Sun Pharma

Tapping Europe via the Netherlands

Location: Hoofddorp
Activities: European Headquarters
Industry: Pharmaceuticals

In July 2007, Sun Pharma, one of India’s leading pharmaceutical companies, joined a growing list of Indian companies to choose the Netherlands as the ideal location for its European headquarter. Primarily manufacturing and marketing speciality pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients, Sun Pharma was set up with just five products in 1983 and has consistently expanded its international footprint starting 1996.

Sun Pharma’s primary European presence has been its raw material and finished dosage manufacturing unit in Hungary, which has been operational since acquired in 2005. However, the company’s ambition to enter the European generics market with speciality pharmaceutical products drove it to look for a European headquarter. “The obvious choice was the Netherlands. The Netherlands is perhaps the only country in continental Europe where English is spoken fluently and you can even get English language financial newspaper at the Amsterdam-Schiphol airport. The Netherlands has a logistical advantage due to its proximity to Germany and France, which are the major generic pharma markets in Europe. Schiphol Airport enables relatively easy access to any country in Europe. Proximity to Brussels helped us to organise our supply chain within Europe easily,” says Prashant Savla, Head Finance & Logistics of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Europe BV.

Sun Pharma’s office in Hoofddorp, located close to Schipol Airport, functions as its European headquarters, handling functions like marketing, regulatory, finance and business development. Currently, a 12 member strong team based here is responsible for the European operations under the leadership of Hellen de Kloet, President-European Operations, who also set up the office.

“Simpler employment laws, supportive government attitude and world class infrastructure creates an international business environment for Netherlands, which we benefit from,” says Prashant. “A good work-life balance and friendly, and efficient people make working in the Netherlands a pleasant experience for those who come from outside.”

“The Netherlands office is our gateway to the high-value generic drugs market in Europe. I think it will play a vital role in making Sun Pharma a respected generic company within Europe,” says an optimistic Hellen de Kloet.