(Corrects to say Abhay Gandhi worked in the company for "30 years", not "13 years", in paragraph 7)

(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.

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)