Vicki Sato, Ph.D., serves as chairman of the board of directors at Vir Biotechnology and Denali Therapeutics. She 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 in the areas of virology, inflammation and cystic fibrosis. 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 where 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.

From 2006-2017, Dr Sato served on the faculties of Harvard University as Professor of Management Practice at The Harvard Business School and as Professor of the Practice, Molecular and Cell Biology, on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Currently, Dr. Sato is a member of the board of directors of publicly held companies Allogene and Akouos, and a member of President Biden’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology (PCAST). Previously, she has served on the boards of BristolMyersSquibb, BorgWarner, PerkinElmer Corporation, Alnylam and Syros Therapeutics, and in 2018, was the recipient of an Outstanding Director award from the National Association of Corporate Directors. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA.