2026 Fall Symposium - Bios

Andi Cupallari is a seasoned leader in AI, commercial analytics, and forecasting with over a decade of experience across global pharmaceutical organizations. He is currently the Director of Strategic Forecasting at Merck. Previously, Andi held AI leadership roles at Gilead and Novartis, with work spanning advanced data science, advanced analytics, and forecasting. He also serves as a lecturer at the Columbia University Data Science Institute, where he created and teaches a graduate course on data science, AI, and agentic AI for pharma commercial applications. Andi holds a PhD in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics from the CUNY Graduate Center and was a member of the 2025 PMSA Fall Symposium organizing committee.

Siddhant Deshmukh is Director of Medical AI Products at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he leads the strategy and development of AI-powered products across Medical Affairs and commercialization. His work spans medical and scientific intelligence, evidence generation, patient journey and care gaps, and medical value and impact.

With over a decade of experience in AI and advanced analytics, Siddhant focuses on translating emerging technologies into scalable products that improve decision-making and patient impact.

Luke Forster is Executive Director, Strategy, Operations and Innovation at Bristol Myers Squibb, part of the Commercialization AI Strategy and Analytics (CASA) team. He works on changing how BMS commercializes its medicines by building AI into everyday commercial work.

Luke sits between the vision and the doing. He brings leaders, teams, and priorities together around a clear plan, sets up simple ways of working and decision-making, and keeps the focus on whether AI is making a measurable difference. He is known for turning complex topics into clear, decision-ready recommendations, and for working in small, high-trust teams rather than relying on top-down mandates.

His focus is on outcomes: making sure AI work leads to real business results, and that what works in one brand or market can be shared and scaled across others.

Clare Gora is a Partner at Beghou with more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of technology, data, analytics, and life sciences. She specializes in data strategy, AI/ML-enabled analytics, scalable data architectures, and governance. Clare partners with executive, commercial, and medical leaders to translate complex real-world and commercial data into actionable insights that support clearer, more reliable decisions.

Shihan He is a Machine Learning Engineer at Novo Nordisk who develops AI and generative-AI solutions for healthcare and life-sciences applications. Her work spans data, model development, deployment, and enterprise-scale implementation, with a focus on multimodal and multi-agent systems. She is particularly interested in using AI to improve commercial effectiveness—helping teams make faster, more informed decisions, streamline workflows, personalize customer engagement, and accelerate access to innovative therapies. By combining expertise in mathematics, computer science, machine learning, and business strategy, Shihan translates emerging technologies into practical solutions with measurable organizational impact.

Strategic AI program leader with 15+ years translating business priorities into scalable Agentic AI and analytics initiatives across pharmaceutical commercial functions, FinTech, and e-commerce. Proven track record designing AI adoption roadmaps, governing cross-functional portfolios, and partnering with executive stakeholders, Tech delivery teams, and external vendors to drive measurable commercial impact. Deep pharma domain expertise spanning specialty portfolio analytics, patient journeys, HCP engagement, and patient-level claims data — with a consultative approach to embedding AI-driven decision-making across organizations. Experienced in change management, business case development, compliance governance, and building organizational AI literacy at scale.

Senior pharma and biotech executive with 20+ years of experience driving commercial and medical operations, advanced analytics, and AI transformation across specialty and rare-disease markets. Proven record of building and scaling patient identification platforms, commercial insights functions, and enterprise AI capabilities that accelerate launches, optimize field execution, delivering on patient outcomes and expand patient access.

Associate Director of Commercial Analytics at Kyowa Kirin, supporting the commercialization of a breakthrough oncology therapy. She brings over 10 years of experience in advanced analytics, data science, and consulting across the pharmaceutical and professional services industries. Her expertise spans marketing effectiveness and investment optimization, causal inference and experimentation, and AI/ML driven lead generation, targeting and segmentation.

Rajnish Kumar is a Principal in AI and Data at Axtria with more than 17 years of experience leading analytics transformation initiatives for global pharmaceutical companies. He brings deep expertise in commercial and patient analytics, including forecasting, omnichannel measurement, patient journey analysis, and real-world evidence across specialty therapeutic areas. Rajnish specializes in applying machine learning and generative AI to build scalable, enterprise decision-support capabilities that drive measurable commercial outcomes. He partners with senior leaders to shape analytics operating models, accelerate AI adoption, and translate strategic ambition into practical solutions.

