USC honors visionary leaders with inaugural USC India Awards, including one named for its Life Trustee, Ratan Tata

• University of Southern California (USC) bestowed its first-ever USC-Ratan Tata Award, named for the honorable and charitable business leader who was a USC Life Trustee, to tech disruptor N.R. Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys.
• Awards were granted to two additional highly regarded leaders with longstanding ties to USC: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon and tech entrepreneur Sandeep Tandon

Mumbai, India – DEC. 10, 2025 – Three leaders whose innovation and leadership have shaped entire industries and communities and who have decades-long ties to the University of Southern California were honored at the inaugural USC India Awards on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, with one receiving the newly minted USC-Ratan Tata Award.

With the title sponsor, the Tata Group, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering presented the awards at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, where USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim honored the following distinguished individuals for their groundbreaking contributions to business, education, engineering, technology and global leadership:

•   N.R. Narayana Murthy, founder and former CEO of Infosys, receiving the USC-Ratan Tata Award
•   Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and chairperson of Biocon Group, receiving the USC Business Management Award
•   Sandeep Tandon, founder and chairman of Syrma SGS Technology and founder and director of Infinx, receiving the USC Distinguished Alumni Award

“Created in recognition of the longstanding relationship between USC and India, these awards honor Narayana Murthy, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Sandeep Tandon for their transformational leadership,” USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim said. “Much like former USC Trustee Ratan Tata, these three global leaders have driven innovation, elevated communities and inspired other generations of leaders.”

Further demonstrating USC’s well-established bond with Tata, the distinguished committee hosting the awards includes Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, as well as Bollywood icon and Padma Shri awardee Madhuri Dixit with her husband, health tech innovator and founder-investor, Dr. Shriram Nene. They are USC Viterbi parents.

“It is wonderful to see the University of Southern California honor Mr. Narayana Murthy with the USC Ratan Tata Award at their inaugural awards for India. The late Mr. Tata was an extraordinary leader whose vision, integrity, and humility set him apart. Mr. Murthy embodies these very values, carrying that same spirit forward with equal grace,” said Salil Parekh, CEO and MD, Infosys. “I would also like to congratulate Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Sandeep Tandon on this well-deserved recognition.”

Television host and actor Mini Mathur served as emcee for the evening. In addition to the Tata Group, the event sponsors included The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, platinum sponsors Apeejay Surrendra and Pure Home + Living, and gold sponsor Infinx, among others.

HONOREES

The award recipients have decades-long ties to USC and particularly to USC Viterbi, as they are members of its India Advisory Board.

N.R. Narayana Murthy, founder and chair emeritus of Infosys, will receive the prestigious USC-Ratan Tata Award, recognizing his pioneering role in establishing the country as a global technology hub, as well as honoring his dedication to ethical business practices, education and social responsibility.

Murthy is a transformative figure whose journey exemplifies determination and visionary leadership. In 1981, he co-founded Infosys with a modest loan and grew it into a global technology giant that changed the delivery systems for software worldwide.

Elected as a member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019, Murthy is a foreign member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. Through IEEE, he was awarded the Founders Medal in 2018, the Hoover Medal in 2012 and the Ernst Weber Medal in 2007. He also has received the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal and James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award.

Murthy’s legacy extends beyond corporate success, marked by a deep concern for India’s social and economic progress. A strong proponent of ethical leadership, he and his wife, Sudha Murty, have funded numerous philanthropic initiatives, particularly in education, research and rural development, including a strengthening bond with USC and USC Viterbi.

Murthy has been a supporter and advisor to USC Viterbi for years, sharing his experience, insights and generous support to pave the way for scientists, future innovators and entrepreneurs. In 2008, Infosys collaborated with USC Viterbi to establish the Center for Research and Education in Advanced Software Technologies (CAST). In 2009, USC Viterbi presented Murthy with the Daniel J. Epstein Management Award, honoring him as “the most respected Indian entrepreneur in the world.”

Murthy also was the keynote speaker at USC Viterbi’s commencement in 2013.

