Early Life
Yusuf Khwaja Hamied was born on July 25, 1936, in Vilnius, Lithuania (then Poland). He was raised in Mumbai, India. His father, Khwaja Abdul Hamied, was an Indian Muslim and the founder of Cipla. His mother, Luba Derczanska, was a Russophone Lithuanian Jew. Hamied attended the Cathedral and John Connon School and St. Xavier's College in Mumbai. He then pursued higher education in the UK, earning a BA in chemistry in 1957 and a PhD from Christ's College, Cambridge, in 1960.
Rise to Success
After completing his studies, Hamied joined Cipla in 1960, working alongside his father. He became the Managing Director in 1976 and Chairman in 1989. He is best known for his defiance of large Western pharmaceutical companies by providing affordable generic drugs for diseases like AIDS and other ailments primarily affecting people in poor countries. Hamied played a pivotal role in expanding the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in India, making pharmaceutical derivatives affordable and putting the Indian pharmaceutical industry on the world map.
Key Business Strategies
Hamied's leadership at Cipla was marked by a commitment to producing high-quality, affordable medicines. He spearheaded the development of generic drugs and combination pills, significantly reducing the cost of treatments for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and asthma. This strategy allowed Cipla to become a major player in the global pharmaceutical market and earned Hamied recognition as a visionary leader who prioritized access to medicine.
Philanthropy
Yusuf Hamied is also an active philanthropist, focusing on education and healthcare. In 2019, he donated ₹8.7 crores (approximately $1 million USD) to the Royal Society of Chemistry in India to support a chemistry education program for school students. He has also made substantial donations to Cambridge University, establishing the Yusuf Hamied 1702 Chair of Chemistry and the Hamied Scholars Programme. These initiatives reflect his dedication to giving back to society and supporting scientific advancement.
