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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 22nd November 2014
Leading Lights
Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor
Former Top Banker Transforming Healthcare by Pioneering Genetics in Emerging Markets “Think of your genome comprising over 3 billion base-pairs as your Book of Life, holding secrets to your health. Now imagine deciphering this book in order to create your personal lifelong plan for a healthy existence. This is the power of genetics! It allows the delivery of personalised medicine. A specific, tailored action plan for predicting and managing our individual health, from diagnosis to treatment.” Thus begins Sumit S. Jamuar, Executive Chairman of Global Gene Corp, a company applying genetics research to deliver personalised medicine in India and emerging markets. Global Gene Corp was born out of Mr Jamuar’s desire to transform the provision of quality health care in India and emerging markets. “My drive is to build and transform businesses that have a substantial impact – both business and social,” he says. “The challenge in emerging markets is that the gap
Sumit S. Jamuar
between demand for quality healthcare versus supply is significant, and growing. We believe genetics is the disruptive force,” Sumit explains. “We have on our team some of the best genetics and engineering experts in the world with pedigrees from institutions such as Harvard Medical School, IIT, Newcastle University, NUS”
Sumit is excited by the possibility of transforming healthcare through personalised medicine, particularly in light of the growing number of non-communicable ailments that include cardiac and metabolic diseases. Sumit continues, “right now if you fall ill, you go to your doctor, and he or she prescribes a drug based on symptoms. Using genetics you can understand your individual risks, predict what drugs will work for you as an individual, and which ones to avoid.” This sounds like a powerful application. We discuss statins, a drug commonly prescribed in the UK- particularly if you are Asian. Research has shown up to 13% Asians
have a negative side effect of statins – joint pains, muscle degeneration. Sumit says, “If you do our pharmacogenomics test, you could find out if statins will be suitable for you, or what alternative might be more effective. Imagine the possibility of transforming healthcare in collaboration with healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical companies and policy makers!” All this happens to neatly marry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” theme. For instance, research studies have established that Indians have a similar genetic makeup that is distinct from their Chinese or European counterparts. Sumit and his team built IndiaCHIP™, a preventative health screen for Indians. This means that Global Gene Corp is a unique provider that uses India-specific genetic datasets. Sumit is excited by the potential of building a global company with its core in India and international collaborations. His team members are spread across the UK, Boston, Singapore and India. We talk about influences shaping his life. Sumit feels his parents, Mrs Rita Jamuar and Prof. Sudhanshu S. Jamuar, provided the foundation as they “wanted me to
work hard, be modest and stay grounded.” His father, a Professor in Electrical Engineering who taught at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT), invented the Hindi Devnagri script computer terminal (along with collaborators). Sumit says, “I was brought up on the IIT campus surrounded by the smartest technology problem-solvers in India. That ethos got ingrained in my DNA.” Sumit is a Chemical Engineer from IIT, a highly selective college where up to 300,000 apply and the entry pass rate is less than half a per cent. He values the IIT because he was amongst “all kinds of geeks with a great collaborative network. It taught me humility because there was always someone smarter and better than you.” He has an MBA from INSEAD and has attended programmes at Tuck Dartmouth, UMASS Amherst and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Sumit started his career with McKinsey & Company, India, where he was the first undergraduate to be hired directly as a consultant in India. “McKinsey was the best building block for my business career as I gained amazing professional experiences and global networks,” he comments. Until 2012, Sumit was
with the Lloyds Banking Group in London, where he held several senior leadership positions. His last role was running global business as Managing Director (MD) and Global Head. He is believed to be the youngest person in the bank, at 31, to achieve the MD position. Sumit is also the co-founder and Executive Chairman of KYCTrust, addressing compliance risk for financial services using big data. He is the Advisor to SPICMACAY, UK, promoting Indian classical music and culture, and the UK Trustee for the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic. In closing I ask him about his acting course at the Royal Central School. Sumit says, “The acting course taught me how to channel my energy – even though we cannot control what happens around and to us, we can control our reactions. That makes all the difference.” Global Gene Corp: www.globalgenecorp.com: Global Gene Corp is a genomics company and unique provider of high-quality genetic testing services that are predictive and preventive to provide actionable information to customers and physicians even before the symptoms of a disease become evident.
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