In a candid conversation with Bloomberg’s Haslinda Amin, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recounts her journey from launching Biocon in a rented garage in Bengaluru to building a global leader in biopharmaceuticals. Over nearly 50 years, the company has grown into a major force in insulin and biosimilars manufacturing, known for its commitment to affordable healthcare solutions. Shaw reflects on the obstacles she encountered as a woman in a predominantly male industry and how she leveraged resilience and vision to overcome systemic barriers in India’s business environment.
As she transitions leadership to a new generation, Shaw underscores Biocon’s mission: expanding access to life-saving treatments worldwide. She highlights strategic choices that placed the company at the forefront of innovation, particularly in biosimilars—cost-effective alternatives to high-priced biologic drugs. Her perspective extends beyond profit, rooted in the principle that quality healthcare should be available to all. Looking forward, she calls for stronger support systems in India to nurture life sciences entrepreneurship, advocating for an ecosystem that fosters research, investment, and scalable innovation.