Biocon among top 20 employers in sector: survey

Biotechnology specialist Biocon, India's largest biopharmaceutical company, has been named by Science magazine as one of the world's top 20 employers in the bio-pharmaceutical sector.

Although ranked a relatively low 19th in the 2012 survey, the Bangalore-based Biocon is the only Asian company to have made the list.

"We are in the distinguished company of leading global biotech companies and we will wear this badge of honour with a sense of leadership and responsibility that will enable us to take greater strides to move up the leader board," said managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

The pharmaceutical companies were rated on six key parameters - innovation, employee-friendliness, social responsibility, strength in research and adaptability to changes.

"The Biocon employer brand has been growing stronger with each passing year, and our increased success in attracting and retaining top talent in the sector is a testimony to this," said Ravi C Dasgupta, head of human resources at Biocon. The company employs over 6,000 people globally.

US-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals topped the list. Others on the list were leading global companies like Vertex and Novo Nordisk.

Science, an academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is considered one of the world's top scientific journals. Every year, it  commissions a survey to identify the biotech and pharmaceutical companies considered to be the top employers in the industry. This year's results are based on 4,276 responses to a web-based survey conducted from 7-11 March 2012.