Neelima Rao

Neelima Rao currently serves as Vice President of Human Resources at AstraZeneca, where responsibilities include leading the Global R&D and North America HUB while driving a transformative people agenda in Global R&D Oncology. Previous roles include Global Head of Human Resources for Research & Development at Sanofi, where a focus on efficiency, agility, and fostering a culture of innovation was emphasized. Neelima held various key HR positions at Johnson & Johnson, including Head of Human Resources for DePuy Synthes and Worldwide Human Resources Director for Organizational Effectiveness and Change Management in Med Devices. At Novartis, Neelima led HR initiatives for Oncology Global Development & Medical Affairs and built HR for the Molecular Diagnostics Division. Earlier experience includes serving as Director and Head of Human Resources at marketRx Inc, where organizational culture and engagement strategies were developed. Neelima holds a Master's degree in Human Resources from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.