CHENNAI: Biocon founder and chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has decided to pass the baton to her granddaughter Claire Mazumdar as the former prepares the succession plan for her four-decade-old biotech enterprise.
The 73-year-old entrepreneur said Claire, 37, will lead the company into its next phase of growth, which will be driven by cutting-edge biotechnology and AI innovation.
In an interview with Fortune India, Mazumdar-Shaw said, “I am the sole owner of Biocon and I have to make sure that I put it in good hands. I have seen my niece Claire as my successor because I think she has proved to me that she can run a company.”
Her chosen heir, Claire, is a biotech specialist who founded Bicara Therapeutics, a NASDAQ-listed company incubated by Biocon. Claire holds a BA in Biological Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a PhD in Cancer Biology from the Stanford School of Medicine.
Mazumdar-Shaw also said that her brother Eric Mazumdar, a professor at the California Institute of Technology and an AI expert, and her husband Thomas Roberts, a renowned oncologist with Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, will join the wider leadership transition at the enterprise.
Before founding Bicara Therapeutics, Claire worked with Third Rock Ventures and Rheos Medicines in the US. Bicara listed on NASDAQ in 2024 and currently commands a market capitalization of over $1.6 billion. Its lead cancer therapy, aimed at treating head and neck cancer, remains in clinical trials. Following the listing, Biocon currently holds approximately 10% stake in the company.
Recently, Biocon merged its generics and biologics businesses to simplify its corporate structure and reduce debt. This merger aims to position the company to capitalize on its biosimilars segment, which contributes approximately 60% of its revenue. With 12 products already on the market and approximately 20 in the pipeline, Biocon is working to strengthen its position as a global biosimilars leader. As of 2025, the combined company Biocon Biologics was valued at $5.5 billion and ranked among the top five biochemical companies in the world by revenue.