Shishir is a consulting and AI leader at ZS, specializing in AI-driven omnichannel transformation for global pharmaceutical clients. He works at the intersection of business strategy, data, and technology to design and scale innovative enterprise solutions. He is passionate about translating emerging technologies into measurable business impact while building high-performing, collaborative teams.

Deva brings more than 20 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience, helping commercial teams address complex business challenges through data management, commercial reporting and analytics, master data management (MDM), and data warehouse implementation.

Rishi Manchanda is an Associate Partner at Beghou with more than 13 years of experience in life sciences. He specializes in HCP and patient omnichannel marketing, digital analytics, and the integration of strategy, data, and technology. Rishi partners with commercial leaders to translate complex data into actionable insights that strengthen HCP and patient engagement and support more informed marketing decisions.

Nicholas Mann is the Founder and CEO of Stratos Consulting, a Boston-based data and analytics consultancy that specializes in commercial data for biotech and pharma. Over the last 15 years, he has helped organizations from launch-stage biotechs to established pharma companies design, build, and run data warehouses, reporting ecosystems, and AI-ready analytics environments. His work centers on a simple belief: AI is only as useful as the data model underneath it.

Rickey Mehta is a Senior Principal at CustomerInsights.AI, where he leads the Commercial Excellence practice. He brings more than 40 years of experience driving sales and marketing excellence across global pharmaceutical organizations. His expertise spans commercial strategy, field effectiveness, sales operations, and performance optimization, with a strong focus on translating strategy into measurable business impact.

Sujit is an accomplished technology and data engineering leader with 20+ years of experience in data architecture, cloud platforms, AI/ML-enabled analytics, and enterprise information management, with deep expertise in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry. Proven track record of leading large-scale data transformations, modernizing legacy platforms, and delivering scalable solutions that drive business value, compliance, and operational excellence.

Barun Maskara is a Partner at Humigent, an AI-native life sciences analytics company that helps pharmaceutical organizations make smarter, faster decisions through advanced analytics and enterprise AI. A life sciences strategist and technologist with over 20 years of experience across R&D, commercial strategy, and analytics, Barun focuses on translating emerging technologies into practical solutions for complex challenges in pharma and medtech. Before founding Humigent, he held leadership roles at Deloitte, ZS, PharmaACE, and Boston Scientific. He is also a prolific inventor with more than 70 granted patents in cardiace

Barun holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, an MS in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar.

A certified PMP and SAFe Agile professional, with over 20 years of experience, enabling Artificial Intelligence, Data, Analytics and Insights IT Products for Life Science, Insurance and Financial Services Industries. Expertise demonstrated across Product development lifecycles with variety of roles - AI , Insights and Decision Science, Business Partner, IT Delivery Lead, IT Program Manager, and several technical roles such as Data and Analytics Solution Architect, Designer and Data Engineer.

Mario Nagathota is Director, Data Science & Omnichannel – Oncology and Hematology at Regeneron, where he leads data science initiatives supporting omnichannel commercial strategy. He brings deep expertise in advanced analytics, data engineering, AI/ML, and pattern recognition, developed across senior analytics roles at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Novartis, and Indegene. Mario holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology and a Master of Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.

Jeff Olive leads the forecasting practice at Axtria. Prior to joining Axtria, Jeff founded a boutique consulting firm which specialized in using forward looking models and analytics to guide investment decisions. Jeff has influenced billions of dollars of investment related decisions, assisted companies seeking VC capital, and advised banks on biotech investment decisions. C-suite leaders have relied upon Jeff to evaluate white space opportunities and provide a perspective on the economic merits of investment opportunities. Jeff's prior roles include VP of Forecasting at a biotech startup and Executive Director at Merck leading Keytruda forecasting. Jeff has a wealth of experience across a broad set of functional and therapeutic areas.

Deepak is a Principal AI Consultant at Fractal, leading AI product and delivery initiatives for global pharmaceutical clients. He specializes in agentic AI, commercial orchestration, and field intelligence solutions, with 15+ years in pharma analytics spanning GSK and IQVIA. He brings deep expertise across US and international commercial markets (EU5, UK, Japan) and is a practitioner-focused thought leader on agentic AI and pharma AI adoption.

Nick leads AI Solutions at Tellius, guiding customers from evaluation through deployment. Previously a Lead Data Scientist at IBM. Deep track record across pharma, retail, healthcare, financial services, and telecom.

