Cyrus S. Poonawalla

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Cyrus S. Poonawalla
Adar Poonawalla and Cyrus Poonawalla
Adar Poonawalla and Cyrus Poonawalla (2nd from left)
Born1941 (1941) (age 80)
NationalityIndian
EducationBrihan Maharashtra College of Commerce
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1966 – present
Known forFounder of Serum Institute of India
Spouse(s)
Villoo Poonawalla
​
(died 2010)​
ChildrenAdar Poonawalla
AwardsPadma Shri (2005)
Websitecyruspoonawalla.com

Cyrus S. Poonawalla (born in 1941) is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman and managing director of the , which includes the Serum Institute of India, an Indian biotech company which is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world.[2][3] In 2021, he was ranked number 5 on Fortunes' India rich list with a net worth of $19 billion.[4]

Career[]

Poonwalla founded the Serum Institute of India in 1966 and built it to the largest vaccine manufacturer (by doses) in the world. Serum produces over 1.5 billion doses annually of a range of vaccines, including for measles, polio and flu.[5]

Family[]

Cyrus Poonawalla was born in a Parsi family. His father Soli Poonawala was a horse breeder. He was married to Villoo Poonawalla, who died in 2010.[6][7] They have a son, Adar, who currently works as the CEO of Serum Institute of India.[5]

Awards[]

  • Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of medicine, by the Government of India in 2005.[8]
  • The Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" in the category of Healthcare & Life Sciences in November 2007.[9]
  • The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for India in February 2015.[9]
  • Honorary doctorate by the University of Massachusetts Medical School in June 2018.[10][11][12]
  • Honorary doctorate by the University of Oxford in June 2019.[13][14]
  • Lokmanya Tilak National Award in August 2021.[15]

Philanthropy[]

In May 2019, it was reported that Poonawalla, in partnership with Naum Koen, had proposed supplying Ukraine with 100 thousand doses of the measles vaccine for free vaccination.[16][17]

References[]

  1. ^ "Forbes profile: Cyrus Poonawalla". Forbes. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Biography". Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Index". Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Forbes India Rich List 2021". Hindustan Times. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Cyrus Poonawalla". Forbes. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  6. ^ Kapur, Shweta (8 June 2010). "Villoo Poonawalla passes away at 67". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Villoo Poonawalla's death leaves a void in racing". Racing Pulse. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2009)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla - Honours and Awards". www.cyruspoonawalla.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Padma-Winning Pune Man Becomes 1st Indian to Get 'Doctor of Humane Letters' Degree!". The Better India. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla conferred honorary degree by The University of Massachusetts Medical School - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Honorary degrees awarded at Encaenia 2019 | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Honorary degree recipients for 2019 announced". The University of Oxford. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Oxford degree for Cyrus Poonawalla - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  15. ^ "SII chairman Cyrus Poonawalla named recipient of Lokmanya Tilak National Award". The Indian Express. 31 July 2021.
  16. ^ Вергун, Костянтин. "Patrons ready to support fight measles outbreak in Ukraine | Journalist.today". Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Обеспечить украинцев вакцинной от кори помогут меценаты". vesti-ukr.com. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
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