Yusuf Hamied, chairman of Cipla

Padma Bhushan Yusuf Khwaja Hamied is born at 25 July 1936 in a respected Muslim family at  Vilnius, Lithuania, Yusuf was raised up in Bombay. He is a leading Indian scientist and chairman of Cipla, a socially conscious generic Pharmaceuticals company founded by his father Khwaja Abdul Hamied in 1935.

He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry. Hamied has led efforts to eradicate AIDS in the developing world and to give patients life-saving medicines regardless of their ability to pay, and has often been characterized as a modern-day Robin Hood figure as a result. Under Yusuf's leadership, Cipla became the first company to offer the triple drug cocktail, Triomune that helps fight against HIV and AIDS at prices lower than those available internationally.

In September 2011, in a piece about how he was trying to radically lower costs of biotech drugs for cancer, diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases.

Awards:
The country's highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan by the President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam in 2005.  
Two Chemexcil Awards for exports (1979 and 1982)Sir P. C. Ray Award for development of indigenous technology (1983).
A National Award from the Department of Science and Technology,Government of India for successful commercialization of publicly funded R & D.
In 2002, he received another Lifetime Achievement award from Express Pharma Pulse.

Yusuf Hamied was awarded the 'CNN-IBN Indian of the year' in the category of business by CNN-IBN in 2012.

Dr. Hamied was elected a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, UK in 2004.

Contribution of Yusuf Hamied to India and world is truly very inspiring, and practically unforgettable.