The former scientific head of Trump's vaccine push is facing a sexual harassment claim from his time at pharma giant GSK
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
- Moncef Slaoui, the former head of Operation Warp Speed, is facing a sexual harassment allegation.
- Slaoui's former employer GlaxoSmithKline said an investigation "substantiated the allegations and is ongoing."
- The complaint is from several years ago when Slaoui worked at GSK. He left the pharma company in 2017.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Moncef Slaoui, the former head of the Trump administration's COVID-19 vaccine program is facing a sexual harassment allegation stemming from his career at the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
GSK said in a Wednesday statement that it launched an investigation after receiving a letter claiming sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct when Slaoui worked at the company. Slaoui left GSK in 2017.
The investigation "substantiated the allegations and is ongoing," GSK said in the statement. The company said it terminated Slaoui immediately from a board position at Galvani Bioelectronics, a biotech company that GSK owns a majority stake in.
"Dr. Slaoui's behaviours are wholly unacceptable," GSK said in a statement. "They represent an abuse of his leadership position, violate company policies, and are contrary to the strong values that define GSK's culture."
Slaoui didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The 61-year-old former vaccine scientist had recently joined Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a newly launched drug company, as chief scientific officer. Centessa declined to comment on the allegations.
While Slaoui spent nearly three decades ascending the ranks at GSK, he became most well-known as the face of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's ambitious effort to develop and mass-produce coronavirus vaccines. In January, he resigned at the request of the President Joe Biden's incoming team.
Slaoui joined GSK in 1988 as a bench scientist. By 2006, he had joined GSK's board of directors and oversaw the vaccines business starting in 2009. After retiring from GSK, Slaoui became a venture capitalist joining the firm Medicxi as a partner in 2017.
In a letter to GSK employees obtained by Insider, CEO Emma Walmsley said the letter was received in February. She said the board "immediately initiated an investigation with an experienced law firm," which has now substantiated the claims.
"Protecting the woman who came forward and her privacy has been a critical priority throughout this time," Walmsley wrote. "This will continue. I respect and admire her courage and strength. I've spent many nights lately putting myself in her shoes. More than anything, this simply should not have happened."
Walmsley, the sole female CEO among the largest pharmaceutical companies,
"We are in an age of progress with a female CEO, growing ranks of female leaders, new commitments to diverse representation, and a culture that values speaking up. I expect everyone to represent GSK with integrity - especially senior leaders.
On a personal level, I am shocked and angry about all of this, but I'm resolute. I want to be clear that sexual harassment is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. Abuse of leadership position, in any form, will not be tolerated. Where we find evidence of inappropriate behaviour, we take swift and firm action, including withholding pay and termination. In this case, we will also rename our vaccines R&D centre in Rockville.
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