Founders' Story

Our Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Samprada Singh’s journey exudes courage, resolve, hard work, and more importantly, undefeatable willpower to conquer fate.

Mr. Singh was born in a middle-class family residing in Okri village of Jehanabad district of Bihar. His family’s major earnings came from agriculture, which often became a victim of nature’s fury.

He aspired to heal and relieve people of their pain by becoming a doctor. He could not turn that dream into a reality but became the first one in his village to graduate. He then forayed into agriculture before he began selling umbrellas. However, the seed of providing healthcare was sown so deep in his heart that it sprouted to become something tangible. In 1953, Mr. Singh opened a medical store and six years later, a pharmaceutical distribution company – Laxmi Pharma. Later, he laid the foundation for his own pharmaceutical distribution company, Magadh Pharma, in Patna. After 16 years of distribution, Mr. Singh decided to enter pharmaceutical manufacturing with Aristo Labs in 1970. However, he was met with a series of setbacks and failed partnerships. While this could deter most people, Mr. Singh used his experience to create something remarkable that changed the Indian pharmaceutical market. In 1973, he established Alkem Laboratories – the decision that transformed how Indians knew and understood pharmaceuticals.

Back then, the pharmaceutical sector was dominated by international brands in India, but Mr. Singh’s vision played a crucial role in changing the narrative for good. Today, Alkem Laboratories develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceutical formulations and nutraceuticals in India. The company has operations in Europe, Africa, the Asia Pacific, South America, the United States, and India.

Under Mr. Singh’s visionary leadership, Alkem became one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in India and carved out a distinct place for itself in the global pantheon of pharmaceutical giants.

His success story fired the imagination of a generation of Indian entrepreneurs and business leaders. He is an icon, a role model, and an incredible source of inspiration for millions of dreamers across the world.

Mr. Singh is no longer amongst us, but his spirit lives on, guiding over 21,000 Alkemites and directing them to write brand new stories of success.

Mr. Basudeo N. Singh, Alkem's co-founder, is a visionary who leads by example. Just like Ramayana, Alkem is a tale of two determined brothers, who stood by each other, reached the destination with unparalleled grit, and accomplished their targets while following the path of righteousness. While Mr. Samprada Singh, our Emeritus Chairman, was redefining the potential of the Indian pharmaceutical industry, his younger brother Mr. Basudeo N. Singh stood strongly behind him, supporting his quest. No wonder they are addressed as the Ram-Lakshman of the Indian pharmaceuticals.

The foresighted elder brother always knew that the young Basudeo was a prodigy meant to go beyond the tumble-down walls of the Jehanabad district school of Bihar. Thus, as soon as Mr. Basudeo finished his graduation from Patna University and started off as a professor, he received a call from Mr. Samprada Singh to join the business. Mr. Basudeo’s diligence, endurance, and novel approach proved to be very instrumental in developing a robust alliance with distributors. Despite his impressive academic record and social status, he was humble enough to willingly deliver stocks to the stockists and distributors, during the initial years of the company.

Even after four decades, the story of Alkem’s co-founder, Mr. Basudeo N. Singh, is igniting the aspirations of every team member of the organization. Under Mr. Basudeo’s visionary leadership, Alkem has been creating ripples of success in the Indian pharmaceutical industry. His sterling leadership qualities and ingenious work process earned him the opportunity to be the president of the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association from 2007 to 2009. He has won many awards and accolades including the ‘Business Leader of the Year 2014’ at the 7th Annual Pharmaceutical Leadership Summit and the Pharma Leaders Business Leadership Awards 2014. He was also the ‘EY Entrepreneur of the Year in Life Sciences’ in the year 2016. Recently, he received the title ‘Chief Mentor of the Year’ by the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association.

He is our role model for his values like simple living, focused execution, foresighted planning, and team building. With these values imbibed in our hearts, we go beyond being just a pharmaceutical company to an ethos called ALKEM.