Cyrus Poonawalla
Founder of the Serum Institute of India in Hadapsar, which makes vaccines used by children in many countries.
Quick facts
- Known for:
- Serum Institute of India
- Founded:
- 1966
- Pune link:
- Hadapsar
Life and work
Cyrus Poonawalla comes from a Pune family known for its horse stud farm. In 1966 he founded the Serum Institute of India to make vaccines in India at low cost. The company grew into one of the largest vaccine makers in the world by the number of doses, supplying vaccines to many countries.
Pune link
The Serum Institute's main campus is at Hadapsar in Pune. During the Covid-19 pandemic it produced vaccine doses on a very large scale. His son Adar Poonawalla now leads the company.
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Sources: Written by PuneDiary. Facts checked 10 October 2026.