Founder of Biocon : Kiran Mazumdar’s Inspirational Mission to Give Millions of People Affordable Medicines

Born on March 23, 1953, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder and chairman of Biocon and has more than 40 years of experience as a biosciences pioneer. Numerous individuals with serious illnesses have been helped by the goods made by her company. Her business raised $400 million in February 2013 from international investors including Warburg Pincus, Cipla Ltd., and Hisense Company Ltd.

Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded a travel agency in 1978 with the goal of giving people an inexpensive way to travel while utilising India’s inherent advantages: high-quality services delivered at reasonable costs by knowledgeable staff who would make all of their arrangements for them while they were there, allowing them to concentrate on having fun rather than planning.

Kiran Mazumdar’s early life and education

In Mumbai, India, to a middle-class family, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was born. Her mother, who was also a housewife and managed the day-to-day activities of the Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Center, which her father, Dr. S. M. Shaw, founded in South Mumbai in 1966 after being influenced by Fathima Mother Teresa during his visit to her Kolkata Hospital for the Dying Destitute Persons in 1959.

Kiran had a strong desire to change the world since she was a little child. This desire followed her everywhere she went, including college and her job, and it eventually inspired her to found Biocon Limited.

Challenges that Kiran Mazumdar faced while building Biocon

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded Biocon Ltd. In 1978 with a 10,000 initial investment of her own money. Her goals included creating accessible medications for those with serious illnesses like cancer and diabetes, assisting in the job creation of educated young people in rural regions, and offering value-added products as a means of providing farmers with scientific solutions to their difficulties.

The goal of Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and her team at Biocon Limited were to create a variety of accessible and affordable medications to treat patients in rural areas with underdeveloped healthcare infrastructure. Among the products created by Biocon are Agnosia Insulin Syrup, which is utilised in low-cost diabetes care programmes in underdeveloped nations, and Imigran (lanreotide), a medication for the treatment of diabetes.

Insulin glargine injection, the company’s flagship medication, has been successfully marketed in more than 22 emerging markets worldwide. Before she sold it to Bayer AG for $1, her company was thought to generate more than $500 million in annual sales.

The journey of Kiran Mazumdar is inspiring millions of women around the globe

Dr. Mazumdar-Shaw is a role model for many women in a variety of ways. Knowing Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, she demonstrated to them the potential for professional achievement.

For four years, she was the only woman to appear in Fortune India’s list of the “Top 40 Most Powerful Business Women in India.” She is still the sole female managing director of a pharmaceutical company with an NSE listing. By being a mother, a wife, and a successful businesswoman, she has demonstrated that women can be equally as successful as men and still have a meaningful personal life.

Additionally, Kiran Mazumdar is active in numerous groups that support female entrepreneurs, such as the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society (WFES).