Cyrus S. Poonawalla

Cyrus Soli Poonawalla was born in a Parsi (Zoroastrian) family; to parents Soli and Gool Poonawalla. His father Soli Poonawalla was a horse breeder. Serum Institute produces over 1.5 billion doses annually of a range of vaccines, including for Measles, Polio and Flu. ==Personal life==

Poonawalla was married to Villoo Poonawalla, who died in 2010. Together they have a son, Adar, who currently works as the CEO of Serum Institute of India. He has two grandchildren. ==Awards==

• Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of medicine, by the Government of India in 2005. • The Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" in the category of Healthcare & Life Sciences in November 2007. • The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for India in February 2015. • Honorary doctorate by the University of Oxford in June 2019. • 'ICMR Lifetime Achievement Medal' for contribution in healthcare by Bill Gates in November 2019. • Lokmanya Tilak National Award in August 2021. • Dean's medal from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in May 2022. • Padma Bhushan, for his contribution in production of vaccines during COVID-19, in the field of Trade and Industry, by the Government of India in 2022. ==Philanthropy==

In May 2019, it was reported that Poonawalla, in partnership with Naum Koen, had proposed supplying Ukraine with 100 thousand doses of the measles vaccine for free vaccination. In April, 2026 Raja Ravi Varma's iconic painting Yashoda and Krishna was sold for a record Rs 167.20 crore at Saffronart's Spring Live Auction in Mumbai on Wednesday, when he acquired the work, marking the highest-value sale of modern Indian art at auction. ==References==