Moncef Slaoui, the former head of Warp Speed, has apologized after facing a sexual-harassment claim

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Andrew Dunn,Allison DeAngelis
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Moncef Slaoui
Moncef Slaoui, the former chief advisor to the White House's Operation Warp Speed vaccine initiative. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

  • Moncef Slaoui, the former head of Operation Warp Speed, is facing a sexual-harassment allegation.

  • His 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 company in 2017.

  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Following a sexual-harassment allegation stemming from his tenure GlaxoSmithKline, drug industry veteran Moncef Slaoui has apologized and announced that he is taking a leave of absence from his new startup.

GSK said in a statement on Wednesday that it had launched 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. Last year, he was tapped by President Donald Trump as the scientific head of the US vaccine effort, then known as Operation Warp Speed.

The investigation "substantiated the allegations and is ongoing," GSK said. The company said it had terminated Slaoui from a board position at Galvani Bioelectronics, a biotech company that GSK owns a majority stake in.

Slaoui said Wednesday that he is taking a leave of absence from his new firm, Centessa Pharmaceuticals, which launched in February. Centessa did not respond to a request for comment.

"I have the utmost respect for my colleagues and feel terrible that my actions have put a former colleague in an uncomfortable situation. I would like to apologise unreservedly to the employee concerned and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused," he said in a statement.

'This simply should not have happened'

Emma Walmsley
GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley. Microsoft

In a letter to GSK employees obtained by Insider, CEO Emma Walmsley said that the company received the sexual-harassment complaint in February and that the board "immediately initiated an investigation with an experienced law firm."

"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."

Slaoui, who has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and immunology, spent nearly three decades ascending the ranks at GSK. Then he became well known as the face of 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. By 2006 he had joined GSK's board of directors, and he 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.

Medicxi didn't respond to a request for comment, nor did the biotech company Vaxcyte, where Slaoui serves as chairman. In his statement, Slaoui said he is taking a leave of absence from all of his professional responsibilities.

Walmsley said in her memo that she was "shocked and angry about all of this, but I'm resolute."

"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," Walmsley wrote. "I expect everyone to represent GSK with integrity - especially senior leaders."

A vaccine-research site in Rockville, Maryland, that opened in December 2016 and was named after Slaoui will be renamed, she added.

This article has been updated with a statement from Slaoui.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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