Biocon Limited’s founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw has been named EY World Entrepreneur of The Year for 2020. She is the Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon Limited. Prior to her, the only Indians who have received this award are Uday Kotak, newly appointed CII President and Narayana Murthy who is the co-founder of IT giant Infosys.
She has also become the second woman to receive this award after Olivia Lum of Hyflux Limited. Her entrepreneur journey has an extraordinary story, she had started her company Biocon Limited in 1978 with just 2 employees and now the company size has expanded to 11,000 people and has a market capitalisation of Rs 50,000 crore.
Expressing her happiness on her achievement, she said, “At its core, entrepreneurship is about solving problems. The greatest opportunities often arise at the toughest times, and that’s been my experience throughout my entrepreneurial journey. My business focus is global health care and the provision of universal access to life-saving medicine; however, my responsibility as an entrepreneur is greater than simply delivering value to shareholders. Wealth creation can be a catalyst for change, and all entrepreneurs have a responsibility to the world around them and the communities in which they operate. Women also play a hugely important role in economic development, and for too long their contribution has been ignored. It’s important that we use the platform of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year to encourage more women to participate in entrepreneurial pursuits. I’m truly honoured to receive this prestigious award”.
Chairman and Co-CEO of Moose Toys and Chair of the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year judging panel, Manny Staul applauded her for the achievement and said, “Kiran is an inspirational entrepreneur who demonstrates that determination, perseverance and a willingness to innovate can create long-term value. The judging panel was impressed by her ability to build and sustain growth over the past 30 years and by her integrity and passion for philanthropy that has delivered a huge global impact. She has built India’s largest biopharmaceutical company on a foundation of compassionate capitalism and putting patient needs before profits”.