Divi’s Labs founder Murali Divi is one of the richest scientists in the world with a net worth of USD 5.8 billion. Divi’s Labs is one of the top three manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and it has a market capitalisation of nearly Rs 1.3 lakh crore (over $17 billion).
Who is Murali Divi?
Murali Divi hails from a small town in Andhra Pradesh and his father was agovernment employee. There was a time when Murali Divi’s father used to run his family on a monthly pension of Rs 10,000.
Murali Divi’s career
Murali Divi went to the US in 1976 and started working as a pharmacist. Interestingly, Murali Divi failed his intermediate exams twice but he did not give up his dreams. Murali Divi left for the US when he was just 25 and had only Rs 500 in his hands, reported Forbes India.
Murali Divi tasted success in the US and earned USD 65,000 a year while working at companies like Trinity Chemical and Fike Chemical.
Murali Divi, however, returned to India after few years with USD 40,000 but no future plans. In 1984, Divi joined hands with Kallam Anji Reddy to build Cheminor, which was merged with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in 2000.
After working at Dr Reddy’s Labs for 6 years, Murali Divi launched Divi’s Laboratories in 1990 and started developing commercial processes for the manufacturing of APIs and intermediates. In 1995, Murali Divi set up its first Manufacturing facility at Choutuppal, Telangana. In 2002, he launched the company’s second manufacturing utility near Visakhapatnam. Hyderabad-based Divi’s Laboratories reported revenue of Rs 88 billion in March 2022.
Murali Divi studied PUC in Machilipatnam and then went to MIT, Manipal Academy of Higher Education for his graduation. Murali Divi completed Bachelor of Pharmacy course at the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
