Among the earliest Indian women to build large businesses, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CEO of Biocon inspires every young woman who dreams of making it to the top.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s story is one of self-made success in corporate India. Her story is special not just because she is a woman, but because she was among the earliest to spot opportunity in the (then) emerging area of bio-pharmaceuticals in India. She has also been an advocate for entrepreneurship in India, much before it became the cool thing to do.
While there are many women entrepreneurs in India now, there are still fewer stories of women who have built very large companies. It is not our case that bigger is always better, but – we do need some role models to show us that we can do it!
Why we find Kiran Mazumdar Shaw inspiring:
– Because she is a ‘garage startup’ entrepreneur
– Because she has demonstrated that women can build businesses – and build them big
– Because she has built an adaptable business and had the courage to change tracks when necessary; at a personal level from brewmaster to enzyme maker and then to a business in bio-pharma
– Because she overcame early adversity when no one would hire a female brewmaster and decided to go her own road instead
More reading:
An interview with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Talking with Subroto Bagchi
Pic credit: Biocon
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