GE Healthcare Appoints New Chief Procurement Officer

Akshar joins a workforce of more than 50,000 employees. The company operates across medical imaging, ultrasound, patient care solutions and pharmaceutical diagnostics.

GE Healthcare stated that Akshar is joining to "advance our mission of creating a world where healthcare has no limits". He will focus on operational excellence, supply chain resilience and value chain optimisation.

The company works to improve diagnostic accuracy and workflow efficiency in healthcare settings. According to the FDA, GE Healthcare holds the most AI-enabled device authorisations in the medical technology sector.

These technologies could help clinicians make faster decisions. The company serves more than one billion patients each year.

Since 2023, approximately US$5.1bn has been invested in innovation at GE Healthcare.

The company, which separated from General Electric, uses AI technologies and digital tools to support targeted treatments and patient outcomes.

Comments from the organisation

"A warm welcome to Akshar Awalgaonkar as he steps into the Chief Procurement Officer role at GE Healthcare," says Huneth Lor-Fair, Global Executive Search Partner at GE Healthcare.

"Akshar has a proven track record of developing and leading high-performing teams and delivering holistic functional transformations across complex, regulated industries."

Huneth adds that Akshar's "strategic leadership, transformation expertise and ability to catalyse enterprise-wide collaboration will support GE Healthcare's continued evolution toward precision care for patients and providers around the world".

The appointment could support the company's procurement operations across its healthcare technology divisions. Akshar brings experience from regulated manufacturing environments.

His background includes work in global sourcing and supply chain management. He has led teams serving customers across five continents.

Background and previous roles

Akshar joins from Avery Dennison, where he spent two and a half years as Group Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer. He helped transform operations at the packaging manufacturer.

In his departure post on LinkedIn, Akshar wrote: "As I prepare to wrap up my time at Avery Dennison over the next few days, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the people I've had the privilege to work alongside. When we launched Project Nova, our collective team goal was to shift Procurement from being viewed as a cost-cutter to a true value creator for the enterprise."

He continued: "Turn a fragmented organisation into a cohesive global unit that will blur the lines between global and regional and be a force that will drive accelerated collaboration. I could never have imagined how rapidly Nova turned from project [to a] philosophy [to a] mindset."

Akshar's career spans more than 20 years in procurement and manufacturing. He started as a trainee engineer at Bosch in India for two years.

Career progression timeline

He then moved to Whirlpool Corporation in the US, working in sourcing roles. Akshar spent more than seven years at GE in global strategic sourcing positions.

During this period, he managed teams across five continents. After roles at Walgreens and AbbVie, he returned to GE to work in the Water division.

There, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer. He led the global integrated procurement function.

His experience covers diverse product categories and customer bases. This background could support transformation initiatives in procurement and supply chain operations at GE Healthcare.