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Albert Bourla

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Albert Bourla
Άλμπερτ Μπουρλά
Bourla in 2026
Born
Άλμπερτ Μπουρλά[1]

(1961-10-21) October 21, 1961 (age 64)
Thessaloniki, Greece
EducationAristotle University of Thessaloniki (PhD, DVM)
EmployerPfizer
TitleChairman and CEO of Pfizer
Board member of
SpouseMyriam Alchanati
Children2
HonoursGolden Cross of the Order of the Redeemer[2]
Scientific career
FieldsPharmaceuticals
ThesisEffect of melatonin implants on the characteristics and on the freezability of Karagouniko ram semen (1991)

Albert Bourla (Greek: Άλμπερτ Μπουρλά; born October 21, 1961) is a Greek-American veterinarian and businessman known for serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. He joined the company in 1993 and has held several executive roles across Pfizer's divisions. Prior to becoming chief executive officer, Bourla was chief operating officer.

In addition to chairing the boards of Pfizer and the Pfizer Foundation, Bourla is or has been on the boards of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Catalyst, the Partnership for New York City, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. He is also a member of The Business Council, American think tank the Council on Foreign Relations and the Business Roundtable.

Bourla reshaped Pfizer to focus on research and development.

Bourla was awarded the 2022 Genesis Prize for his leadership in the development of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.[3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Family history and the Holocaust

[edit]

Bourla was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece.[4] His parents, Mois and Sara, who were Sephardi Jews, were among the 2,000 of 50,000 Jews in Thessaloniki to survive the Holocaust[5]; according to Bourla, his mother was allegedly minutes away from execution by firing squad when she was spared via a ransom paid to a Nazi 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 the Auschwitz concentration camp and went into hiding, never to see his parents again.[6][7]

Bourla has spoken with the Museum of Jewish Heritage in downtown Manhattan about his family's history and experience with the Holocaust. During a 2026 interview with CNN, Bourla said his mother's experience of being saved from the firing squad taught him and his sister "how life is miraculous" and "you don’t have to think things are impossible."[8]

Education

[edit]

Bourla earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1985 and a Ph.D. in the biotechnology of reproduction at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's School of Veterinary Science in 1991.[9][10] Bourla's doctoral thesis (1991) is titled "Effect of melatonin implants on sperm characteristics and on the freezability of Karagouniki ram semen".[11][12]

Career

[edit]

Bourla joined Pfizer in 1993, first as a doctor of veterinary medicine and technical director for the company's animal health division in Greece.[13][14] 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. In 2001, he immigrated to the United States.[9]

Bourla held multiple executive roles at Zoetis (then known as Animal Health) and other divisions of Pfizer.[13] From 2005 to 2009, he was area president for Animal Health's Europe, Africa and Middle East division. In 2009 and 2010, he oversaw the Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific division.[15] In the latter role, he managed the merger of Wyeth's Fort Dodge Animal Health business with Pfizer in these regions.[10]

From 2010 to 2013, Bourla was president and general manager of Pfizer's Established Products Business Unit.[15][16] There, he built business for the company's drugs that had recently lost patent exclusivity.[10]

From January 2014 to January 2016, Bourla was group president of Pfizer's global vaccines, oncology, and consumer healthcare business,[17][18][19][20] 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.[21][22][23]

From February 2016 to December 2017, he was group president of Pfizer Innovative Health.[13][17][24][25] In 2016, during his tenure, Innovative Health's revenue increased by 11%.[10]

Bourla became Pfizer's chief operating officer (COO) on January 1, 2018, overseeing the company's drug development, manufacturing, sales, and strategy.[22][26]

He was promoted to chief executive officer in October 2018, effective January 1, 2019, succeeding Ian Read, his mentor.[9][27][13][28] In an announcement shortly after taking the role, Bourla explained that Pfizer would focus on scientific and pharmaceutical innovation, divesting from non-core businesses and increasing research spending.[29]

In February 2019, 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.[30][31]

In January 2020, Bourla assumed the additional post of executive chairman, upon the retirement of Ian Read.[32] Bourla received $21 million in compensation from Pfizer in 2020.[33]

