Kirubakaran K
Summary
Strategic technology leader with 20+ years of experience driving large-scale digital transformation across Life Sciences and Banking domains. Currently serving as Associate Director at GSK, leading global teams and enterprise platforms delivering compliant, scalable, and high-impact solutions.
Proven track record in:
- Product and platform strategy (Veeva, Adobe Enterprise Manager)
- Global team leadership & Product excellence
- GxP compliance, regulatory readiness, and audit governance
- Driving measurable business outcomes through automation, AI, and modernization
Trusted partner to senior stakeholders for translating complex business needs into executable roadmaps and delivering sustained value.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Associate Director - Technology & Services
GSK
Bengaluru
03.2022 - Current
- Lead and develop a global team of 50+ developer, config specialists, Migration specialist and Architect building strong talent pipelines, succession plans, and a high-performance culture focused on accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Own end-to-end budgeting for Veeva and strategic vendor portfolios (OPEX and CAPEX), ensuring financial alignment with business priorities.
- Mentor and coach senior and emerging leaders, strengthening capabilities in portfolio management, delivery excellence, and digital enablement.
- Serve as the single point of contact for R&D, Supply Chain, audit, risk processes, and GxP frameworks, including regulatory inspections.
- Chair technical, project, and architecture governance forums, driving disciplined prioritisation, decision-making, and alignment with business outcomes.
- Establish and manage strategic supplier relationships, delivering compliant, high-quality outcomes within complex GxP-regulated environments.
- Define and execute IT and digital strategy aligned to business priorities across Global Supply Chain, and R&D.
- Drive strong alignment with business leaders and global Product Delivery teams, translating demand into value-driven, executable roadmaps.
- Lead strategic initiatives, including Quality platform releases, interface development, Veeva migration programmes, and service delivery transformation.
- Provide governance and oversight for risk, audit, CSV, and regulatory compliance across quality-critical systems.
- Drive end-to-end migration programme execution through structured planning, milestone tracking, dependency management, and executive-level reporting.
- Lead 24/7 global L2/L3 operations for Veeva Quality platforms (VQD, QMS), including integrations, APIs, and large-scale data migrations.
- Achieve 99.9% SLA compliance and reduce MTTR by 30% through proactive monitoring, process standardisation, and performance optimisation.
- Champion digital transformation through automation and AI, embedding scalable solutions into core business processes to enhance efficiency, quality, and resilience.
- Implemented production solutions for Code Orange, ERP, Salesforce, Regulatory Connector, and Veeva Releases.
- Implement AI-enabled integrations for the Veeva Quality Platform (VQMS for deviations, investigations; VQD for training, and SOP management).
- Automate high-volume IT services, including user access requests (1,650–1,800 tickets/month), significantly improving operational efficiency and user experience.
- Establish enterprise-wide KPIs, OKRs, dashboards, Voice of Customer (VoC), and Monthly Business Reviews to drive transparency and continuous improvement.
- Provide architectural leadership across enterprise integrations, APIs, and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS), ensuring secure and scalable digital ecosystems.
Platform Manager - AEM & Veeva Vault
Novo Nordisk
06.2017 - 03.2022
- Led the Veeva Vault Platform organisation (9 FTEs), establishing governance frameworks, onboarding standards, and cross-vault operational controls across Quality, R&D, P&SC, and Commercial.
- Delivered strategic Veeva Vault and AEM initiatives as Product Owner (SAFe Agile), coordinating 20+ cross-functional projects in collaboration with Google, Adobe, and GitHub.
- Managed Veeva product releases (2018–2021), driving quality and platform enhancements aligned with business and regulatory requirements.
- Led ADFS upgrade to enable multi-factor authentication, strengthening security posture, and access controls.
- Owned budgeting (FTEs and project portfolios), vendor management, and contract negotiations with Veeva, Adobe, Google, Rackspace, and Accenture.
- Closed critical security gaps and executed product roadmaps to support enterprise-scale platform adoption.
