GE Healthcare Appoints New Procurement Executive

GE HealthCare has named Akshar Awalgaonkar as Chief Procurement Officer. The appointment brings more than 20 years of procurement and manufacturing expertise to the medical technology company, which serves more than one billion patients annually and employs more than 50,000 people globally.

Akshar will oversee global procurement strategy with a remit to strengthen supply chain resilience and operational performance across the organisation's value chain.

Strategic appointment at GE HealthCare

The company operates across medical imaging, ultrasound, patient care solutions and pharmaceutical diagnostics. According to the FDA, GE HealthCare holds the most AI-enabled device authorisations in its sector.

The business has invested approximately US$5.1bn in innovation since 2023. It focuses on improving diagnostic accuracy, streamlining workflows and increasing operational efficiency through digital and AI technologies.

GE HealthCare spun off from General Electric and now concentrates on advancing therapies and devices to deliver targeted treatments. The company works to improve patient outcomes through accelerated adoption of emerging technologies.

Akshar's appointment has potential to help drive the company's procurement transformation as part of its broader operational strategy. His role will centre on developing strategic value across the company's supply chain operations.

Leadership perspective on the appointment

Huneth Lor-Fair, Global Executive Search Partner at GE HealthCare, welcomes the appointment. "A warm welcome to Akshar Awalgaonkar as he steps into the Chief Procurement Officer role at GE HealthCare," says Huneth.

"Akshar has a proven track record of developing and leading high‑performing teams and delivering holistic functional transformations across complex, regulated industries. His strategic leadership, transformation expertise and ability to catalyse enterprise-wide collaboration will support GE HealthCare's continued evolution toward precision care for patients and providers around the world."

The company says that Akshar joins to "advance our mission of creating a world where healthcare has no limits". This positioning could show GE HealthCare's approach to connecting procurement operations with its wider business objectives.

His appointment comes at a time when the company continues to expand its technology offerings and operational footprint in global healthcare markets.

Background from Avery Dennison

Akshar joins from Avery Dennison, where he served as Group Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer for two and a half years. During his tenure, he worked on transforming the packaging manufacturer's procurement operations.

In his departure message on LinkedIn, Akshar reflected on his time at the company. "As I prepare to wrap up my time at Avery Dennison over the next few days, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the people I've had the privilege to work alongside," he wrote.

"When we launched Project Nova, our collective team goal was to shift Procurement from being viewed as a cost-cutter to a true value creator for the enterprise. Turn a fragmented organisation into a cohesive global unit that will blur the lines between global and regional and be a force that will drive accelerated collaboration. I could never have imagined how rapidly Nova turned from project [to a] philosophy [to a] mindset."

His comments indicate a focus on repositioning procurement as a value generation function rather than purely a cost management discipline.

Career trajectory across industries

Akshar's career spans multiple industries and geographies. He began as a trainee engineer at Bosch in India for two years before moving to sourcing roles at Whirlpool Corporation in the US.

He then spent more than seven years at GE, gaining experience in leadership and global strategic sourcing. During this period, he led teams serving customer bases across five continents.

After roles at Walgreens and AbbVie, he returned to GE to work in the Water division. There, he led the global integrated procurement function as Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer.

Throughout his career, Akshar has built strategic partnerships and worked to establish collaboration across organisational structures. His appointment could signal GE HealthCare's intention to strengthen procurement as a contributor to enterprise-wide value creation and growth strategy.