Meet Natasha Poonawalla, the girl boss behind India’s Covishield vaccines, who hangs out with Bollywood A-listers Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan
You might have spotted Natasha Poonawalla taking the limelight lately, while championing India’s Covishield vaccines, manufactured by her family’s Serum Institute of India (SSI) in partnership with AstraZeneca.
But away from the glitz and glamour, the mother-of-two is also a multifaceted woman juggling multiple roles. Here’s what you need to know about the one and only Mrs Poonawalla.
I realise that people judge you by what you’re wearing ... If I want to wear a ball gown and walk the streets, I will
Her family has a net worth of US$12.5 billion
Her husband Adar Poonawalla is the only son of billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, who founded the family’s company in 1966. SSI is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, producing over 1.5 billion doses annually. According to Forbes, Cyrus is listed as the sixth-richest man in India with a net worth of US$12.5 billion. Natasha serves as the executive director of SSI, handling human resources and project design.
“For me, learning is everything. One minute I’m doing preliminary HR interviews for Adar; another day, I’m travelling the world meeting the world’s most brilliant minds to discuss designing the plants in more effective, energy-saving ways,” she told Vogue India.
She is a hands-on mum
Natasha grew up in a “cottage” in Pune, Maharashtra, she told HT Brunch, where her mother remarried when she was young. She often travelled the world with her hotelier dad. She studied at the city’s St. Mary’s School and got her bachelor’s degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University, then her master’s from the UK’s prestigious London School of Economics. She met her husband during a New Year’s Eve party in Goa and they got married in 2006. The couple has two sons, Cyrus and Darius.
Natasha confessed to HT Brunch that she is a strict mum: “No phones are allowed on the table and family time has to be valued. And as a result, the kids learn so much.”
She believes in giving back
In 2012, the family founded the Villoo Poonawalla Charitable Foundation (named after her late mother-in-law) of which Natasha is chairperson. The foundation aims to improve the lives of the underprivileged in India, focusing on critical issues such as health, sanitation and education.
Last year, Natasha was also appointed by Prince Charles as the chairperson for the British Asian Trust’s Children’s Protection Fund for India. She pledged millions in support of combating child trafficking in the country.
Fabulous social circles, darling!
She breathes fashion
During the 2019 Met Gala, Natasha arrived in a custom-made, crystal-embellished gown by Peter Dundas that got everyone talking. A regular on the fashion circuits, the couture-lover is also on a first-name basis with the world’s elite designers, such as Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele.
Concerning her unapologetic sartorial approach, she told Vogue India, “I realise that people judge you by what you’re wearing, so I’ve started dressing like who I feel on that particular day. If I want to wear a ball gown and walk the streets, I will.”
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- The Serum Institute of India (SSI) executive director chills with Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana designers, and rubs shoulders with Bollywood stars and the Ambanis
- She’s married to billionaire scion Adar Poonawalla and was appointed to a philanthropic role by Britian’s Prince Charles