In 2020, 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.[34] He told his team that "financial returns should not drive any decisions" with regards to the vaccine.[35] He took the risk of producing the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine before approval from the Food and Drug Administration so that it would be ready to ship immediately upon approval.[36][37] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pfizer's pricing strategy was called "war profiteering" by former CDC chief Tom Frieden.[38]

In December 2021, the UK's Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority found that comments Bourla made to the BBC on vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 breached the pharmaceutical advertising code, though it overturned the more serious findings on the appeal.[39]

In July 2022, Bourla restructured Pfizer by selling its stake in its consumer health care business, Haleon, during his tenure as CEO.[13]

On March 8, 2022, Bourla authored Moonshot:Inside Pfizer's Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible, a book detailing Pfizer's role during the 2020 pandemic in developing the first COVID-19 vaccine.[40] Moonshot was published by HarperCollins.[41]

Bourla speaking at the Wharton School, 2024

In 2023, Bourla's total compensation from Pfizer was $21.5 million, representing a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 291-to-1.[42] On March 13 2023, Bourla announced Pfizer's $43 billion acquisition of Seagen, an American biotechnology company.[43][44] The acquisition was the largest of Bourla's tenure and approximately doubled Pfizer's early-stage oncology offerings by adding Seagen's antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform and four FDA-approved cancer medications.[45] In November 2025, Bourla announced Pfizer's $10 billion acquisition of Metsera, a biopharmaceutical company that developed treatments for obesity and metabolic syndromes.[46] Bourla stated plans to launch GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies by 2028.[47]

Bourla is credited with refocusing Pfizer's vaccine division to focus on Staphylococcus, Clostridioides difficile infection, infant diseases and the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. According to a report from the National Journal, Bourla opposes government interference in pharmaceutical pricing, which he argues would hamper spending on development of new drugs.[48]

Other activities and politics

[edit]

Bourla has been on the Health Section Governing board of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the largest biotechnology trade association worldwide.[49] He joined Pfizer's board of directors in February 2018, and also is on the board of the Pfizer Foundation.[4][15] Bourla is a board member of Catalyst,[50] a global nonprofit organization promoting the advancement of women, and the Partnership for New York City,[51][52]

Bourla was the chair of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a trade association representing companies in the pharmaceutical industry in the United States.[53] Bourla concluded his role as chair in February 2026.[54] Bourla has served as both vice president and president of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.[55][56] Bourla is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think tank focused on United States foreign policy and international relations.[57][58]

He is a supporter of the Aris Thessaloniki sports club.[59] To benefit Greece, he has organized vaccine donations, medical aid for refugees, and given 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 the Thessaloniki International Fair, is close friends with Geoffrey R. Pyatt, the United States ambassador to Greece, and brought Pfizer's leadership team to Greece to meet with Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.[9]

After Bourla was awarded the 2022 Genesis Prize by Israeli President Isaac Herzog for his leadership in delivering the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, he directed the $1 million prize to go towards Holocaust education and the Holocaust Museum of Greece to be built in Thessaloniki.[60][61] Bourla also earned a 2022 Double Helix Medal "for spearheading the rapid development of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine".[62]

Bourla has made political contributions to both Republicans and Democrats, particularly those who oppose controls on prescription drug prices in the United States.[63][64]

Bourla is a member of The Business Council, an organization of business leaders headquartered in Washington, D.C.,[65] and the Business Roundtable, a group of chief executives of major U.S. corporations established to promote pro-business public policy.[66]

In January 2023, Bourla was named co-chair of the board of directors for the Partnership for New York City (PFNYC).[67] Bourla, along with Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer, led a search committee to find a president and CEO for the PFNYC, eventually selecting former Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop.[68]

In a meeting with New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani on July 15, 2025, Bourla asked Mamdani to explain his defense of the phrase "globalize the intifada" in relation to the Gaza War, while also reviewing "facts and historical data points describing what Jews suffered during the Holocaust" and defending Israel's military action in Gaza, according to attendees. The mayor had explained his belief of the phrase as a slogan for Palestinian rights but acknowledged the pain the phrase caused Jewish people and pledged to discourage its use.[69]

