Back in 2015, Adar Poonawalla sat down and listened to Bill Gates give a TED Talk on his belief that a potential pandemic was a bigger world threat than a nuclear war.
The co-founder of Microsoft stressed how unprepared we were for a worldwide breakout, and his words made Poonawalla, who had taken over his family's vaccine production company just a few years earlier, rethink his entire business model.
As chief executive of India's Serum Institute, he set to work expanding the business - a huge risk which paid off this year as it's meant the company is now ready to make billions of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines for Covid-19 following its approval on Wednesday.
Poonawalla, who is proud of his wealth and enjoys an extravagant and luxurious lifestyle, knew his company would play a huge part in winning the battle against coronavirus, so started preparations long before the vaccine was developed - which was a huge and expensive gamble.
He invested £270million of the company's money, alongside £300million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand the factory, hiring 700 extra employees and importing equipment so they were ready to go as soon as Oxford's vaccine got the go-ahead, reports The Times.
The preparation means they have increased the number of doses they can produce each year from 1.5billion to 2.5billion.
The Canterbury-educated businessman told The Times: “The alternative was to do nothing and just wait for about six months to see which vaccines worked and then invest in capacity. Countless lives would have been lost.
“It was a huge gamble – huge, huge, huge. People said I was crazy or stupid doing such a big bet at that time.”
He admits the last few months have caused a lot of stress, telling the newspaper he's lost a lot of hair and had countless sleepless nights.
Earlier this week, before the vaccine was officially approved, he revealed that he had taken another gamble and started producing the vaccine despite not knowing if it would given the go-ahead - with at least 50 million doses ready to go.
In a bid to save as many lives as possible, he will be selling the vaccine for $3 a dose - which barely covers the cost.
However Poonawalla's company will still do very well from the production - something he's not ashamed of.
He told the Times: "We like to enjoy our life, because we’re not afraid of retribution or anyone who could question us, in the sense that we’ve made our wealth legally and properly and ethically. A lot of people in India have always been fearful of enjoying their wealth, because perhaps some of them have not really done it the right way."
Poonawalla, who is referred to the 'Vaccine Prince' shares his life with wife Natasha, a London School of Economics student turned successful business woman, who now runs the company's charity foundation and is good friends with celebs including Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas.
The couple have several huge homes, 35 cars, a private jet, a helicopter and an office made from a converted Airbus A320.
Poonawalla's father, Cyprus, set up Serum Institute in 1966 and by 2017 it was the world's largest manufacturer.
The company's success means he now sits at number six on India's Rich List, and according to Forbes, he's currently worth $11.5billion.
His fortune meant he was able to send his son to school in England, studying at St Edmund’s School
in Canterbury before earning a place at Westminster University.
He then returned to India to work at the family business, starting at the bottom on the sales team and working his way up.
In 2013, he hosted Prince Charles and Camilla at his factory, and three years later met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their royal tour of India.
Poonawalla has been on active on social media throughout the pandemic, explaining what he believed made a "good vaccine".
At the start of December, he tweeted: "Definition of a good vaccine = 1. Safe 2. Offers long-term protection against targetted disease 3. Can be transported and stored at a manageable temperature 4. Affordable to all of humanity."
He's also praised the Oxford team for their hard work and determination in finding a vaccine.
He tweeted: "The origins of the Oxford vaccine with Professor Adrian Hill; standing next to the legendary Edward Jenner statue, here at @UniofOxford. Proud and excited for the next few months and looking forward to the vaccine."
He's received a number of awards for his business and charity work, and has previously been named one of India's 50 most influential young people by GQ Magazine.
