefil. Vish has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical industry managing global pharmaceutical business in companies like Fresenius Kabi, Hospira, Baxter, Nevakar and InnoPharma. During his tenure in these companies, Vish had leadership roles which involved Market Research, Drug Development, Portfolio Management, Strategy, Marketing and Business Development.
Vish holds a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Poona College of Pharmacy. He has MS in Pharmacy Administration and MS in Management Information Systems from UIC and an MBA from Lake Forest School of Management.
Steps Bio India Pvt Ltd
Manoj Nerurkar, Ph.D.
Director & Chief Executive Officer
Manoj Nerurkar is Director and Chief Executive Officer of Steps Bio India Pvt Ltd. Before founding Steps Bio, Manoj was Chief Operating Officer of Syngene International Ltd, where he was responsible for strategic leadership and operational management underpinning Syngene’s growth over past 10 years, leading to a successful IPO on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
Prior to Syngene, Manoj worked for Novartis Healthcare and Bristol-Myers Squibb in various positions of increasing responsibilities. Manoj holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kansas and has completed a management program from The Wharton School of Business.
Harshal Bhagwatwar, Ph.D.
Director & Chief Scientific Officer
Harshal Bhagwatwar is Director and Chief Scientific Officer of Steps Bio India Pvt. Before founding Steps Bio, Harshal was Senior Vice President and head of injectable R&D at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, where he was instrumental in establishing the injectables vertical. Harshal has led development of over 30 generic and 505(b)(2) products in injectable and ophthalmic space.
Prior to Dr. Reddy’s, Harshal worked for Sun Pharma and Wockhardt in various positions of increasing responsibilities. Harshal holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Houston, Texas.
Sanjeev Sukumaran
Chief Operating Officer
Sanjeev is a seasoned leader and management consultant with over 20 years of international experience across Fortune 100 companies and diverse sectors including financial services, software, education, FMCG, big data, healthcare, e-commerce, and shipping. He specializes in strategic management, business advisory, sales, and client relationship management, and has played pivotal roles in scaling startups and securing Series A and B funding. Sanjeev’s expertise spans consumer acquisition, business strategy, Lean consulting, post-merger integration, shared services, and transformative program management. Renowned for his strong communication skills and ability to build lasting relationships at the CXO level, he is recognized as a trusted advisor to clients worldwide.