Carmen Profeta | Executive Director, Commercialization Data Business Product Owner, Bristol Myers Squibb

Carmen leads the product vision and strategy for BMS’s commercialization data, turning complex, fragmented information into trusted, actionable data for business teams. She bridges commercial strategy, data, and technology, ensuring teams can rely on governed and consistent data for analytics and AI. Her career in pharma has consistently focused on Information Management, Data Governance, and Data Modernization at scale, giving her a deep understanding of what it takes to turn data into a strategic asset.

Piyush Pruthi is a Life Sciences analytics, AI, and strategy leader with over 15 years of experience driving data-driven transformation across pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations. He specializes in helping businesses leverage advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and emerging agentic AI capabilities to improve decision-making, accelerate innovation, and create lasting commercial impact. Piyush is passionate about bridging the gap between technology and business strategy, enabling organizations to translate complex ideas into measurable outcomes

Kapil is an analytics leader with more than 17 years of experience driving strategic and advanced analytics, sales force effectiveness, and commercial transformation across rare-disease biotechnology and global biopharmaceutical organizations. He specializes in building AI-enabled and predictive analytics capabilities that translate complex data into actionable insights for Field, Marketing, Market Access, Medical, and senior leadership teams. Kapil currently leads the Data Science and Advanced Analytics team at Sobi, focused on strengthening commercial decision-making and sales and marketing effectiveness.

Anindya is a Principal at Viscadia and leads the firm’s integrated insights practice, combining market research and forecasting to support critical commercial decisions across the life sciences industry. With over 18 years of consulting experience and more than 15 years at Viscadia, he has advised pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients across the product lifecycle, with deep expertise in oncology, rare diseases, and immunology. Anindya is a recognized thought leader in forecasting and insights, with a particular focus on the application of AI and GenAI to transform decision-making in life sciences.

Shweta Sapra is an Analytics & Strategy Leader at Tiger Analytics, with over 9 years of experience in pharma consulting, healthcare, and technology. Her work spans account analytics, forecasting, next-best-action, and incentive compensation across multiple therapeutic domains. She has built enterprise data systems producing 500+ field-specific reports and led a CRM adoption in just 45 days, consistently turning complex data into actionable commercial strategy. Shweta holds an MBA from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, where she graduated as Valedictorian of the Faculty of Business.

Shekhar being Co-founder of Circulants brings an entrepreneurial mindset and more than 25 years of deep expertise in the U.S. pharmaceutical commercial landscape.

Analytics leader with 18 years experience in translating complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations within Commercial Pharma at both the enterprise and brand levels. Extensive experience in delivering strategic insights and advanced analytics, including market mix modeling, ROI analyses, customer targeting and segmentation strategy, dashboard development, sales force size/structure, and forecasting. Significant expertise leading cross-functional matrix teams to achieve shared business objectives, and excited about leveraging AI to streamline this process and drive insights in real-time.

Mehul Shah is the Executive Director of Insights & Analytics at Bausch+Lomb, where he leads the organization’s data strategy to support commercial decision-making across ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. He oversees advanced analytics, forecasting, and performance insights that enable more effective targeting, engagement, and brand growth across eye care professionals. Mehul partners closely with cross-functional teams to translate complex data into actionable strategies that improve sales execution and market performance. He is known for building high-performing analytics teams and driving data-driven transformation within the pharmaceutical commercial organization.

Sagar Shah is the Pharma Practice Head & Partner at Fractal. He is an Enterprise AI deployment leader with 18 years of driving AI initiatives across 25+ Fortune 100 companies across commercial, marketing, sales, supply chain, finance across process, data foundations and workforce enablement. With 2 AI patents, Sagar is an industry thought leader at industry conferences, and featured at Forbes, Bloomberg, Economic Times.

Harmeet Singh is Head of Insights & Analytics at LEO Pharma, with more than 20 years of pharmaceutical and biotech commercial analytics experience. Harmeet leads commercial analytics, market access insights, forecasting, and market research, translating complex data into actionable insights that support brand performance and enterprise decision-making.

Previously, as Executive Director of Commercial Data Science & Insights at Bausch Health, Harmeet built and led an integrated insights organization and successfully implemented AI-enabled dynamic call planning across multiple field forces, maintaining business continuity and delivering measurable incremental growth in new-to-brand prescriptions.

