Priyen Naidu, head of IT for Aspen’s SA Commercial business, explains how the JSE-listed pharmaceutical organisation is using disciplined governance and a business-focused approach to support business growth through technology.
Aspen Pharmacare, the Durban-headquartered pharmaceutical organisation founded in 1997, has grown from a Johannesburg Stock Exchange listing in 1998 into a business that now reaches patients in more than 115 countries.
Trained as a mechanical engineer, Priyen Naidu, Aspen SA Commercial’s newly appointed head of IT, says he still approaches technology challenges through the lens of systems thinking and solving root causes rather than simply implementing software. He believes technology creates the greatest value when it's designed to solve business problems at scale.
“Scale changes your perspective. Technology decisions aren’t just about solving today’s problem – they need to be repeatable, secure and capable of supporting growth. It also means partnering closely with the group digital technology team while ensuring we remain responsive to the unique needs of our South African Commercial business,” Priyen says.
A South African success story with global reach
Before joining Aspen, Priyen knew the company by its reputation as a successful South African business. What surprised him, he says, was the scale of its operations once he saw them up close.
He describes it as a source of pride to work for a home-grown company that has built world-class pharmaceutical and manufacturing capability from South Africa while serving patients around the world.
“Reading that Aspen operates internationally is one thing,” Priyen says. “Seeing the people, manufacturing capacity and operational discipline required to sustain that footprint is another entirely.”
IT's job: enable growth without becoming a bottleneck
As Aspen grows, Priyen says IT carries a specific responsibility to stay close enough to the business to build relevant solutions that scale. His engineering background heavily influences the way he approaches technology leadership. Rather than starting with platforms or products, he begins with business problems, believing that technology creates value only when it solves the right challenge.
“I think many organisations still see IT as just a cost centre. Increasingly, I believe IT's role is to enable capability. Success isn’t measured by how much technology we deploy but by the business outcomes it creates,” Priyen says.
That principle underpins how Priyen and his team approach enhancements to SA Commercial’s IT landscape.
He connects that discipline directly to patient outcomes. “Although IT doesn’t interact directly with patients, every reliable system, every secure platform and every informed business decision contributes to making medicines available where they’re needed. That connection to patient outcomes gives our work a deeper sense of purpose,” he says.
Governing AI before scaling it
Aspen's approach to AI reflects the same philosophy. Priyen says the company is building governance frameworks and identifying high-value use cases, rather than deploying AI for its own sake.
Priyen believes that AI implementation makes business understanding even more important.
“As AI becomes increasingly capable of writing code, summarising meetings and automating workflows, competitive advantage shifts from knowing how to use technology to knowing where technology creates value.”
Operating in one of the most tightly regulated industries in the world could easily be framed as a constraint on innovation. Priyen rejects that framing outright.
“I don't see regulation and innovation as opposing forces. Good governance creates trust, and trust enables innovation. The challenge is finding ways to innovate responsibly rather than seeing compliance as a barrier,” he says.
Why he chose pharma
Asked what drew him to Aspen in the first place, Priyen doesn’t hesitate. “The culture genuinely stood out to me. Aspen has a strong performance mindset while remaining incredibly people-centric. That's a rare combination,” he says.
That sense of purpose extends beyond the culture to the industry itself.
“I wanted to work somewhere where technology could contribute to something with a meaningful societal impact. Healthcare affects every family, and knowing our work ultimately supports better access to medicines gives technology a purpose beyond just running systems,” Priyen concludes.
