# Gerhard Koenig

> Gerhard Koenig is the Chief Executive Officer of Augustine Therapeutics, a Belgian-Boston biotechnology company developing highly selective, brain-penetrant HDAC6 inhibitors for neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and cardiometabolic diseases. A neurobiologist by training with more than 30 years in drug development, he has led and co-founded multiple biotechs, including Arkuda Therapeutics, whose portfolio was acquired by Johnson & Johnson, and Quartet Medicine. He stepped up from Executive Chairman to CEO of Augustine in January 2025 as the company moved to enter the clinic, then helped close a large Series A to fund a proof-of-concept trial in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Augustine Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Augustine Therapeutics, Arkuda Therapeutics, Quartet Medicine, FORUM Pharmaceuticals, Fidelity Biosciences Group (now F-Prime Capital), Bayer AG, Atlas Venture, Vigil Neuroscience
- **Nationality:** German
- **Education:** PhD in molecular and cellular neurobiology (minor in biochemistry), summa cum laude, University of Heidelberg, Germany, MS in molecular and cellular neurobiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
- **Known for:** Co-founded Arkuda Therapeutics, whose lysosomal-function-enhancer portfolio was acquired by Johnson & Johnson, Led Augustine Therapeutics from board and chairman roles into a CEO seat at the clinical-stage transition, Helped raise a ~€78 million Series A for Augustine to fund a Charcot-Marie-Tooth proof-of-concept trial

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Held multiple senior R&D positions at Bayer AG
- **2000s** — Vice President of Scientific Programs and Evaluation at Fidelity Biosciences Group (now F-Prime Capital)
- **2010s** — Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President at FORUM Pharmaceuticals
- **2010s** — CEO of Quartet Medicine
- **2017** — Co-founded Arkuda Therapeutics, serving as President and CEO
- **2022** — Joined Augustine Therapeutics board as Non-Executive Director (May)
- **2024** — Became Executive Chairman of Augustine Therapeutics (June)
- **2025** — Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Augustine Therapeutics (January), announced February
- **2025** — Arkuda Therapeutics portfolio acquired by Johnson & Johnson (announced January)
- **2025** — Augustine closed a ~€78M / ~$85M Series A led by Jeito Capital and Novo Holdings (March)

## Achievements

- Co-founded Arkuda Therapeutics, whose lysosomal-function-enhancer portfolio was acquired by Johnson & Johnson
- Led Augustine Therapeutics from board and chairman roles into a CEO seat at the clinical-stage transition
- Helped raise a ~€78 million Series A for Augustine to fund a Charcot-Marie-Tooth proof-of-concept trial
- Built a 30-plus-year drug development career spanning large pharma, venture and multiple startups
- Graduated summa cum laude with a PhD in molecular and cellular neurobiology from the University of Heidelberg

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Took up the role of CEO at Augustine Therapeutics as the company prepared to enter the clinic.
- **2025-02** — Augustine publicly announced his appointment as Chief Executive Officer.
- **2025-03** — Augustine closed a ~€78M / ~$85M Series A led by Jeito Capital and Novo Holdings to fund a CMT proof-of-concept trial and pipeline expansion.

## Links

- Website: https://augustinetx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gerhard-koenig-7a8288

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/gerhard-koenig
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-17