Chairman, Serum Institute of India
New Academic Building of The Bishop’s School Inaugurated; Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla and Adar Poonawalla
About Cyrus Poonawalla
On June 12, 2026, Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman of the Serum Institute of India, attended the inauguration of a new academic building at The Bishop's School in Pune's Camp area. Speaking at the event, Poonawalla said the school "laid the foundation for my entire life" and that he takes "immense pride in being an alumnus." He noted that he was approached by school officials a couple of years ago to support reconstruction and development, and that he contributed 22 crores for the project. During the ceremony, Poonawalla committed an additional 10 crores for further development, stating he was "overwhelmed by the accolades."
Transcript (6 segments)
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
N
Narrator0:08
The Bishop's schools not only gave me an education, but also laid the foundation for my entire life. Whatever I am today is largely because of this institution. I take immense pride in being an alumnus of the Bishop's school and will always be ready to support its growth and development in any way possible, said Padma Bhushan awardee and founder of the Serum Institute of India, Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla.
He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the new academic building of the Bishop's school in Pune's Camp area. The event was attended by principal and honorary secretary, Shayne Max Peron, Bishop Education Society president, Rudolph Woodman, Dr. Poonawalla's grandson, Darius Poonawalla, headmistress Mayura Barse, members of the school management, teachers, alumni, parents, and other distinguished guests. The new building constructed to expand the school's academic infrastructure has been made possible through the generous support of distinguished alumnus Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla and other C. Poonawalla. Their continued contribution and commitment has played a significant role in accelerating the institution's development.
C
Cyrus Poonawalla2:01
Campus it brings me nostalgic memories of the era when I studied in Bishop's School from 1949 to 1958. I must add to this little speech that I was reputed to be a mischievous student. And little did I know at that time that today I'll be standing here as your chief guest and magnificent donor to help the school to really construct properties that would stand out forever. When Mr. Shane McPherson and Mr. Goodman approached me a couple of years ago to support the reconstruction and development of the Bishop's School structures, it didn't take me very long to concede to their request, which was involved in reconstruction of the main buildings and the Loon Block. For substantial contribution, which I have contributed 22 crores. However, I'm so overwhelmed by the accolades thrust upon me today that I hereby commit another 10 crores immediately for further development that will enable them to complete whatever work that they had planned.
N
Narrator3:39
It is immeasurable. Thank you, sir.
Unfortunately, Dr. Adar Poonawalla could not be with us this due to a prior appointment. But, I'm very happy and you would see that his son, Darius, is with us today representing his father and his grandfather. Thank you, Darius, for being with us. Thank you very much.
To take you back to a bit of history in 1864, 162 years ago, Bishop's opened its school, perhaps the oldest school in Camp. Perhaps they would have had a few hundred students and about 10 to 15 teachers. Today, we have three schools functioning out of five facilities with over a thousand staff and 15,000 students. We also express our gratitude to the city of Pune and its citizens for accepting us and we, in turn, will always commit ourselves to the well-being of this great city and its people.