French businessman (born 1972)
Stéphane Bancel (born 20 July 1972)[1] 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.[2]
Early life
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.[3]
Bancel studied engineering at CentraleSupélec (former École Centrale Paris) and biological engineering at the University of Minnesota, earning master's degrees at both institutions.[4] He went on to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School.[5]
Career
Bancel was a sales director at Eli Lilly and Company, eventually becoming head of operations for Belgium.[5] In 2007, he became CEO of French diagnostics company BioMérieux, and was credited with improving the company's margins.[5]
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.[5]
Personal life
Bancel has two children.[6] 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.[4] He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.[2]
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