Asia's Top
Healthcare Leaders
InfluenceAsia 50: Asia's Top Healthcare Leaders 2017 recognizes the healthcare executives, founders, clinicians and life-science builders whose work most strongly shaped Asian healthcare in 2017. The edition covers biosimilars, oncology biotechnology, hospital networks, digital health, medical devices, diagnostics, pharmaceutical manufacturing, research infrastructure, healthcare access and regional provider systems.
InfluenceAsia 50: Asia's Top Healthcare Leaders 2017 recognizes the healthcare executives, founders, clinicians and life-science builders whose work most strongly shaped Asian healthcare in 2017. The edition covers biosimilars, oncology biotechnology, hospital networks, digital health, medical devices, diagnostics, pharmaceutical manufacturing, research infrastructure, healthcare access and regional provider systems.
The ranking is an independent InfluenceAsia editorial and research list. It is not a political influence table, hospital-size league table, sales ranking, clinical-awards list, wealth list, government appointment list or imported media index. Placement reflects a composite view of 2017 healthcare contribution, patient relevance, innovation, operating scale, regional influence, institutional quality and long-term system value.
The 2017 healthcare year in Asia was marked by biosimilar breakthroughs, China's biotech capital-market momentum, hospital-network expansion, private healthcare growth in India and Southeast Asia, medtech manufacturing, diagnostic modernization, digital consultation platforms, pharma quality pressure and the rising importance of access to advanced therapies at sustainable cost. InfluenceAsia gives exceptional weight to leaders who changed healthcare capacity in 2017: Biocon's biosimilar momentum, WuXi's open-access R&D infrastructure, BeiGene and Zai Lab's China biotech rise, Celltrion's biosimilar expansion, Apollo, Ramsay and Raffles' hospital scale, and digital-health founders who began changing how Asian patients find doctors, medicines and care.
Healthcare builders who set the 2017 agenda
The top tier spans biosimilars, oncology biotech, pharmaceutical manufacturing, hospital systems and regional healthcare access, reflecting the edition's Access Meets Innovation thesis.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
- Base
- India
- Lane
- Biosimilars, biotechnology and affordable biologics
- Score
- 99
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw leads Biocon, India's flagship biotechnology company, with a focus on affordable biologics and biosimilars.
Ge Li
- Base
- China and global
- Lane
- R&D services, open-access drug discovery and biologics infrastructure
- Score
- 98.6
Ge Li founded WuXi AppTec and built an open-access R&D services platform supporting drug discovery and development globally.
John Oyler
- Base
- China and global
- Lane
- Oncology biotechnology and global clinical development
- Score
- 98.2
John Oyler co-founded BeiGene to build a China-rooted, globally credible oncology company.
Dilip Shanghvi
- Base
- India
- Lane
- Pharmaceuticals and global generics
- Score
- 97.8
Dilip Shanghvi leads Sun Pharma, India's largest pharmaceutical company by scale.
Seo Jung-jin
- Base
- South Korea
- Lane
- Biosimilars and biopharmaceutical commercialization
- Score
- 97.4
Seo Jung-jin founded Celltrion, one of Korea's most important biopharmaceutical companies.
Prathap C. Reddy
- Base
- India
- Lane
- Hospital systems, specialty care and healthcare access
- Score
- 97
Prathap C. Reddy founded Apollo Hospitals and helped create India's modern private hospital sector.
