A brewing course may seem an unlikely starting point for someone who would go on to become on of the world’s most powerful women, but that’s precisely the launching pad Federation University alumnus Kiran Mazumdar Shaw took to success.
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Born in India, the billionaire began her formal training in malting and brewing at the-then Ballarat College in 1974 at the age of 21, where she was the only woman in the course.
Earlier this month the former Ballarat student was appointed by Victorian Trade and Investment Minister Philip Dalidakis as an ambassador for Victorian business ambassador.
Speaking to The Courier, Dr Mazumdar Shaw said the move to regional Victoria alone was one of the big turning points in her young life, as prior to enrolling in Ballarat she had never lived out of home.
She described her Ballarat education as “one of the best courses in brewing globally”.
“I not only delved deeper into the impact of applied sciences but also added to my survival kit, the art of carrying myself with credible confidence in a world that was still finding it difficult to accept women in non-traditional roles,” Dr Mazumdar Shaw said.
“The time I spent at the university as the only woman in a class of men added significantly to my confidence and self-esteem.”
Trying to make her way in brewing during an era dominated by men, the highly qualified young woman was unable to get a foothold in the Indian industry, eventually turning her hand to to rapidly rising biotechnology sector. This would be where she would make her fortune.
Through applying the knowledge gained as a master brewer, she established what would become India’s largest enzymes company, Biocon.
Dr Mazumdar Shaw would again show her entrepreneurial spirit decades later by transforming that company into the sub-continent’s largest biopharmaceuticals company, through the application of fermentation science.
In 2014 Dr Mazumdar Shaw’s business prowess saw her become the first woman to ever head the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore’s board of governors.
Ranked as the 71st most powerful woman in the world by Forbes Magazine in 2017, Dr Mazumdar Shaw said she hoped she would be able to boost ties in academia and government between India and Victoria, as well as business.
“There is a unique opportunity to combine Victoria's renowned culture of innovation with India's low cost innovation paradigm in developing and manufacturing cutting-edge technologies that can make global impact,” Dr Mazumdar Shaw said.
“Closer cooperation and collaboration between India and Victoria can create a Knowledge Society that can unleash the huge potential of the entrepreneurial energy.”
In 2015 a road at FedUni’s campus was named in honour of Dr Mazumdar Shaw.
