Larry Silverstein and Albert Bourla are business leaders whose careers intersect with two major chapters in recent history. Silverstein, a New York real estate developer, helped lead the reconstruction of the World Trade Center after September 11, 2001. Bourla, Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive, led the pharmaceutical company during the development of its COVID-19 vaccine with BioNTech. Their work belongs to different industries, although their companies appeared together in a 2022 business awards announcement. Understanding that connection requires a closer look at their careers, their responsibilities, and the people actually named in that announcement.
Larry Silverstein and Albert Bourla at a Glance
| Key fact | Larry Silverstein | Albert Bourla |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Silverstein Properties | Pfizer |
| Leadership position | Founder and chairman | Chairman and chief executive officer |
| Main industry | Real estate development and investment | Biopharmaceuticals |
| Professional background | Property development and management | Veterinary science and pharmaceutical management |
Larry Silverstein’s Role in Rebuilding Lower Manhattan
Silverstein Properties began in 1957 and developed a business spanning office, residential, hotel, and retail property. Its activities extend beyond construction to investment and property management. That broader business helps explain Silverstein’s responsibilities at the World Trade Center, where financing, leasing, and coordination with public agencies were central to redevelopment.
The World Trade Center Lease
On July 24, 2001, entities established by Silverstein Properties entered into 99-year leases with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for One, Two, Four, and Five World Trade Center. The agreement preceded the September 11 terrorist attacks by seven weeks.
The leases included an obligation to restore the premises following a casualty, subject to their terms. After the attacks, rebuilding therefore involved contractual responsibilities as well as decisions about architecture, financing, and the future of Lower Manhattan. Describing Silverstein simply as the person who “owned the Twin Towers” leaves out this lease arrangement and the Port Authority’s role.
Turning Plans into New Buildings
The new 7 World Trade Center opened on May 23, 2006. Later that year, Silverstein unveiled designs for Towers 2, 3, and 4 by Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, and Fumihiko Maki, respectively. Their teams worked with engineers and government planners to coordinate the buildings with the surrounding streets and transportation infrastructure.
“I am amazed by what we have been able to accomplish in a few short months,” Silverstein said at the September 2006 unveiling.
The completed 4 World Trade Center opened on November 13, 2013. Its arrival, more than a decade after the attacks, illustrates the timescale of the reconstruction. Silverstein’s role involved commissioning and developing buildings within a larger redevelopment effort that also included public transportation, a memorial, and other projects.
Albert Bourla’s Path to Pfizer’s Leadership
Bourla was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He joined Pfizer in 1993 as technical director of its animal health business in Greece, beginning a career that took him through several countries and increasingly senior management positions.
His responsibilities eventually extended well beyond animal health. From 2014 to 2016, he led Pfizer’s global vaccines, oncology, and consumer healthcare business. He later headed Pfizer Innovative Health and served as chief operating officer before becoming chief executive in January 2019.
That progression matters when assessing his role during the pandemic. Bourla reached the chief executive’s office with experience across pharmaceutical operations, product development, and commercial strategy.
Pfizer, BioNTech, and the COVID-19 Vaccine
In 2020, Pfizer and the German biotechnology company BioNTech worked together on an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. On November 9, the companies announced encouraging findings from the first interim efficacy analysis of their Phase 3 clinical trial.
“Today is a great day for science and humanity,” Bourla said in the companies’ announcement.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 11, 2020, initially covering people aged 16 and older. That was an emergency authorization; it should be distinguished from the separate process of full regulatory approval.
Bourla’s contribution was executive leadership. The vaccine’s development also depended on scientists at both companies, clinical investigators, trial volunteers, and manufacturing teams. Keeping those responsibilities clear gives a more accurate account of the work than attributing the vaccine’s invention to one executive.
The Documented Connection: A 2022 Awards Announcement
On November 2, 2022, the America-Israel Friendship League announced gala honors recognizing business leaders for strengthening economic relations between the United States and Israel.
The Kenneth J. Bialkin Leadership Award named Pfizer and Bourla, alongside Teva Pharmaceuticals and its chief executive, Kåre Schultz. A separate honor, the Partners for Democracy Award, named Danna Azrieli of the Azrieli Group and Silverstein Properties executives Lisa Silverstein and Tal Kerret.
Larry Silverstein was not named as an award recipient in that announcement. The distinction matters: the record connects Bourla with executives of the company Larry founded.
The announcement documents an overlap through a business awards program. It does not establish a joint investment, shared company, or personal business partnership between Larry Silverstein and Albert Bourla.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is the CEO of Silverstein Properties?
Lisa Silverstein became chief executive of Silverstein Properties in 2023. Larry Silverstein remains the company’s founder and chairman. Chairman and chief executive are separate leadership positions, so identifying Larry as the company’s current CEO would be inaccurate.
Why Is Albert Bourla Called “Dr.”?
Bourla holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a Ph.D. in the biotechnology of reproduction from Aristotle University’s veterinary school. His medical training is in veterinary medicine, rather than qualification as a physician treating human patients.
Did Albert Bourla Found Pfizer?
No. Cousins Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart founded the business in Brooklyn in 1849. Bourla joined the company more than a century later and advanced through its management ranks. His position is that of a corporate executive, rather than its founder.
Have Larry Silverstein and Albert Bourla Written Books?
Yes. Silverstein wrote The Rising: The Twenty-Year Battle to Rebuild the World Trade Center, published in 2024. Bourla wrote Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible, published in 2022. Both offer the authors’ own accounts of the projects associated with their careers.
Conclusion
Larry Silverstein and Albert Bourla represent different forms of business leadership: property development and pharmaceutical management. Their companies’ appearance in the same awards announcement provides a specific connection. Their individual histories, however, are best understood through the distinct work, institutions, and responsibilities behind their names.
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