A Vaccine to Save the World? Pascal Soriot’s Leadership Challenge

This case follows the development of the AstraZeneca–Oxford vaccine from its origins in an Oxford University laboratory, through an accelerated series of trials (and tribulations), to becoming the Covid-19 jab that saved more lives than any other vaccine. Based on research with key stakeholders during the pandemic and subsequent media analysis, at its heart is the tension between saving lives and making profit – a tension that prompted varying responses from vaccine producers. The main focus is on the distinctive leadership of Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, its impact on the unlikely partnership with Oxford University, and the even less likely adoption of a not-for-profit strategy by a global pharmaceutical company.
The central theme of ethical leadership is set against the ambiguous backdrop of vaccine economics, the rise of vaccine nationalism, the different choices made by most other pharmaceutical companies, and the creation of COVAX as a global initiative for corporations to help solve one of society’s greatest challenges in recent history. Ultimately, Soriot’s achievement and the vaccine’s performance offer a positive model for ethical business leadership while also serving as a cautionary tale for anyone seeking to follow his example.

•Ethical leadership and - optionally - the 3Vs model (values, vision, voice)
•Corporate social responsibility (CSR), and specifically political corporate social responsibility (PCSR)
•The economics of vaccines, and what they tell us about the shortcomings of market forces
•Navigating public–private partnerships
•Leading in times of crisis.