Guided by immigrant roots, public‑health purpose and a belief in “staying in the ring,” Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan reflects on how living in the moment took him from the steel town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the helm of a global drugmaker.
Vas Narasimhan never planned on becoming a CEO. In fact, he says the idea only hit him six months before he got the Novartis job.
He credits his rise to a lesson from his parents: throw yourself fully into whatever you’re doing, because you never know what comes next.
Narasimhan talks through the surprising roles that opened new doors, the crises that forced him to “stay in the ring” and why focusing on the job you have—not the next one—can accelerate your career.
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