Albert Bourla

As Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla leads the pharmaceutical company, focusing on scientific and commercial innovation to impact human health.

During his more than 30 years at Pfizer, Bourla has built a diverse and successful career, holding several senior positions across a range of markets and disciplines. The global nature of his work -— having lived and worked in nine different cities and led teams across five continents -- has informed his understanding of the needs of patients and healthcare systems around the world and deepened his commitment to helping ensure equitable access to medicines and vaccines.

Since becoming CEO in January 2019, Bourla has reshaped Pfizer into a science-driven, innovative company by divesting non-science-based businesses and increasing R&D and digital innovation budgets. Pfizer's response to the COVID-19 pandemic exemplified this transformation. By investing over $2 billion at-risk, Pfizer developed a safe and effective vaccine in just eight months, a process that typically takes 8-10 years; a year later, Pfizer delivered the first FDA-authorized oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19. Bourla detailed Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine development in his book, "Moonshot: Inside Pfizer's Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible," which won a Bronze Medal in the 2023 Axiom Awards, was a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards, appeared on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list for four weeks, and was selected by the Next Big Idea Book Club.

Under Bourla’s leadership, Pfizer also has further strengthened its commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles. This includes issuing the biopharmaceutical industry’s first Sustainability Bond addressing capital investments in both environmental and social initiatives; launching the company’s first ESG report; and completing an extensive priority issue assessment to confirm where and how Pfizer can have the greatest long-term impact.

Bourla is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and holds a PhD in the Biotechnology of Reproduction from the Veterinary School of Aristotle University. He has received honorary doctorates from the American College of Greece, the University of Patras, Touro University, The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and Aristotle University, as well as an honorary degree from Babson College.

In 2022, Bourla received the Golden Cross Order of the Redeemer, conferred by the President of Greece; the Order of Boyacá, conferred by the President of Colombia; and the Order of the Independence from the First Degree, conferred by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. In the same year, he was named the 2022 Genesis Prize Laureate in recognition of his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and received the Courage Against Hate Award from the Anti-Defamation League. He also received the 2022 Eisenhower Global Citizenship Award from the Business Council for International Understanding, the Distinguished Leadership Award, and the Peter G. Peterson Business Statesmanship Award from the Committee for Economic Development, the Gold Medal from Americas Society, the Bower Award in Business Leadership from The Franklin Institute, the Double Helix Award from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Manufacturer of the Year from the National Association of Manufacturers’ Leadership Council.

In 2021, he was named CEO of the Year by CNN Business, included in Insider Magazine’s Most Transformative CEOs list and inducted into the Crain’s New York Business 2021 Hall of Fame. That same year, he received the Appeal of Conscience Award in recognition of his extraordinary leadership in service of the global community and The Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Business Leadership Award for his and Pfizer’s work on the COVID-19 vaccine. Bourla also was recognized with the Roy Vagelos Award from the Prix Galien Foundation, the Academy of Achievement Award in Science from AHEPA, the Golden Medal of Institution from Hellenic Open University, the David Rockefeller Award from the Museum of Modern Art, the Theodor Herzl Award from the World Jewish Congress, the Sparkle of Hope Award from Community Hope, and the Father of the Year Award from the National Father’s Day Council. In 2020, he received the Meridian Global Leadership Award.

Bourla is chairman of The Pfizer Foundation and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Partnership for New York City. He is President of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations, a director on multiple boards—Pfizer Inc., and PhRMA—and a trustee of the United States Council for International Business. In addition, Bourla is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Business Roundtable, the Business Council, and the New York City Mayor’s Corporate Council.

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