Glenmark’s Workforce Strategy: 15,800 employees, 6.05 lakh training hours, 9.9% women in top management

Founded in 1977 by Gracias Saldanha, <a id=” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/123574246.cms” height=”442″ href=”http://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tag/glenmark+pharmaceuticals” keywordseo=”Glenmark-Pharmaceuticals” loading=”eager” meta.entityid=”Glenmark Pharmaceuticals” meta.entityname=”Glenmark Pharmaceuticals” meta.hostid=”342″ meta.keywordsubtype=”org” source=”keywords” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” type=”Denny” weightage=”100″ width=”590″>Glenmark Pharmaceuticals began as a manufacturer of generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients, named after his two sons.

Initially, the company focused on markets in India, Russia and Africa before going public in India in 1999.

Currently, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has a presence across more than 80 countries and as of FY 2024, the company employs 15,800 people, with women making up 14 percent of the workforce and 23.4 percent of them in STEM roles.

The company reported a voluntary attrition rate of 18 percent in FY 2024 and it declined to 16 percent in FY 2025. In terms of capability building, Glenmark delivered 6,05,971 hours of training during the year, averaging 38 hours per employee.

In an exclusive interaction with , Alind Sharma, President and CHRO, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, shares some of the practices of the company and how learning and development is becoming a focus for them.

To support women, Glenmark runs mentorship programmes like ‘Beacon for Her’, which offers flexibility during maternity or caregiving periods, and boasts an impressive 98 percent return rate after maternity leave.

Employee wellness at Glenmark extends far beyond routine health check-ups.

“We run strong Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) and site-specific initiatives. For instance, at our Goa facility, psychologists regularly visit employees to help them manage job-related or personal stress,” Sharma explains.

In another move, Glenmark is also piloting an initiative that provides its own medicines to employees at significantly reduced prices, further easing financial stress.

A change towards learning and development

At Glenmark, in the past, prioritization was speaking with leaders, managers and individuals to reach a consensus on which learning needs were most pressing.

This “triangular” approach helped highlight the top priorities.

However, Alind says that today, a more efficient method is to use AI, databases and networking to identify which skills should be prioritized.

AI enables organizations to gain insights into learning needs on a broader scale, taking into account data patterns that might not be immediately obvious. Once the priorities are identified, mass customization becomes possible.

“The same learning programme can be tailored to different roles; for instance, a manufacturing worker versus an analytical chemist, ensuring that training is relevant and impactful,” Alind says.

Glenmark has built a strong learning ecosystem anchored by the Glenmark Centre of Learning (GCL), supported by Aspire (a learning tracker) and GCL Digital, which offers curated content for employees.

The company provides various role-specific programmes such as First-Time Manager, First-Line Manager, and Manager of Managers, along with the LIFT Series, designed to groom future site leaders, country managers and lab heads by focusing on talent two to four levels below critical roles.

Skills of tomorrow

While “hot skills” such as respiratory today and oncology tomorrow shift with business priorities, Glenmark’s core hiring focus remains on agility and fungibility.

For entry-level roles like manufacturing and medical representatives, a pharmacy or science background is preferred, but qualities such as trainability, sustainability, scalability and adaptability are valued more.

Talent pipelines are strengthened through traineeships and their modern equivalents to build future operators and frontline roles.

Additionally, a balanced mix of campus recruits and experienced hires ensures both speed and stability in the workforce.

Employee cost increased from Rs 1,434.78 crore in March 2024 to Rs 1,603.50 crore in March 2025.