Recognition

[edit]
Israeli President Isaac Herzog presents the Genesis Prize to Bourla, 2022

In April 2019, at the Prix Galien Greece Awards ceremony, Bourla was presented with the award for "Preeminent Greek Leader" of the global pharmaceutical industry by Geoffrey R. Pyatt, United States ambassador to Greece.[70][71][72]

In 2020, Bourla was ranked as America's top CEO in the pharmaceutical industry by Institutional Investor.[17][9]

In 2021, Bourla was named by Carnegie Corporation of New York as an honoree of the Great Immigrants Award.[73][74]

In January 2022, Bourla was awarded the $1 million Genesis Prize for his leadership in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Genesis Prize is awarded annually to an individual for professional achievement, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish ethics.[75]

In May 2024, Bourla was among the guests invited to the state dinner hosted by U.S. president Joe Biden in honor of President William Ruto at the White House.[76]

Bourla was named in Time 2024 list of Top 100 most influential people in health.[77]

Personal life

[edit]

Bourla and his wife live in Scarsdale, New York.[37] He has two children: a daughter and a son.[78]

Bourla maintains a home in Chalkidiki, which he visits every summer.[79]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "ΥΠΕΣ - ΔΙΕΥΘΥΝΣΗ ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΙΑΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΗΣ Father's name:ΜΩΥΣ" [MINISTRY - DIRECTORATE OF ELECTRONIC GOVERNANCE] (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  2. ↑ "Μπουρλά: Η Κ. Σακελλαροπούλου παρασημοφόρησε τον διευθύνοντα σύμβουλο της Pfizer | Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ". 5 April 2022.
  3. ↑ Bourla, Albert. "Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla awarded $1 million Genesis Prize for 2022". Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 Rockoff, Jonathan D. (October 1, 2018). "Pfizer CEO Read to Step Aside at Year's End". The Wall Street Journal.
  5. ↑ Fore, Preston. "Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla's best leadership advice: Being optimistic is better than being right". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  6. ↑ ZAIG, GADI (February 13, 2021). "Pfizer CEO shares his family's tragic story during the Holocaust". The Jerusalem Post.
  7. ↑ "Pfizer Chairman & CEO Albert Bourla Shares His Family's Story of Survival". The National Herald. February 12, 2021. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ Gillece, MacKenzie Coffman, Shannon (2026-05-05). Pfizer CEO on his mom not hiding her Holocaust story | CNN Business. Retrieved 2026-06-25 – via www.cnn.com.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "ALBERT BOURLA" (PDF). National Journal.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Pfizer Names Albert Bourla Chief Operating Officer". The Financial. November 14, 2017.
  11. ↑ Effect of melatonin implants on sperm characteristics and on the freezability of Karagouniki ram semen
  12. ↑ "Albert Burla on "freezing the spermatozoa of rams..."".
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Ramsey, Lydia (October 1, 2018). "Pfizer's CEO is stepping down after 8 years — meet the man who will be replacing him". Business Insider.
  14. ↑ Jarvis, Lisa M. (October 3, 2018). "Pfizer unveils CEO succession plan". Chemical & Engineering News.
  15. 1 2 3 "Form 8-K". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. September 27, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Pfizer, Mylan to Team Up on Generics Business in Japan". Asian Scientist. August 27, 2012.
  17. 1 2 3 "ALBERT BOURLA, DVM, PH.D." Pfizer.
  18. ↑ "Pfizer's CEO Ian Read to leave in January". CBS News. October 1, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Drugmaker Pfizer's CEO Read to be replaced by COO Bourla". Crain Communications. Associated Press. October 1, 2018.
  20. ↑ Sellers, Patricia (December 17, 2013). "Behind Pfizer's latest upheaval at the top". Fortune.
  21. ↑ Rockoff, Jonathan D. (December 9, 2015). "How Pfizer Set the Cost of Its New Drug at $9,850 a Month". The Wall Street Journal.
