Albert Bourla | |
|---|---|
Άλμπερτ Μπουρλά | |
 Bourla in 2021 | |
| Born | Άλμπερτ Μπουρλά[1] (1961-10-21)October 21, 1961 (age 63) Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Education | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (PhD,DVM) |
| Employer | Pfizer |
| Title | Chairman and CEO of Pfizer |
| Board member of | |
| Spouse | Myriam Alchanati |
| Children | 2 |
| Honours | Golden Cross of the Order of the Redeemer[2] |
Albert Bourla (Greek:Άλμπερτ Μπουρλά; born(1961-10-21)October 21, 1961) is aGreek-Americanveterinarian and businessman known for serving as thechairman andchief executive officer of the pharmaceutical companyPfizer. He joined the company in 1993 and has held several executive roles across Pfizer's divisions. Prior to becoming chief executive officer, Bourla waschief operating officer.
In addition to the boards of Pfizer and the Pfizer Foundation, Bourla is or has been on the boards of theBiotechnology Innovation Organization,Catalyst, thePartnership for New York City, and thePharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. he is also a member ofThe Business Council and theBusiness Roundtable.
Bourla reshaped Pfizer to focus onresearch and development. He is also credited with helping the development of Improvac, which eradicatesboar taint, and for refocusing Pfizer'svaccine division to focus onStaphylococcus,Clostridioides difficile infection,infant diseases, and thePfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Bourla opposes government interference in pharmaceutical pricing, which he argues would hamper spending on development of new drugs.[3]
Bourla was awarded the 2022Genesis Prize for his leadership in the development of thePfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.[4]
Bourla was born and raised inThessaloniki, Greece.[5] His parents, who wereSephardi Jews, were among the 2,000 of 50,000 Jews inThessaloniki to survivethe Holocaust; According to Bourla, his mother was allegedly minutes away fromexecution by firing squad when she was spared via aransom paid to aNazi Party official by her non-Jewish brother-in-law, while his father happened to be out of the Jewish ghetto when the residents were taken to theAuschwitz concentration camp and went into hiding, never to see his parents again.[6][7]
Bourla earned a doctorate in the biotechnology of reproduction atAristotle University of Thessaloniki's Veterinary School in 1985.[3][8] Bourla's doctoral thesis (1991) is titled "Effect of melatonin implants on sperm characteristics and on the freezability of Karagouniki ram semen".[9][10]
He left Greece with his wife when he was 34 after a promotion within Pfizer and since then he has lived in seven different cities, in four different countries.[11]
Bourla joined Pfizer in 1993, first as a doctor ofveterinary medicine and technical director for the company's animal health division in Greece.[12][13] In 2001, he immigrated to the United States.[3]
Bourla held multiple executive roles atZoetis (then known as Animal Health) and other divisions of Pfizer.[12] From 2005 to 2009, he was area president for Animal Health's Europe, Africa and Middle East division. In 2009, he promoted the launch of Improvac on the European Market. Improvac is animmunocastration product for male pigs with the goal to reduceboar taint.[14][15] In 2009 and 2010, he oversaw the Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific division.[16] In the latter role, he managed the merger ofWyeth's Fort Dodge Animal Health business with Pfizer in these regions.[8]
From 2010 to 2013, Bourla was president and general manager of Pfizer's Established Products Business Unit.[16][17] There, he built business for the company's drugs that had recently lost patent exclusivity.[8]
From January 2014 to January 2016, Bourla was group president of Pfizer's global vaccines, oncology, and consumer healthcare business,[18][19][20][21] where he led Pfizer's work on cancer and heart drugs, among others, and helped launchEliquis, ananticoagulant, andIbrance, abreast cancer treatment drug.[22][23][24]
From February 2016 to December 2017, he was group president of Pfizer Innovative Health.[12][18][25][26] In 2016, during his tenure, Innovative Health's revenue increased by 11%.[8]
Bourla became Pfizer'schief operating officer (COO) on January 1, 2018, overseeing the company'sdrug development, manufacturing, sales, and strategy.[23][27] He restructured Pfizer and spun-off the consumer health care business during his tenure as COO.[12]
He was promoted to chief executive officer in October 2018, effective January 1, 2019, succeedingIan Read, his mentor.[3][28][12][29]
