"Honoured to receive this recognition and consider myself fortunate": Zydus Lifesciences Chairman thanks GoI for Padma Bhushan honour

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], January 26 : Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences, Pankaj Patel, on Sunday expressed his gratitude upon being bestowed with the Padma Bhushan and thanked the Government of India for the recognition as he humbly accepted the honour.
Pankaj R Patel, the Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences Limited, has been conferred with one of India's highest civilian honours by the central government.
"I am honoured to receive this recognition and consider myself fortunate to be a part of these exciting and transformative years for the Indian lifesciences industry," Patel said in a statement.
The journey began over seven decades ago when Patel's father started as an entrepreneur to contribute to nation-building and make India self-reliant in life sciences.
"This commitment to science, health and innovation always inspired me. I am fortunate to have 27000 people at Zydus as a part of this journey working on putting India at the forefront of innovation with pathbreaking discoveries that bridge unmet healthcare needs." said Patel.
Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences.added,"I consider myself extremely honoured to be a part of these exciting, transformative years for the Indian Lifesciences Industry. We are taking a leap into the future with the convergence of health, digital advancements and technology. Innovation from India will bring critical access to affordable healthcare and empower people to lead healthier and more fulfilled lives."
Pankaj Patel is the Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences, a discovery-driven global lifesciences company with operations in more than 80 countries worldwide.
The Zydus Group, with its overarching purpose of empowering people with the freedom to live healthier and more fulfilled lives, is an innovative global lifesciences company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies. The group employs over 27,000 people worldwide and is driven by its mission to unlock new possibilities in lifesciences through quality healthcare solutions that impact lives.
With a Master's in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology from L.M. College of Pharmacy and as an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, Patel was always driven by a passion for becoming a pharma entrepreneur.
Combining research and techno-commercial expertise, Patel has published over 100 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and is a co-inventor of more than 64 patents.
Pankaj Patel serves on the boards of several prestigious institutions, including the Reserve Bank of India. He is also the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of IIM Ahmedabad and Chairman of IIM Udaipur and Invest India.
He is actively involved in various not-for-profit and charitable institutions and serves as the Executive Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer Society and the Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, one of India's largest cancer centres. Patel also chairs the Zydus Foundation, which established the Zydus Hospital and Medical College in Dahod.
The Padma Awards, one of the country's highest civilian honours, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. These awards are given in various disciplines such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service.
The 'Padma Vibhushan' is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, the 'Padma Bhushan' for distinguished service of high order, and the 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced annually on the occasion of Republic Day.
These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually around March or April. For the year 2025, the President has approved the conferment of 139 Padma Awards, including one duo case (in a duo case, the award is counted as one). The list comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards.
Among the awardees, 23 are women, 10 belong to the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI, and 13 are posthumous awardees.