Smriti Kirubanandan is the Global Consulting Director, healthcare and Lifesciences and Head, Strategic Marketing at TATA Consultancy Services and a mentor on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme.
Name: Smriti Kirubanandan
Occupation: Global Consulting Director, healthcare and Lifesciences and Head, Strategic Marketing at TATA Consultancy Services

As the Director & Head of Strategic Marketing, Healthcare and Lifesciences at TATA Consultancy Services, my focus is on driving significant transformation within the healthcare ecosystem, concentrating on customer experience, intelligent automation, data analytics and insights. I am determined to make healthcare more accessible and affordable through innovation and empathy.
I have a strong background in robotics and public health, holding a Bachelor of Science in Robotics, master’s in engineering management and master’s in public health.
I was selected as the Young Global Leader 2023 by the World Economic Forum and I Founded the HLTH Forward Podcast, which is an award-winning media platform that hosts healthcare leaders, policymakers, and artists to discuss the challenges in the system and what we could do collectively to move healthcare forward.
As an empathetic and innovative strategic policy advisor, I have helped organizations globally to build the capacity to empower people to engage in wellness programs and I am responsible for educating small farmers in Africa to lift them out of poverty to improve food & nutrition insecurity, impacting 2 million people per year. In 2022, I was appointed to serve the Los Angeles County food equity round table as a Nutrition & Policy Advisor to design and strategize programs to address food insecurity by educating and improving access and affordability to nutritious food and appointed Advisor at Akshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest NGO feeding 2 million kids/day.
Why did you choose to become a mentor on the NHS CEP, are you enjoying the experience and how have you supported your mentee/s so far?
This is an incredible opportunity for me to learn from great minds and an opportunity to be of service to help others innovate and build to serve our society with the best healthcare possible. I am new to mentoring on the programme, but I look forward to connecting with mentees and making an impact. We are all here to learn and grow, and so my intent is to do the same.
What do you think makes a good mentor and can you see the impact that mentoring is having on your mentee?
A good mentor is one who has a strong will to learn and an ability to hold space- to listen, observe and absorb. Most importantly, it’s the ability to guide one through their journey with hope, excitement, and patience.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given in your professional career?
‘’You can do it” – Words are powerful, someone’s unrestricted belief can unleash ones potential.
What would you say to someone who is considering becoming a mentor with the NHS CEP?
We are all eternal learners, an opportunity to learn and serve not just the mentee but their purpose- serving for the higher good.
Smriti Kirubanandan is one of over 300 professionals that volunteer there support to the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and support our next generation of innovators. If you are interested in supporting the programme visit our mentor pages