Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been awarded the H.K. Firodia Lifetime Achievement Award 2022 today. Shaw has been one of the leading entrepreneurs in India and the second richest self-made woman in the country.
The executive chairperson and founder of Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has received this prestigious award for her 'monumental contributions as a global leader in biotechnology innovation and entrepreneurship' by H.K. Firodia Memorial Foundation on the 25th anniversary of the award. The H.K. Firodia Awards Selection Committee unanimously decided to confer the Lifetime Achievement Award to Shaw.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Awarded Lifetime Achievement
As she received the award, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said, "I feel extremely privileged and humbled to be recognised for my lifetime efforts in building Biocon to be a responsible and empathetic biotech company that is driven by the purpose of delivering affordable access to essential medicines." She continued by saying how she felt about the felicitation as a scientist herself, "As a scientist, I was inspired by the vision of creating an organisation that leverages science & technology to widen access to lifesaving drugs for patients on the lowest rung of the economic ladder." Shaw also said, "It is through our philosophy of affordable innovation that we have been able to make a difference to global health equity by ensuring that no patient anywhere in the world is denied essential and lifesaving biologic drugs on account of affordability.”
About H.K. Firodia Award
In memory of the Late Shri H.K. Firodia, who is a visionary in the Indian automobile industry, the H.K. Firodia Award was instituted in 1996. The awards are given to eminent Indian scientists for their contributions to any branch of science or technology. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former Indian President was the first recipient of this award in 1996. Some of the previous awardees are Dr. M. K. Bhan, Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Dr. Jayant Narlikar, Prof. C.N.R. Rao, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, etc who have contributed immensely in the field of science and technology.
For the 25th anniversary of the award, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was also the chief guest at the awards ceremony as she presented the H.K. Firodia Vijnan Ratna Award to Dr Gagandeep Kang, eminent virologist and Professor of Microbiology in the Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences at the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore; and the H.K. Firodia Vijnan Bhushan Award to Dr. Tessy Thomas, distinguished scientist and Director General, Aeronautical Systems, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Contributions of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been a visionary in the field of science and technology focusing on healthcare and she is also a passionate philanthropist. Shaw being the founder of Biocon, a global biopharmaceuticals enterprise has received validation from across the globe. She has also become a role model for women in the same industry and even the tiny entrepreneurs to look forward to.
During the covid pandemic, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw found innovative solutions to combat the crisis in affordable ways. She received India's highest civilian honours the Padma Shri in 1989 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005. Her accreditations are also worldwide. She has also been elected as a board member in prestigious institutes like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, National Academy of Engineering, United States and a few others. She is also among the earliest Indian signatories to the Giving Pledge, a global commitment to dedicate a majority of her wealth to philanthropy.
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