June 13 (Reuters) -

Sun Pharmaceutical, India's largest drugmaker by

revenue, on Friday named Kirti Ganorkar as managing director,

effective September 1.

The company's current managing director, Dilip Shanghvi,

will continue to chair the board as an executive director, Sun

Pharma said, adding that Gonarkar has been appointed for a

period of five years.

The appointment is subject to the company's

shareholders' approval on its annual general meeting, which is

scheduled for July 31.

Gonarkar has been heading Sun Pharma's India business

since 2019 and has previously held roles in marketing, new

product introduction, among others, within the company.

He has also led Sun Pharma's entry into Japan, the

company said.

It announced other leadership changes, including Richard

Ascroft's appointment as chief executive officer of the North

America business, which is a significant contributor to Sun

Pharma's overall revenue.

Ascroft will replace Abhay Gandhi, who has tendered his

resignation from the company after having worked for it for 30

years.