The complete 2017 ranking
Leaders are ordered by InfluenceAsia Healthcare Leadership Index. The table preserves every source entry and identifies platform, market base, healthcare lane, 2017 signal and index score.
| Rank | Leader | 2017 Platform | Market Base | Healthcare Lane | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw InfluenceAsia ranks Mazumdar-Shaw first because her 2017 contribution brought Asian biotech into the center of global access to advanced medicines. | Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon | India | Biosimilars, biotechnology and affordable biologicsBiocon's biosimilar momentum made Mazumdar-Shaw the defining Asian healthcare leader of 2017. | 99 |
| 2 | Ge Li InfluenceAsia ranks Ge Li highly because his platform gives Asia a critical role in the global biopharma innovation supply chain. | Founder, Chairman and CEO, WuXi AppTec | China and global | R&D services, open-access drug discovery and biologics infrastructureWuXi's enabling platform and WuXi Biologics' 2017 market milestone made Ge central to Asia's life-science infrastructure. | 98.6 |
| 3 | John Oyler InfluenceAsia includes Oyler near the top because BeiGene represents a serious attempt to move China from pharma manufacturing into original oncology innovation. | Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, BeiGene | China and global | Oncology biotechnology and global clinical developmentBeiGene's oncology pipeline and China-rooted global model placed Oyler among Asia's most important biotech builders. | 98.2 |
| 4 | Dilip Shanghvi InfluenceAsia ranks Shanghvi because Indian pharmaceutical leadership in 2017 still depends heavily on global manufacturing, generics and regulatory resilience. | Managing Director, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries | India | Pharmaceuticals and global genericsSun Pharma remained India's most important drugmaker by scale, making Shanghvi a major pharmaceutical leader despite industry pressure. | 97.8 |
| 5 | Seo Jung-jin InfluenceAsia includes Seo because Celltrion's 2017 biosimilar progress made Korea a serious global player in biologics access. | Founder and Chairman, Celltrion Group | South Korea | Biosimilars and biopharmaceutical commercializationCelltrion's Truxima approval and biosimilar expansion made Seo a decisive Korean healthcare figure in 2017. | 97.4 |
| 6 | Prathap C. Reddy InfluenceAsia ranks Reddy because hospital networks are as important to Asian healthcare capacity as medicines and devices. | Founder and Chairman, Apollo Hospitals | India | Hospital systems, specialty care and healthcare accessApollo's hospital network kept Reddy at the center of private healthcare delivery in India. | 97 |
| 7 | Christophe Weber InfluenceAsia includes Weber because Takeda's 2017 oncology expansion strengthened Japan's role in global pharma. | President and CEO, Takeda Pharmaceutical | Japan and global | Global pharma, oncology and specialty medicineTakeda's 2017 acquisition of ARIAD strengthened Weber's oncology strategy and globalized Japanese pharma. | 96.6 |
| 8 | Haruo Naito InfluenceAsia ranks Naito because Eisai combines Japanese R&D discipline with a sustained emphasis on patient need. | President and CEO, Eisai | Japan | Neuroscience, oncology and access-oriented pharmaEisai's patient-centered innovation posture kept Naito among Japan's most influential pharmaceutical leaders. | 96.2 |
| 9 | Dorthe Mikkelsen InfluenceAsia includes Mikkelsen because regional pharma leadership in 2017 required execution across diverse Asian markets, regulatory systems and patient-access environments. | President, Asia Pacific, MSD | Asia-Pacific | Pharmaceuticals, vaccines and regional market accessMSD's Asia-Pacific platform made Mikkelsen a major regional leader in vaccines, pharmaceuticals and healthcare access. | 95.8 |
| 10 | Samantha Du InfluenceAsia ranks Du because Zai Lab's 2017 listing made her one of the clearest symbols of China's biotech capital-market arrival. | Founder, Chairperson and CEO, Zai Lab | China | Biotech entrepreneurship and oncology accessZai Lab's 2017 Nasdaq listing placed Du at the front of China's new biotech generation. | 95.4 |
| 11 | Sun Piaoyang InfluenceAsia includes Sun because Hengrui's innovation focus helped change expectations for Chinese pharma. | Chairman, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine | China | Innovative pharmaceuticals and oncologyHengrui's oncology and innovation orientation made Sun one of China's most important pharmaceutical executives. | 95 |
