Founder's Corner
Silji Abraham
Founder & Managing Partner, Bay Life Ventures & Holdings LLC
An accomplished technology and business executive with 25+ years of transformational leadership across healthcare, life sciences, medical devices, and industrial automation. A proven C-suite leader who has served as CTO, CDTO, and CIO at multiple S&P 500 companies including West Pharmaceutical Services, MilliporeSigma/Merck KGaA, and Sigma-Aldrich — driving strategic innovation in R&D, supply chain optimization, digital transformation, and venture investments.
Opinions & Perspectives
Thought leadership and insights on innovation, technology transformation, and the future of work
Current Engagements
Professional Journey — Highlights & Expertise
Past Executive & Governance Experience
SVP & CTO
West Pharmaceutical Services (2018–2024)
EVP & CIO
MilliporeSigma/Merck KGaA (2015–2017)
VP & CIO
Sigma-Aldrich (2012–2015)
VP & CIO
Invensys Operations Management (2009–2012)
Board Member
Daikyo Seiko, Japan (2021–2024)
Recognitions & Awards
2022
CIO of the Year ORBIE Award, Philadelphia
2020
Minority Business Leader, Philadelphia Business Journal
2014
Top 25 Global CIO Leadership Award
Transformative Leadership — By the Numbers
Global Innovation & Technology Centers
Built and scaled 6 technology centers across US, India, and Taiwan — including R&D Robotic Innovation Center (Bengaluru), BSL2 Applied Research Lab (Pennsylvania), and Digital Technology Centers — growing to 1,000+ professionals
Enterprise Digital Transformations
Revolutionized ERP delivery with 10+ implementations at 30% traditional cost. Achieved industry-first remote 3/4 HANA greenfield deployment during COVID-19 across 25 sites (Americas, Europe, Asia) with zero disruption
Healthcare Technology Innovation & Leadership
Launched 15+ regulated products with 36+ regulatory approvals (510K, EUMDR) for drug packaging/delivery systems, securing 650+ granted patents and 500+ pending applications
Digital Marketing & E-commerce Platform Excellence
Transformed and scaled sigma-aldrich.com into the then world's #1 Life Science e-commerce platform, surpassing 1B+ USD in annual revenue through software engineering and digital marketing innovation
Strategic M&A Integration
Led post-merger integration of Sigma-Aldrich and Merck Millipore following the $17B acquisition — unifying IT infrastructure, e-commerce, digital marketing, and bioinformatics platforms enterprise-wide
Venture Capital & Strategic Partnerships
Established venture arm with portfolio spanning healthcare technologies. Led Exosite IOT acquisition (Taiwan) for digital manufacturing. Forged many strategic partnerships across the technology ecosystem
Connect with Silji
Interested in discussing innovations, investment opportunities, or potential partnerships?