Why Vas Narasimhan’s entry to Anthropic’s board matters ahead of IPO

When Vas Narasimhan joins the board of Anthropic, it is more than just another high-profile appointment. It signals where the company is heading next and how it wants to be perceived as it inches closer to a potential public listing.

Narasimhan, the chief executive of Novartis, steps into the AI firm’s board at a time when governance, credibility and sector expertise are becoming critical for companies preparing to tap public markets.

A doctor in the boardroom of AI

Trained as a physician-scientist, Narasimhan’s career has focused on science, regulation and scaling technologies, areas that are now becoming central to the future of artificial intelligence.

A graduate of the University of Chicago with a degree in biological sciences, he went on to earn an MD from Harvard Medical School and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Before taking over as CEO of Novartis in 2018, Narasimhan worked across global health programmes tackling HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in India, Africa and South America.  

Scaling science in a regulated world

At Novartis, Narasimhan has overseen the development and approval of more than 35 novel medicines, navigating one of the world’s most tightly regulated industries. That track record is precisely what Anthropic is betting on as it builds credibility around deploying powerful AI systems safely.

“Getting powerful new technology to people safely and at scale is what we think about every day,” Anthropic President Daniela Amodei said, underlining the parallels between drug development and AI deployment.

For Anthropic, which operates as a public benefit corporation, the appointment also reinforces its governance structure. Its Long-Term Benefit Trust, an independent body designed to balance financial returns with a broader public mission, now holds significant influence over the board, signalling a deliberate effort to embed accountability into its growth story.

Healthcare at the centre of the AI push

Narasimhan’s entry comes as Anthropic sharpens its focus on healthcare and life sciences, sectors where AI is beginning to show tangible commercial and societal impact.

The company has already partnered with drugmakers such as Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Genmab to explore how AI can compress drug development timelines and improve outcomes.

Building a board for public markets

Anthropic has been slowly reshaping its board in recent months, with the addition of Chris Liddell earlier this year seen as part of its preparation for a possible IPO. Liddell has held senior roles across business and government, including chief financial officer at Microsoft, vice chairman of General Motors, and deputy White House chief of staff during President Donald Trump’s first term.

For companies heading towards public markets, board composition plays a critical role in shaping investor confidence. It reflects how a firm plans to manage risk, navigate regulation and scale responsibly, particularly in sectors like AI that are under increasing scrutiny.

Narasimhan's career in pharmaceuticals, where safety, compliance and long development cycles are the norm, offers a framework that AI companies are now being pushed to adopt.