◆ Did any of the decisions harm the social interest? From Brewer to Bio-tech Entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw trained to become a master brewer and learned about enzymes, the stuff from which bio-pharmaceuticals are made. It was impossible for a woman in India to become a master brewer, so the 25-year-old Kiran decided to create a bio-pharmaceutical business.

Kiran’s firm, Biocom, employed uneducated workers who loved their jobs and the living conditions made possible by their high wages. But when a trade union entered the scene and unionised the workers, a furious Kiran fired the workers, automated their jobs and hired a smaller number of educated workers. Biocom continued to grow and today, Kiran’s wealth exceeds $1 billion.

Kiran has become wealthy by developing and producing bio-pharmaceuticals that improve people’s lives. But Kiran is sharing her wealth in creative ways. She has opened a cancer treatment centre to help thousands of patients who are too poor to pay and created a health insurance scheme.