Hitesh Sanganee

Hitesh Sanganee is a prominent figure in the pharmaceutical industry, currently serving as the Executive Director and Head of Emerging Innovations at AstraZeneca.13 In this role, he leads the Emerging Innovations Unit, which focuses on discovering and catalyzing new ideas that can benefit patients.1

Career Highlights

Sanganee has had a distinguished career at AstraZeneca, where he has made significant contributions:

• Open Innovation: He played a crucial role in establishing and leading AstraZeneca's Open Innovation function, collaborating with academic institutions and funding bodies like the MRC (UK) and NIH (US) to identify novel uses for AstraZeneca medicines.1
• Internal Ideation: Known as a futurist within the company, Sanganee has driven internal ideation and has a keen sense for predicting trends in science and technology that will impact the pharmaceutical industry.1
• Previous Roles: Before his current position, he worked in the science function at AstraZeneca, serving as a chemistry cluster lead for drug repositioning projects and potential in-licensing projects.1

Educational Background

Hitesh Sanganee has a strong academic foundation:

• DPhil (PhD) in Chemistry from Oxford University12
• BA degree, also from Oxford University2
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)2

Research and Achievements

Throughout his career, Sanganee has made significant contributions to the field:

• He has led teams to successful milestone transitions in all phases of drug discovery.1
• His research has primarily focused on respiratory and inflammation-related disease areas.14
• Sanganee has more than 40 patents and publications to his name, demonstrating his innovative approach and expertise in the field.1

Hitesh Sanganee joined AstraZeneca in 1999 as a Medicinal Chemist and has since held various leadership positions within the company.14 His expertise spans the entire R&D value chain, and he is known for his strategic approach to drug discovery and development.3