Indian
Businessman
1966 – present
Founder of Serum Institute of India
Cyrus S. Poonawalla (born in 1941) is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman & managing director of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, which includes the Serum Institute of India, an Indian biotech company which is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world.[1][2] In 2021, he was ranked number eight on Forbes' India rich list with a net worth of $12.7 billion.[3]
Career
Poonwalla founded the Serum Institute of India in 1966 and built it to the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world by doses. Serum produces over 1.5 billion doses annually of a range of vaccines, including for measles, polio and flu.[4]
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.[5][6][7] They have a son, Adar, who currently works as the CEO of Serum Institute of India.[4]
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
- ↑ Biography. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ↑ Index. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ↑ India’s 10 Richest Billionaires 2021, Karmali, Naazneen. Forbes. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cyrus Poonawalla. Forbes. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ↑ Villoo Poonawalla passes away at 67. Pune Mirror.
- ↑ Villoo Poonawalla’s death leaves a void in racing. www.racingpulse.in. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
- ↑ Villoo Cyrus Poonawalla no more. mid-day(2010-06-09). Retrieved 2020-07-27.
- ↑ Padma Awards Directory (1954–2009). Ministry of Home Affairs.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla - Honours and Awards. www.cyruspoonawalla.com. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ↑ Padma-Winning Pune Man Becomes 1st Indian to Get 'Doctor of Humane Letters’ Degree!. The Better India(2018-08-07). Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ↑ Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla conferred honorary degree by The University of Massachusetts Medical School - YouTube. www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ↑ Honorary degrees awarded at Encaenia 2019 | University of Oxford. www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ↑ Honorary degree recipients for 2019 announced. The University of Oxford. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ↑ Oxford degree for Cyrus Poonawalla - YouTube. www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ↑ SII chairman Cyrus Poonawalla named recipient of Lokmanya Tilak National Award. The Indian Express(31 July 2021).
- ↑ Patrons ready to support fight measles outbreak in Ukraine | Journalist.today, Вергун, Костянтин. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
- ↑ Обеспечить украинцев вакцинной от кори помогут меценаты. vesti-ukr.com. Retrieved 2019-05-30.