On Jan. 15, Rajeev Venkayya took charge of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s new vaccine business unit. Venkayya, who served as Director of Vaccine Delivery in the Global Health Program at the Gates Foundation for the past four years, led the foundation’s efforts in polio eradication and its investments in the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
He was recruited by his former boss at the Foundation, Tadataka “Tachi” Yamada, who assumed the position of chief medical officer, chief scientific officer, and executive vice president of Takeda Pharmaceuticals International at the start of the year