Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (born 23 March 1953) is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur. She is the chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited, a biotechnology company based in Bangalore, India and the former chairperson of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

As a child growing up in Bangalore, India, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw  was aware of her country’s national pride in its contributions to chemistry and related sciences. She was also well aware of cultural norms that often limited the social mobility of women. Her father was brewmaster at United Breweries. With her family’s encouragement but some trepidation, Mazumdar-Shaw attended Ballarat University in Australia and earned the title of master brewer. After returning to India and facing difficulties in getting a brewery management position because of her gender, Mazumdar-Shaw turned to Europe. After deciding to try her luck in Scotland, a chance meeting with Leslie Auchincloss, founder of the biotechnology company Biocon Biochemicals, changed her direction.

 

In 2014 she was honored with the Othmer Gold Medal in recognition of her pioneering development of the Indian biotechnology industry and her untiring crusade to make India a healthier place for all its inhabitants.

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 also 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’. Ms Mazumdar-Shaw is also the second Indian to join the Giving Pledge global initiative created by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates that encourages billionaires to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

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Apart from Biocon, Mazumdar Shaw has been involved with several philanthropic activities. She has a CSR wing called Biocoin Foundation that focuses on health, education and infrastructure in rural areas. She supports the Arogya Raksha Yojana and Quite a journey for an entrepreneur who began her journey as a trainee and is now the 92nd Most Powerful Woman in the World.  

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Many of us have long admired Kiran Mazumdar Shaw as one of India’s biggest female icons and with good reason.  She spear-headed women in the biotech world in India, which has traditionally been dominated by men. From setting up Biocon to making it a global brand she had faced challenges and got accolades for her efforts.