Sheela Illuri
About Sheela Illuri
Sheela Illuri serves as the Director of Life Sciences Industry, Strategy & Transformation at Unify Consulting, where she has worked since 2021. With extensive experience in the life sciences sector, she has held various leadership roles across multiple countries and is actively involved in advocating for patient-centered approaches in drug development.
Current Role at Unify Consulting
Sheela Illuri serves as the Director of Life Sciences Industry, Strategy & Transformation at Unify Consulting since 2021. In this role, she focuses on strategic initiatives within the life sciences sector, leveraging her extensive experience to drive transformation and innovation. Her position is based in Chicago, Illinois, where she applies her knowledge of industry trends and challenges to enhance organizational effectiveness.
Previous Experience in Life Sciences and Consulting
Prior to her current role, Sheela Illuri held various significant positions in the life sciences and consulting sectors. She worked at SynLytics as Director from 2008 to 2021, where she contributed to strategic projects across the U.K., Switzerland, San Francisco, and Chicago. Earlier, she was the Head of IT PMO - Corporate Services at Roche from 2002 to 2005 in the United Kingdom. Her experience also includes roles at Deloitte Consulting and Mitchell Madison Group, where she focused on strategy consulting.
Educational Background and Qualifications
Sheela Illuri has a strong educational foundation in engineering and public health. She earned both her M.S. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Illinois Chicago between 1992 and 1996. She furthered her studies at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, completing an Executive Program in Health Economics and Policy in 1998. Additionally, she studied Corporate Finance at London Business School from 2004 to 2005.
Involvement in Health Policy and Advocacy
Sheela Illuri is actively involved in health policy and advocacy, participating in national committees such as NAMI, NPAF, and NORD. She collaborates with researchers at the NIH and engages in government affairs to address unmet patient needs, particularly in the rare disease space. Her advocacy emphasizes the importance of integrating patient input into drug development processes.
Expertise in Innovative Technologies
Sheela Illuri possesses expertise in leveraging innovative technologies to enhance drug discovery and clinical development. Her knowledge encompasses AI, automation, cloud computing, mobile technology, big data, and precision technologies. She is particularly interested in developing partnership models among drug manufacturers, public health institutions, academia, regulators, and patient advocacy groups to improve public health outcomes.