There are a lot of things India can take proud in, things that are unique to our country and things that we the people are good at. When you consider both these principles and try to conjure up some significance, Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India (STII) comes at the top. Founded in 1966 by Adar Poonawalla’s father Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, this monumental and prestigious institute has served a great deal to humanity already.
Adar Poonawalla studied at The Bishop School in Pune and went on to the University of Westminster from there. He was only 20 when he joined Serum institute in the desire of following his father’s footsteps of success. He immediately took charge of the international dealings of the company and started exporting company’s products to 35 countries. He also took charge of licensing new products by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Serum institute under him as supplied its products to respected UNICEF and PAHO.
In 2011, Adar became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Serum Institute and took charge of the day-to-day operations of the company. Since then, the company has grown tremendously, building its alliance overseas and pounding on contracts of new vaccines regularly. He played a major role in the acquisition of Bilthoven Biologics from the Netherlands. He is also an associate board member of the GAVI Alliance, which is the global Vaccine Alliance.
In 2013, the Poonawalla household held His Royal Highness, Prince Charles of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, during a private visit to Serum Institute’s manufacturing facility in India. In 2014, Adar initiated and launched the Serum Institute’s Oral Polio Vaccine, which addressed the global shortage of vaccine at that time. He was also listed as one of the most influential young Indians by GQ magazine and in 2016, he was awarded Philanthropist of the year.
He is known around the country for his medical and business achievements and he has got a wide circle of personalities from around other professions. He has good relations with many Bollywood stars such as Karan Johar, Karishma Kapoor, Alia Bhatt. He along with his wife hosted Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and her husband, Anand Ahuja, at their home, just after they had gotten married. The Poonawalla’s like to live their lifestyle with fashion along with an eye for public service.
The country banks on him and his institute for mass-producing the COVID vaccine, once the formula is cracked and it gets ready for production. As for his vow, he has already assured that once the vaccine formula is shared, his institute will produce enough vaccines for India as well as for other countries and with the will of the government, they shall be distributed for free. Anand’s vision is to help address the inequality that exists in India, and around the world, in the focused areas of Healthcare, Education, Water, Sanitation and the Environment
