Dr Reddy's, KKR appoints Shikha Sharma as independent director, advisor respectively

New Delhi: Listed in esteemed publications, such as Asia’s 50 Power Business Women 2012, Most Powerful Indians 2012 and Power List of 25 Most Influential Women 2012, Shikha Sharma has been appointed as Dr Reddy's independent additional director for a period of five years. While investment firm KKR has also named her as an advisor to its corporate and real estate-focused non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India.

Pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories recently said it has appointed Axis Bank's former Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Shikha Sharma as company's independent additional director for five years.

"Shikha Sanjaya Sharma has been appointed as an additional director, categorised as independent, on the Board of Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd for a period of five years, effective January 31, 2019," the company said in a filing to the BSE.

Sharma was the Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank from June 2009 up to December 2018, it added. She was succeeded by Amitabh Chaudhry taking charge on January 1, 2019.

She has more than thirty years of experience in the financial sector, having begun her career with ICICI Bank Ltd in 1980. During her tenure with the ICICI group, she was instrumental in setting up ICICI Securities, Dr Reddy's said.

Sharma holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and PGD in Software Technology from National Centre for Software Technology, Mumbai, it added.

Incidentally, just this week, investment firm KKR has also named her as an advisor to its corporate and real estate-focused non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India. These alternative credit businesses have a combined net worth of nearly Rs 4640 crore. As an advisor, Sharma will assist KKR’s NBFCs by advising them on areas for business growth, value-creation opportunities, and strategic mergers and acquisitions, among other duties, reports people matters.

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