Bengaluru: Biocon Ltd announced that its Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been named the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 (WEOY) at a virtual award ceremony held on late Thursday.
She has been honoured with the title from among a distinguished list of 46 EOY country award winners from 41 countries and territories, the Bengaluru-headquartered bio pharmaceuticals company said in a statement.
In the award's 20-year history, Mazumdar-Shaw is the first woman entrepreneur from India and the third Indian to win it.
She is the second woman worldwide to hold this title, after Olivia Lum of Hyflux Limited, Singapore, who won the award in 2011.
Uday Kotak of Kotak Mahindra Bank (2014) and N R Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys Ltd, (2005) are the other winners from India.
Mazumdar-Shaw has previously won the EY Best Entrepreneur: Healthcare & Life Sciences Award in 2002 and was bestowed with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year India 2019 Award in February 2020 and represented India at the WEOY 2020.
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In their felicitation, EY had said Mazumdar-Shaw is "synonymous with the Indian biotech industry," and has been at the forefront of innovation through her strong investments in research.
Mazumdar-Shaw said she is truly honoured to receive the award.
At its core, entrepreneurship is about solving problems.
The greatest opportunities often arise at the toughest times, and that's been her experience throughout her entrepreneurial journey, she said.
"My business focus is global health care and the provision of universal access to life saving medicine; however, my responsibility as an entrepreneur is greater than simply delivering value to shareholders", Mazumdar-Shaw said.
Wealth creation can be a catalyst for change, and all entrepreneurs have a responsibility to the world around them and the communities in which they operate, she added.
(PTI Report)
