Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (born 23 March 1953) is an Indian entrepreneur. She is the chairman and managing director of Biocon Limited, a biotechnology company based in Bangalore (Bengaluru), India and the chairperson of IIM-Bangalore. In 2014, she was awarded the Othmer Gold Medal, for outstanding contributions to the progress of science and chemistry. She is on the Financial Times’ top 50 women in business list. As of 2015, she was listed as the 85th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. At present in 2016, she has been listed one more time in “Forbes” – the most powerful woman in the world at 77th position.
Early life and education
Kiran Mazumdar was born to Gujarati parents in Bangalore, India. She went to school at Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Girl’s High School, graduating in 1968. She then attended Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, a women’s college offering pre-university courses as an affiliate of Bangalore University. She studied biology and zoology, graduating from Bangalore University with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology in 1973. Mazumdar hoped to go to medical school, but did not obtain a scholarship.
Her father, Rasendra Mazumdar, was the head brewmaster at United Breweries. He suggested that she study fermentation science, and train to be a brewmaster, a very non-traditional field for a woman. Mazumdar went to Federation University (Formerly known as University of Ballarat) in Australia to study Malting and Brewing. In 1974 she was the only woman enrolled in the brewing course, and the top of her class. She earned the degree of master brewer in 1975.
She worked as a trainee brewer in Carlton and United Breweries, Melbourne and as a trainee maltster at Barrett Brothers and Burston, Australia. She also worked for some time as a technical consultant at Jupiter Breweries Limited, Calcutta and as a technical manager at Standard Maltings Corporation, Baroda between 1975 and 1977. However, when she investigated the possibility of further work in Bangalore or Delhi, she was told that she would not be hired as a master brewer in India because “It’s a man’s work.” :152–153 She began to look abroad, and was offered a position in Scotland.
Summary
| Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw | |
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Mazumdar-Shaw in 2014
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| Born | Kiran Mazumdar 23 March 1953 Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Residence | Bangalore, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Bangalore University Federation University |
| Occupation | Founder & chairperson of Biocon |
| Net worth | US$1.2 billion (2016) |
| Spouse(s) | John Shaw |
| Awards | Othmer Gold Medal (2014) |
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