“I knew Ratan as an ethical businessperson and a good friend for more than 30 years. I have been associated with the University of Southern California for over 25 years, being a trustee of the Viterbi Engineering School and through interaction with some of the leading thinkers in engineering and technology,” Murthy said. “This award is a great honor for me. I remain grateful to USC for this kindness, this generosity and this affection.”

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, a healthcare visionary, first-generation entrepreneur, is the founding chairperson of Biocon, India’s largest innovation-led biopharmaceutical company. Originally trained as a master brewer, she pivoted from brewing and founded Biocon in 1978, and it quickly grew to become one of the world’s largest producers of human insulin and India’s first biotech company to be publicly listed.

Mazumdar-Shaw defined Biocon’s mission to “heal the world” and focused on developing affordable biopharmaceuticals that would ensure more patients have access to medicines. Today, Biocon operates in 120 countries and invests in research to address chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and autoimmune conditions. One of its major achievements was the 2017 FDA approval of the metastatic breast cancer treatment Ogivri™ (biosimilar Trastuzumab), making Biocon the first company in the world to secure this approval for its biosimilar. Today, it is a leading global biosimilars company that serves millions of patients across the world with its portfolio of 10 biosimilars.

Beyond her entrepreneurial achievements, Mazumdar-Shaw is a passionate philanthropist, the second person from India and first woman to have signed the Giving Pledge. She is a dedicated advocate for science and education, serving as a member of the USC Viterbi India Advisory Board. She also established the Biocon Academy to address the skills gap. The impact she has made as a leading woman in science has made her a role model globally.

Mazumdar-Shaw’s pioneering spirit and dedication to affordable innovation have earned her numerous prestigious accolades, including India’s Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, Australia’s Order of Australia, the Othmer Gold Medal USA, and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Global Leadership in Engineering Award for excellence in biotechnology in 2016. She was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2019.

“I am honored to receive the USC Business Management Award at the maiden USC India Awards,” Mazumdar-Shaw said. “This recognition is a reaffirmation of Biocon’s purpose-driven journey to make high-quality biopharmaceuticals accessible and affordable for patients around the world.”

She added: “From a brewer to a biotech entrepreneur, my journey has been guided by one belief that engineering-led science can transform lives, and that belief continues to guide us every day. I am grateful to the USC community for championing entrepreneurship, research and inclusion, and I accept this honor on behalf of the thousands of passionate minds at Biocon who work relentlessly to ‘heal the world.’”

Sandeep Tandon is a seasoned tech entrepreneur, investor, and industry builder with more than three decades of leadership across technology, healthcare, and electronics. A proud alumnus of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering (’90, ’91), he received the USC Distinguished Alumni Award. He has credited USC for shaping the engineering discipline and analytical mindset that continue to guide his work. He first came to national prominence as the co-founder of Freecharge, one of India’s pioneering digital payment platforms that redefined mobile transactions and became one of the country’s fastest-scaling consumer tech success stories.

As Managing Director of the Tandon Group, Tandon has helped incubate and support over 84 startups, providing the capital, mentorship, and strategic direction that have enabled several of them to grow into category-leading enterprises. He continues to play an active leadership role across the group’s core businesses—guiding Syrma SGS Technology, now a publicly listed electronics manufacturing leader; scaling Infinx Healthcare as a leading AI-driven health-tech and RCM solutions provider; and backing high-potential founders through Whiteboard Capital, his early-stage investment platform.

Deeply committed to education and community building, Tandon serves on the USC Viterbi India Advisory Board and remains an active champion of the Trojan community in India. Along with his brothers—also USC alumni—he represents a quintessential Trojan family whose contributions continue to shape innovation, entrepreneurship, and global collaboration.

“My gratitude to USC runs deep. The University’s environment—rich in ideas, diversity, and possibility—prepared me to be the entrepreneur I am today,” said Tandon. “The values I learned there are woven into the success stories of SyrmaSGS, InfinxHealthcare, and Whiteboard, and continue to guide our future.”