Rino Rappuoli is Global Head of Vaccines R&D at GSK and is based in Siena, Italy. He is also Honorary Professor of Vaccinology at Imperial College, London, and Extraordinary Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Siena. Prior positions held include, Head of R&D and Chief Scientist at GSK Vaccines, Head of Vaccine R&D at Novartis, Chief Scientific Officer of Chiron Corporation, and Head for R&D at Sclavo. Dr Rappuoli earned his PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Siena, Italy, and was a visiting scientist at Rockefeller University and Harvard Medical School. Dr Rappuoli is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAAS), the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the Royal Society of London, and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. He has received a number of awards including, the Gold Medal from the Italian President, the Albert B Sabin Gold Medal, the Canada Gairdner International Award, the European Inventor Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, and the Robert Koch Award. He was nominated third most influential person worldwide in the field of vaccines (Terrapin). He has published 759 works in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Rappuoli has introduced novel scientific concepts such as genetic detoxification, cellular microbiology, reverse vaccinology, and pangenome; he has also developed licensed vaccines including acellular pertussis containing a non-toxic mutant of pertussis toxin, the first conjugate vaccine against meningococcus C, MF59-adjuvanted seasonal and pandemic influenza MF59, meningococcus B, and CRM 197 used as carrier in many conjugate vaccines. As the founder of the GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health (GVGH), Dr Rappuoli is among the world’s foremost scientific leaders dedicated to the sustainability of global health.