Stéphane Bancel (born July 20, 1972) is a French business executive. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna, known for its COVID-19 vaccine. Before joining Moderna, Bancel was the CEO of French diagnostics company BioMérieux. Bancel is a partner at Flagship Pioneering, and has served on the boards of Indigo Agriculture, Boston's Museum of Science, and Qiagen. As of May 2023, his net worth was estimated at US$4.1 billion, owning about 8% of Moderna.[1]

Stéphane Bancel
Stéphane Bancel
Born (1972-07-20) 20 July 1972 (age 51)
Marseille, France
EducationCentraleSupélec
University of Minnesota
Harvard Business School
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCEO and 8% owner, Moderna
Term2011–
SpouseBrenda Bancel
Children2

Early life edit

Bancel was born in Marseille, France. His father and mother were an engineer and doctor, respectively. He enjoyed computers, math, and science during his childhood.[2]

Bancel studied engineering at CentraleSupélec (former École Centrale Paris) and biological engineering at the University of Minnesota, earning master's degrees at both institutions.[3] He went on to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School.[4]

Career edit

Bancel was a sales director at Eli Lilly and Company, eventually becoming head of operations for Belgium.[4] In 2007, he became CEO of French diagnostics company BioMérieux, and was credited with improving the company's margins.[4]

In 2011, Bancel joined Moderna as the CEO. Stat reported that Bancel led a highly secretive culture with little outside review of its science or research.[4]

Personal life edit

Bancel has two children.[5] In April 2020, with the Moderna share price rising on news of imminent phase 2 human trials for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, Bancel's stake of about 9% became worth over $1 billion.[3] He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Forbes profile: Stéphane Bancel". Forbes. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Moderna's Stéphane Bancel: the maths nerd who struck vaccine gold". MoneyWeek. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b Tognini, Giacomo (3 April 2020). "Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel Becomes A Billionaire As Stock Jumps On Coronavirus Vaccine News". Forbes. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Garade, Damien (13 September 2016). "Ego, ambition, and turmoil: Inside one of biotech's most secretive startups". Stat. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Story Details - Alumni - Harvard Business School". www.alumni.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2 December 2020.