KGI Announces Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw as Commencement Speaker

Commencement Information: kgi.edu/commencement

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the founder of India’s leading biotechnology enterprise Biocon, will be the keynote speaker at Keck Graduate Institute’s 16th annual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2017.

“I am delighted to be able to address the graduates, their families and friends, and the members of the KGI community at the commencement program,” Mazumdar-Shaw said. “Keck Graduate Institute has been the pioneer in developing the future generation of industry leaders in the field of life sciences through its various programs focused on the unique needs of the biosciences industry, thus bridging the gap between academia and industry.”

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a pioneer of the biotechnology industry in India, and through a growing partnership with KGI, she established the Biocon Academy in 2014 to help biotechnology graduates become industry-ready.

“We are incredibly grateful that Kiran has accepted the invitation to attend the 2017 commencement and serve as the keynote speaker,” KGI President Sheldon Schuster said. “Her vision and entrepreneurial spirit are truly inspirational. Our partnership and friendship with Biocon are tremendously rewarding and we appreciate Kiran’s generosity and collaboration.”

Biocon Academy’s flagship certificate program in bioscience, in collaboration with KGI, is an 18-week program, delivered by renowned faculty from KGI. It includes classroom sessions in the areas of drug development, research and development, and quality and regulatory affairs, coupled with experiential sessions at Biocon, which makes this program unique in nature.

Mazumdar-Shaw said, “We are extremely proud of our partnership with Keck Graduate Institute, which has enabled us develop high-end talent for the biotech industry through Biocon Academy, a Center of Excellence for Applied Biosciences, a first-of-its-kind advanced learning center in India.

“Since 2014, more than 200 well-trained biotech professionals have graduated from this course with a record of 100 percent placement,” she said. “The world-class learning delivered by highly skilled professors of KGI is enhancing the proficiency of Academy students in pursuing a rewarding career in the biotech sector.”

Named among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, Mazumdar-Shaw is recognized as a thought leader who has built a globally recognized biopharmaceutical enterprise that is committed to innovation and affordability in delivering best-in-class therapeutics to patients across the globe.

As a global influencer, she is ranked among the “World’s 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma” by Fierce Biotech, Forbes magazine’s “100 Most Powerful Women” and Fortune’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Asia-Pacific.” More recently, she was featured in “The Worldview 100 List” of the most influential visionaries by Scientific American magazine and named among the “100 Leading Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy magazine. She was ranked second among the 100 Most Influential People in the field of medicine in the “Global Medicine Maker Power List 2015” published by a top UK-based medical publication.

Her rich contributions to research, innovation, and affordable healthcare have earned several national and international awards. She was recently conferred with the Knight of the Legion of Honour by the Government of France, which is the highest civilian award of the French Republic for outstanding contribution in diverse fields bestowed on citizens of the world. The U.S.-based Chemical Heritage Foundation awarded her the 2014 Othmer Gold Medal, and the Germany-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy has awarded her its coveted 2014 Global Economy Prize for Business. She has received two of India’s highest civilian honors, the Padma Shri (1989) and the Padma Bhushan (2005). Other prominent awards include: Ernst & Young Best Entrepreneur: Healthcare & Life Sciences Award (2002), The Economic Times Business Woman of the Year Award (2004) and Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth (2009).

Mazumdar-Shaw holds key positions in various industry, educational, government, and professional bodies. She is non-executive chairperson of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE), a not-for-profit pan-India forum representing the Indian biotechnology sector. She is a founding member and current chair of Karnataka’s Vision Group on Biotechnology. She serves as a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and has previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Pharmacopeia Convention.

Mazumdar-Shaw is chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and has recently been appointed as global alumni ambassador for Australia by the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She is also on the board of advisors for The National Society of High School Scholars and is a founder member of the Society for the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore.

She serves as Independent Member of the Board of Infosys Ltd and features on the Global Advisory Committee for the Women and the Green Economy Campaign (WAGE)™ initiative. She is also the Honorary Consul of Ireland in Bangalore.

Mazumdar-Shaw’s commitment to affordable healthcare extends beyond business. Her philanthropic initiatives are directed at making a difference to the lives of the marginalized communities. Through Biocon Foundation’s primary healthcare centers, telemedicine initiatives, health awareness programs, public health and sanitation initiatives and preventive screenings for oral and cervical cancer, she is making an enduring impact on society.

She has also established the 1,400-bed Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Center in Bangalore to deliver affordable world-class cancer care services to patients irrespective of socio-economic status. She has set up the Mazumdar Shaw Center for Translational Research, a non-profit research institute dedicated to developing scientific breakthroughs for treating a wide range of human diseases. Her philanthropic efforts have led her to be featured on the Forbes’ List of “Heroes of Philanthropy.” Mazumdar-Shaw is also the second Indian to join the Giving Pledge global initiative created by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates, which encourages billionaires to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

Mazumdar-Shaw holds a bachelor’s degree in science (zoology honors) from Bangalore University and has earned a master’s degree in malting and brewing from Ballarat College, Melbourne University. She has received several honorary degrees from Ballarat (2004), University of Abertay (2007), University of Glasgow (2008), Heriot-Watt University (2008), National University of Ireland (2012) and Trinity College, Dublin (2012) for her pre-eminent contributions in the field of biotechnology.

Mazumdar-Shaw’s commitment to affordable healthcare extends beyond business. Her philanthropic initiatives are directed at making a difference to the lives of marginalized communities. Through Biocon Foundation’s primary healthcare centers, telemedicine initiatives, health awareness programs, public health and sanitation initiatives, and preventive screenings for oral and cervical cancer, she is making an enduring impact on society.

Commencement 2017 will take place at the Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, Calif. An estimated 177 students are expected to participate in this year’s event.