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Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Executive Chairperson

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Executive Chairperson – Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a first-generation entrepreneur and global business leader with over 4 decades of experience in biotechnology. Fueled by her passion, she started her biotech journey in 1978 from her garage in India. Today, that journey is changing lives for the better across the globe. She is regarded as an unconventional thinker with many firsts to her credit. Under her aegis, Biocon delivers on the promise of making medicines accessible and affordable to millions of patients worldwide.

Chairperson of the Board of Directors since inception.

Year of birth: 1953

Professional experience

  • First-generation entrepreneur
  • Founded Biocon in 1978
  • Non-Executive Chairperson, Syngene
  • Board member, Narayana Hrudayalaya
  • Board member, United Breweries
  • Board Member, The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP)
  • Member of Board of Advisors, Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology (FAST India)
  • Member of Board of Directors, Science Gallery Bengaluru, part of the Global Science Gallery Network pioneered by Trinity College Dublin
  • Member of The Advisory Board of The France-India Foundation
  • Honorary Member, Indio-American Chamber of Commerce
  • Vice Chair, USIBC Global Board of Directors
  • Honorary member, US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP)
  • Member, National Academy of Engineering (NAE), U.S.
  • Full-term member, MIT Corporation, U.S.
  • Member of the Board of Trustees, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, U.S.
  • Member, Board of Trustees, Keck Graduate Institute, U.S.
  • Member, Board of Advisors, The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), U.S.
  • Member, Board of Directors, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, U.S.
  • Global Alumni Ambassador – India, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
  • Victorian Business Ambassador, The State Govt. of Victoria, Australia
  • Honorary Consulate General of Ireland in Bengaluru
  • 45+ years of experience in Biotechnology
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: A Leading Woman in Science Making Global Impact

Recognitions

  • Recipient of Padma Shri (1989), Padma Bhushan (2005)
  • Recipient of EY World Entrepreneur of the Year (2020) and EY Entrepreneur of the Year India Award (2019)
  • Recipient of Order of Australia (2020)
  • Recipient of ICMR’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare (2019)
  • Recipient of AWSM Award for Excellence (2017)
  • Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour (2016)
  • Recipient of Othmer Gold Medal (2014)
  • Recipient of Global Economy Prize for Business (2014)

Education

  • B.Sc. (Zoology Hons.), Bangalore University
  • Post-Graduate Diploma, Malting and Brewing, Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education, Melbourne, Australia
  • Honorary Doctorates from several prestigious universities, including:
    • Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
    • Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
    • University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
    • University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland, UK
    • Ballarat University, Australia
    • Presidency University, Kolkata, India
    • Bennett University, Greater Noida, India

Visit https://kiranshaw.blog

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Executive Chairperson – Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited

 

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a pioneering biotech entrepreneur, a healthcare visionary, a global influencer, and a passionate philanthropist. As a leading woman in science, she is a role model to millions. She is steadfast in her pursuit of innovative technologies that enable affordable access to healthcare, and is committed to making a difference to billions of lives globally.

She has scripted a hugely successful entrepreneurial story by building Biocon, an innovation-led global biopharmaceuticals enterprise, which has made outstanding contributions to life sciences & research, and generated global respect for India.

Kiran has received several coveted awards, honours and titles, both national and international, in recognition of her inspiring achievements.

National Honours:
• Padma Bhushan (2005)
• Padma Shri (1989)

Key International Recognitions:
• EY World Entrepreneur of the Year (2020)
• Order of Australia, Australia’s Highest Civilian Honour (2020)
• Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour), France’s Highest Civilian Award (2016)
• AWSM Award for Excellence, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, U.S. (2017)
• Othmer Gold Medal, Chemical Heritage Foundation, U.S. (2014)
• Global Economy Prize for Business, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Germany (2014)

Global Influencer:
• Member, National Academy of Engineering (NAE), U.S.
• Full-term Member, MIT Corporation, the board of trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
• Vice Chair, Global Board of Directors, U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC)
• Honorary member, US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP)
• Global Alumni Ambassador by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
• First Business Ambassador to South Asia, for the State of Victoria, Australia.

Global Rankings:
• First and only Self-Made Woman Billionaire from India; Ranked No. 22 by Forbes on world list (2017)
• TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World (2010)
• World’s 100 Most Powerful Women; Ranked No. 65 by Forbes (2019)
• Ranked No. 1 in Business Captains category on Medicine Maker Power List (2018)
• Fierce Biotech’s list of World’s 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma (2012)

Board Memberships:
• Narayana Health: A large hospital chain recognised for providing affordable access to world class healthcare. www.narayanahealth.org

Compassionate Capitalist:
• Second business leader from India to sign the Giving Pledge, an initiative of the Gates Foundation, committing to give the majority of her wealth to philanthropic causes.

