Cyrus S. Poonawalla
Cyrus S. Poonawalla | |
|---|---|
 Poonawalla in 2015 (2nd from right)
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| Born | 1941 (age 83) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, owner of Bilthoven Biologicals, Serum Institute of India, Poonawalla Fincorp |
| Years active | 1966 – present |
| Known for | Founder of Serum Institute of India and owner of Poonawalla Group of Companies |
| Spouse |
Villoo Poonawalla (died 2010) |
| Children | Adar Poonawalla |
| Awards |
Padma Shri (2005),  Padma Bhushan (2022) |
| Website | cyruspoonawalla |
Cyrus S. Poonawalla (born in 1941) is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman and 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 and Poonawalla Fincorp a leading NBFC in India. In 2022, he is ranked as the 4th richest person in India on Forbes India rich list with a net worth of $24.3 billion. He is ranked number 1 on the Hurun Global Healthcare Rich List 2022.
Early life and career
Cyrus Poonawalla was born in a Gujarati Parsi (Zoroastrian) family. He is the son of Soli Poonawala, who was a horse breeder.
Poonawalla 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.
Personal life
Poonawalla was married to Villoo Poonawalla, who died in 2010. They have a son, Adar, who currently works as the CEO of Serum Institute of India. He has two grandchildren.
Awards
- Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of medicine, by the Government of India in 2005.
- The Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" in the category of Healthcare & Life Sciences in November 2007.
- The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for India in February 2015.
- Honorary doctorate by the University of Massachusetts Medical School in June 2018.
- Honorary doctorate by the University of Oxford in June 2019.
- ‘ICMR Lifetime Achievement Medal’ for contribution in healthcare by Bill Gates in November 2019.
- Lokmanya Tilak National Award in August 2021.
- Dean’s medal from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in May 2022.
- Padma Bhushan, for his contribution in production of vaccines during COVID-19,in the field of Trade and Industry, by the Government of India in 2022.
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.