Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, is the 2022 Genesis Prize Laureate for his work leading the company and developing its COVID-19 vaccine, the Genesis Prize foundation said Jan. 19.
The annual $1 million prize is dubbed the "Jewish Nobel" by Time magazine and honors individuals and their achievements, according to a news release. The committee tapped Dr. Bourla for the honor for his leadership, determination and willingness to take risks.
"I did not set out to live a public life, and I never could have imagined that I might one day receive the profound honor of the Genesis Prize and stand alongside my extraordinary fellow nominees. I accept it humbly and on behalf of all my Pfizer colleagues who answered the urgent call of history these past two years and together bent the arc of our common destiny," Dr. Bourla said in the release.
Dr. Bourla has asked that his prize money go to projects aimed at preserving the memory of victims of the Holocaust.