Biological E’s managing director Mahima Datla richest woman in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: Biopharma major Biological E’s promoter and managing director Mahima Datla has emerged as the richest woman in the two Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Her wealth has been pegged at Rs 7,700 crore.
Datla and family, who stood 231st in the all-India IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2021, is on 15th spot in the twin Telugu states.
The only other woman on the list is K Lakshmi Raju of NACL Industries, who with a wealth of Rs 1,000 crore, is ranked 41st in the Telugu states.Interestingly, Datla is streets ahead of the promoters of Bharat Biotech, another Hyderabad-based vaccine maker, in the wealth sweepstakes.Bharat Biotech’s Dr Krishna Ella & family figure at the 22nd spot in the two states and on the 377th position all India with a combined wealth of Rs 4,100 crore.

But when it comes to the overall richie rich list for Telangana and AP, the 70 wealth creators have a cumulative wealth of over Rs 3.98 lakh crore.
Pharma and biotech players dominated the rich list, making up with 22 of the 70 wealth creators. They were followed by seven from the food processing sector, six from construction and engineering, five from chemicals and petrochemicals, four each from software and services and real estate.
According to Anas Rahman Junaid, managing director and chief researcher, Hurun India, the number of entrants on the rich list from Telangana and AP has grown from just under three people a decade ago to 70 now. This, effectively, is 21X growth.
“At this rate, in 5 years, I expect the list to grow to 200 individuals. The evolution of the IIFL Hurun AP & Telangana Rich List is a reflection of the entrepreneurial spirit of the Telugu community,” he said.
According to Hurun India, the number of US Dollar billionaires in the two states shot up from just nine in 2020 to 15 this year. Also, Hyderabad is the preferred choice for the city of residence for a chunk of the individuals from the two states that made the cut.
Of the 70 barons, only six are from Andhra Pradesh from places such as Visakhapatnam (3) and one each from Bhimavaram, Tirupati and Vijayawada.