| 12 | Carl Firth InfluenceAsia ranks Firth because Singapore's biotech ambition needs founders who can connect science, capital and clinical execution. | Founder and CEO, ASLAN Pharmaceuticals | Singapore and Taiwan | Oncology and immunology biotechnologyASLAN's clinical-development model made Firth a notable founder in Asia's emerging biotech market. | 94.6 |
| 13 | Azad Moopen InfluenceAsia includes Moopen because cross-border hospital and clinic networks are essential to healthcare access for Asian expatriate and domestic populations. | Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare | India and Gulf markets | Hospitals, clinics and integrated healthcare servicesAster's Gulf-India network gave Moopen a major role in cross-border healthcare delivery. | 94.2 |
| 14 | Craig McNally InfluenceAsia ranks McNally because Ramsay is one of Asia-Pacific's most important private hospital operators. | Managing Director and CEO, Ramsay Health Care | Australia and global | Private hospitals and international healthcare operationsMcNally's 2017 appointment placed a long-serving operator at the head of one of Asia-Pacific's largest private hospital groups. | 93.8 |
| 15 | Devi Shetty InfluenceAsia includes Shetty because his work challenges the assumption that advanced specialty care must remain inaccessible. | Founder and Chairman, Narayana Health | India | Cardiac care, hospital efficiency and affordable specialty medicineShetty's hospital model remained a reference point for high-volume, cost-conscious specialty care. | 93.4 |
| 16 | Naresh Trehan InfluenceAsia ranks Trehan because advanced clinical credibility remains central to trust in private healthcare institutions. | Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta | India | Specialty hospitals, cardiac care and advanced clinical servicesTrehan's clinical and institutional leadership made Medanta one of India's most visible advanced-care hospitals. | 93 |
| 17 | Ranjan Pai InfluenceAsia includes Pai because healthcare delivery and medical talent formation are deeply connected in Asia. | Chairman, Manipal Education and Medical Group | India | Hospital networks, medical education and healthcare servicesManipal's healthcare and medical-education platform made Pai a major Indian provider-system leader. | 92.6 |
| 18 | Satish Reddy InfluenceAsia ranks Reddy because pharma quality, access and global regulatory trust are central to India's healthcare role. | Chairman, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories | India | Generics, pharmaceutical quality and global marketsDr. Reddy's remained a key Indian pharma institution in a year of regulatory and market pressure. | 92.2 |
| 19 | Vinita Gupta InfluenceAsia includes Gupta because she represents the international commercial face of Indian generics and specialty pharma. | CEO, Lupin | India and global | Generics, specialty pharma and global commercializationGupta's leadership kept Lupin prominent in global generics while the industry confronted pricing pressure. | 91.8 |
| 20 | Umang Vohra InfluenceAsia ranks Vohra because Cipla's 2017 mandate required operational renewal without losing access credibility. | Managing Director and Global CEO, Cipla | India and global | Respiratory, HIV, generics and access-oriented pharmaCipla's access heritage and global restructuring gave Vohra an important 2017 leadership mandate. | 91.4 |
| 21 | Glenn Saldanha InfluenceAsia includes Saldanha because Indian pharma needs leaders willing to move up the innovation curve. | Chairman and Managing Director, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals | India | Innovation-led generics and specialty researchGlenmark's attempt to combine generics scale with novel research kept Saldanha relevant to India's pharma evolution. | 91 |
| 22 | Isao Teshirogi InfluenceAsia ranks Teshirogi because infectious disease and specialty R&D remain central to Japan's healthcare contribution. | President and CEO, Shionogi | Japan | Infectious disease, specialty pharma and R&DShionogi's focused research culture made Teshirogi a strong Japanese pharma leader. | 90.6 |
| 23 | Yoshihiko Hatanaka InfluenceAsia includes Hatanaka because Japan's pharma sector depends on global products and focused innovation. | President and CEO, Astellas Pharma | Japan | Oncology, urology and global specialty pharmaAstellas remained a major Japanese pharma company under Hatanaka's global specialty strategy. | 90.2 |