In addition to her formal qualifications as a brew master, Kiran holds honorary degrees from several renowned international universities.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Executive Chairperson
Industry Pioneer

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a pioneer of the biotechnology industry in India and the founder of the country’s leading biotechnology enterprise, Biocon. Named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, Kiran is recognised as a thought leader who has made her country proud by building a globally recognised biopharmaceutical enterprise. Biocon is committed to innovation and delivering best-in-class, affordable therapeutics to patients across the globe.

Global Influencer

As a global influencer, she is ranked among ‘the World’s 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma’ by Fierce Biotech, Forbes magazine’s ‘World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ and Fortune’s ‘Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Asia-Pacific.’ She has been recognised as the only Indian on Forbes’ list of ‘World’s Self-Made Women Billionaires.’ She has been featured in ‘The Worldview 100 List’ of the most influential visionaries by Scientific American magazine and named among the ‘100 Leading Global Thinkers’ by Foreign Policy magazine. Kiran has been ranked as one of the world’s top 20 inspirational leaders in the field of biopharmaceuticals by The Medicine Maker Power List 2021, an index of the 100 most influential people across the globe in the field of medicine, where she has been featured consecutively since 2015.

Awards

Kiran has received with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year India 2019 Award and named EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020. She was honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare’ by the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi. She has also been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the FICCI-Healthcare Excellence Awards 2019, in recognition of her valuable contribution and exemplary work in the field of healthcare. She has been conferred the US-India Business Council Global Leadership Award at the USIBC India Ideas Summit 2018, in recognition of her contributions and leadership across roles and sectors. She was felicitated with the ‘Advancing Women in Science and Medicine Award for Excellence’ 2017 by The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, U.S. Kiran has been named ‘India’s Most Respected Entrepreneur’ for 2017 by the prestigious Hurun Report and felicitated as an exceptional woman achiever by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt. of India, for being the first Indian businesswoman to reach USD 1 billion net worth.

In January 2020, Kiran was honored with the Order of Australia, Australia’s highest civilian honor, for her significant service to advancing Australia’s bilateral relationship with India, particularly in promoting commercial and educational links. In 2016, she was conferred with the highest French distinction – Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour). In addition, she was also bestowed with ‘The Global Leadership in Engineering Award’ by Los Angeles-based USC Viterbi, School of Engineering in 2016 for excellence in biotechnology worldwide. The U.S.-based Chemical Heritage Foundation has conferred her with the ‘2014 Othmer Gold Medal’ and the Germany-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy has awarded her its coveted ‘2014 Global Economy Prize’ for Business. She has received two of India’s highest civilian honors, the Padma Shri (1989) and the Padma Bhushan (2005).

Kiran holds key positions in various industry, educational, government and professional bodies. She has been appointed as a member of the high-level expert committee constituted by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), to review the autonomous organisations under the administrative control of the department. She is also a Governing Council Member of the National Institute of Immunology, an autonomous research institute of the DBT. She has been appointed as Member of the Steering Committee of the National Biopharma Mission, an industry-academia collaborative mission of the DBT. She is Non-Executive Chairperson of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE), a not-for-profit pan-India forum representing the Indian biotechnology sector. She is a founder member of Karnataka’s Vision Group on Biotechnology, which she currently chairs. She has also been appointed Chairperson of the Karnataka government’s Vision Group to encourage pharma and medical devices units in the state. She is also a Member of Board of Directors, Science Gallery Bengaluru, part of the Global Science Gallery Network pioneered by Trinity College Dublin.

She has been appointed the Vice-Chair of the Global Board of Directors of U.S.-India Business Council, and served as member of the Advisory Council of the UK-India Business Council. She has been appointed Global Alumni Ambassador for Australia by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia and she has been appointed the Victorian Business Ambassador by The State Govt of Victoria, Australia. She served as the Board of Trustees of the US Pharmacopeia Convention, currently, a Honorary member. She also served as a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission. She is the Honorary Consul of Ireland in Bangalore.

Kiran has been elected as a full-term member of the Board of Trustees of The MIT Corporation, U.S., and is additionally on the advisory board of the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health at MIT (J- Clinic), U.S., which seeks to transform healthcare with artificial intelligence and machine learning. She also serves on the Board of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, and PureTech Health, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, U.S. She serves on the board of advisors for The National Society of High School Scholars, U.S., and is on the board of trustees of the Keck Graduate Institute in the U.S. She has been elected as a member of the prestigious U.S. based National Academy of Engineering, for her contribution to the development of affordable bio-pharmaceuticals and the biotechnology industry in India, and she is the first female Foreign Fellow to be elected as a member of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. She has been elected as the Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy for the advancement of learning and useful knowledge.