- Delivered cost savings of DKK 2M through vendor contract optimisation and budgeting efficiencies.
- Implemented enterprise-wide security and compliance controls, improving data protection, and audit readiness.
- Successfully supported and managed FDA and DHA inspections, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
DevOps Lead
Standard Chartered Bank
11.2015 - 06.2017
- Directed a team of seven members in the Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) department, ensuring high performance and collaboration.
- Led continuous improvement initiatives using quality and change management techniques, enhancing operational efficiency by 95%.
- Oversaw retail banking applications in India, the Middle East, and Africa, ensuring timely project completion and effective incident resolution.
Sr IT Business Analyst
Novo Nordisk
02.2013 - 11.2015
- Identifying, analysing, and designing processes to enhance information flow within the organisation.
- Managed OminiRIM and SDMA Archive (a product from Waters) as Product Manager.
- Managed budget, system strategy, product development, and R&D business CAB.
- Engaging with stakeholders, gathering requirements through techniques such as interviews, questionnaires, and brainstorming.
- A comprehensive grasp of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is also essential.
Technical Specialist
Mind Tree
04.2011 - 02.2013
- Led a team of 9 resources, overseeing the production timetable and project coordination, ensuring timely completion and quality maintenance of projects.
- Conducted client needs assessments and ensured project delivery within deadlines, travelled to the USA for implementation (Java, and Oracle 11G).
Product Analyst
Standard Chartered Bank
09.2010 - 04.2011
- Led the implementation of Core banking (eBBS) in Ghana and Zimbabwe, reducing system downtime by 30% through efficient project management and technical expertise.
- Converted the Sigcap application from DOS to Windows version (Bank master to eBBS), improving user satisfaction by 96% and streamlining banking operations.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure successful deployment and adoption of new systems, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
Product Analyst
Esquire Systems
07.2008 - 09.2010
- Worked in Standard Charted bank as consultant.
Associate Systems Engineer
First Source
03.2006 - 07.2008
- Worked as Application Support engineer for United Healthcare applications.
Education
Master of Science - Computer Application
Bharathidasan University
Tiruchirappalli, IN-TN01-2008
Bachelor of Science - Computer Application
Srimad Andavan Arts & Science College
Trichy01-2005
Skills
- Budget management
- Agile project management
- Managed services delivery
- IT service delivery
- Leadership skills
- Team management
- Pre-sales strategies
- Project planning
- Strategic leadership
Certification
- ITIL Intermediate In-Service Operations
- Lean IT Association Foundation
- Certified SAFe Scrum Master
- Certified SAFe 5 Product Owner/ Product Manager
- Vault Platform Associate Administrator
Websites, Portfolios and Profiles
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirubakaran-k-k-k-a9810231/
Languages
English
Advanced
C1
Awards
- GSK Global Recognition - Bronze Award for outstanding performance in GSK Apr ’26
- GSK Global Recognition - Gold Award for outstanding performance in GSK Dec ’25
- GSK Global Recognition - Sliver Award for outstanding performance in GSK Dec ’25
- GSK Global Recognition - Sliver Award for outstanding performance in GSK Dec ’24
- GSK Global Recognition - Sliver Award for outstanding performance in GSK Aug’24
Timeline
Associate Director - Technology & Services
GSK
03.2022 - Current
Platform Manager - AEM & Veeva Vault
Novo Nordisk
06.2017 - 03.2022
DevOps Lead
Standard Chartered Bank
11.2015 - 06.2017
Sr IT Business Analyst
Novo Nordisk
02.2013 - 11.2015
Technical Specialist
Mind Tree
04.2011 - 02.2013
Product Analyst
Standard Chartered Bank
09.2010 - 04.2011
Product Analyst
Esquire Systems
07.2008 - 09.2010
Associate Systems Engineer
First Source
03.2006 - 07.2008
Master of Science - Computer Application
Bharathidasan University
Bachelor of Science - Computer Application
Srimad Andavan Arts & Science College