GSK has elevated Vasudevan Lakshmanan as country HR head for Malaysia, marking a key leadership move. In his new role, Lakshmanan will lead the human resources function for Malaysia. He will focus on aligning talent priorities with business objectives while building a strong, performance-driven culture.
His mandate includes enhancing workforce capability, supporting leadership development, and driving transformation initiatives in a dynamic healthcare environment.
Lakshmanan brings extensive experience across regional and country-level HR roles. He has worked across more than 30 markets spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. His expertise lies in talent management, organisational development, and large-scale transformation, particularly in complex and multicultural environments.
Prior to this role, he served as regional HR business partner-emerging markets, GSK, where he partnered with country leaders and senior stakeholders to align people strategies with commercial priorities. He played a key role in driving transformation initiatives, succession planning, and cross-border talent mobility across diverse geographies.
Earlier, as senior HR business partner for the vaccines business in India, he led the creation of a new adult vaccines vertical. This included building a 200-plus field force within a short span, designing organisational structures, and driving culture- transformation initiatives to support growth ambitions.
Before joining GSK, Lakshmanan held roles at Mahindra & Mahindra, Disney Star, and Ashok Leyland. His early career included operational and sales exposure, giving him strong business acumen alongside HR expertise.
An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, he strives to foster inclusive, high- performance cultures that enable people to thrive, grow, and deliver their best.
His appointment reflects GSK’s continued emphasis on strengthening HR leadership to drive business performance and build future-ready organisations across key international markets.
