Albert Bourla

His parents, Mois and Sara, both survived the Nazi occupation of Thessaloniki. His father and uncle were outside the ghetto when Nazi forces surrounded it and escaped deportation to Auschwitz; much of his mother’s family was sent to Poland and murdered, while she spent most of the occupation in hiding, was once lined up before a firing squad, and was saved.⁠[1]

Albert Bourla was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, to a family of Holocaust survivors.⁠[2]

After graduating from the Veterinary School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a PhD in the biotechnology of reproduction, he joined Pfizer’s animal health division in 1993 as technical director.⁠[3]

In 2001 he moved to New York as U.S. group marketing director, later becoming area president of animal health for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.⁠[3]

He later served as president and general manager of the Established Products business.⁠[4]

In January 2014 he became group president of the Vaccines, Oncology and Consumer Healthcare business unit, and later led Pfizer’s Innovative Health business.⁠[5]

On January 1, 2018, he became chief operating officer, overseeing commercial strategy, manufacturing and global product development.⁠[4]

In October 2018 the board elected him, then 56, to succeed Ian Read as CEO effective January 1, 2019, with Read becoming executive chairman. He said: “I am humbled and privileged to be the next CEO of Pfizer.”⁠[5]

On September 27, 2019, Pfizer’s board unanimously elected him chairman effective January 1, 2020, while he kept the CEO role, and Read retired on December 31, 2019. He called it “an opportunity of a lifetime.”⁠[6]

During the COVID-19 pandemic he challenged his team to deliver a safe vaccine in eight months; it took nine, beating the record held by the mumps vaccine.⁠[3]

On December 11, 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 received U.S. emergency use authorization for people aged 16 and older, with Phase 3 data showing 95% efficacy. He said: “We have worked tirelessly to make the impossible possible, steadfast in our belief that science will win.”⁠[7]

In December 2021 Pfizer’s oral antiviral PAXLOVID received FDA emergency use authorization for high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19; data showed an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death when given within three days of symptom onset. He said the therapy “will change the way we treat COVID-19.”⁠[8]

On December 18, 2021, he appeared on episode 249 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, “Pfizer CEO”; the outline covers clinical trials, trust, safety, booster shots, mandates, antivirals and hope for the future.⁠[9]

On January 19, 2022, he was announced as the 2022 Genesis Prize laureate; the $1 million award was decided by an online vote with about 200,000 participants, and he said he accepted it on behalf of his Pfizer colleagues.⁠[10]

He dedicated the full prize to Holocaust memory projects, mainly in Greece, including a planned Holocaust museum in Thessaloniki.⁠[1]

On March 8, 2022, Harper Business published his book Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible, an account of Pfizer’s nine-month vaccine effort; the description calls him a Greek immigrant, a child of Holocaust survivors and a veterinarian.⁠[11]

On August 15, 2022, he said in a statement that he had tested positive for COVID-19 with very mild symptoms, having received four doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and had started a course of PAXLOVID.⁠[12]

On December 14, 2023, Pfizer completed its acquisition of Seagen for $229 per share in cash, an enterprise value of about $43 billion. He said: “we are going all in on cancer.”⁠[13]

On May 14, 2025, the EU General Court annulled the European Commission’s refusal to give The New York Times access to text messages exchanged during the pandemic between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and him, saying the Commission must provide credible explanations; the messages were sent as the EU sought to buy vaccines on a large scale. The Commission said it would study the ruling and decide on next steps.⁠[14]

On September 30, 2025, Pfizer reached an agreement with President Trump’s administration to charge most-favored-nation prices to Medicaid, join the planned direct-sales website TrumpRx and spend $70 billion on domestic manufacturing. He said: “We are turning the tide and we are reversing an unfair situation.” Drug pricing expert Stacie Dusetzina said that in general it was not a solution for lowering drug prices.⁠[15]

In November 2025 Pfizer completed its acquisition of the obesity drug developer Metsera for $65.60 per share in cash plus a contingent value right of up to $20.65 per share, an enterprise value of about $7.0 billion. He called it “a deliberate investment in the future of medicine.”⁠[16]

In 2026 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, affiliated with Pfizer, in the specialty of business, corporate and philanthropic leadership.⁠[17]

As of October 2026 he is chairman and CEO of Pfizer, chair of the Pfizer Foundation and co-chair of the Partnership for New York City, and has served as chair of PhRMA and president of IFPMA; his honors include CNNCNNCNN (Cable News Network) is an Atlanta-based news organization founded by Ted Turner on June 1, 1980, as the world’s first 24-hour television news channel. It has been owned in turn by Turner Broadcasting System, Time Warner, AT&T and Warner Bros. Discovery, became part of Skydance Corporation along with Warner Bros. Discovery in October 2026, and is one of the five networks that rotate in the White House television pool.Open the full entry Business CEO of the Year and the Golden Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.⁠[2]

X: Public account: https://x.com/AlbertBourla (opens in a new window)⁠[9]

Pfizer: Official website: https://www.pfizer.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[9]