She is a founder member of the Society for the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore, and is the former chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and former member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. She also serves as the Lead Independent Member of the Board of Infosys Ltd and Non-Executive Director on the Board of Narayana Health.

Moreover, Kiran is involved in several charitable organisations. She serves on the Global Advisory Committee for the Women and the Green Economy Campaign (WAGE)™ initiative and is a member of the MIT Charter Society, U.S., in honour of her philanthropic commitment to the institute. She is also associated with The Live Love Laugh Foundation, a leading not- for-profit organisation spreading mental health awareness, as a member of its Board of Trustees. She has also been appointed a Non- Executive Director of  The Centre for Social and Economic Progress

Kiran’s commitment to affordable healthcare extends beyond business. Her philanthropic initiatives are directed at making a difference to the lives of the marginalised communities. Through Biocon Foundation’s primary healthcare centers, telemedicine initiatives, health awareness programs, public health and sanitation initiatives and preventive screenings for oral and cervical cancer, she is making an enduring impact on society.

She has also established the 1,400-bed Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Center in Bangalore to deliver affordable world-class cancer care services to patients irrespective of socio-economic status. She has set up the Mazumdar Shaw Center for Translational Research, a non-profit research institute dedicated to developing scientific breakthroughs for treating a wide range of human diseases. Her philanthropic efforts have led her to be featured in the Forbes’ List of ‘Heroes of Philanthropy’. Kiran is also the second Indian to join the Giving Pledge global initiative created by Warren Buffett and Bill & Melinda Gates that encourages billionaires to give a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

Kiran holds a bachelor’s degree in science (Zoology Hons.) from Bangalore University and has earned a master’s degree in malting and brewing from Ballarat College, Melbourne University. She has been awarded with several honorary degrees from Ballarat (2004), University of Abertay (2007), University of Glasgow (2008), Heriot-Watt University (2008), National University of Ireland (2012) and Trinity College, Dublin (2012) for her pre-eminent contributions in the field of biotechnology.

Kiran’s husband, Mr. John Shaw, served as the Vice-Chairman of Biocon for 22 years. A Scotsman and an Indophile, he had contributed majorly to the transformation of Biocon from a small enzymes company to a globally recognized biopharmaceutical company. He played an important role in ensuring the highest levels of corporate governance in the company, as well as in the financial and strategic development of the group. Before joining Biocon in 1999, he headed a leading textiles company, Madura Coats, as chairman.

Conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award at The Express Awards For Women Entrepreneurs

Conferred with Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women Award in 2023 (for the year 2022)

Conferred with the prestigious Quality Ratna Award in 2022 (for the year 2020) by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for visionary leadership, successful adoption of quality practices at Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited, and for being a role model for society in embracing the principles of Quality.

Conferred with the Bombay Management Association (BMA) Business Leader of The Decade Award

Elected as the Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s National Academy

Conferred with Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in Biotechnology by Bennett University, India, for her outstanding contributions to the Biotechnology industry.

Appointed to the Board of Trustees of the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, U.S. for a term of 3 years w.e.f 14 April, 2021.

Received the prestigious Bharat Asmita Vigyaan Tantragyaan Shreshtha Award – for the Best Use of Science & Technology Through Innovation

Appointed as Vice Chair of the USIBC Global Board of Directors

Ranked #68 on Forbes list of World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2020

Awarded Vogue India’s Business Leader of the Year 2020

Named the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020

Named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year India 2019 for contributing significantly to nation building with her entrepreneurial ingenuity and visionary ideas.

Recognized among Top 20 in the The Medicine Maker Power List 2020 under the Biopharmaceuticals category.

Honoured with the Order of Australia, Australia’s Highest Civilian Honour, for her significant service to advancing Australia's bilateral relationship with India, particularly in promoting commercial and educational links.

Elected as a Member of National Academy of Engineering, (NAE), U.S.A., for her contribution to the development of affordable bio-pharmaceuticals and the biotechnology industry in India.

Recognised with the most coveted Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi.

Conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award at FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards.

Conferred with Business Woman of the Year at the Economic Times Prime Women Business Leadership Awards.

Conferred With Honorary Doctorate from Deakin University, Australia for her pioneering entrepreneurial role in the field of biotechnology and for her sustained significant contribution to Industry-Academia collaboration between Australia & India.

Awarded the Business Leader Award at Lakshmipat Singhania – IIM Lucknow National Leadership Award 2018-19.

Frost & Sullivan’s GIL Visionary Leadership Award at its Growth Innovation & Leadership India Summit.

Ranked Number 2 in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business. Featured on the list since the inception of MPW in 2011.

Ranked Number 1 in Barclays Hurun India Rich List – Top 10 self-made Women in India.

