# Craig Gibbs

> Craig Gibbs is a molecular biologist turned biotech operator who became president and CEO of Vivace Therapeutics in May 2026. His career runs from protein engineering at Genentech through 21 years across research, corporate development, and commercial strategy at Gilead, followed by executive roles at Forty Seven and Asher Biotherapeutics. At Vivace, he now leads a compact oncology company developing small-molecule drugs aimed at the Hippo-YAP-TEAD signaling pathway.

- **Role:** President and Chief Executive Officer at Vivace Therapeutics, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Vivace Therapeutics, Inipharm, Asher Biotherapeutics, Forty Seven, Gilead Sciences, Genentech, Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Tobira Therapeutics, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- **Education:** B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Massey University, Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, University of Glasgow, M.B.A., Golden Gate University
- **Known for:** Contributed during his Gilead tenure to the development, launch, and commercialization of 12 FDA-approved drugs., Served as chief business officer of Forty Seven before Gilead acquired the company for approximately $4.9 billion in 2020., Led Asher Biotherapeutics as it raised a $108 million Series B in 2021 and a $55 million Series C in 2024.

## Career timeline

- **Before 1992** — Served as a postdoctoral scientist in Genentech's Department of Protein Engineering.
- **1992-2013** — Worked at Gilead Sciences in biology research, corporate development, and commercial strategy, ultimately serving as vice president of commercial strategy, commercial planning and operations.
- **2013-2016** — Served on the board of Tobira Therapeutics.
- **2015-2020** — Served as chief business officer of Forty Seven.
- **2015-2023** — Served on the board of Aridis Pharmaceuticals.
- **2020** — Forty Seven was acquired by Gilead for approximately $4.9 billion; Gibbs then joined Third Rock Ventures as an entrepreneur-in-residence.
- **2020-2025** — Served as CEO and a board member of Asher Biotherapeutics.
- **2020-2023** — Served as a trustee for the Northern California region of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
- **2026-present** — Became president, CEO, and a board member of Vivace Therapeutics; also serves as chairman of Inipharm.

## Achievements

- Contributed during his Gilead tenure to the development, launch, and commercialization of 12 FDA-approved drugs.
- Served as chief business officer of Forty Seven before Gilead acquired the company for approximately $4.9 billion in 2020.
- Led Asher Biotherapeutics as it raised a $108 million Series B in 2021 and a $55 million Series C in 2024.
- Has published more than 50 scientific articles and is named as an inventor on three issued patents.
- Built a career spanning biology research, protein engineering, corporate development, commercial planning, business development, board governance, and company leadership.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Became president and chief executive officer and joined the board of Vivace Therapeutics.
- **2025-10** — Vivace's VT3989 Phase I/II data were presented at ESMO 2025, reporting an 86% disease-control rate among 22 mesothelioma participants treated at optimized dose levels.
- **2025-09** — Completed his tenure as CEO and board member of Asher Biotherapeutics.
- **2025-06** — The FDA granted orphan drug designation to Vivace's VT3989 for the treatment of mesothelioma.
- **2025-03** — Vivace closed a $35 million Series D financing, bringing total reported funding to $105 million.

## Links

- Website: https://vivacetherapeutics.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crgibbs
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWFMv211RU

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/craig-gibbs
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-18