1. Albert Bourla is a Greek-American veterinarian and businessman known for serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
32 Facts About Albert Bourla
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Albert Bourla joined the company in 1993 and has held several executive roles across Pfizer's divisions.
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Albert Bourla opposes government interference in pharmaceutical pricing, which he argues would hamper spending on development of new drugs.
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Albert Bourla earned a doctorate in the biotechnology of reproduction at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's Veterinary School in 1985.
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Albert Bourla 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.
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Albert Bourla joined Pfizer in 1993, first as a doctor of veterinary medicine and technical director for the company's animal health division in Greece.
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Albert Bourla held multiple executive roles at Zoetis and other divisions of Pfizer.
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From 2010 to 2013, Albert Bourla was president and general manager of Pfizer's Established Products Business Unit.
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From January 2014 to January 2016, Albert Bourla was group president of Pfizer's global vaccines, oncology, and consumer healthcare business, where he led Pfizer's work on cancer and heart drugs, among others, and helped launch Eliquis, an anticoagulant, and Ibrance, a breast cancer treatment drug.
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Albert Bourla became Pfizer's chief operating officer on January 1,2018, overseeing the company's drug development, manufacturing, sales, and strategy.
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Albert Bourla restructured Pfizer and spun-off the consumer health care business during his tenure as COO.
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Albert Bourla was promoted to chief executive officer in October 2018, effective January 1,2019, succeeding Ian Read, his mentor.
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In February 2019, Albert Bourla was one of seven CEOs in the pharmaceutical industry who participated in a hearing on prescription drug prices in the United States with the United States Senate Committee on Finance.
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In January 2020, Albert Bourla assumed the additional post of executive chairman, upon the retirement of Ian Read.
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In 2020, Albert Bourla pushed Pfizer employees for the fast development of a COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with German company BioNTech, making sure it is safe and effective.
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Albert Bourla told his team that "financial returns should not drive any decisions" with regards to the vaccine.
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Albert Bourla has been on the Health Section Governing board of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the largest biotechnology trade association worldwide.
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Albert Bourla joined Pfizer's board of directors in February 2018, and is on the board of the Pfizer Foundation.
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Albert Bourla is a board member of Catalyst, a global nonprofit organization promoting the advancement of women, the Partnership for New York City, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade association representing companies in the pharmaceutical industry in the United States.
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Albert Bourla is a member of The Business Council, an organization of business leaders headquartered in Washington, DC, and the Business Roundtable, a group of chief executives of major US corporations established to promote pro-business public policy.
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In 2020, Albert Bourla was ranked as America's top CEO in the pharmaceutical industry by Institutional Investor.
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In 2021, Albert Bourla was named by Carnegie Corporation of New York as an honoree of the Great Immigrants Award.
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In January 2022, Albert Bourla was awarded the $1 million Genesis Prize for his leadership in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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In May 2024, Albert Bourla was among the guests invited to the state dinner hosted by US president Joe Biden in honor of President William Ruto at the White House.
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Albert Bourla was named in Time 2024 list of Top 100 most influential people in health.
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Albert Bourla has two children: a daughter and a son.
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Albert Bourla received $21 million in compensation from Pfizer in 2020.
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Albert Bourla maintains a home in Chalkidiki, which he visits every summer.
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Albert Bourla is a supporter of the Aris Thessaloniki sports club.
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Albert Bourla established the Pfizer Artificial Intelligence Center in his hometown, directed Pfizer's participation in the Thessaloniki International Fair, is close friends with Geoffrey R Pyatt, United States ambassador to Greece, and brought Pfizer's leadership team to Greece to meet with Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
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Albert Bourla earned a 2022 Double Helix Medal "for spearheading the rapid development of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine".
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Albert Bourla has made political contributions to both Republicans and Democrats, particularly those who oppose controls on prescription drug prices in the United States.