Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon Limited, was on Thursday named EY ‘World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020’ in a virtual award ceremony. She was picked from among 46 award winners from across 41 countries and territories vying for the title.
In the award's 20-year history, Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw became the third EY ‘World Entrepreneur Of The Year’ awardee from India. She follows former Indian world title winners Uday Kotak of Kotak Mahindra Bank (2014) and Narayana Murthy of Infosys Technologies Limited (2005). She also became the second woman to hold the title, following Olivia Lum of Hyflux Limited of Singapore in 2011.
Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw, 67, founded Biocon, a bio-enzymes company, in 1978 with just two employees and $500. Biocon has grown to employ over 11,000 people, with revenues of $800 million for FY19.
Manny Stul, Chairman and Co-CEO of Moose Toys and Chair of the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year judging panel, said "the judging panel were 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 huge global impact. She has built India's largest biopharmaceutical company on a foundation of compassionate capitalism and putting patient needs before profits”.
