CYRUS POONAWALLA
Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla is the Chairman of Poonawalla Group which includes Serum Institute of India, which is an Indian biotech company that manufactures paediatric vaccines. He did his schooling from The Bishop's School in Pune, and later graduated from Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, University of Pune in 1966. He was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of medicine, by Government of India in 2005. Vaccine billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla's privately owned Serum Institute of India is the world's largest producer of vaccines, making more than one billion doses annually from a factory in Pune in western India, which are then supplied all around the world. As of March 2014, Forbes estimates Poonawalla's net worth at $4.9 billion.
Praise for Cyrus Poonawalla
Poonawalla has said he's willing to donate "millions" to fight corruption. He is also dedicated in his quest to make vaccines affordable to the common man. "While we recognise our moral responsibility to keep these vaccines affordable, I strongly believe that it is appropriate for other manufacturers, especially the big pharma companies to also follow our lead and make vaccines available at more affordable prices; otherwise our effort to offer vaccines at lower prices will be defeated." Dr. Poonawalla's strong belief in "No Compromise with Quality" and will full commitment in "Health for All with affordable Vaccines" has today lead Serum Institute to become India's leading biotech company producing over a billion doses a year that sell in more than 140 countries around the world.