  22. 1 2 Rockoff, Jonathan D. (November 13, 2017). "Pfizer Sets Up Succession Plan With Creation of Operating Chief Role". The Wall Street Journal.
  23. ↑ Hopkins, Jared S. (October 1, 2018). "Pfizer's incoming CEO represents pipeline push over dealmaking". The Washington Post.
  24. ↑ Lee, Howard (December 18, 2013). "Pfizer executive vice president leaving company by 'mutual agreement'". The Day. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  25. ↑ Erman, Michael; Berkrot, Bill (November 13, 2017). "Pfizer creates chief operating officer role for Bourla". Reuters.
  26. ↑ "PFIZER NAMES ALBERT BOURLA CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER" (Press release). Pfizer. November 13, 2017.
  27. ↑ Mathias, Tamara; Banerjee, Ankur (October 1, 2018). "Pfizer to replace longtime CEO Read with veteran Bourla". Reuters.
  28. ↑ Maidenberg, Micah (October 9, 2018). "Pfizer Prepares for CEO Transition With Executive Suite Changes". The Wall Street Journal.
  29. ↑ Kuehner-Hebert, Katie (2019-09-09). "Under New CEO Albert Bourla, Pfizer Is Reshaping Itself". ChiefExecutive.net. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  30. ↑ Santhanam, Laura (February 7, 2019). "Drug company CEOs admit prescription prices are too high. But will they change?". PBS.
  31. ↑ Rowland, Christopher (February 26, 2019). "Drug executives grilled in Senate over high prices". The Washington Post.
  32. ↑ Sebastian, Dave; Kellaher, Colin (September 27, 2019). "Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla to Succeed Ian Read as Chairman". The Wall Street Journal.
  33. ↑ "SCHEDULE 14A". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  34. ↑ Dall, Chris (September 3, 2020). "CEO says Pfizer won't cut corners in COVID vaccine race". Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
  35. ↑ Vardi, Nathan (May 20, 2020). "The Race Is On: Why Pfizer May Be The Best Bet To Deliver A Vaccine by the Fall". Forbes.
  36. ↑ Shapiro, Eben (July 12, 2020). "Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Raises Expectations That the Pharmaceutical Giant Can Deliver a COVID-19 Vaccine by Fall". Time.
  37. 1 2 Thomas, Katie; Gelles, David; Zimmer, Carl (November 9, 2020). "Pfizer's Early Data Shows Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective". The New York Times.
  38. ↑ Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (5 December 2021). "'Wall of secrecy' in Pfizer contracts as company accused of profiteering". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  39. ↑ Turner, Camilla (November 26, 2022). "Pfizer's CEO rapped by regulator for making 'misleading' statements about children's vaccines". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235.
  40. ↑ Kaplan, Robert M. (2022-06-29). "'Moonshot' Review: In the Virus War, a Rapid Attack". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  41. ↑ Hanage, William (2022-03-25). "Review | A peek into Pfizer's hyper pursuit of a vaccine". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  42. ↑ Anderson, Mae; Harloff, Paul; Ortutay, Barbara (2024-06-03). "CEOs made nearly 200 times what their workers got paid last year". AP News. Archived from the original on 2024-09-03. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  43. ↑ Constantino, Annika Kim (2023-03-13). "Pfizer CEO says it will be able to deliver Seagen's cancer therapy at a scale not seen before with $43 billion deal". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  44. ↑ Dunleavy, Kevin (2023-03-13). "Pfizer snaps up ADC cancer specialist Seagen for $43B". www.fiercepharma.com. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  45. ↑ Singh, Vandana (March 13, 2023). "Seagen's $43B Deal To Double Pfizer's Early-Stage Oncology Pipeline, Seagen Says Is Right Step". Yahoo Finance. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2026-09-09.
  46. ↑ Tyer, Dominic. "Pfizer acquires Metsera and its GLP-1 candidates in new $4.9bn obesity play". European Pharmaceutical Review.
  47. ↑ Jacobus, Nicholas (2026-07-16). "J.P. Morgan 2026: Pfizer's Pivot from Covid to Pipeline Execution | PharmExec". www.pharmexec.com. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  48. ↑ "Albert Bourla Vignette" (PDF). National Journal. Sep 9, 2020.