Ranked Number 38 on Top 100 overall Hurun India Rich List.

Ranked Number 39 on Forbes India Rich List.

Ranked Number 5 on the list of Most followed Business Leaders on Social.

Ranked Number 4 in Kotak Wealth Hurun – Leading Wealthy Women.

Awarded with the Precious Daughters of India Award by National Health Mission, Department of Medical, Health & Family welfare, Government of Rajasthan.

Ranked No. 1 in Business Captains Category by the Medicine Maker Power List; Consecutively among Top 10 since 2015.

Felicitated with the honorary Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil.) from Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon.

Felicitated as an exceptional woman achiever by Ministry of Women and Child Development for being the first Indian business woman to reach USD 1 billion net-worth.

Felicitated with the honorary Doctorate of Science (D.Sc., honoris causa), from Presidency University, Kolkata.

Felicitated with AWSM Award for Excellence 2017 by The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, USA.

Featured among Top Ten in Global ‘The Medicine Maker Power List’ 2017 published by UK-based - The Medicine Maker magazine. Ranked 3rd under the Business Captains Category.

Featured in Forbes' ‘The World's 56 Self-Made Women Billionaires: The Definitive Ranking’. India’s Most Respected Entrepreneur by Hurun Report.

Featured in Hurun Global Rich List India.

Honored with the prestigious Women Leader of the Decade Award under the India Pharma Awards.

Conferred with The Global Leadership in Engineering Award by USC Viterbi, School of Engineering based in Los Angeles, USA for Excellence in Biotechnology worldwide.

Conferred with the Highest French Distinction - Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor).

Featured on Forbes’ Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen list.

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’.

Featured in Forbes’ India’s 100 Richest People.

Featured in ‘The Worldview 100’ list of prestigious U.S based Scientific American magazine.

Ranked 2nd in Global ‘Medicine Maker Power List’ 2015 published by UK-based The Medicine Maker magazine.

Ranked No. 14 in Global list of ‘Top 30 Social influencers in Biotech & BioPharma' by Huffington Post.

Honorary fellowship of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore.

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’.

Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business (Source: Fortune)

Appointed Honorary Ambassador to Federation University, Australia

Delivered the 17th Dr KR Narayanan Oration at the Australian National University, Canberra.

Featured in Hurun Global Rich List India.

Indo American Chamber of Commerce confers Kiran Mazumdar Shaw with the Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Featured on Richtopia Social Media Plan list ‘The 250 Most Influential Women Leaders’

Named among the ‘100 Leading Global Thinkers’ by US-based Foreign Policy magazine.

Global Economy Prize for Business by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Kiel.

Othmer Gold Medal by the Chemical Heritage Foundation, Philadelphia, PA.

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’.

Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Asia-Pacific 2014 (Source: Fortune).

Featured in ‘World's 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma by Fierce Biotech.

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’.

Featured on Forbes’ list of Asia-Pacific's 48 ‘Heroes of Philanthropy’.

ABLE 10th Anniversary Leadership Award.

Global Indian Woman of the Year at 5th Annual Pharma Leadership Summit & Business Leadership Awards.

Honorary Doctorate of Science by the Trinity College, Dublin.

Honorary Doctorate of Science by the National University of Ireland (NUI).

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen’.

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’.

Featured on Fierce Biotech’s list of ‘25 Most Influential People in Biopharma’.

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’.

Featured on Financial Times’ list of ‘Top 50 Women in Business’.

Featured on TIME magazine’s list of ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’.

Featured on Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’.

Featured on Financial Times’ list of ‘Top 50 Women in Business’.

Featured in Forbes' list of Asia-Pacific's 48 ‘Heroes of Philanthropy’.

Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth by Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Express Pharmaceutical Leadership Summit Award for Dynamic Entrepreneur.

Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Glasgow.

Veuve Clicquot Initiative For Economic Development for Asia Award.

Honorary Doctor of Technology from the University of Abertay, Dundee.

The Wharton-Infosys Business Transformation Award.

Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, from the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.

The Indian Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.

Honorary Doctorate from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE).

Rotary Award for Corporate Citizenship.

Business Leader of the Year Award - Biotechnology, Chemtech-Pharma Bio Awards.

Honorary Doctorate of Science from Ballarat University.

Business Woman of The Year Award by The Economic Times.

Alumni High Achiever Award, Australian Alumni Association.

Karnataka Rajyotsava Award for pioneering biotechnology in India, the Government of Karnataka.

Best Entrepreneur: Healthcare & Life Sciences Award, Ernst & Young.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial Award from the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry.

Woman of the Year Award, International Women's Association, Chennai.

Golden Jubilee Felicitation, Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

Padma Shri for pioneering biotechnology in India from the former President of India, R Venkatraman.

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