Anthropic, the American artificial intelligence company behind the Claude AI models, has appointed Vasant Narasimhan, better known as Vas, to its board of directors.

The Indian-origin pharma executive is the first healthcare professional to sit on the board of the AI startup and his appointment points to Anthropic's growing interest in using AI for drug discovery and medicine.

Narasimhan is the chief executive officer of Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant he has led since 2018. He welcomed the appointment, saying technology creates the most value when deployed responsibly, a view that aligns closely with Anthropic's stated mission of building safe AI.

“Working across medicine, innovation and global health has shown me the transformative potential of technology when deployed responsibly. In healthcare, AI is accelerating solutions to some of the hardest scientific challenges, from deepening our understanding of disease biology to designing better medicines,” said Narasimhan.

Narasimhan joins Dario Amodei, Daniela Amodei, Yasmin Razavi, Jay Kreps, Reed Hastings and Chris Liddell on the Board of Directors.

Must read: Why Vas Narasimhan’s entry to Anthropic’s board matters ahead of IPO 

Where it all began

Narasimhan studied biological sciences at the University of Chicago before heading to Harvard, where he earned both a medical degree and a Master's in Public Policy from the Kennedy School.  

Before rising through the ranks at Novartis, Narasimhan spent his early career on the ground in some of the world's most underserved regions. He led programmes fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis across India, Africa, and South America.

Beyond the corner office 

Narasimhan's influence extends well beyond running a pharmaceutical company. He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine and sits on the Council on Foreign Relations. 

He serves as a trustee of the University of Chicago and a fellow of the Harvard Medical School board. He is also a former chair of PhRMA, the powerful Washington-based pharmaceutical industry body, and continues to serve on its board.