POONAWALLA REAPS RICHES IN VACCINE ROLLOUTS

Cyrus Poonawalla has another passion besides horses and cars - making jabs for the masses.

- P.B.Jayakumar

CYRUS SOLI POONAWALLA

WEALTH: ₹2,70,725 crore

SON OF A HORSE breeder with a passion for cars — known for his custom-built limousines and sports cars — Cyrus Poonawalla founded Serum Institute of India in 1966 and built it into the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines in terms of doses (about 3.5-4 billion a year). Born in 1941 in a Pune-based family known for its interest in horses and the famous Poonawalla Stud Farms, Poonawalla Group chairman and MD Cyrus Poonawalla and family’s wealth shot up from ₹1,62,848 crore ($20.42 billion) in FY22 to ₹2,70,725 crore ($32.95 billion) in FY23, an increase of ₹1,07,877 crore ($12.53 billion).

Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SIIPL), led by Cyrus Poonawalla and his son and CEO Adar Poonawalla, was among the first companies in the world to launch a Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield. As a result of his efforts, Cyrus was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in March 2022.