Swapnil Pawar

With a background in pharmaceutical manufacturing, Swapnil Pawar brings over a decade of industry expertise to his role as Service Owner of Cleanroom Services at Lindström. 

Transitioning from pharmaceuticals to the service industry was an unexpected move for Swapnil. However, he was driven by the opportunity to pioneer cleanroom services in India. “I first thought, ‘Why is Lindström interested in a pharma guy like me when they’re not a pharma company?’ But once I understood their plans, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to leverage my pharma knowledge in a completely new way,” says Swapnil. 

From local Production Manager to Global Service Owner 

Swapnil’s journey at Lindström began in 2018 as Production Manager, when he helped build the company’s first cleanroom facility. Since then, he has navigated multiple roles within Lindström: Quality Manager in 2019, Regional Operations Head of Cleanroom in 2020, and Business Unit Manager in 2021. In 2022, he assumed his current role of Global Service Owner of Cleanroom Services.

Swapnil’s contributions extend beyond the country level—he advances cleanroom services across the entire Lindström group. Collaborating with other cross-functional teams, industry thought leaders, and customers, Swapnil helps drive geographical expansion, creating business concepts for how to deploy cleanroom services in new markets.

His cross-functional team was also the first in Lindström to pilot an agile way of working, making their work transparent to the whole organisation. 

Swapnil’s pharmaceutical background allows him to understand broader business and customer needs, fueling business growth. “It’s a dynamic and challenging role, and the rewards are incredible when it comes to the business growth and expansion. Identifying areas where we can improve our services is like finding a hidden treasure,” says Swapnil. 

Customer-centric cleanroom development 

Swapnil is at the forefront of the evolving pharmaceutical industry, leading the continuous development of cleanroom services by prioritising customer satisfaction and launching new products, like the reusable cleanroom goggles.  

“I’m constantly learning and pushing boundaries within my team. We tackle challenges head-on, finding creative solutions to make the impossible possible,” says Swapnil. 

He aims to make cleanroom services easy to sell and easy to buy. To do this, Swapnil acts as the voice of the customer for his team.

We need to understand our customers’ day-to-day challenges and what keeps them awake at night, adapting our services to remain their top choice.

Staying ahead of the latest standards, technologies, and diverse customer needs is a constant challenge that Swapnil thrives on. He and his team act as a sponge, soaking up all the industry knowledge. They keep their services agile and responsive to changing customer requirements. 

Technical skills are a must in Swapnil Pawar’s role

Customers are concerned about how our services meet their requirements. So we need to understand their language and have technical expertise in contamination control and the role of garments in preventing contamination.

Studies show that most cleanroom contamination (75-80%) comes from people, with the remainder from equipment or room design. “Garments act as a vital barrier between human skin and the environment. We guide customers on garment selection, decontamination methods, regulatory compliance, and necessary testing,” says Swapnil. 

Swapnil’s technical skills enable him to support technical sales efforts. “I’m not a sales guy, but because this industry is so technical, at some point conventional sales are not sufficient. We help regional teams by creating specialised sales materials tailored to meet technical demands of the industry, enhancing their sales approaches.” 

Future vision for cleanroom services

As automation in cleanroom services accelerates, Swapnil and his team are exploring how to integrate new technologies and digital solutions into their operations. 

My mission goes beyond maintaining cleanrooms; I envision a future where cleanroom services and technology can work together in perfect harmony.

Recognizing the environmental impact of cleanroom operations, Swapnil Pawar prioritises circular solutions. In line with Lindström’s focus on sustainability, his team evaluates recycling possibilities for cleanroom garments and collaborates with customers to reduce plastic usage and select sustainable packaging materials.