# Rehan Verjee

> Rehan Verjee is the co-founder, chief executive officer, and a board director of Precede Biosciences. An Oxford-trained biochemist, he previously spent 17 years at Merck KGaA, including leadership of EMD Serono and global strategy responsibilities. He also serves on the boards of Tyra Biosciences and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Precede Biosciences
- **Organizations:** Precede Biosciences, Tyra Biosciences, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Merck KGaA, EMD Serono
- **Education:** Master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Oxford
- **Known for:** Led Canadian operations and subsequently North American operations at EMD Serono., Held Merck KGaA executive committee responsibilities from October 2015 to March 2021., Co-founded Precede Biosciences with Sylvan Baca, Toni Choueiri, and Matthew Freedman, through the 4:59 Initiative at 5AM Ventures.

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Joined Merck KGaA.
- **Before 2015** — Led Canadian operations as Managing Director of EMD Serono Canada.
- **2015-10** — Joined the Merck KGaA executive committee as Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer.
- **2018-09** — Became President of EMD Serono and Global Head of Innovative Medicine Franchises; appointment effective September 1.
- **2021-03** — Concluded his Merck KGaA executive tenure after 17 years with the company.
- **2021-06** — Joined the Tyra Biosciences board of directors.
- **2021** — Co-founded Precede Biosciences.
- **2022-01** — Appointment to Bedford Group Transearch’s North American advisory board announced.
- **2023-10** — Precede emerged from stealth, disclosing $57 million in backing since inception.
- **2026-01** — Precede announced $83.5 million in financing, comprising $63.5 million in Series B equity and a $20 million credit facility.

## Achievements

- Led Canadian operations and subsequently North American operations at EMD Serono.
- Held Merck KGaA executive committee responsibilities from October 2015 to March 2021.
- Co-founded Precede Biosciences with Sylvan Baca, Toni Choueiri, and Matthew Freedman, through the 4:59 Initiative at 5AM Ventures.
- Led Precede through its October 2023 public launch and January 2026 financing announcement.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 23, Precede announced a presentation at the ESMO Congress in Madrid, with commentary from Verjee.
- **2026-04** — Precede launched Precede Bio Insight at the AACR annual meeting on April 21.
- **2026-01** — Precede announced $63.5 million in Series B equity plus a $20 million strategic credit facility on January 12; Wouter Meuleman was announced as joining the board.

## Links

- Website: https://www.precede.bio/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rehan-verjee-3b17754

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rehan-verjee
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25