  49. ↑ Zhang, Rachel Cohrs (2023-12-06). "Pfizer plans to depart BIO". STAT. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  50. ↑ "CEOs of Altria, Bank of America, Dentons, Northrop Grumman, Pfizer and Uber Take Seats on Leading Nonprofit Board". Catalyst. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  51. ↑ Goldman, Henry (March 7, 2019). "NYC Business Leaders Call for Renewed Mayoral School Control". Bloomberg News.
  52. ↑ "Board of Directors". Partnership for New York City.
  53. ↑ "Our Leadership". Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
  54. ↑ "Merck's Robert Davis Becomes New Chair of PhRMA Board". FirstWord Pharma. February 19, 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
  55. ↑ "Delivering innovation for global health security". IFPMA. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
  56. ↑ "Dr. Albert Bourla | Business Roundtable". www.businessroundtable.org. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
  57. ↑ Agarwal, Kritika (2026-04-10). "Pfizer CEO Warns China Is Fast Catching Up in Biotech Innovation | Association of American Universities (AAU)". www.aau.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  58. ↑ "U.S.-China Relations and the Global Economy | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. 2026-03-30. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  59. ↑ "Αλβέρτος Μπουρλά: ένας Θεσσαλονικιός στο "τιμόνι" της Pfizer - Τι λένε στον ΑΝΤ1 συγγενείς και φίλοι του (βίντεο)". ANT1 Group (in Greek). November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  60. ↑ "President of Israel Presents the 2022 'Jewish Nobel Prize' to Pfizer CEO". The Jerusalem Post. 2022-06-29.
  61. ↑ "Albert Bourla, 2022 Genesis Prize Laureate". The Genesis Prize. 2022-01-19.
  62. ↑ Wurm, Nick (2022-11-10). "17th CSHL Double Helix Medals dinner raises $5.8 million". Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  63. ↑ Ruoff, Alex (December 30, 2019). "Pharma Donations Flow to GOP Lawmakers Fighting Curbs on Prices". Bloomberg News.
  64. ↑ "An unlikely alliance? Pfizer CEO gave political cash to Senate GOP candidate Dr. Oz". Fierce Pharma. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  65. ↑ "Member List". The Business Council.
  66. ↑ "Albert Bourla". Business Roundtable.
  67. ↑ Bubny, Paul (January 25, 2023). "Partnership for NYC Elects Pfizer's Bourla as Co-Chair". Connect CRE. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  68. ↑ Wildstein, David (2025-10-07). "Fulop named to important New York City post". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  69. ↑ Pazmino, Gloria (2025-07-16). "In a shift, Mamdani tells business leaders he will discourage use of the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' sources tell CNN | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2026-09-11.
  70. ↑ "Prix Galien Greece 2019: Κορυφαίοι Έλληνες στην απονομή των "Νόμπελ" της φαρμακευτικής αγοράς". CNN (in Greek). April 12, 2019.
  71. ↑ "Έρχονται τα Prix Galien Greece 2019". Kathimerini (in Greek). April 1, 2019.
  72. ↑ "Ambassador Pyatt's Remarks at Prix Galien Greece Awards Ceremony". Embassy of the United States, Athens. April 12, 2019.
  73. ↑ "Albert Bourla". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  74. ↑ Beato, Eric (2021-05-12). "Values and the Vaccine: Lessons on Leadership from the Pfizer CEO". Babson Thought & Action. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  75. ↑ "Pfizer chief Albert Bourla wins $1 million Genesis Prize". The Independent. January 19, 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29.
  76. ↑ Minho Kim (23 May 2024), The Full Guest List for Biden’s State Dinner With Kenya New York Times.
  77. ↑ Park, Alice (2024-05-02). "Albert Bourla". TIME. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  78. ↑ "Holocaust Survivor's Son Now Saves Those Who Killed His Own; the Remarkable Story of Albert Bourla". Jewish Voice. January 6, 2021.
  79. ↑ Chrysopoulos, Philip (November 10, 2020). "A Greek to Save the World: Who is Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla?". Greek Reporter.
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