Quote of the Day by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: ‘Being a woman does not have to be a handicap...’

“Being a woman does not have to be a handicap or a disadvantage. Being a woman has actually helped me gain confidence,” a quote by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of Biocon.

Shaw often shares this perspective while discussing her challenges starting Biocon in 1978, when she faced gender-based discrimination in a male-dominated industry.

She has reiterated this message throughout her career, including during interviews in 2016 regarding her success tips for women. 

Who is Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur and a pioneer in the biotechnology industry. She is the Executive Chairperson and founder of Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics. Often called the "Biotech Queen" of India, she has been instrumental in making affordable healthcare, particularly insulin and cancer drugs, accessible globally.

She founded Biocon in 1978 in a rented garage in Bengaluru. Under her leadership, it grew from an enzyme manufacturing firm into Asia’s leading biopharmaceutical enterprise.

Shaw is a recipient of major Indian civilian awards, including the Padma Shri (1989) and Padma Bhushan (2005).

She is a signatory of The Giving Pledge, committing to donate a majority of her wealth to philanthropic causes. Through the Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Foundation, she supports advanced cancer research and outreach programmes.  

When was this quote said by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

In a 2014 interview, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recalled that her time in Australia, where she pursued a brewing course as the only woman in her class, proved to be a defining phase. Being on her own pushed her to recognise her ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with her male peers. Despite many classmates having prior brewery experience, she emerged at the top. The experience, she noted, underscored a lasting belief that being a woman is not a disadvantage, but rather a source of strength and confidence.  

What does this quote mean?

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw argues that the "handicap" of being a woman is often an internalised belief or a social stigma that you can choose to ignore. By refusing to see her gender as a hurdle, she prevented it from becoming one.

When she started Biocon in 1978, banks wouldn't lend to her and people wouldn't work for her because she was a woman. Overcoming these "disadvantages" forced her to be more resourceful and tougher than her male peers, which is where her true confidence was built..