Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a first-generation entrepreneur, a pioneer of India’s biotechnology industry and the founder of that country’s largest biotechnology enterprise, Biocon. Named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, she is a global thought leader committed to innovating and delivering best-in-class, affordable therapeutics to patients worldwide. 

Mazumdar-Shaw was India’s first female brewmaster, building on her academic background in science, malting and brewing. A chance meeting with a fellow brewmaster interested in biotechnologies inspired her entrepreneurial journey, leading her to found Biocon in 1978.  She has written and spoken about the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur in the biotech industry and her commitment to creating affordable pharmaceuticals.  

Mazumdar-Shaw’s philanthropic initiatives aim to improve public health in marginalized communities. Through Biocon Foundation’s primary healthcare centres, telemedicine initiatives, health awareness programs, and preventive screenings for oral and cervical cancer, she is making an enduring impact on society. 

Among her many accolades, Mazumdar-Shaw has been ranked first in the Medicine Maker Power List, an index of the 100 most influential people in medicine; named to Forbes magazine’s World’s 100 Most Powerful Women; and awarded one of France’s most distinguished honours, the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur.