Moderna’s Chairman and co-founder Noubar Afeyan made headlines in Lebanon and around the world when his company announced a vaccine candidate against the COVID-19 virus. Born to Armenian parents in Lebanon, Afeyan immigrated with his family in his early teens to Canada before going to the US and earning a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Moderna includes several other Lebanese-born executives and scientists who were recently decorated with the National Medal of Merit at the Lebanese Embassy in the US:
• Noubar Afeyan — Co-founder and Chairman
• Marcello Damiani — Chief Officer of Digital & Operational Excellence
• Said Francis — Senior VP for Business Development & Corporate Strategy
• Charbel Haber — Senior VP for Regulatory Affairs
• François Nader — Independent Board Member
• Monique Yoakin Turk — Director, Program and Alliance Management.
• Joe Sarkis — Associate Director
• Joyce Kfoury Sousa — Quality Control Manager
The ceremony was live streamed on the embassy’s FB page.