Bangaluru, India—The Sami-Sabinsa Group, including Dr. Anju Majeed, Executive Chairperson and Shaheen Majeed, Global Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, are mourning the sudden passing of Nagabhushanam Kalyanam, Ph.D., President R&D. Dr. Kalyanam was 74.
Dr. Kalyanam was a dedicated scientific advisor to Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Founder and Chairman of Sami-Sabinsa Group, in the development of the company’s various high-quality ingredients until Dr. Majeed’s passing in March of 2024.
Dr. Kalyanam earned his M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Madras, and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Baylor University (TX). Following two-years of post-doctoral research in U.S. on chiral chemistry and chiro-optical methods, he returned to India to work with IPCL (now part of Reliance group), Ciba- Geigy (now Novartis), and SPIC Pharma. At Sabinsa, he worked on the development of efficient and novel scientific routes for xenobiotics and intermediates as well as exploration of new business areas.
Among Dr. Kalyanam's many accomplisments:
- He was co-inventor of multiple Sami-Sabinsa Group patents around the world.
- He co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed research papers, including two book chapters in leading scientific journals.
- He has authored or co-authored eight published books, a few in still in process, describing the historical perspectives, ethnobotany, phytochemistry, various Pharmacological activities of multiple herbal extracts and the research into their beneficial compounds.
- He has been recognized for his numerous contributions to the Sami-Sabinsa Group over the past 25 years at national and international levels in the areas of synthetic methodology, chiral chemistry, and natural products.
“This photo that was taken of Dr. Kalyanam at SupplySide Las Vegas facing another supplier’s booth was serendipitous, given that his knowledge and talent did indeed ignite the discoveries to improve human health that are his legacy,” said Shaheen Majeed.
“We offer our sincere condolences to the grieving family, friends, and loved ones of Dr. Kalyanam,” said Dr. Anju. “In addition to his research talents and dedication that helped make Sami-Sabinsa Group a very successful and leading a multinational health & life sciences company, he was a kind and thoughtful person and will be deeply missed by us all.”
Shaheen Majeed added: “Dr. Kalyanam was profoundly devoted to his work, to my father, and the belief that his work could benefit overall health. He challenged my father, he challenged me, and his contributions to Sabinsa will be etched in stone forever. I am eternally grateful for his wisdom, the insights he brought forth, and the help he gave to all of us.”
Dr. Kalyanam leaves behind a wife, one son, one daughter, and four grandchildren.
