Adar Poonawalla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adar Poonawalla
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Adar (on left) and Cyrus Poonawalla in 2014
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| Born | 14 January 1981 |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Education | The Bishop's School (Pune) St Edmund's School Canterbury |
| Alma mater | University of Westminster |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Title | CEO, Serum Institute of India Chairman, Poonawalla Fincorp |
| Term | 2011–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Natasha Poonawalla
(m. 2006) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) |
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Adar Poonawalla was born on January 14, 1981. He is an important Indian businessman. He leads two big companies: the Serum Institute of India as its CEO, and Poonawalla Fincorp as its Chairman. His father, Cyrus Poonawalla, started the Serum Institute of India.
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About Adar Poonawalla
Adar Poonawalla is the son of Cyrus Poonawala. His family follows the Parsi religion, which is part of Zoroastrianism. He is married to Natasha Poonawalla. They have two children together.
Adar's Education
Adar Poonawalla went to school in India at The Bishop's School (Pune). Later, he studied in England at the St Edmund's School Canterbury. He then went on to get his degree from the University of Westminster.
Adar's Business Journey
Adar Poonawalla joined the Serum Institute of India in 2001. This was right after he finished university. At that time, the company sold its products to 35 countries. Adar focused on growing the company's sales around the world.
He also worked to get new product licenses. He helped the company get approved by the World Health Organization. This approval allowed them to supply vaccines to groups like UNICEF and PAHO. By 2015, he had helped the company sell its products to over 140 countries. Most of their money, about 85%, came from sales outside India.
Becoming CEO
In 2011, Adar Poonawalla became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In 2012, he helped the company buy Bilthoven Biologicals. This was a government vaccine company in the Netherlands. Adar is also a board member of the GAVI Alliance. This group works to provide vaccines globally.
He started and launched the Serum Institute's oral polio vaccine in 2014. This vaccine became a very popular product for the company. He also planned to make new vaccines for diseases like dengue, flu, and cervical cancer. Today, he is still the CEO of Serum Institute of India.
Leading Poonawalla Fincorp
On May 31, 2021, Adar Poonawalla became the chairman of Poonawalla Fincorp. This happened after he bought a large part of the company. It is a company that provides financial services.
In 2024, he bought half of Dharma Productions. This is a big film production company. He paid ₹1,000 crore for this share.
Challenges During the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Adar Poonawalla faced some difficulties. He mentioned in an interview that he moved to London for a while. This was because of strong demands for COVID-19 vaccines. He also said he would start making COVID vaccines outside India. This would be in addition to the vaccines already made in India. The Indian government gave him special security after these demands became known.
Giving Back to the Community
In 2020, the Serum Institute of India announced a big donation. They gave $66 million to the University of Oxford. This money helped build the Poonawalla Vaccines Research Building.
Awards and Recognition
Adar Poonawalla has received many awards for his work.
- In 2016, GQ Magazine named him Philanthropist of the Year.
- In 2017, he received the Humanitarian Endeavour Award. He was also named Indian of the Year in CSR Business Category by CNN-News18.
- In 2018, he received the Business Leader of the Year award. This was presented by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He also got CNBC Asia's award for Corporate Social Responsibility.
- In 2020, Fortune magazine included him in their '40 Under 40' list. This was for his work in healthcare.
- In 2021, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Economic Times. This was for his great help in fighting Covid-19. He successfully supplied many doses of Covishield. This vaccine was made by Oxford-AstraZeneca and produced in India by Serum Institute.
- Also in 2021, Adar was included on the Time 100 list. This is Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
