ICMR honours Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with Lifetime Achievement Award

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has honoured Biocon’s Chairperson and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare, and her remarkable contribution to the field of healthcare and to the society at large.

ICMR, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, recognised Shaw as a thought leader for building a globally-renowned biopharmaceuticals company that is committed to innovation and is providing high-quality, affordable medicines to patients across the world. She was also recognised for her philanthropic efforts, and providing better healthcare to people in India and globally through innovative, cost-effective life-saving therapies, and increasing access to healthcare at the grassroots.

On receiving the award, Shaw said, “I am honoured to receive this award from ICMR, which is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world, and has played a pivotal role in encouraging medical research to address the country’s healthcare challenges. My mission of using innovation to develop biopharmaceuticals that can benefit a billion patients and enable affordable access to medicines is quite aligned with ICMR’s purpose to create a strong ecosystem for medical research and innovation in India. I strongly believe it’s critical for us to invest in R&D to find innovative solutions to improve access and affordability of healthcare in the country to serve growing patient needs.”

Bill Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, presented the award to Shaw in New Delhi, while marking the celebration of the 108th Foundation Day of ICMR.

Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla, Chairman and Managing Director, Serum Institute of India and Dr Prakash Baba Amte, Director, Lok Biradari Prakalp, were also honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by ICMR.

Shaw has been pivotal in redefining the biotechnology landscape through Biocon’s initiatives and breaking new ground through her philosophy of ensuring affordable access to life-saving biopharmaceuticals globally.

Her visionary journey has earned her several coveted titles and awards, both national and international, including India’s top civilian awards, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, as well as, the highest French distinction, Knight of the Legion of Honour.

Shaw is a well-regarded global influencer and has been named among TIME magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’. She was given the AWSM Award for Excellence in 2017 by the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and the Chemical Heritage Foundation conferred her with the Othmer Gold Medal in 2014. She has received the Global Economy Prize for Business in 2014 from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Germany, for her outstanding contribution and dedication to the biosciences and research field globally.

She has featured in the Forbes’ list of ‘World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’; Scientific American’s ‘The Worldview 100 List’ of most influential visionaries; and Fortune’s ‘Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Asia-Pacific’. She was ranked number one in the Business Captains category in the Medicine Maker Power List 2018, an index of the 100 most influential people across the globe in the field of medicine.

She has also been felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards 2019.