Adar Poonawalla is an Indian billionaire and the CEO and owner of the world’s largest vaccine production company (in terms of number of doses produced and sold globally). The Serum Institute of India was founded by his father, Cyrus Poonawalla, in 1966. The company also produced India’s first COVID-19 vaccine, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (known as Covishield in India), in partnership with Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
Wiki/Biography
Adar Poonawalla was born on Wednesday, January 14, 1981, in Pune, Maharashtra (40 years old in 2021). He completed his primary education at Bishop’s School, Pune, and went to London at the age of 10 to complete the second half of his formal education. He completed his schooling at St. Edmund’s School, Canterbury, and subsequently obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors) from the University of Westminster in 2002. Recalling his time at Westminster, Poonawalla said,
My memories of Westminster are that it was a great learning environment and culture, it taught me team building and interacting with my peers, and overall it was a great learning experience for which I am happy and grateful.”
After graduation, Adar Poonawalla joined the family vaccine business and took over as CEO of the Serum Institute of India in 2011.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 5″
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
Adar Poonawalla and his wife Natasha Poonawalla
Family and Race
Adar was born into a wealthy Parsi family.
Parents and siblings
Adar Poonawalla is the only son of Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman and Managing Director of Serum Institute of India (SII) and Padma Shri Awardee. Adar’s mother Villoo Poonawalla passed away in 2010 at the age of 67.
Adar Poonawalla’s parents Cyrus Poonawalla and Villoo Poonawalla
Wife and children
Adar Poonawalla is married to Natasha Poonawalla, a fashionista and executive director of the Serum Institute of India. The two got married on Friday, December 15, 2006.
(From left to right) Cyrus Poonawalla, Vinoo Poonawalla, Adar Poonawalla and Natasha Poonawalla at Adar and Natasha’s wedding
They have two sons, Cyrus (born 2009) and Darius (born 2015).
Adar Poonawalla celebrates Christmas 2019 with his wife and children at Adar Abad House in Pune
Profession
After studying in the UK for 10 years, Adar returned to India in 2002 to join his father’s company, Serum Institute of India. After learning the nuances of the vaccine business, he became a board member of Serum Institute of India in 2005. At that time, the company was exporting vaccines to 35 countries outside India.
At the time we were very India-centric and our company didn’t really export to 30-40-plus countries. I thought the growth opportunity was there and I wanted to diversify our portfolio geographically and add vaccines and products, and I would do that every two to three years.”
In 2011, he took over as CEO of the Serum Institute of India. In 2017, the Serum Institute of India became the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by annual doses produced. The company produces more than 1.5 billion doses of various vaccines each year, including measles, polio, influenza, and COVID-19 vaccines. Since Adar took over as CEO of the Serum Institute in 2011, the company has flourished at an astonishing rate, expanding its supply range from nearly 35 countries in 2005 to more than 145 countries in 2020. According to Adar Poonawalla, 65% of the world’s children have received at least one dose of a vaccine produced by the company.
Adar Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India
On May 31, 2021, Magma Fincorp Limited, a Mumbai-based non-banking financial company, appointed Adar Poonawalla as the chairman of the company.
Philanthropy
Adal began his charity work in 2010 after his mother, who was passionate about philanthropy, passed away.
Villoo Poonawalla Foundation
In 2012, Adar Poonawalla founded the ‘Villoo Poonawalla Foundation’ in memory of his late mother Villoo Poonawalla. The foundation’s goal is to improve the lives of India’s poor, with a primary focus on providing education, healthcare, water and sanitation at minimal cost. It operates eight schools, educating more than 10,000 children, a hospital and dozens of water treatment plants. Adar’s wife, Natasha Poonawalla, is the chairperson of the Villoo Poonawalla Foundation.
Velu Poonawala School
Villoo Poonawalla Memorial Hospital
Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative
In 2015, Adar Poonawalla launched Adar Poonawalla Clean Cities (APCC), an environmentally sustainable initiative to improve solid waste management and thereby make Indian cities more livable. Adar launched the initiative in Pune, pledging to invest over Rs 100 crore from his personal wealth to clean the city. Apparently, the initiative was the first of its kind in India, with a private entity willing to invest such a huge amount to improve waste management in a city.
A clip about the Adar Poonawalla Clean City Project
Many influential figures in India have praised Adar’s initiative, including Narendra Modi, who later nominated him as one of the brand ambassadors for the Indian government’s 2017 Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Adar and his father briefing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Clean City Campaign at the Serum Institute of India
Awards and achievements
- In 2016, Mr. Poonawalla was named one of the 50 most influential young people in India by GQ magazine.
- In 2016, he was awarded the Philanthropist of the Year Award.
- In 2017, he received the Hello Hall of Fame Award for Humanitarian Endeavor.
