Kiran Mazumdar Shaw - An aspiring brewmaster who became Indias first self-made woman billionaire

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the richest self-made woman in India, is the founder, chair, and CEO of Biocon Ltd. With a net worth of USD 3.9 billion, she is ranked 5th richest Indian woman and overall, she ranked 53 in Forbes India’s 100 richest people list.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the richest self-made woman in India, is the founder, chair, and CEO of Biocon Ltd. With a net worth of USD 3.9 billion, she is ranked 5th richest Indian woman and overall, she ranked 53 in Forbes India’s 100 richest people list. 

Biocon Ltd began its journey in 1978 in a small garage to becoming India’s largest listed biopharmaceutical firm and known globally as an innovation-led global biopharmaceuticals enterprise. Last reported annual turnover of Biocon Ltd was Rs 7105 crore for FY 20-21. 

Kiran has received numerous prestigious national and international awards, honours, and titles in appreciation of her remarkable achievements. Padma Bhushan (2005) and Padma Shri (2007) are the highest national accolades she has received (1989). 

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.’  

A pioneering biotech entrepreneur, a healthcare visionary, a global influencer, and a dedicated philanthropist, among other things. She is the second Indian business leader to sign the Gates Foundation's Giving Pledge, pledging to donate the bulk of her money to humanitarian causes. 

“Innovation is both about doing different things and doing things differently” - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. 

As a woman of constant self-discovery and rewriting and expanding her horizon, Kiran has taken steps to take her biosimilar journey to the next level. In an aim to become a fully integrated global biosimilar firm, Biocon Biologics (Biocon’s Subsidiary) had recently acquired Viatris Inc's biosimilars business for up to Rs 24,990 crore. Further, in the pipeline is an IPO for Biocon Biologics in the next two years. 

“While we are labelled as the preeminent pharmacy of the world, we also want to be known as the innovators of the world,” said Kiran Mazumdar at the Bio Asia Summit 2022 during a panel discussion on ‘Drug research & development: Yesterday, today, tomorrow’.