THE MIDDLE EAST’S

86. Venkat Kalyan

General Manager—Gulf
Company: Novo Nordisk
Nationality: Indian
Residence: UAE
Category: Pharmaceuticals

Kalyan assumed his current role in April 2026, overseeing operations across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen. In June 2026, the company launched its weight management GLP-1 in a pill with cardiovascular risk protection in the UAE, making the UAE the first market outside the US to launch the obesity innovation in a pill. In the same month, it signed an MoU with the Emirates Drug Establishment to strengthen cooperation in the development and localisation of innovative pharmaceutical industries. Kalyan first joined Novo Nordisk as marketing director in 2008 in India.