Celebrating the Spirit of Discovery and Innovation that makes Cambridge unlike anywhere else.
The Charles Hotel
November 9th, 2023
5:30 PM
Our annual Gala recognizes innovators from the business, institutional, and non-profit communities who are truly effecting change in Cambridge and beyond. This special evening is an opportunity for the Cambridge business community to celebrate these change agents and their extraordinary impact on improving the lives of others. To purchase tickets, click here.
The Chamber also offers two sponsorship opportunities, click here to view.
The 2023 Visionary Award Recipients
Alexandria Real Estate Equities for developing 325 Binney Street, the new home of the Moderna Science Center at, a 462,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art, highly sustainable science and technology complex that is designed to be the most sustainable lab space in Cambridge.
Astellas Pharma for developing an FDA approved, groundbreaking oral medication created for the treatment of menopause-related symptoms.
Broad Institute - Office for STEM Engagement and Inclusion for establishing the Broad Summer Research Program and the Broad Summer Scholars Program which have shaped the careers of more than 300 young scientists, largely from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the life sciences.
The Loop Lab and its founder, Chris Hope, for empowering minority talent in careers in the creative economy through job training and job placement.
Philips – Hospital Patient Monitoring Team for developing the Philips Visual Patient Avatar, a groundbreaking clinical decision support tool that significantly enhances the quality of patient care in anesthesia.
Sanofi for celebrating 25 years of partnerships, volunteerism, and change-making commitment to education in Cambridge.
Sarepta Therapeutics for reshaping the field of genetics by developing ELEVIDYS, the first approved gene therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic disease that affects children and causes progressive muscle damage and weakness, respiratory failure, and ultimately, premature death.
Vicinity Energy for launching eSteam™, a unique and innovative technology that is the first 100 percent renewable, carbon-free thermal energy product in the United States.
2022 Visionary Awards Recipients
The Amgen Operations East Coast Innovation Center for making significant improvements to the environmental sustainability of the manufacturing process of sotorasib, a small molecule that is the active ingredient in medications used in treatments for non-small cell lung cancer.
Cambridge Community Center for their innovative and resilient response to the growing needs of the community. When the pandemic shut everything down, CCC nimbly pivoted and reached out to anyone who had come to them for help since 2011, incorporating lessons learned along the way. As a result, their food pantry now serves over 1000 families a week.
The Engine, built by MIT, for providing the breeding ground where scientists and engineers can have a competitive advantage in “Tough Tech,” by gaining access to high-cost-of-capital equipment and space that would traditionally pose a high barrier to entry. Tough Tech is a game-changing technology that is designed to tackle some of the biggest global challenges of our time, ranging from climate change to human health and sustainability.
Pfizer Kendall Square Paxlovid Discovery and Development Team for their courageous work in designing and delivering Paxlovid, a lifesaving treatment for severe CoV2 infection and the first oral anti-COVID agent to receive Emergency Use Authorization in the United States.
Pro EMS for their unwavering support and partnership with the City of Cambridge during the height of the Covid response. Under Bill Mergendahl’s leadership, Professional Ambulance staffed testing sites and provided crucial life-saving PPP to senior living facilities that were facing catastrophic loss of life.
The Sanofi Research and Development Teams for successfully securing FDA approval for first-ever therapies to treat two rare conditions: Xenpozyme for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASD), and Dupixent for the treatment of adult patients with prurigo nodularis, a debilitating skin disease.
Senné for demonstrating true community spirit while providing visionary management, brokerage, and housing services to thousands of customers in Cambridge and beyond. In response to fires or other community disasters, Senné has consistently stepped up to support City of Cambridge Emergency Services in finding immediate housing for displaced residents.
Takeda’s Teresa Bitetti, President of the Global Oncology Business Unit, for applying her dynamic and inspiring leadership in transforming the unit’s partnership with Takeda’s R&D organization. The result of her innovative, collaborative approach has been that Takeda’s future clinical trials put the best medicines possible on the market for patients around the globe.
