Prime Highlights
- Moderna has appointed Ester Banque as CCO and expanded president Stephen Hoge’s remit to cover all three company divisions ahead of upcoming product launches.
- Moderna reported sales of $1.9 billion and a net loss of $2.8 billion last year, a sharp reversal from its pandemic-era peak revenues.
Key Facts
- Moderna is a US-based biotechnology company known for its mRNA COVID vaccine, with a pipeline spanning infectious diseases, oncology, and rare diseases.
- Banque brings 25 years of experience from Novartis and four years from Bristol Myers Squibb, where she oversaw five product launches.
Background
Moderna is reshaping its leadership structure as it prepares to launch up to three new products between 2027 and 2028.
The company has appointed Ester Banque as chief commercial officer and expanded the responsibilities of president Stephen Hoge, who will now oversee all three of Moderna’s divisions: commercial, manufacturing, and research and development. Both changes are effective immediately.
Banque brings nearly three decades of industry experience, including 25 years at Novartis and four years at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she guided the launches of five products across haematology and cell therapy. Most recently, she led US operations at Zoetis, a New Jersey-based animal health company. In her new role, she will lead the buildout of Moderna’s commercial organisation and oversee its upcoming product launches.
Moderna expects to begin commercialising a combination flu and COVID vaccine, along with standalone flu and norovirus vaccines, subject to regulatory approvals. Also in late-stage development are a personalised cancer therapy being developed in partnership with Merck and three rare disease candidates.
CEO Stéphane Bancel said strengthening the company’s operating model is critical as it prepares to manage three commercial franchises spanning infectious diseases, cancer therapy, and rare diseases.
Moderna has not had a clearly defined CCO since the previous holder of the role departed at the end of 2023. The company rose to prominence during the pandemic with its mRNA COVID vaccine but has since faced financial pressure, reporting sales of $1.9 billion and a net loss of $2.8 billion last year, following revenues of $37.7 billion between 2021 and 2022.
