Episode 1 of Willing to Win.

In the opening episode of Willing to Win, Christian Rados speaks with Thaminda Ramanayake about leadership when ego must be set aside and decisions are made without certainty.

When Thaminda joined CureVac, the company was under intense pressure. The stock was in free fall, the equity story relied heavily on litigation, and confidence in the European mRNA ecosystem was eroding. What followed was one of the rare biotech transactions in Europe involving two NASDAQ-listed companies: CureVac and BioNTech.

This conversation goes beyond the deal itself. It explores how leaders think and act when there is no clear path forward, how conviction and ego interact under pressure, and what responsibility looks like at the executive level.

Willing to Win is a podcast about biotech leadership against all odds. It focuses on real decisions, unfinished thinking, and moments where clarity only emerges after action is taken.

Episode 1

Guest: Thaminda Ramanayake
Former Chief Business Officer, CureVac