Kiran Mazumdar Shaw gets Nikkei Asia Prize

Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Limited has been honoured with the Nikkei Asia Prize 2009 for Regional Growth.

The awards are given by Japan's prestigious business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) annually to individuals or institutions from Asia Pacific region in recognition of outstanding achievements that improve the quality of life in Asia.

In addition to Ms. Shaw's Regional Growth category, prizes are given in the categories of Culture and Science, Technology & Innovation.

Lauding her role as the head of India's leading biotechnology enterprise, Biocon, Ms. Shaw was nominated by the prize committee for her pioneering work in the field of biotechnology in India, by establishing a business model that believes in innovation and intellectual excellence, her achievements as a first generation entrepreneur and her status as an icon of entrepreneurship in India.

Under her stewardship, Biocon has evolved from its inception in 1978 as an industrial enzymes company to a fully integrated bio-pharmaceutical enterprise encompassing a range of products and services with a research focus on diabetes, oncology and auto-immune disease.

Established in 1996 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Nikkei Inc.'s founding, the prizes serve to promote mutual understanding among Asian nations and to help people around the world deepen their understanding of Asia. Candidates nominated for the award include scholars, business executives and journalists.

Among the prominent past winners of the Nikkei Asia Prize are Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,Professor Mohammed Yunus, Managing Director, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh and Infosys co-founder and chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy.

The award will be formally conferred on Ms. Shaw at the ceremony for the 14th Nikkei Asia Prizes in Tokyo, Japan on May 20, a Biocon press release added.

NNN