India Pharma Outlook Team | Thursday, 14 May 2026
At a time when the pharmaceutical industry is navigating increasing regulatory scrutiny, rapid digitalization, and growing expectations around trust and transparency, the conversation around quality is evolving. Organizations are no longer asking how to stay compliant, but how to build systems that are resilient, proactive, and future-ready.
It was in this context that the industry came together at The Westin Mumbai Garden City on April 23rd-24th, 2026, for the 6th Annual Pharma GMP & Quality Management 2026, hosted by Eminence Group.
From insightful keynotes to interactive workshops and deep-dive panels, the event focused on addressing these emerging needs, bringing together leaders, practitioners, and regulators to explore how quality can move beyond compliance into a strategic enabler.
Ms. Guneet Kaur Hayer, Managing Director of Eminence Group, set the tone in her opening address, emphasizing the importance of proactive quality strategies, mindset transformation, and the thoughtful adoption of automation and innovation.
A key challenge across the industry today is the gap between established quality frameworks and their practical implementation.
This was reflected early in the day, as Sanjay Sharma from Zydus Group addressed one of the most persistent issues, ineffective investigations, urging organizations to move beyond checklist-driven approaches and adopt structured, intent-based root cause analysis to design meaningful CAPAs.
As organizations increasingly explore digital transformation, discussions by Pradeep Nagisetty and Adhisivan Raghunathan from Sciagen.ai highlighted how AI-enabled platforms can support the pharma lifecycle, while reinforcing that strong GMP fundamentals remain essential for success. This perspective was further complemented by Palash Chatterjee from Octave, who emphasized the role of digital QMS in enabling a sustainable quality culture.
Adding an interactive dimension, Guneet Kaur Hayer led the Quality Reflex GMP Word Association Challenge, encouraging participants to reflect on how mindset and behaviour influence quality outcomes in everyday scenarios.
Moving from principles to execution, multiple sessions throughout the day focused on how organizations can embed quality into daily operations.
Dr. Pankaj Shrivastava from Par Health brought attention to evolving inspection expectations, drawing from “both sides of the table” to highlight the importance of maintaining a continuous state of audit readiness.
This was complemented by hands-on learning experiences, including the risk-based thinking workshop led by Dr. Rupesh Kelaskar and Sandip Chougule from FDC Limited, where participants worked through real-world scenarios to apply PQS and QRM principles more effectively.
At the same time, Vamsi Reddy from Thermo Fisher Scientific provided a forward-looking view of digitally connected labs, demonstrating how automation and paperless systems are already improving compliance and efficiency.
The exchange of ideas was further strengthened through purpose-led networking discussions, enabling participants to share experiences and learn from diverse operational contexts.
While systems and frameworks are critical, discussions throughout the event reinforced that sustainable quality is ultimately driven by people.
This came through strongly in the leadership panel, moderated by Guneet Kaur Hayer from Eminence Group, featuring Rajendra Dadhich from Ipca Labs, Dr. Manoranjan Kumar from Hetero Ltd., and Rama Venugopal from Value Added Corporate Services, where conversations focused on ethics, ownership, and decision-making under pressure, especially in situations where systems alone fall short.
Adding further depth, Prabir Kumar Pal from Strides Pharma highlighted contamination control as a shared responsibility across internal teams and external partners, reinforcing the need for system-wide thinking.
In a reflective segment, Ranjit Barshikar, CEO of QbD International, shared practical insights drawn from his extensive experience in GMP and Quality by Design, connecting real-world challenges with industry best practices.
In a unique addition to the conference, the Eminence Health Awareness initiative introduced a broader perspective on quality, focusing on emergency preparedness and basic life support.
Led by Guneet Kaur Hayer, the session underscored that quality is not only about processes and products, but also about responsibility towards people and workplace safety.
As the industry moves forward, the focus is shifting towards integration, collaboration, and predictive capabilities.
Milind Gujar from RPG Lifesciences highlighted how vendor management is evolving from transactional oversight to partnership-driven models built on trust and shared accountability.
The role of connected systems was further explored by Varadarajan Srinivasan from Veeva Systems, who discussed how integrated quality platforms can enable faster decision-making and improve overall compliance maturity.
Bringing in the AI perspective, Ciaran O’Keeffe from MasterControl shared insights on both the opportunities and challenges of adopting AI in quality management, emphasizing the importance of validation, governance, and regulatory alignment.
Recognizing the importance of practical exposure, sessions like the Inspection Hot Seat, led by Mala Mohan from Hikal Ltd and Dr. Ravi Kanta from Indoco Remedies Ltd, created simulated regulatory environments that allowed participants to experience and respond to real-world audit pressures.
Similarly, Ken Shitamoto from the FDA Industry CSA Team and GAMP shared perspectives on technology-enabled GMP and the practical implementation of digital tools.
Raj Kumar Patra from Syngene further illustrated how AI is reshaping operational workflows, while emphasizing the continued importance of governance and human oversight.
As digital transformation accelerates, building future-ready teams has become a priority.
This was explored through discussions featuring Ken Shitamoto, S.M. Mudda from Misom Labs, Sameer Kore from Sandoz India, and Amit Verma from GSK, focusing on continuous learning, skill development, and aligning workforce capabilities with evolving technological demands. Closing the Loop: Towards Predictive Quality
In her closing keynote, Guneet Kaur Hayer brought together the central theme of the conference, highlighting how organizations can move towards predictive quality by integrating data, digital systems, and human expertise to anticipate risks and build long-term trust.
Bringing together diverse perspectives across industry, technology, and regulatory domains, the conference reflected the power of collaboration in shaping the future of pharma quality.
Eminence Group extends heartfelt gratitude to all event partners whose support made this conference possible:
• Silver Partners: Veeva Systems, Octave (Hexagon), MasterControl, and Thermo Fisher Scientific • Session Partner: Sciagen.ai • Exhibit Partners: Enthral.ai, Arcolab, Sikich, VRR Life Sciences, Honeywell Life Sciences
Their contribution not only fuelled the event’s success but also highlighted the importance of collaboration in advancing pharma quality.
As the conference concluded, one thing was clear: the future of pharma quality will be shaped by organizations that move beyond compliance, invest in people, and embrace digital transformation with discipline.
Eminence Group extends its gratitude to all partners, speakers, and participants for making the 6th Annual Pharma GMP & Quality Management 2026 a meaningful and impactful platform for industry dialogue.
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