Cadila handed the MD job to third-generation Sharvil Patel in 2017

Cadila Healthcare, India's fourth-largest pharma company and known as Zydus Cadila, appointed Dr. Sharvil P. Patel as managing director in July 2017, with the appointment confirmed at the annual general meeting in August. His father, chairman Pankaj Patel, had 'paved the way for succession, a topic that was under consideration for about a decade,' according to The Hindu BusinessLine.

Sharvil, 38, was the third generation of the Patel family to lead the company founded by his grandfather Ramanbhai Patel in 1952. He had been groomed through the ranks: fresh from studies abroad he led the 'Healthy Billion' project that helped make Zydus a $1-billion company, and he turned around the consumer healthcare business by launching Zydus Wellness.

The division of labor was explicit: Pankaj stayed chairman and the face of the company, handling compliance, new business and strategy, while Sharvil ran day-to-day operations. The new MD said he aimed to double revenue — more than ₹9,600 crore on a consolidated basis in fiscal 2017 — within five years, with the US business moving from 40% toward 50% of sales and a bet on biosimilars and new drugs.

Sharvil, 38, set out to double Cadila's revenue from over ₹9,600 crore (FY17) within five years and push the US business toward 50% of sales.

Testing the heir on a flagship project (Healthy Billion) before the top job built measurable proof of capability.

Keeping the father as chairman and mentor during the transition preserved continuity for regulators and investors.

Setting explicit five-year targets at the moment of handover gave the new MD a clear mandate.

A decade-long staged induction — starting with a flagship project and working through manufacturing and consumer businesses — makes a family handover feel like a promotion, not a coup.

Under Sharvil's leadership Zydus kept expanding its specialty portfolio — biosimilars, vaccines and US acquisitions like Sentynl — while Pankaj remained chairman, and the company later rebranded as Zydus Lifesciences. Indian business media used the 2017 handover as an example of the third generation taking charge of a promoter-run pharma group.