# John Maraganore

> John Maraganore is the co-founder and executive chair of City Therapeutics and the former founding CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, which he led from 2002 through 2021. A University of Chicago-trained biochemist, he previously worked at Upjohn, ZymoGenetics, Biogen, and Millennium. His work now spans company formation, investment advisory roles, board service, and mentoring emerging executives.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Executive Chair at City Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** City Therapeutics, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, JMM Innovations, Corsera Health, ARCH Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, Blackstone Life Sciences, RTW Investments, Jefferies, Omega Funds, Beam Therapeutics, Kymera Therapeutics, Rapport Therapeutics, Hemab Therapeutics, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Biogen, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, ZymoGenetics, Upjohn
- **From:** Chicago, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., Biological Sciences, University of Chicago, M.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago
- **Known for:** Led Alnylam as founding CEO from 2002 through 2021., Helped build Alnylam to more than 1,600 employees in nearly 20 countries by his departure., Led a strategy involving over 20 major pharmaceutical alliances and over $25 billion in market capitalization during his Alnylam tenure.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Scientific roles at Upjohn and ZymoGenetics, followed by scientific and business roles at Biogen.
- **1994** — Moved into business development at Biogen at Jim Vincent’s direction.
- **1997** — Joined Millennium Pharmaceuticals; held leadership positions in biotherapeutics, strategy, and mergers and acquisitions.
- **2002** — Joined Alnylam as founding CEO in December.
- **2016** — Received MassBio’s Henri A. Termeer Innovative Leadership Award.
- **2017-2019** — Chaired the Biotechnology Innovation Organization board.
- **2021** — Left Alnylam’s CEO role on December 31; Yvonne Greenstreet succeeded him.
- **2022** — Expanded investment, board, and mentoring work, including an executive partner role at RTW Investments.
- **2023** — Named a Biotechnology Heritage Award recipient.
- **2024** — City Therapeutics launched publicly with Maraganore as co-founder and executive chair; received the OTS Lifetime Achievement Award.
- **2025** — Andy Orth appointed City CEO in January; Maraganore retained an active executive chair role.
- **2026** — City announced $99.5 million in Series B financing in June.

## Achievements

- Led Alnylam as founding CEO from 2002 through 2021.
- Helped build Alnylam to more than 1,600 employees in nearly 20 countries by his departure.
- Led a strategy involving over 20 major pharmaceutical alliances and over $25 billion in market capitalization during his Alnylam tenure.
- MassBio Henri A. Termeer Innovative Leadership Award, 2016.
- Biotechnology Heritage Award recipient, 2023.
- Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Lifetime Achievement Award, 2024.
- Co-founded City Therapeutics, which announced a $135 million Series A in 2024 and a $99.5 million Series B in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — City appointed Keith Regnante as CFO and Mary Beth DeLena as chief legal officer.
- **2026-06** — City completed a $99.5 million Series B with new investors including Viking Global Investors and Sofinnova Investments.
- **2025-02** — At the BIO CEO & Investor Forum, Maraganore welcomed innovation from China and urged U.S. companies to compete.
- **2025-01** — Andy Orth became City CEO; Maraganore retained an active executive chair role.
- **2024-10** — City launched publicly with a $135 million Series A led by ARCH Venture Partners.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-maraganore
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/JMaraganore

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-maraganore
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15