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 number 4 on Forbes India rich list with a net worth of $24.3 billion. He is ranked number 1 in Hurun Global health care rich list 2022.

Career

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.

Family

Cyrus Poonawalla was born in a Parsi family he is the son of Soli Poonawala, who was a horse breeder. He was married to Villoo Poonawalla, who died in 2010. They have a son,

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, who currently works as the CEO of Serum Institute of India.

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. *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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poonawalla, Cyrus S. Businesspeople from Pune Indian billionaires Indian chief executives Indian businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Living people Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni 20th-century Indian businesspeople 1941 births 21st-century Indian businesspeople Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in trade and industry Parsi people