Leadership in Challenging Times with Noubar Afeyan

Sustaining Capitalism

The CED discussion series, Leadership in Challenging Times, interviews business leaders about the unprecedented challenges facing the nation and how they are helping chart a path forward for both their companies and communities in which they operate.

In this interview with Lori Esposito Murray, President of the Committee of Economic Development of The Conference Board, Noubar Afeyan, Founder & CEO of Flagship Pioneering and Co-Founder & Chairman of Moderna, talks about the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, the rapid acceleration of biotechnology, and how public/private partnerships can breed collaboration and innovation.

“If you ask yourself, ‘How do you know it’s going to work?’ you don’t even try. But if you ask yourself, ‘What do I have to believe to believe it will work, and what are all the things I’m going to bring with me to make sure I can iterate and adapt and change?’ that’s the thinking behind how we develop our platforms.” – Noubar Afeyan, Founder & CEO of Flagship Pioneering and Co-Founder & Chairman of Moderna