Amit Mookim, Managing Director, IQVIA South Asia, has the deep desire to make a change and leave a legacy.
Q. Please tell us something about yourself. What have been the key highlights in your career? Any awards/achievements that you would you want to share with us?
I consider myself a classic representation of a small-town, middle class Indian who was taught very early in life that one has to work hard and excel in his academics for professional and personal success. Education, integrity and hard work were basic values taught in our family of 5, and my journey began from a small town in West Bengal to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, USA and back to Mumbai as I trace my academic and professional journey. I ranked well in class, and therein was laid the foundation of aiming for success in whatever I strive for. I joined a Big 5 Accounting firm to start my career, which laid the grounds for a professional pursuit that has been tremendously fulfilling till now. I was made Partner in one of the Big 5 in my early 30s, and then went on to lead the South Asia business of a multinational organization before I turned 40. My greatest reward and gift have been my circle of mentors and coaches I have had in my journey who have always pushed me to work on my weaknesses and continue to stay focused and driven.
Q. How digital savvy is your organization? What about you personally?
I can’t compare our organization with other companies, but the technology is at the heart of everything we do, and we also work with our clients on their digital investments and initiatives. In addition, our organization comprises a significant proportion of millennials, thus having a view of how we can make our workplace, our operations, our infrastructure and our processes more agile, efficient and connected is incredibly important.
I consider myself very average personally. My usage of technology has largely been limited to communication, tracking my own productivity, seeking interesting content to learn. I am a firm believer in doing some work manually every day to stay ‘connected’ to my own self and imbibe a level of humanness and connectedness to the world around us which is more grounded if I can use that word. Everything needs to be in balance and I do feel I have an adequate balance between these.
Q. How do you see Analytics and new technology – IoT, Block chain, Cognitive computing- shaping up the Healthcare sector in the context of future of work? Do we have enough talent pool in our country for us to become market leaders globally?
Healthcare is a human science, and we at IQVIA call ourselves a Human Data Science company. We believe that technology, data and analytics will shape the future of healthcare and how HCPs will practice their profession. The world is becoming increasingly connected and our ability to process more computing power is a great boost to supporting healthcare professionals adopt more real-world, evidence based and even more precise approaches to practicing medicine and healthcare.
Becoming market leaders in healthcare can be interpreted in many ways. I don’t think it’s a question of just talent. Of course, being a people driven industry, honing, creating and growing the right level of talent is incredibly important and globally the world faces a talent shortage in healthcare, let alone India. We are dealing with many challenges at the ground level on many fronts, and to me, that sometimes leads to a very different level of innovation to solve problems of scale, access and resource crunch and maybe not some of the long-term break-through R&D led innovation that is led by economies that have more luxury of time and resources. I firmly believe in the potential of our country to lead the way in many areas including healthcare. Our science of wellness and medicine is centuries old and many tenets of those are being imbibed in the modern healthcare system.
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Q. Do you see India’s rise in EODB (Ease of doing business) index attracting higher FDI in the near-term?
Certainly – this is an indicator considered by many potential entrants, but beyond this also lies the sheer potential of our market and economy in terms of domestic demand and consumption.
Q. While hiring senior leaders in your organization, which competencies, other than domain expertise, do you assess?
An attitude to persevere and succeed, a deep desire to make a change and leave a legacy, humility and self-awareness, integrity, honesty and candor, clarity of thought, a bias for action and over and above, a pleasant and friendly persona.
Q. Would you like to share your a-ha moment as a CEO.
Every day is one – sometimes I learn from our clients, sometimes from the youngsters who join our company fresh from campus, and sometimes from the frustration of not being able to achieve what I set out to do. What I have learnt during my career is that motivators for each individual is very different, and often money and power may not be the lasting ones.
Q. How would you describe your corporate higher purpose and how do you help your employees share your vision for the company’s role in society?
Our EVP states that we want to nurture and grow Brave Minds for a Healthier world. Our people and our work should endeavor to create impact and a healthier community and society. We want to bring the best of innovation and focus to our clients, and we want to create an environment of caring, contributing and giving. Our focus has always been to proactively work on pressing issues in our country whether they are on health, livelihood or environment, and we encourage our people to not only contribute materially but also through time in these initiatives.
Q. What personal development goals have you set to keep yourself professionally relevant?
I believe in continuous learning, fitness and using my energy for the set of goals I have set for myself. I like taking learning visits to different countries to understand what’s really happening in the field of healthcare. I strive to stay active in industry associations that are relevant to my profession as it helps me stay relevant, networked and also contribute to the industry I work in. I try and keep myself fit and active by running marathons, and make it a point to pick up one area of expertise or knowledge every year.
Q. What keeps you awake at night?
I often worry about the future of the next few generations and how they will cope with an increasingly complex world, and whether we are really being able to leave a legacy that will help them lead more fulfilling lives. The world is slowly becoming more disconnected while being connected, resources are drying up, and a sense of comfort, complacency and entitlement is slowly creeping in, which could be very risky in the long run. As leaders and organizations, I do feel we need to work on this area and spread more awareness and concern for these issues for the benefit of our future generations.
About Amit Mookim
Managing Director – IQVIA South Asia
In his career span of about 20 years, Amit has set up and led successful businesses, mentored startups, partnered with industry and government on policy advisory across Universal Healthcare, Pricing, and Access. He has advised Indian and multinational corporations, funding organizations like the World Bank and DFID, Governments, Private Equity and Venture funds and startups. He is on the core committees of leading industry associations such as FICCI, OPPI, NATHEALTH, and TiE. As part of his Board role at TiE, a non-profit organization to support entrepreneurship, Amit has created and set up the healthcare startup community. Amit has done his Bachelors in Economics from University of Kolkata and his MBA from FMS, Delhi. He is an amateur marathon runner as well.
