Our Team
Manoj Nerurkar, Ph.D.
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
Manoj Nerurkar is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer 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 & COO
Harshal Bhagwatwar is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer 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.