From Tech to Healthcare: Pranav Shroff Begins New Chapter at Eli Lilly

Pranav Shroff has joined Eli Lilly and Company as director of Marketing, marking a significant career shift into healthcare after more than two decades across technology, consumer, and telecom industries. His journey spans leadership roles at Apple, Airtel, Nokia, Microsoft, Ola, and HMD Global, now converging on science-led innovation in health.

Pranav Shroff’s career has always been defined by a pursuit of innovation and impact, but his latest move signals a profound shift in focus. After more than twenty years navigating the fast-paced worlds of technology, consumer markets, and telecommunications, Shroff has stepped into healthcare, taking on the role of director of Marketing at Eli Lilly and Company. The announcement, shared in a reflective LinkedIn post, underscores both the personal significance of the transition and the broader resonance of bringing marketing expertise into a sector where lives are directly affected by science-led innovation.

“I’m excited to share that I’m starting a new chapter at Eli Lilly and Company,” Shroff wrote, framing the move not just as a career milestone but as a purposeful pivot. He explained that throughout his professional journey, one guiding question has shaped his decisions: how can technology and innovation meaningfully improve people’s lives at scale? For him, healthcare represents the most direct and urgent answer to that question. “Healthcare brings that purpose into sharp focus,” he noted, adding that the opportunity to contribute to innovation that helps people live longer, healthier, and better lives feels both humbling and energising. His words reflect a blend of gratitude for past experiences and anticipation for the challenges ahead, as he prepares to collaborate with Eli Lilly’s teams to drive improved health outcomes.

Shroff’s career trajectory is a testament to versatility and adaptability. Before joining Eli Lilly, he served as director of Marketing at Apple, where he led marketing efforts in India across diverse domains including product marketing, category management, marketing communications, corporate communications, and influencer marketing. His work spanned consumer, education, and enterprise segments, requiring a nuanced understanding of different audiences and the ability to craft messaging that resonated across contexts. Earlier at Apple, he was head of product marketing, overseeing launches across product lines and customer segments. These roles placed him at the heart of one of the world’s most influential technology companies, where precision in marketing strategy directly influenced consumer adoption and brand perception.

Prior to Apple, Shroff was senior vice president of Marketing at Airtel, one of India’s largest telecom operators. There, he headed the mobility business, covering postpaid services, international roaming, devices, and 5G initiatives. His leadership coincided with a period of rapid transformation in the telecom sector, as companies raced to adapt to new technologies and evolving consumer expectations. Shroff’s role demanded not only technical understanding but also strategic foresight, balancing the immediate demands of a competitive market with long-term positioning in a sector undergoing seismic shifts.

His career also includes senior leadership roles at HMD Global, where he served as Head of Global Product Strategy and Portfolio Planning. In that capacity, he was responsible for shaping the company’s product roadmap and ensuring alignment with market needs, a role that required both analytical rigor and creative vision. Earlier positions at Ola, Microsoft, and Nokia further broadened his experience, spanning product marketing, portfolio planning, and software programme management. Each role added layers of expertise, from managing global product strategies to navigating the complexities of software ecosystems and consumer engagement.

What stands out across Shroff’s journey is not just the diversity of industries he has worked in, but the consistency of his focus on innovation as a driver of meaningful change. Whether in telecom, consumer technology, or mobility services, his work has revolved around leveraging new ideas to improve user experiences and expand access. Now, in healthcare, that ethos takes on a new dimension. The stakes are higher, the outcomes more tangible, and the potential for impact more profound. Marketing in healthcare is not merely about positioning products or driving adoption; it is about communicating the value of innovations that can extend lives, reduce suffering, and improve quality of life.

Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical leader, has long been at the forefront of science-led innovation. For Shroff, joining such an organisation represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in translating complex scientific advancements into narratives that resonate with diverse stakeholders—patients, healthcare providers, regulators, and the broader public. The opportunity lies in shaping how these innovations are perceived and adopted, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes. His background in technology and consumer markets equips him with a unique perspective, blending the precision of product marketing with the empathy required in healthcare communications.

Shroff’s LinkedIn post also highlighted his gratitude for the mentors and experiences that have shaped his journey. This acknowledgment reflects a recognition that career transitions are rarely solitary endeavors; they are built on networks of guidance, collaboration, and shared learning. As he steps into healthcare, he carries with him not only the skills honed across industries but also the lessons learned from leaders and colleagues who have influenced his path. His emphasis on learning from Eli Lilly’s teams further underscores his approach: one that values collaboration and continuous growth over static expertise.

The move also speaks to broader trends in career trajectories across industries. Increasingly, professionals are crossing traditional boundaries, bringing skills from one sector into another to drive innovation. Shroff’s transition from technology and telecom to healthcare exemplifies this fluidity, highlighting how expertise in marketing, strategy, and innovation can be applied across contexts. It also reflects the growing recognition that healthcare, as a sector, benefits from perspectives shaped outside its traditional boundaries. As science advances, the need to communicate effectively with diverse audiences becomes ever more critical, and professionals like Shroff bring fresh approaches to that challenge.

For Eli Lilly, the appointment signals an investment not only in marketing leadership but also in cross-industry expertise. Shroff’s background positions him to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and consumer engagement, ensuring that the company’s breakthroughs are communicated in ways that resonate globally. His experience at Apple, Airtel, and other organisations equips him with the ability to navigate complex markets, manage diverse product portfolios, and craft strategies that align with both business goals and consumer needs. In healthcare, these skills translate into the ability to shape narratives that build trust, foster understanding, and encourage adoption of life-changing innovations.

As Shroff embarks on this new chapter, the narrative is not just about one individual’s career move but about the evolving intersections of technology, consumer engagement, and healthcare. His journey illustrates how skills developed in one domain can find profound relevance in another, and how the pursuit of innovation can lead professionals into sectors where the impact is most deeply felt. For Shroff, the move to Eli Lilly is both a continuation of his lifelong focus on innovation and a new beginning in a field where that focus directly touches lives.

In the coming years, his role will likely involve navigating the complexities of healthcare marketing, balancing regulatory requirements with the need for clear communication, and ensuring that Eli Lilly’s innovations are understood and embraced by those who need them most. It is a task that demands not only expertise but also empathy, vision, and resilience. For Shroff, it is the culmination of a career defined by adaptability and a commitment to meaningful impact, now directed toward one of the most vital sectors of all.