Analytics at the Helm How data is steering pharma’s commercial surge

GSK’s Business Intelligence (BI) chief Hitesh Jain unpacks how automation, predictive analytics and disciplined data practices are reshaping commercial decisions, strengthening sales force efficiency and turning intelligence into measurable impact across the Indian pharma market

At a time when analytics drives everything from sales strategy to commercial foresight, one leader has been instrumental in turning intelligence into real organisational momentum. With a career that spans Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Healthcare and IQVIA, and now leading Business Intelligence (BI) at GSK India, Hitesh Jain brings a rare blend of commercial instinct and analytical depth to the table. He breaks down the automation push behind GSK’s OPPI award win, the rise of predictive analytics, the realities of data security and the mindset needed to build truly future-ready BI teams. In an exclusive interview with Corporate Citizen, the conversation turns to the growing power of data and how it continues to reshape the pharma sector.

Corporate Citizen: Your team recently won the OPPI Sales Force Excellence Award (2024-25). What role did BI play in achieving that recognition?

Hitesh Jain: We implemented timely automation to drive process efficiency, significantly reducing the routine workload of our field force. This initiative not only enhanced productivity but also enabled team members to allocate more time toward upskilling and staying aligned with evolving industry demands. By shifting the heavy lifting to automated workflows, our frontline teams could focus on higher-value activities—engaging more meaningfully with stakeholders, navigating complex territory dynamics and adapting faster to market shifts.

CC: You often talk about Sales Force Automation and Predictive Analytics, how are those shaping pharma sales strategy today?

Automation plays a critical role in enhancing process control and minimising errors caused by manual intervention. This has been a key driver behind our continued focus on automation initiatives. Looking ahead, predictive analytics is undoubtedly a strategic necessity, enabling proactive planning and allowing us to capitalise on emerging market opportunities. We’re now moving beyond mere efficiency to foresight: forecasting where demand will come from, how physician behaviour might shift, and how to position our resources to match.

CC: What’s the single biggest challenge in using BI to drive commercial excellence in a global pharma company?

Keeping your data secure while using technology remains the biggest challenge. In a dynamic market like India, where regulatory, ethical and operational risks can intertwine, ensuring that our BI infrastructure maintains both flexibility and compliance is paramount.

CC: How has your previous experience at Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Healthcare and IQVIA influenced your current approach at GSK?

Every experience helps you grow and become a better person professionally. Every corporate is different and so are their visions and goals. You keep going, you keep growing. My past stints exposed me to varying scales of operation, types of data culture and leadership styles—these create a mosaic of insights that I now draw on in shaping our BI agenda. The lessons of collaboration, agility and accountability, from those roles, strongly inform how we execute today.

CC: How do you balance automation and human insight, especially in customer-facing analytics?

Use automation to free up your productive time; use intelligence to upskill yourself and grow. Keep up with the industry pace. The idea is simple, let machines do the heavy lifting—data cleansing, routine reporting, pattern detection— so that humans can focus on the interpretative, relationship-based work. In frontline interactions, it’s insights plus empathy that deliver impact.

CC: With GSK marking 100 years in India, how is BI contributing to its next phase of growth in this market?

We ensure every critical decision in the organisation is data-backed. We try our best, working over solution-partnering with our commercial organisation, helping them ease in their decision-making process. In large legacy markets, growth often means refinement, optimising what already exists. Our Business Intelligence frameworks enable the commercial teams to ask the right questions, locate hidden opportunities, and deploy resources with precision

CC: About engaging with future leaders, how do you see the role of emerging talent shaping BI in pharma?

Emerging talent brings fresh perspectives, tech-savviness and a hunger to iterate. They’re less locked into legacy mindsets and more willingness to experiment with new tools, new data sources, new business models. That doesn’t substitute experience, but when paired with it, it accelerates transformation.

CC: What makes someone recommend you on professional networking platforms for skills like data analytics, predictive modelling and commercial strategy?

For my varied experience, connection with different leadership styles, managing people and remaining connected with the future talent. I believe these threads— multidisciplinary exposure, people orientation and continual curiosity—make a difference and reflect in how others perceive my contributions.

CC: What specific leadership and team skills are critical to building a high-performing BI organisation in pharma?

Building trust with on-time accurate delivery with your stakeholders, being accountable and innovative over your solutions, being seen as business partners and not just data providers. Individuals must earn their seat at the table by delivering value, speaking the language of the business and enabling commercial outcome— not just generating reports.

CC: Which technical tools or platforms do you rely on most—Power BI, Tableau, or proprietary systems—and why?

Power BI has been the flavour of the season, and things will change with newer platforms getting in future. It’s been a journey—from advanced Excel to Qlik Sense to Power BI, Tableau, Python, SQL—we expect this evolution to continue. The right tool isn’t about brand, but scalability, integration, extensibility, and the user-adoption it enables.

CC: How do you foster predictive analytics capability within your team, especially around sales-forecasting and SFE?

Every project reflects this. It’s very critical to build in clear success measures, to be able to value add and see the ROI. We train the team to not only model forecasts but also monitor their accuracy, iterate, refine and embed lessons learned back into the models—closing the cycle of anticipation, execution and learning.

CC: What’s your vision for the future of BI in pharma over the next 3–5 years?

It will just grow at a much faster pace and at a higher rate. Organisations are shifting decisively to data-backed decision-making, building strong correlations between lead-lag data points and using AI and ML to be more efficient and accurate in future estimations. In short, BI will move from descriptive to predictive to prescriptive, steering the business rather than just supporting it.

CC: You mention continuous learning and mentoring interns—how do you embed skill-building and mentorship in your BI practice?

Don’t stop over your learning journey ever. Push yourself out of your comfort zone to ensure growth and meeting your aspirations. We make time for mentorship, encourage interns and juniors to engage in real business challenges and pair them with senior stakeholders, so that their analytic skills evolve alongside commercial understanding.

CC: You swear by “Interact, Learn, Repeat” as a guiding philosophy. How do you stay at the cutting edge of BI—through learning, collaboration, events?

Staying at the cutting edge of Business Intelligence requires a continuous commitment to learning, collaboration and exploration. My guiding philosophy “Interact, Learn, Repeat” reflects this approach. I actively engage with industry peers, participate in knowledge-sharing forums, attend relevant events and webinars, and stay up to date with emerging trends and technologies. This constant cycle of interaction and learning not only sharpens my technical skills but also broadens my perspective, enabling me to drive more innovative and impactful Business Intelligence solutions.