- In 2017, he was awarded Indian of the Year in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Business category.
- In 2018, Adar Poonawalla was awarded the ‘Business Leader of the Year’ award at the Maharashtra Achievers Awards 2018. The award is given to achievers and leaders in different fields who have made special achievements in their respective fields and made Maharashtra proud.
Adar Poonawalla receives the Business Leader of the Year award from the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
- In the same year of 2018, it also won the “CNBC Asia Corporate Social Responsibility” Award.
Adar Poonawalla receives the 2018 CNBC Asia Corporate Social Responsibility Award from then Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
- In 2020, he was named to Fortune magazine’s list of the world’s “40 Under 40”.
- In 2020, he was named Asian of the Year by Singapore’s leading daily The Straits Times for his efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, one of six such figures.
dispute
On January 4, 2021, Adar Poonawalla, in an interview with NDTV, clearly mocked the Indian biotech company Covaxin, saying that only three COVID-19 vaccines in the world, namely Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca (produced by the Serum Institute), had passed clinical efficacy tests, while the rest of the vaccines were “as safe as water.”
In response to Adar Poonawalla’s remarks, Bharat Biotech Chairman Krishna Ella issued a statement saying,
We did 200% honest clinical trials and still got a lot of backlash. If I’m wrong, please tell me. Some companies call me “water”. I want to deny that. We are scientists”
Subsequently, on January 5, 2020, as the dispute continued to escalate, the two companies reached an agreement and issued a joint statement to clarify the previous communication errors, expressing that the two companies respect each other’s outstanding work in fighting the new crown epidemic and hope to eliminate the previous communication errors and misunderstandings.
This should clear up any misunderstandings. We are united in fighting this pandemic. https://t.co/oeII0YOXEH
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 5, 2021
Car Collection
Adar Poonawalla, who loves speed, owns a fleet of more than 50 luxury cars and sports cars, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, Bentley Flying Spur, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe, Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta, Lamborghini Gallardo SE, Chevrolet Corvette and Hummer (electric). He also owns a Batmobile based on a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. He modified the S-Class for his son Cyrus’ 6th birthday. The modification was completed in China and took about six months.
characteristic
The Poonawalla family owns several properties in India and abroad. Here is a roundup of three notable properties owned by the Poonawallas in Pune and Mumbai that are worth crores of rupees.
- First up is the ‘Adar Abad Poonawalla House’ in Pune, the official residence of Adar Poonawalla. Spread over 22 acres, the property is built in a unique European architectural style, a perfect blend of classical and contemporary art.
Adar Poonawalla at Adar Abad, one of his residences in Pune
Adar Poonawalla with his father, wife and children at the Adar Abad Poonawalla House
- Another property owned by the Poonawallas in Pune is the Poonawalla Stud Farmhouse, which is spread over an area of about 247 acres and has a two-storey holiday house built on a part of the farmhouse.
Entrance to the Poonawalla Stallion Farmhouse
- The most recent property acquired by the Poonawalla family is a 2-acre third-tier beachfront property called Lincoln Mansions, located on Breach Candy Road in South Mumbai. The property was once owned by Maharaja Wankaner and was later bought by the US government in 1957 for Rs 1.8 crore to be used as a consulate. In 2015, the Poonawalla family bought the property at an auction for a staggering price of Rs 750 crore; however, the ownership of the property is yet to be handed over to them.
net worth
Adar Poonawalla’s net worth is unknown; however, according to a 2020 report by Forbes India, his father Cyrus Poonawalla’s net worth is estimated to be $11.5 billion.
Favorite things
- Adar loves watching movies, his personal favorite being Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000), which he watches in his home theater.
- His favorite vacation destinations are France and Italy, both of which he has visited more than 50 times.
Facts/Trivia
- Adar is passionate about horse racing.
Adar Poonawalla with one of his horses at Poonawalla Stud Farm
- Speedster Adar also owns a Gulfstream G550 aircraft, which can take him anywhere in the world in less than thirteen hours.
- Adar Poonawalla sold his entire stake in Panacea Biotec for Rs 118 crore through an open market transaction, which was acquired by Serum Institute of India (SII) on May 17, 2021. According to the Bombay Stock Exchange block trade data, Poonawalla sold 31,57,034 shares of Panacea Biotec at Rs 373.85 per share, taking the total transaction value to Rs 118.02 crore.
- In December 2023, Adar Poonawalla made headlines when he bought Aberconway House, the most expensive property in London, for around Rs 14,444 crore. The house was said to have been acquired by Serum Life Sciences Ltd., the UK subsidiary of the Serum Institute of India, a subsidiary of the Poonawalla family. The deal was reportedly the second most expensive transaction in London that year.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education