In Memoriam: Amit Sharma

Amit Sharma, former member of the PDA India Chapter, passed away on June 26, 2023. The PDA India Chapter’s rebirth is attributed to a lot of hands and heads working together. Still, this genesis would not have come to fruition if it was not for Amit Sharma’s initiative of inviting a few of us to a meeting with Maik Jornitz (leading Sartorius with its efforts as Sr. VP Marketing) and Richard Johnson (former CEO and President of PDA Inc.) in Bangalore. That meeting changed the destiny of many of us, who learned the best ways of working collaboratively, which Amit had demonstrated effortlessly throughout his life. For many of us at the PDA India chapter, bringing people, science and regulations to forge bonds that transcended the technical arena was facilitated greatly by Amit.

It was a privilege to work alongside Amit as his colleague. In addition, it was astounding and motivational to experience his ambitions and pursuits. For example, he was the first to pursue filter validation services for a sterile active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) at a prestigious customer site that gave me the space to learn, expand and compete when he moved to another organization in the same domain. Amit’s energy to communicate, influence and persist with customer service benchmarks gave him the wind below his wings, causing customers to slip into his inner circle with ease. A testimony to his people skills, compassion and ability to lead was in full demonstration at Sartorius, but for many of us outside of that arena, the respect, affection and esteem he had gained during the span of his life was also present, and it was evident with the outpouring of grief during his last rites. While we all stood at that gathering, there was a distinct observation commonly shared throughout, which was Amit lived prosperously and had created many memories for each of us. All of Amit’s colleagues, in unison, believed that his legacy would continue to inspire us for years to come.

At the recently held PDA India Chapter’s 10 Annual Celebration, Amit was honored by Rustom Mody, Phd, President-Elect, PDA India Chapter, for the seeding of the idea that India needs the PDA Chapter.

Amit leaves behind his wife Mamta and two children, Shantanu and Mansi

Amit will be missed dearly. His life’s definition and legacy of “This journey of life makes it worth the while” is sprinkled across his circle of friends and colleagues.