Astraa leadership team has the expertise to envision, engage and execute. Our executives and advisors include industry experts, and luminaries across industry domains and technology.
Executive Leadership Team
Bhaskar Sambasivan has worked at the center of healthcare and technology convergence for more than 30 years, serving clients in leadership and advisory roles to support the transformation of their business processes and operations. As CEO of Saama, Bhaskar applies this firsthand experience to guide the growth of the business and evolution of the company’s AI-enabled technology platform aimed at accelerating clinical research and the commercialization of new medical breakthroughs for patients.
Prior to Saama, Bhaskar was the CEO of CitiusTech, a healthcare focused technology services and solutions company and the Chief Strategy Officer and President of Patient Services at EVERSANA, a leading life sciences services company focused on end-to-end pharmaceutical commercialization solutions. Additionally, Bhaskar was the head of the Global Life Sciences business at Cognizant, a Fortune 500 company, for nearly 15 years.
As an industry leader, he has a passion for building best-in-class teams and has mentored many strong leaders, currently holding senior roles across the industry. Bhaskar is committed to diversity and academic enrichment, including as an active sponsor of many outreach programs that provide education and facilities to children and students around the world.
Bhaskar currently serves on the advisory board of TIE NJ, a global organization that focuses on helping entrepreneurs succeed. He has also been recognized by PharmaVoice as one of the most “100 Influential and Inspirational Leaders in Life Sciences” in both 2017 and 2018.
Scott leads Saama, including its brand Astraa’s global finance organization and operations. He is passionate about using the language of finance to enhance Saama’s performance and help tell the story of how industry is embracing AI technologies to accelerate the delivery of safe and effective medical treatments.
A high-impact executive, Scott has a compelling blend of financial experience and deep understanding of clinical development. He comes to Saama from Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD, Inc.), a leading global provider of clinical research services to the biopharma and biotech industries. As PPD’s Senior Vice President of Clinical Finance, Scott oversaw a portfolio of the contract research organization’s businesses across the phases of clinical development. He also had direct responsibility for PPD’s adjunct business units, including consulting, digital and enrollment solutions, where he worked to optimize business performance and communicate to executives and owners. While at PPD, Scott also implemented a global leadership program designed to enhance the career development and engagement of the finance team.
Scott began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an auditor, then moved into corporate finance in the pharmaceutical industry. He holds an accounting degree from Texas Tech University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Scott likes to spend time with his family boating, golfing and playing tennis, as well as traveling and experiencing new adventures, places and cultures.
A high-impact executive, Scott has a compelling blend of financial experience and deep understanding of clinical development. He comes to Saama from Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD, Inc.), a leading global provider of clinical research services to the biopharma and biotech industries. As PPD’s Senior Vice President of Clinical Finance, Scott oversaw a portfolio of the contract research organization’s businesses across the phases of clinical development. He also had direct responsibility for PPD’s adjunct business units, including consulting, digital and enrollment solutions, where he worked to optimize business performance and communicate to executives and owners. While at PPD, Scott also implemented a global leadership program designed to enhance the career development and engagement of the finance team.
Scott began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an auditor, then moved into corporate finance in the pharmaceutical industry. He holds an accounting degree from Texas Tech University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Scott likes to spend time with his family boating, golfing and playing tennis, as well as traveling and experiencing new adventures, places and cultures.
With 24 years of experience in leadership roles at Astraa, Saama and Silicon Graphics (SGI), Rajeev currently leads the Client Care and Delivery organizations, while simultaneously driving the company’s technology roadmap.
Previously at Saama, Rajeev led the development of strategies, methodologies, and partnerships, with a focus on cloud, syndicated data sources, social data, advanced analytics, and mobile technologies.
Rajeev has created BI and Analytics strategies for large organizations and managed large-scale deployments of data warehousing, analytics and applied data mining/predictive analytics systems in diverse business environments. He has also been involved in the analysis, design, and deployment of both B2C and B2B solutions in different vertical industries.
Rajeev earned an M.S. in Computer Science at California State University, Chico.
Previously at Saama, Rajeev led the development of strategies, methodologies, and partnerships, with a focus on cloud, syndicated data sources, social data, advanced analytics, and mobile technologies.
Rajeev has created BI and Analytics strategies for large organizations and managed large-scale deployments of data warehousing, analytics and applied data mining/predictive analytics systems in diverse business environments. He has also been involved in the analysis, design, and deployment of both B2C and B2B solutions in different vertical industries.
Rajeev earned an M.S. in Computer Science at California State University, Chico.
Portfolio Leadership Team
George Shemas is a veteran of advanced Data and Analytics solution development for Astraa. He has created AI/ML-based solutions that serve thousands of users across multiple geographies in industries like Consumer Goods. George is also researching ways in which new technologies can improve the understanding of analytics insights beyond traditional dashboards to make the "insight to action" process much easier and effective.
Raghu is a seasoned leader with over two decades of experience in the financial services industry, He specializes in developing innovative products that drive growth and improve customer experiences. His extensive knowledge of the industry, coupled with his expertise in product management, has allowed him to successfully lead teams in creating and launching products that have had a significant impact on the market. He is a strategic thinker with a strong ability to identify and capitalize on new opportunities, and he is always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what is possible. He is an effective communicator, able to build strong relationships with stakeholders and guide teams through complex projects. He is passionate about driving innovation and delivering results, and is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to grow.
TBD
