Vatican gives Jesuit trained Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel the ’Pontifical Hero Award’ (2021)

Video Transcript:

Then in January of 2020, Stefan started seeing data that convinced him this novel coronavirus would soon become a global infectious scourge. He pivoted the company to go all in on a COVID vaccine, risking massive amounts of capital, even with the U.S. government's infusion of cash from Operation Warp Speed. The speed with which Moderna was able to produce a viable candidate vaccine and enter human clinical trials was orders of magnitude faster than any previous vaccine. Despite the audacious gamble on an unproven vaccine, Stefan Bunsell is quick to credit a dedicated team that he says sacrificed birthdays, family events, and more to work literally around the clock seven days a week to bring the Moderna vaccine to fruition. He is especially proud of their commitment because they knew their Herkulean efforts would be so impactful on human life across the globe, which show our true gratitude by awarding Stefan Bunsell and his team with a Pontifical Hero Award for Inspiration, for leadership and steadfast dedication to protecting all of humanity.