Personality traits that make Kiran Mazumder Shaw an

effective leader
 In 2015, she joined The Giving Pledge, promising that at least half of her wealth will
be dedicated to philanthropy.
 Apart from being widely recognised as one of the most influential business leaders in
the field of biotechnology, she is also India’s first self-made woman billionaire
 Recipient of Padma Shri (1989), Padma Bhushan (2005)
 Recipient of EY World Entrepreneur of the Year (2020) and EY Entrepreneur of the
Year India Award (2019)
 Recipient of ICMR’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in
Healthcare (2019)

Many of us have long admired Kiran Mazumdar Shaw as one of India’s biggest female icons
and with good reason.  She spear-headed women in the biotech world in India, which has
traditionally been dominated by men. From setting up Biocon to making it a global brand she
had faced challenges and got accolades for her efforts.

Dedicated- One of the leading businesswomen in India, Kiran Mazumdar did not reach
where she is today without her dedication towards her work, her zeal and her vigorous
attitude to achieve heights. She started her career not in the field of science but as a brewer
and she took precedence in both the areas.

Always ready to fight criticism- It is her ability to fight back criticism that kept her
from going down and she kept growing. She wanted to be a master brewer in India, but
nobody hired her saying it is a “man’s job”. This did not deter her from moving on and
forward, taking a plunge into starting her own business in biotech and then excelling in it.

Overcoming entrepreneurial barriers - “She had a difficult time

finding a workplace and convincing people to join her organization. Mazumdar Shaw was
however determined to overcome all entrepreneurial barriers and make her venture a huge
success,” according to an article by the Economic Times. This shows her hunger for
discovering new avenues to channelize talent. It is a major factor in her zest for success.

 Risk-taking ability- She possesses courage and a dare-to-take-risk attitude which

showed when she took it as a challenge to show the male fraternity who did not offer her a
job as a brew master only because she was a woman. She proved that women can also
manage an entire business without taking any help from them.

Hard-working- Started Biocon in the garage of her house with a humble investment of

Rs.10000, now it is a huge entity in the biotech world. All this wouldn’t have happened if
Kiran Mazumdar did not work incessantly towards growth. There is also a kind of
exclusivity that shows in her work as she rightfully puts it, “In our Enterprise ‘The difference
lies in our DNA’ and we all believe in it. We don’t imitate other companies but have charted
our own business destiny,” says Mazumdar Shaw to MBA Rendezvous.

Affordable innovation: Mazumdar-Shaw's belief in "affordable innovation" has always

been a driving philosophy behind Biocon's expansion. Mazumdar once said, "Innovation and
commerce are as powerful tools for creating social progress as they are for driving
technological advancement. When they are put to use for social progress, the implementation
is a lot cheaper, a lot more people benefit, and the effect is more lasting."