advertisements in newspapers that Biocon was looking to hire people. But many who showed up for interviews used to not take the job as they did not want to work under a woman. Some of them mistook me for being a secretary as well,” says Mazumdar-Shaw, who added that one of her friends, who was working as a teacher, quit her job to join as her secretary. “But eventually, I found people who wanted to work for me, including my R&D head, who had just passed out of an IIT back then. Many of the members from the early team stayed with me for decades,” she shares.

Battles with cancer

Apart from Biocon combatting diabetes and Covid, which came as a national need, the biopharmaceutical company’s entry into cancer research has been more of a personal journey for Shaw. “After my best friend was diagnosed with cancer, she decided to sell her property to get treatment. I realised how unjust the system was that someone had to sell their belongings to get the treatment they deserved. My husband, John Shaw, was al s o diagnosed with cancer, and later, my mother as well.

After such experiences, I decided to venture into cancer research so that general people can afford the treatment in the future as well. Since then, Biocon has gone on to become the first global company to have a USFDA-approved breast cancer drug,” says Ma zumd a r – Shaw, who has also recently created a company named Immuneel Therapeutics Private Limited with one of India’s premier oncologists, Siddharth Mukherjee.

Mazumdar-Shaw also believes in philanthropy, which she says her father had instilled in her. “My father used to say money is not a currency to buy favours, it is a currency to make a difference,” she says. So for someone who has achieved so much, including the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, what would Shaw like to be remembered as? “I would like it if people remember me as someone with multi-faceted interests who was more than a woman of science,” concludes Mazumdar- Shaw.