| 24 | Joji Nakayama InfluenceAsia ranks Nakayama because Daiichi Sankyo's research and commercial scale make it central to Asian pharma competitiveness. | President and CEO, Daiichi Sankyo | Japan | Oncology, cardiovascular medicine and global pharmaDaiichi Sankyo's research portfolio kept Nakayama important to Japan's pharmaceutical competitiveness. | 89.8 |
| 25 | Tatsuo Higuchi InfluenceAsia includes Higuchi because Otsuka's model spans medicine, mental health and broader wellbeing. | President and CEO, Otsuka Holdings | Japan | Pharmaceuticals, nutrition and mental healthOtsuka's combination of medicines and health products gave Higuchi a distinctive Japanese healthcare platform. | 89.4 |
| 26 | Chen Qiyu InfluenceAsia ranks Chen because Fosun Pharma connects drug manufacturing, medical services, diagnostics and healthcare investment. | Chairman, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical | China | Pharmaceuticals, healthcare investment and medical servicesFosun Pharma's diversified platform made Chen a major Chinese healthcare industry builder. | 89 |
| 27 | Michael Yu InfluenceAsia includes Yu because biologics development is one of the clearest routes for China to enter global innovation. | Founder, Chairman and CEO, Innovent Biologics | China | Biologics and oncology immunotherapyInnovent's clinical-stage biologics platform made Yu one of China's most important next-wave biotech founders. | 88.6 |
| 28 | Li Xiting InfluenceAsia ranks Li because accessible monitoring, imaging and hospital equipment are fundamental to healthcare capacity. | Co-founder and senior leader, Mindray | China | Medical devices, monitoring and imagingMindray remained China's most globally visible medical-device company, with Li central to its long-term capability. | 88.2 |
| 29 | Xue Min InfluenceAsia includes Xue because medical-device self-reliance is an important component of Asian healthcare modernization. | Founder and Chairman, United Imaging Healthcare | China | Medical imaging, radiotherapy and advanced devicesUnited Imaging's domestic high-end medical-equipment push made Xue a key Chinese medtech leader. | 87.8 |
| 30 | Shashank ND InfluenceAsia ranks him because digital access to care is becoming one of India's biggest healthcare infrastructure questions. | Co-founder and CEO, Practo | India | Digital health, doctor discovery and health recordsPracto remained one of India's most visible digital-health platforms for access to doctors and health information. | 87.4 |
| 31 | Dharmil Sheth InfluenceAsia includes Sheth because chronic care and medicine access are moving into mobile commerce and logistics systems. | Co-founder, PharmEasy | India | Online pharmacy and digital healthcare accessPharmEasy helped define India's emerging medicine-delivery and healthcare-commerce category. | 87 |
| 32 | Jonathan Sudharta InfluenceAsia ranks Sudharta because archipelagic healthcare markets need digital access models. | Founder and CEO, Halodoc | Indonesia | Telemedicine, pharmacy delivery and health accessHalodoc's early growth made Sudharta one of Southeast Asia's notable digital-health founders. | 86.6 |
| 33 | Alex Zhavoronkov InfluenceAsia includes Zhavoronkov because AI is beginning to enter the biomedical discovery conversation in Asia. | Founder and CEO, Insilico Medicine | Hong Kong and global | AI drug discovery and longevity scienceInsilico placed Asia-based AI drug discovery into the global healthcare innovation conversation. | 86.2 |
| 34 | Fredrik Nyberg InfluenceAsia ranks Nyberg because regional standards, market access and device ecosystems matter to patient care even beyond one company. | CEO, Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association | Singapore and Asia-Pacific | Medtech ecosystem building and regional industry standardsAPACMed's regional role made Nyberg a notable builder of Asia-Pacific medtech collaboration. | 85.8 |
| 35 | Loo Choon Yong InfluenceAsia includes Loo because integrated clinics and hospitals remain crucial to Singapore's healthcare model. | Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Raffles Medical Group | Singapore | Integrated healthcare, clinics and hospital servicesRaffles Medical remained one of Singapore's most recognized private healthcare systems. | 85.4 |
