Dr. Kirpekar joined atai in 2022 after more than eight years at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., most recently as the Head of Business Development and Co-chair of the Global Business Development Committee.

During his tenure, Dr. Kirpekar helped build a successful pipeline of assets in CNS and beyond and was responsible for closing transactions with a total value of more than USD 2.7 billion. Notable accomplishments during his time at Otsuka also include the successful commercial launch of two drugs, Abilify Maintena (Aripiprazole) and Jinarc (Tolvaptan), and contributing to the organization’s digital strategy and leading their evolving thinking in precision psychiatry. He also collaborated closely with atai on certain strategic investments during this time.

Prior to Otsuka, Dr. Kirpekar built and executed commercial and market access strategies for biopharmaceutical companies globally as a strategy consultant at Double Helix Consulting (McCann Consulting). He also served as a market analyst for the World Health Organization and has co-founded a company building a drug delivery device focused on adherence. Dr. Kirpekar is a trained physician and holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge (where he is subsequently an honorary lecturer).