With expertise spanning insights & analytics, market access, and commercial operations, Harmeet brings a practical perspective on moving AI from pilot to everyday practice through stakeholder alignment, operational integration, and a culture of curiosity and accountability.

Vishwadeep Singh is a Principal at CustomerInsights.AI, where he leads product strategy and the development of AI and analytics solutions for life sciences commercial teams. His work focuses on building scalable data and Agentic AI products that help organizations move from fragmented analytics to trusted, decision-ready insights. He brings experience across commercial analytics, product development, client delivery, and go-to-market strategy. He is currently helping shape ciATHENA, CustomerInsights.AI’s Agentic AI platform for life sciences.

Anubhav Srivastava is the Associate Director, Business Application at Novo Nordisk, where he leads enterprise AI initiatives across North America, partnering with teams across data science, governance, market access, field operations, finance, and commercial functions. With over 15 years of experience in digital transformation, analytics, automation, cloud technologies, and enterprise architecture, he has built and scaled centres of excellence for AI, data integration, big data, and robotic process automation. Anubhav is passionate about translating emerging technologies into practical business outcomes, helping organizations drive innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth through responsible AI adoption.

A Pharma-Biotech Insights and Analytics Professional with over 15 years of industry experience. Puneet can present data-driven, cohesive stories that guide commercial leaders in making informed strategic and operational decisions. During analysis, Puneet synthesize multiple facts into high-level points and communicate them as a compelling, consistent narrative for senior leadership.

Nadia Tantsyura is Executive Director, Commercial AI, Analytics & Insights at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she leads the transformation of the commercialization model through AI-driven innovation. Her work spans agentic Always-On Insights, Field Rewiring, and AI-led omnichannel orchestration — building the next generation of AI-enabled tools for pharma commercial teams while embedding the governance and guardrails needed to deploy them responsibly. Prior to BMS, Nadia held analytics leadership roles at Merck and Boehringer Ingelheim, among other pharma-biotech organizations. She serves on the PMSA Board and holds a Master's in Data Science from UC Berkeley.

Kevin Tunney is a Senior Manager of Data Science at Sobi, leading rare disease commercial data science that helps HCPs find the right patients at the right time and helps field and marketing teams sharpen targeting. He built Sobi's cross-brand incremental HCP attribution process, combining causal inference, multi-touch attribution, and marketing mix modeling to turn complex signals into actionable commercial insights. Previously, Kevin held analytics roles at Real Chemistry, MediaCom, Horizon Media, and L'Oréal USA. He holds an M.S. in Analytics from Georgia Tech and a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Rutgers.

Ketan Vaidya is Principal Data Scientist at Akaike Technologies, where he leads AI product development and go-to-market for the company's pharma solutions. His work centres on applying generative AI and advanced analytics to pharmaceutical commercial strategy, from agentic systems that automate strategic planning and content authoring to machine learning for patient identification, HCP targeting and KOL intelligence. He has worked with a global pharma company across oncology, respiratory, rare disease and GI, translating complex data into decisions for brand, marketing and field teams. Ketan holds a B.Tech from IIT Dharwad and is based in Bangalore.

Chris leads product marketing at Tellius — positioning, launches, and the work of turning capability into category. Previously a Senior Product Marketer at Dataiku, with years at Gartner running GTM. MBA from Carnegie Mellon.

Doug Willson leads the development of Viscadia’s market research and forecasting capabilities, bringing more than 30 years of experience in life sciences forecasting, advanced analytics, and quantitative market research. His expertise spans pharmaceuticals and medical devices across major therapeutic areas, with extensive experience conducting global research among physicians, patients, payers, and other stakeholders. Doug is recognized for pioneering innovative methodologies and analytical solutions in forecasting, choice modeling, segmentation, pricing, and risk analysis.

Shun Zhang is Director of AI and Data Science at AstraZeneca, where he leads the development and deployment of enterprise AI, machine learning, and agentic AI solutions in Enterprise AI. His work focuses on translating advanced AI capabilities into scalable business applications, including GenAI-enabled strategy authoring, enterprise knowledge systems, predictive modeling, and AI/ML governance. Prior to AstraZeneca, Shun held AI and data science leadership roles at Alibaba Cloud and Microsoft, where he led large-scale healthcare and life sciences AI initiatives. He holds an Master in Statistics and a medical degree, bringing together clinical, quantitative, and technology perspectives to drive AI-enabled transformation in the pharmaceutical industry.