When a Harvard Alum is the CEO of Moderna Therapeutics, in the Race for the COVID-19 Vaccine
In this episode:
In this episode, Denise Silber, host of HAE Invites, interviews the CEO of Moderna Therapeutics (MRNA), one of the most strategic and observed life science companies of the COVID crisis. In December 2018, Moderna became the largest biotech IPO in history. Now in 2020, they are called upon to do what has never been done before, to accelerate the development of a vaccine for a new disease. Join Denise as she speaks with Stéphane Bancel, the founding CEO of this Cambridge, MA research-based firm, whose pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) technology platform, includes a leading COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
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A Glimpse of What you’ll Learn
Where Moderna Therapeutics is in the process of bringing the vaccine to market and who their competitors are
How the population could be segmented for the distribution of the vaccine
Current thinking on the need of a booster to prolong immunity
How Messenger RNA technology can be a platform for producing vaccines and medicines in an accelerated time frame
The importance of asking “what if”, making decisions with incomplete information, and being transparent when managing in a science-based company
How to empower a team to do what has never been done before, through boldness, curiosity, and collaboration
How to share and communicate common values as the company grows
Why scientific failure is such a valuable experience
How the Case Method at HBS helps us overcome our blind spots
Resources Mentioned in this episode
Stéphane Bancel CEO, Moderna Therapeutics
Stéphane Bancel has served as CEO of Moderna Therapeutics since October 2011 and as a member of Moderna’s board of directors since March 2011. Before joining the Company, he served for five years as Chief Executive Officer of the French diagnostics company bioMérieux SA. From July 2000 to March 2006, Stéphane Bancel served in various roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including as Managing Director, Belgium and as Executive Director, Global Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain. Prior to Lilly, he served as Asia-Pacific Sales and Marketing Director for bioMérieux.
Stéphane Bancel currently serves on the board of directors of Qiagen N.V. and previously served on the board of directors of BG Medicine, Inc. and Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYRS). He is currently a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering and a trustee of the Museum of Science in Boston. Stéphane Bancel holds a Master of Engineering degree from École Centrale Paris (ECP), a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.