- Moncef Slaoui, the former chief of Operation Warp Speed, is facing a sexual harassment charge.
- His former employer, GlaxoSmithKline, said an investigation “substantiated the allegations and is ongoing.”
- The complaint is several years ago, when Slaoui worked at GSK. He left the company in 2017.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
Moncef Slaoui, the former head of the Trump administration’s COVID-19 vaccine program, is facing a sexual harassment charge stemming from his career at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
GSK said in a statement on Wednesday that it started an investigation after receiving a letter accusing Slaoui of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct when he worked at the company. Slaoui left GSK in 2017.
The investigation “substantiated the allegations and is ongoing,” said GSK. The company said it has dismissed Slaoui from a position on the board of Galvani Bioelectronics, a biotechnology company in which GSK holds a majority stake.
“Dr. Slaoui’s behavior is totally unacceptable,” said GSK. “They represent an abuse of their leadership position, violate company policies and are contrary to the strong values that define GSK’s culture.”
In a letter to GSK employees obtained by Insider, CEO Emma Walmsley said the company received the sexual harassment complaint in February and that the board “immediately initiated an investigation with an experienced law firm”.
‘It just shouldn’t have happened’
GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley.
Microsoft
“Protecting the woman who came forward and her privacy was a critical priority all along,” wrote Walmsley. “It will continue. I respect and admire her courage and strength. I spent many nights putting myself in her shoes. More than anything, it simply shouldn’t have happened.”
Slaoui did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The 61-year-old vaccine scientist recently joined Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a newly launched pharmaceutical company, as scientific director. Centessa declined to comment on the accusations.
Slaoui, who has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and immunology, has spent nearly three decades ascending the GSK ranking. Then he became 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 President Joe Biden’s team.
Slaoui worked at GSK for almost 3 decades
Slaoui started at GSK in 1988 as a bench scientist. In 2006, he joined the GSK board of directors and oversaw the vaccine business from 2009. After retiring from GSK, Slaoui became a venture capitalist, joining Medicxi as a partner in 2017.
Medicxi did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the biotechnology company Vaxcyte, of which Slaoui serves as chairman.
Walmsley said in the memo that she was “shocked and angry about all of this, but I’m determined”.
“We are in an era of progress with a female CEO, growing ranks of female leaders, new commitments to diverse representation and a culture that values expression,” wrote Walmsley. “I hope that everyone represents GSK with integrity – especially senior leaders.”
A vaccine research center in Rockville, Maryland, which opened in December 2016 and was named Slaoui, will be renamed, she added.