Jeremy Desai
Pharmacy 1981
Dr Jeremy Desai graduated from Sunderland with a BSc (Hons) Pharmacy in 1981, and is now President and Chief Operating Officer for the largest Canadian owned pharmaceutical company in the world, Apotex Inc. The company produces more than 300 generic pharmaceuticals to fulfill over 88 million prescriptions each year with sales exceeding $1 billion a year, and exports to 115 countries around the world.
Dr Desai, who was named Alumnus of the Year in 2013, firmly believes that it is essential that major companies such as Apotex, which has around 7,000 employees, must find graduates who have a global mindset.
“Apotex Inc has a global footprint, therefore it is important that we recruit new talent who have been exposed to different people, cultures and working practices.
“Today’s modern graduates need to manage their career pathway outside of their own country and take proactive steps to re-skill to meet the needs of other countries. This will make them more marketable when climbing up the corporate ladder, or when pursuing their own projects as entrepreneurs.
“It is vital in today’s business environment for students to have skills that are transferable, and even more importantly, be mobile and flexible to have the courage to venture into different countries.”
Sunderland is dear to Jeremy's hear: he says pharmacy degree "continues to serve as a great backbone of knowledge for all subsequent roles that I have held in a pharmaceutical career spanning 28 years."