Padma Bhushan bestowed on Pankaj Patel: Zydus Chairman calls himself fortunate, thanks govt

New Delhi: Pankaj Patel, Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences, has been awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan for his contributions to the Indian bioscience industry.

Patel in a statement expressed his happiness on being conferred with one of India’s highest civilian awards. “I would like to thank the Government of India for this great honour and humbly accept this recognition. It’s a journey that started over seven decades ago when my father started out as an entrepreneur to contribute to nation building and making India self- reliant in lifesciences. This commitment to science, health and innovation always inspired me,” said Zydus Chairman.

“I am fortunate to have 27000 people at Zydus as a part of this journey working on putting India at the forefront of innovation with pathbreaking discoveries that bridge unmet healthcare needs. I consider myself extremely honoured to be a part of these exciting, transformative years for the Indian Lifesciences Industry.  We are taking a leap into the future with the convergence of health, digital advancements and technology. Innovation from India will bring critical access to affordable healthcare and empower people to lead healthier and more fulfilled lives,” Patel added.

Pankaj Patel is the man behind Zydus Lifesciences, a discovery-driven, global Lifesciences company with operations in more than 80 countries worldwide. The Zydus Group with an overarching purpose of empowering people with freedom to live healthier and more fulfilled lives, is an innovative, global lifesciences company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies. The group employs over 27000 people worldwide and is driven by its mission to unlock new possibilities in life-sciences through quality healthcare solutions that impact lives. The group aspires to transform lives through pathbreaking discoveries.

With a Masters in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology from the L.M. College of Pharmacy and an alumni of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, he was always driven by a passion to become a pharma entrepreneur. Patel combines both research and techno-commercial expertise. He has published over 100 research papers in peer reviewed journals and is a co-inventor in more than 64 patents.

Pankaj Patel is on the board of several prestigious institutions, including the Reserve Bank of India. He is also the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of IIM Ahmedabad and Chairman of IIM Udaipur and Invest India. He also officiates on the board of several Not-for-Profit & charitable institutions. Patel is the Executive Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer Society and Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, a Regional Cancer Centre and one of the largest cancer centres of India, reaching out to the needy and underprivileged cancer patients.

Patel is also the Chairman on the Board of Zydus Foundation which has set up Zydus Hospital and Medical College at Dahod. He supports the Group’s CSR initiatives in the field of education, pharmaceutical technology and innovation, grassroot innovation, sustainable livelihoods, water conservation, skill development for women from economically disadvantaged groups, and also specially abled children and Green Gujarat initiatives for sustainability.