Overview

Gender

female

Investor Type

Investment Partner

Vicki L. Sato, Ph.D., serves as chairman of the board of directors at Vir. Dr. Sato is also a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, and an affiliate member of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Harvard University. She has taught in HBS Executive Education programs and is a business advisor to enterprises in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Dr. Sato retired in 2005 from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where she served as president since 2000, with responsibility for research and development, business and corporate development, commercial operations, legal, and finance. Prior to becoming president, she was chief scientific officer, senior vice president of research and development, and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. Under her leadership, Vertex created a diversified pipeline of drugs. Before joining Vertex, Dr. Sato was vice president of research at Biogen, Inc., where she led research programs in the areas of inflammation, thrombosis, and HIV disease, and she participated in the executive management of the company. Several molecules from those programs have now reached the marketplace. She also served as a member of the Biogen Scientific Board.
Currently, Dr. Sato is a member of the board of directors of publicly held companies Bristol Myers Squibb Company, PerkinElmer Corporation, Borg Warner Corporation, and Syros Pharmaceuticals. She also serves as chair of the board of directors for Denali. Previously, Dr. Sato has served as an overseer of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She received her A.B. from Radcliffe College, and her A.M. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. Following postdoctoral work at both the University of California Berkeley and Stanford Medical Center, Dr. Sato was appointed to the faculty of Harvard University, where she was an assistant and associate professor of biology.