| 36 | Sulaiman Al Habib InfluenceAsia ranks him because private specialty healthcare is becoming more important in West Asian health systems. | Founder and Chairman, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group | Saudi Arabia | Private hospitals and specialty healthcareHis hospital group made Al Habib a major private healthcare figure in Saudi Arabia. | 85 |
| 37 | Said Darwazah InfluenceAsia includes Darwazah because Hikma gives West Asia a serious role in pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution. | Chairman and CEO, Hikma Pharmaceuticals | Jordan and global | Generics, injectables and Middle East pharmaHikma's global generics and injectables platform made Darwazah one of West Asia's most important pharma leaders. | 84.6 |
| 38 | Kim Tae-han InfluenceAsia ranks Kim because manufacturing capacity is a strategic foundation for Asia's biopharma future. | CEO, Samsung BioLogics | South Korea | Biologics manufacturing and contract developmentSamsung BioLogics' manufacturing scale made Kim a key leader in Korea's biopharmaceutical infrastructure. | 84.2 |
| 39 | Lim Sung-ki InfluenceAsia includes Lim because Korean pharma's innovation ambitions depend on founders willing to invest in original research. | Founder and Chairman, Hanmi Pharmaceutical | South Korea | Innovative pharma and drug licensingHanmi's R&D orientation kept Lim significant to Korean pharmaceutical innovation despite recent volatility. | 83.8 |
| 40 | Hiroyuki Sasa InfluenceAsia ranks Sasa because endoscopy is a high-impact procedural technology used across global hospitals. | President and CEO, Olympus Corporation | Japan | Endoscopy, imaging and medical devicesOlympus' medical endoscopy leadership made Sasa important to global procedural healthcare. | 83.4 |
| 41 | Hisashi Ietsugu InfluenceAsia includes Ietsugu because diagnostics quality is the invisible foundation of modern healthcare. | President and CEO, Sysmex | Japan | Diagnostics, hematology and laboratory systemsSysmex's diagnostics strength made Ietsugu a central figure in laboratory modernization. | 83 |
| 42 | Benjamin Seet InfluenceAsia ranks Seet because translational research infrastructure is critical to Singapore's healthcare innovation ecosystem. | Executive Director, A*STAR Biomedical Research Council | Singapore | Biomedical research infrastructure and translational scienceSeet helped support Singapore's biomedical research ecosystem without holding political office. | 82.6 |
| 43 | Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth InfluenceAsia includes Prasert because regional hospital networks are central to Thailand's private healthcare and medical-tourism market. | Founder, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services | Thailand | Private hospitals, specialty care and regional medical servicesBDMS made Prasert one of Thailand's most influential private healthcare entrepreneurs. | 82.2 |
| 44 | Gan See Khem InfluenceAsia ranks Gan because mid-scale regional hospital groups are a critical layer of Southeast Asian care delivery. | Executive Chair and Managing Director, Health Management International | Singapore and Malaysia | Regional hospitals and healthcare managementHMI's Malaysia-Singapore hospital platform gave Gan a distinct role in regional healthcare delivery. | 81.8 |
| 45 | B.R. Shetty InfluenceAsia includes Shetty based only on the healthcare platform visible in 2017, when NMC was a prominent regional provider. | Founder and Chairman, NMC Health | United Arab Emirates and India | Private healthcare, hospitals and pharmaciesNMC's 2017 regional expansion kept Shetty visible as a Gulf healthcare entrepreneur. | 81.4 |
| 46 | Shamsheer Vayalil InfluenceAsia ranks Vayalil because cross-border healthcare leadership is especially important to Gulf and Indian patient communities. | Founder and Managing Director, VPS Healthcare | United Arab Emirates and India | Hospitals, clinics and integrated health servicesVPS Healthcare made Vayalil a prominent Gulf-India healthcare services builder. | 81 |
| 47 | Pankaj Patel InfluenceAsia includes Patel because India needs broad pharmaceutical and vaccine capability alongside newer biotech models. | Chairman and Managing Director, Cadila Healthcare | India | Pharmaceuticals, vaccines and genericsCadila's broad pharma platform kept Patel important to India's drug manufacturing and vaccine capability. | 80.6 |
