Dr. Chaitanya Aggarwal
Head of Inhouse Consulting- Asia Pacific, Merck KGaA
My Job as Inhouse Consultant:
I joined Merck IC in the USA in 2016 and moved to Singapore in June 2018 to build a new IC team for APAC. There are two main aspects of my current role:
1. Build and develop a new team in APAC (Singapore and China) which can be a great talent pool for Merck businesses in near future
2. Thought partnering with different business leaders across Merck APAC on consulting projects and beyond to support their most
pressing business challenges.
My daily challenges:
Everyday I get to contribute to addressing diverse business challenges of a global organization while working in cross-functional, International teams. Working on multiple projects in parallel and the associated steep learning curves is challenging but incredibly exciting.
Why I like to work as Inhouse Consultant:
Three main reasons I like to work at IC: 1) Building my own team and creative project content 2) Delivery of tangible, implementable output (relative to external consultancy work), 3) Direct participation on the client teams you work with; therefore not uncommon to stay in touch with your clients after the project is over.
What I like most about being an Inhouse Consultant:
Having full autonomy over the projects that I do, from project scoping to designing the work streams and execution, is what I enjoy the most. Doing all this in collaboration with really smart and fun team members makes the experience at Merck IC even better.
My life before joining the Inhouse Consultancy:
I got an undergraduate degree in Biotechnology, following which I worked in Biosimilars R&D at Dr. Reddy’s Labs (India). I received a PhD in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from University of Illinois, Chicago (USA). Thereafter I worked at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) focusing on clients in the Healthcare space which helped me acquire a broader understanding of Healthcare business.
What I like to do in my spare time:
I love traveling to new places, hiking in National Parks and doing landscape photography.