Hao Brings More than 25 Years’ Experience Spanning Corporate Leadership, Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Public Service.
Hao Will Lead Key Functions and Value Creation Across Flagship’s Ecosystem of Companies
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Flagship Pioneering, a scientific innovation engine for transformative platforms and products, today announced the appointment of Yvonne Hao as Chief Operating Officer and General Partner. Hao is a seasoned leader, investor, and operator with more than 25 years of experience spanning corporate leadership, private equity, venture capital, and public service.
Most recently, Hao served as Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where she worked closely with the business community to drive job creation and foster economic growth. She was also co-chair of the Massachusetts AI Strategic Task Force where she initiated and led the state’s efforts to become a global leader in applied AI.
As Flagship’s Chief Operating Officer, Hao will lead key functional pillars that support Flagship and its ecosystem of companies, including HR and Talent, Legal and IP, IT/Digital, Communications, Government and Regulatory Affairs, and Facilities/Real Estate. As General Partner, she will serve on Flagship’s Resource Allocation Committee, contribute to strategic initiatives, and work alongside Flagship’s Growth Partners to help steward the firm’s later-stage companies, drawing on her experience in company building, operating, and investing.
“Yvonne is an outstanding leader with deep expertise at the intersection of business, innovation, and public service,” said Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering. “She joins Flagship with a proven track record of scaling and growing ventures across multiple industries, navigating dynamic organizations, and founding and leading companies of all sizes, all with an eye toward creating value and impact. Yvonne’s breadth of experience will be invaluable as we drive value within our ecosystem and steward the next generation of transformational companies.”
Prior to her role in Massachusetts state government, Hao was a Co-founder, Managing Director and Advisor of Cove Hill Partners, an investment firm with $5 billion in assets under management, focused on investing in technology companies. She was also an Operating Partner at Pillar Ventures. Hao also served as COO and CFO of PillPack, where she led the company’s sale to Amazon in 2018. Earlier in her career, Hao spent more than eight years as an Operating Partner at Bain Capital, where she held interim CEO and COO roles, served on boards, and worked closely with portfolio companies. She also held senior leadership roles at Honeywell, including VP of Global Marketing for the Security business and General Manager of ADI North America, a roughly $1.7 billion division.
Hao has also contributed her expertise as a board member of several public companies including Gentherm, Flywire, CarGurus, and ZipRecruiter, as well as private companies such as Bose, and nonprofits including Beth Israel Lahey Health System, Williams College, and the Commission on Presidential Debates.
“Flagship is not just building companies, it is creating entirely new categories of science and innovation that are redefining what’s possible in human health, sustainability, and beyond,” said Hao. “I’m excited to join a leadership team that combines bold vision with exceptional capabilities and to help steward the next generation of ventures that can deliver lasting impact for people and the planet. The opportunity to drive transformational change calls for boldness, creativity, and persistence, and I look forward to contributing to that mission.”
About Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health, sustainability and beyond. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, operating with $14 billion of assets under its direction as of its latest capital raise, announced in July 2024. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises more than 40 companies, including Foghorn Therapeutics, Generate Biomedicines, Inari, Indigo Agriculture, Lila Sciences, Moderna, Sana Biotechnology, Tessera Therapeutics and Valo Health.
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SOURCE Flagship Pioneering