| 48 | N. Govindarajan InfluenceAsia ranks Govindarajan because operational scale in generics remains central to global medicine affordability. | Managing Director, Aurobindo Pharma | India | Generics and global pharmaceutical manufacturingAurobindo's global generics platform made Govindarajan a significant Indian pharma operator. | 80.2 |
| 49 | Arun Kumar InfluenceAsia includes Kumar because entrepreneurial Indian pharma continues to globalize through niche products and manufacturing reach. | Founder and Executive Chairman, Strides Shasun | India | Specialty pharma, generics and global manufacturingStrides' global operating model made Kumar a notable pharmaceutical entrepreneur. | 79.8 |
| 50 | Satyanarayana Chava InfluenceAsia ranks Chava because API capability is a crucial but often under-recognized part of healthcare access. | Founder and CEO, Laurus Labs | India | Active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulationsLaurus Labs' post-listing growth made Chava a rising Indian pharmaceutical manufacturing leader in 2017. | 79.4 |
How the healthcare leadership list was built
The 2017 edition applies a 100-point editorial research model across contribution, innovation, patient impact, operating execution, regional reach, stewardship and access value.
InfluenceAsia applied a 100-point editorial research model across seven dimensions: 2017 Healthcare Contribution, Innovation and Scientific Relevance, Patient and System Impact, Operating Scale and Execution, Regional and Global Reach, Institutional Stewardship, and Access and Social Value.
The editorial record was assessed through 31 December 2017. Later approvals, exits, scandals, political careers, acquisitions, bankruptcies, product launches or reputational reversals are not used as ranking evidence in this edition.
High placement requires a clear 2017 healthcare contribution: drug approval, biotech listing, hospital expansion, digital-health adoption, medtech infrastructure, diagnostics capacity, R&D platform, manufacturing capability or patient-access improvement.
Leaders were normalized first within field and jurisdiction, then compared across the Asian healthcare ecosystem. A hospital founder, pharma CEO, biotech entrepreneur, digital-health founder, medtech executive and diagnostics leader are not measured by identical operating indicators.
No person is ranked for holding political office, government office or party office. Individuals are evaluated only for healthcare-sector contribution visible in 2017.
Final placement reflects InfluenceAsia's independent editorial judgment after research normalization. The index is not a company-sales ranking, hospital-bed ranking, market-cap table, clinical endorsement, investment recommendation, medical advice or professional certification.
- 2017 Healthcare Contribution 25%
- Innovation And Scientific Relevance 18%
- Patient And System Impact 16%
- Operating Scale And Execution 13%
- Regional And Global Reach 11%
- Institutional Stewardship 9%
- Access And Social Value 8%
Copyright and legal statement
Copyright
InfluenceAsia 50: Asia's Top Healthcare Leaders 2017 is an original editorial and research ranking prepared under the InfluenceAsia name. The ranking structure, annual thesis, research dimensions, written summaries, ordering logic and presentation language are original to this edition. Copyrights, trademarks, company marks, drug names, hospital names, device names, logos, publicity rights, regulatory documents, annual reports, photographs, proprietary data and related intellectual property remain with their respective owners.
Editorial Independence
Inclusion does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, partnership, employment relationship, investment recommendation, medical recommendation, treatment advice, clinical certification or commercial affiliation between InfluenceAsia and any listed person, company, hospital, product, regulator, investor, government body or rights holder. No listed person is included for political office or public office. The ranking does not endorse any political party, government position, policy office or official appointment.
Legal Disclaimer
The ranking is healthcare business analysis and editorial opinion. It is not medical advice, legal advice, investment advice, clinical guidance, procurement advice, regulatory advice or a definitive measure of patient outcomes.