Meet Pune’s richest man, owner of pharma company which developed…., his son owns a production house, name is…

When Dr. Poonawalla, at 82-years-old, became a recognized figure amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, his prodigious endeavors didn’t go unnoticed.

Cyrus S Poonawalla, the chairman and managing director of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, is an Indian billionaire businessman. The company Cyrus Poonawalla Group includes the Serum Institute of India, an Indian biotech company which is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world and Poonawalla Fincorp a leading NBFC in India. As per Forbes list of The Richest People In The World, dated 8 March 2024, Cyrus Poonawalla ranked 90 with a net worth of $21.3 Billion.

Here’s all you need to know about Cyrus S Poonawalla and his world-impacting works.

Who is Cyrus S Poonawalla?

Cyrus S Poonawalla is the son of a horse breeder. He founded Serum Institute of India in 1966 and built it into the world’s largest vaccine maker (by doses). Under his son Adar Poonawalla, Serum’s CEO, the company invested $800 million at the peak of the pandemic to build a new factory Pune to make Covid-19 vaccines.

Educational qualifications and Net worth of Cyrus S Poonawalla

Talking about his educational qualifications, Cyrus S Poonawalla completed his degree in Bachelor of Arts/Science, from Pune University and Doctorate from the same place. The real time net worth of Cyrus S. Poonawalla as on December 22, 2024 is $21.3B.

His son, Adar Poonawalla has a production house called Serene Productions, which acquired a 50% stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment in October 2024.

Philanthropic works of Cyrus S Poonawalla

When Dr. Poonawalla, at 82-years-old, became a recognized figure amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, his prodigious endeavors didn’t go unnoticed. His role was exceptional in amplifying the manufacture of the Covishield vaccine, courtesy of the Serum Institute of India, playing a crucial role in global immunization schemes.

Forbes has evaluated the substantial holdings of Poonawalla Fincorp, putting his net worth at a whopping $21.3 billion. That’s the same as an extraordinary Rs 1,66,500 crore.

Why Cyrus S Poonawalla got Padma Bhushan?

Applauding his unparalleled service to public health, Poonawalla was bestowed with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in 2022. Back in May 2019, it came to light that Poonawalla and Naum Koen came up with a generous proposition of offering Ukraine 100,000 doses of the measles vaccine, without charging a penny, to bolster their vaccination campaigns.

Famous quote of Cyrus S Poonawalla

“We reach more children than Coca-Cola and PepsiCo can ever hope to” is one of the famous quotes of Cyrus S. Poonawalla.