DEVENS, Mass., Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the largest and leading private fusion company, today announced that Stephane Bancel, the Chief Executive Officer of Moderna Inc. who led that company’s successful development, production, scaling, and global adoption of the COVID-19 vaccine, has joined as an Independent Member of the Board of Directors.
Bancel has served as Moderna’s CEO and as a member of the company’s board since 2011. He is best known for leading Moderna’s effort in early 2020 to focus on the successful development of one of the first COVID-19 vaccines in record time under Operation Warp Speed. He is also a partner in Flagship Pioneering, the life science-focused venture capital firm that helped to launch Moderna. Previously, Bancel spent five years as the CEO of bioMerieux SA, a French diagnostics company, and he also served in leadership roles at Eli Lilly & Co.
“Stephane’s expertise in developing an organizational culture that can push through leading-edge innovations, at scale, on urgent timelines will be valuable to CFS as we continue to lead this global energy transition to fusion,” said Bob Mumgaard, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of CFS. “We are excited to have Stephane on our team as we move to commercialize this transformational energy technology.”
Bancel was also an early investor in CFS, recognizing that the team had the discipline to execute the research, development, and engineering required to fulfill the scientific objectives.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with the CFS team to unlock fusion’s promise of abundant energy at a time of unprecedented demand for power worldwide,” Bancel said. “The CFS team has the passion for the science, as well as the engineering and execution – all of the pieces needed to scale. The company is at the forefront of an emerging industry that will introduce a new era of energy independence and security, and I look forward to being a part of it.”
Bancel is the second new member to join CFS’ board this year. In August, CFS announced that Chris Liddell, a former White House official who has also served as CFO at Microsoft Corp. and General Motors Co., joined as an Independent Board Member.
About Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Commonwealth Fusion Systems is the world’s largest and leading private fusion company. The company’s marquee fusion project, SPARC, will generate net energy, paving the way for limitless carbon-free energy. The company has raised almost $3 billion in capital since it was founded in 2018.
SPARC® and ARC™ are trademarks of Commonwealth Fusion Systems®.
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SOURCE Commonwealth Fusion Systems