Synopsis:

Craig Thompson is the CEO of Cerevance, a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focused on developing novel therapeutics for central nervous system diseases. He discusses the arc of his career, beginning at big pharma at Merck and Pfizer before transitioning to biotech, and his learnings along the way. As CEO, he shares what he’s learned about developing a relationship with his board and the value they bring to his company. He also talks about the current CNS landscape, where Cerevance is from a development perspective, and the unique way the company approaches AI.

Biography:

Craig Thompson is the Chief Executive Officer of Cerevance, a private, clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focused on developing novel therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) diseases using the company’s proprietary Nuclear Enriched Transcript Sort sequencing (NETSseq) platform. Most recently, Mr. Thompson was President and Chief Executive Officer of Neurana Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Neurana, Mr. Thompson was President and Chief Executive Officer of Anthera Pharmaceuticals. His previous biotech experience includes Chief Operating Officer for Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals and Chief Commercial Officer for Trius Therapeutics where he was involved in the $707M up front acquisition of Trius by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, as well as a partnership with Bayer Pharma AG. Prior to Trius, Mr. Thompson served in various global and U.S. roles at Pfizer Inc., including Therapeutic Group Leader of Allergy, Respiratory, Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Inflammation; and ultimately served as Vice President of Marketing for Pfizer’s Specialty Care Business Unit. Previous to Pfizer, Mr. Thompson served in positions of increasing responsibility at Merck & Co., Inc including leading the partnership with Schering Plough.

Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from McMaster University and an M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.