January 30, 2011
School of Biotechnology, Amritapuri
 

Five students from the Amrita School of Biotechnology, Hima Wilson, Reshmi Raj, Athira P. S., Resmi R. and Pillai Preetha Premachandran secured placement in Biocon, India’s top biotechnology company.
 

This 30-year-old company employs 4500 people and is headquartered in Bangalore, India.
 

Its revenues for the fiscal year 2010 touched Rs. 2405 crores.
 

The company is led by the charismatic businesswoman, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, a winner of the Padma Shri (1989) and the Padma Bhushan (2005) awards from the government of India. Ms. Shaw was also named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
 

Having visited Amrita in 2007, Ms. Shaw has interacted with students at the Amrita School of Biotechnology and has met Chancellor Amma.
 

“Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CEO and Managing Director of Biocon, has encouraged a collaborative interaction between her company and our center of excellence in biotechnology,” stated Dr. Bipin Nair, Dean, Amrita School of Biotechnology.
 

“As an industry partner for our School, Biocon has provided much support,” he added.
 

The company was invited to recruit on the Amrita campus in December 2010. An examination and an interview helped shortlist ten candidates from a total of forty-four undergraduate and graduate students who applied.
 

The shortlisted students prepared to face a technical interview. In late December, company officials completed the final stages of the selection process.
 

Five students were chosen to work in Biocon’s sales and marketing arm. They will begin work upon graduation in May 2011.
 

Hima Wilson, who will graduate with an M.Sc. degree in Biotechnology, and will relocate to Bangalore to work with the company, shared her feelings.
 

“It is really a matter of immense pride to become part of such a good company,” she said. “I expect that the company will provide an excellent platform for us to excel.”
 

Her classmate Resmi R. expressed similar sentiments.
 

“We hope to learn a lot and gain really good exposure in the company.”
 

Their mentor and professor, Dr. Bipin, also the Dean of the School, concurred.
 

“It was a major milestone for us when India’s most well-known biotechnology company approached us for campus placements. We are very happy that they have recruited five of our students, who will now become part of the Biocon family.”