Sikich hires Vinod Nela as life sciences industry growth leader

Sikich, a Chicago-headquartered accounting and consulting firm, has hired Vinod Nela as life sciences industry growth leader.

Based in Philadelphia, Nela brings more than 20 years of life sciences management consulting experience to Sikich. In his new role at the firm, he will spearhead initiatives that help life sciences firms accelerate new product introductions, optimize operations, and scale AI-based transformation.

Nela has deep expertise leading transformation programs for pharma, biotech, and medtech companies – with a focus on accelerating innovation, optimizing manufacturing and quality operations, and implementing digital platforms.

“As life sciences organizations face rising demand for AI-driven transformation, commercialization growth and manufacturing modernization, the need for integrated operational and regulatory expertise has never been greater,” said Bobby Roy, principal at Sikich. “Vinod’s deep background in large-scale operations and digital strategy significantly enhances our ability to guide clients through complex market landscapes and is a vital step in positioning the company and our clients for the next phase of growth.”

Nela previously spent 12 years with Deloitte, where he was an associate principal. Before that, he was a senior consultant at Cognizant and a software engineer at Dassault Systemes.

Nela has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow and a master’s degree in intelligent manufacturing and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Sikich has approximately 2,500 people across 19 offices in the US and India. It is the 25th-largest CPA firm in the US, according to Inside Public Accounting, with annual revenue of $438.9 million.