The Pioneer of Biotech
In this exclusive interview with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, we explore her remarkable self-made journey from the humble beginnings of a middle-class India to becoming the 68th most powerful woman in the world (according to Forbes). In addition to her entrepreneurial journey, we ask her about the future of therapeutics, building and maintaining a culture of innovation, managing investors when taking a company public, and her advice to leaders in Europe who may be seeking to grow market-share in Asia.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Founder of Biocon
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. Kiran was born in 1953 and has been the Chairperson of the Board of Directors since the inception of Biocon.
Professional experience
- First-generation entrepreneur
- Founded Biocon in 1978
- Non-Executive Chairperson, Syngene International
- Board member, Infosys
- Board member, Narayana Hrudayalaya
- Board member, United Breweries
- Vice Chair, US India Business Council (USIBC)
- Member, National Academy of Engineering (NAE), U.S.
- Full-term member, MIT Corporation, U.S.
- Member, Board of Directors, U.S.-India Business Council
- Member, Advisory Council, UK-India Business Council
- Member, Board of Trustees, Keck Graduate Institute, U.S.
- Global Alumni Ambassador, Australia
- Signatory, The Giving Pledge
- 45 years of experience in Biotechnology
