GSK appoints Vasudevan Lakshmanan as Country HR Head for Malaysia

GSK has appointed Vasudevan Lakshmanan as Country HR Head for Malaysia, marking a significant milestone in his leadership journey within the global healthcare organisation. 

In his new role, he will spearhead the people strategy, aligning talent priorities with business objectives while strengthening organisational culture in a dynamic and evolving healthcare landscape.

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Lakshmanan will focus on enhancing leadership capability, driving organisational effectiveness, and fostering a high-performance, inclusive culture to support GSK’s growth ambitions in Malaysia.

Announcing the development on LinkedIn, Lakshmanan shared, "Vantage point changes. Expectations don’t! Excited to step into the role of Country HR Head, GSK Malaysia, where accountability sits much closer to the outcomes. Looking forward to building the business through people, leadership, and decisions that move the needle."

Lakshmanan brings extensive experience across regional and country-level HR roles, underpinned by strong business acumen and a proven ability to navigate complex, multicultural environments. Prior to this appointment, he served as Regional HR Business Partner for Emerging Markets at GSK, partnering with senior leaders across more than 30 markets spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

During his tenure at GSK India, he played a pivotal role in shaping the HR strategy for the Vaccines business, leading large-scale transformation initiatives, establishing new teams, and driving talent and culture interventions to support growth. His contributions included setting up the Adult Vaccines vertical, onboarding over 200 professionals, and spearheading organisational and leadership development programs.

Before joining GSK, Lakshmanan held key HR roles at Mahindra & Mahindra, Disney Star, and Ashok Leyland, where he built deep expertise in talent management, organisational development, and workforce transformation. He is widely recognised for his business-centric approach and ability to lead large-scale initiatives that build future-ready organisations.

An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, India with an MBA in Human Resource Management, Lakshmanan has consistently championed people-centric strategies that enhance organisational resilience and accelerate performance.

With this appointment, GSK reinforces its commitment to nurturing leadership and strengthening its people agenda, positioning its Malaysia operations for sustained growth and innovation.