S téphane Bancel is a French billionaire and the chief executive officer of the American biotechnology company, Moderna. He joined the company as CEO in 2011 when it was a small startup with a revolutionary but unproven idea: to use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to create a new class of vaccines and therapeutics. For years, he led the company's efforts to raise capital and develop its innovative mRNA platform.

Moderna was thrust into the global spotlight in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company, leveraging its years of research, was able to design, develop, and bring to market a highly effective mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in record time. The massive success and global distribution of the vaccine transformed Moderna into a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical giant almost overnight. As the CEO and a significant shareholder, the soaring value of the company's stock turned Bancel into one of the most prominent billionaires created by the global health crisis.