In February 2019, Bourla was one of sevenCEOs in thepharmaceutical industry who participated in a hearing onprescription drug prices in the United States with theUnited States Senate Committee on Finance.[30][31]
In January 2020, Bourla assumed the additional post of executivechairman, upon the retirement ofIan Read.[32]
In 2020, Bourla pushed Pfizer employees for the fast development of aCOVID-19 vaccine in partnership with German companyBioNTech, making sure it is safe and effective.[33] He told his team that "financial returns should not drive any decisions" with regards to the vaccine.[34] He took the risk of producing thePfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine before approval from theFood and Drug Administration so that it would be ready to ship immediately upon approval.[35][36] However his strategy of pricing during the pandemic has been called "war profiteering" by formerCDC chiefTom Frieden.[37]
Following an interview with theBBC in December 2021 in which Bourla praised vaccination of children, the BritishMedical ethics Authority determined that Pfizer violated the ethical code by misleading the public, making unsubstantiated claims, and by failing to present information in a factual and balanced way.[38]
In 2023, Bourla's total compensation from Pfizer was $21.5 million, representing a CEO-to-median workerpay ratio of 291-to-1.[39]
Bourla has been on the Health Section Governing board of theBiotechnology Innovation Organization, the largest biotechnologytrade association worldwide.[40] He joined Pfizer'sboard of directors in February 2018, and also is on the board of the Pfizer Foundation.[5][16] Bourla is a board member ofCatalyst,[41] a globalnonprofit organization promoting the advancement of women, thePartnership for New York City,[42][43] and thePharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a trade association representing companies in the pharmaceutical industry in the United States.[44]
Bourla is a member ofThe Business Council, an organization of business leaders headquartered in Washington, D.C.,[45] and theBusiness Roundtable, a group of chief executives of major U.S. corporations established to promote pro-businesspublic policy.[46]
.jpg)
In April 2019, at the Prix Galien Greece Awards ceremony, Bourla was presented with the award for "Preeminent Greek Leader" of the globalpharmaceutical industry byGeoffrey R. Pyatt,United States ambassador to Greece.[47][48][49]
In 2020, Bourla was ranked as America's top CEO in thepharmaceutical industry byInstitutional Investor.[18][3]
In 2021, Bourla was named byCarnegie Corporation of New York as an honoree of theGreat Immigrants Award.[50][51]
In January 2022, Bourla was awarded the $1 millionGenesis Prize for his leadership in the development of theCOVID-19 vaccine. The Genesis Prize is awarded annually to an individual for professional achievement, contributions to humanity and commitment toJewish ethics.[52]
In May 2024, Bourla was among the guests invited to thestate dinner hosted byU.S. presidentJoe Biden in honor ofPresidentWilliam Ruto at theWhite House.[53]
Bourla was named in Time 2024 list of Top 100 most influential people in health.[54]
Bourla and his wife live inScarsdale, New York.[36] He has two children: a daughter and a son.[55] Bourla received $21 million in compensation from Pfizer in 2020.[56]
Bourla maintains a home inChalkidiki, which he visits every summer.[11] He is a supporter of theAris Thessalonikisports club.[57] To benefit Greece, he has organized vaccine donations, medical aid forrefugees, and more than $1 million in medicine to help uninsured patients. He established the Pfizer Artificial Intelligence Center in his hometown, directed Pfizer's participation in theThessaloniki International Fair, is close friends withGeoffrey R. Pyatt,United States ambassador to Greece, and brought Pfizer's leadership team to Greece to meet withPrime Minister of GreeceKyriakos Mitsotakis.[3]
After Bourla was awarded theGenesis Prize byIsraeli President Isaac Herzog for his leadership in delivering thePfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, he directed the $1 million prize toHolocaust education and theHolocaust Museum of Greece to be built in Thessaloniki.[58][59] Bourla also earned a 2022Double Helix Medal "for spearheading the rapid development of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine".[60]
Bourla has made political contributions to bothRepublicans andDemocrats, particularly those who oppose controls onprescription drug prices in the United States.[61][62]
