Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Chairperson & Managing Director, Biocon Limited
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, a pioneering biotech entrepreneur, is the Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon, Asia's leading bio-pharmaceuticals enterprise. Named among TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, she is recognized as a global thought leader for Biotechnology. Under her stewardship, Biocon has evolved since its inception in 1978 from an industrial enzymes company to a fully-integrated, innovation-led, emerging global biopharmaceutical enterprise committed to reduce therapy costs of chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
As a global influencer, she is ranked among Fierce Biotech's list of the 'World's 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma' and Forbes '100 Most Powerful Women'. Recently, U.S.-based Chemical Heritage Foundation conferred her with the '2014 Othmer Gold Medal' and Germany-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy awarded her its coveted '2014 Global Economy Prize' for Business. Foreign Policy magazine has named her among the '100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2014'.
A first generation entrepreneur with more than 39 years' of experience, she is recognized for leading the biotech revolution in India. Her contribution to the biotechnology in India has been recognized with the Padma Shri (1989) and the Padma Bhushan (2005), two of India's very prestigious civilian honors.
She pioneered the setting up of Association of Biotech Led Enterprises, which has been instrumental in bringing government, industry and academia together to charter a clear and progressive growth path for biotechnology in India. She also serves as a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission. As founder member of Karnataka's Vision Group on Biotechnology, she currently chairs this forum. Ms Mazumdar-Shaw is also a part of the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) Board of Trustees and is also a Member of the USP Biologics Advisory Group.
She is an Independent Member of the Board of Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing solutions. She also serves as Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Ms Mazumdar-Shaw is also on the honorary board of advisors of The National Society of High School Scholars, US. She is a founder member of the Society for the formation of "Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine". Moreover, she serves on the Global Advisory Committee for "Women and the Green Economy Campaign" (WAGE)™ initiative.
She has won several national and global awards, including Ernst & Young Best Entrepreneur: Healthcare & Life Sciences Award (2002), The Economic Times Business Woman of the Year Award (2004) and Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth (2009).
Ms Mazumdar-Shaw holds a bachelor's degree in science (Zoology Hons.) from Bangalore University and 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 to field of biotechnology.
Recently, Federation University Australia (FedUni) honoured her by dedicating a road at the University's Mt Helen Campus to her as 'Mazumdar Drive'. She has also been appointed as an Ambassador of the University for a three-year term.
Ms Mazumdar-Shaw's commitment to affordable healthcare extends beyond business. Her philanthropic initiatives are directed at making a difference to the lives of the marginalized communities. Through Biocon Foundation's primary healthcare centres, 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 Cancer Center in Bangalore to deliver affordable world-class cancer care services to patients irrespective of socio-economic status. More recently she has also established 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 got her featured in the Forbes' List of 'Heroes of Philanthropy'.
She is also the Honorary Consul of Ireland in Bangalore.
Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw is married to John Shaw, a Scotsman and Indophile, who headed a leading textiles MNC Madura Coats from 1991-1998 as Chairman and Managing Director. John Shaw is currently the Vice-Chairman of Biocon.