USC India Awards honours Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with Business Management Award

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder and Chairperson, Biocon Group, has been honoured with the USC Business Management Award at the inaugural University of Southern California (USC) India Awards. She received the recognition from Yannis C Yortsos, Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, at a ceremony held in Mumbai on 7 December 2025. The award celebrates her leadership and contributions to global healthcare and biotechnology.

Presented by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the USC India Awards mark a milestone in the university’s engagement with India. The platform recognises leaders across engineering, technology, business, and community development for their innovation, impact, and service to society.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Biocon Group, said, “I am honored to receive the USC Business Management Award at the maiden USC India Awards. This recognition is a reaffirmation of Biocon’s purpose-driven journey to make high-quality biopharmaceuticals accessible and affordable for patients around the world. From a brewer to a biotech entrepreneur, my journey has been guided by one belief that engineering led science can transform lives and that belief continues to guide us every day. I am grateful to the USC community for championing entrepreneurship, research, and inclusion, and I accept this honor on behalf of the thousands of passionate minds at Biocon who work relentlessly to ‘heal the world’.”

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has had an association with USC, serving on the India Advisory Board of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering since 2012. She received the 2016 Global Leadership in Engineering Award from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Her role supports collaboration between USC’s engineering research and India’s biotech and innovation ecosystem, strengthening academic and industry connections.

Supported by the Tata Group, the inaugural edition also honoured N. R. Narayana Murthy, Founder and Former CEO of Infosys, with the USC–Ratan Tata Award, and Sandeep Tandon, Founder and Chairman, Syrma SGS Technology, and Founder and Director, Infinx, with the USC Distinguished Alumni Award.

USC President Beong-Soo Kim said, “Created in recognition of the longstanding relationship between USC and India, these awards honor Narayana Murthy, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Sandeep Tandon for their transformational leadership. Much like former USC trustee Ratan Tata, these three global leaders have driven innovation, elevated communities, and inspired other generations of leaders.”

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a biotech entrepreneur, a healthcare leader, a global influencer, and a philanthropist. She has focused on equitable access to healthcare through affordable innovation. She is the first woman business leader and second person from India to sign the Giving Pledge initiative in 2016, committing to give the majority of her wealth to philanthropic causes.