Draig Therapeutics Appoints Seasoned Neuroscience Leader Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch as President and Chief Executive Officer
- Dr Magovčević-Liebisch is an accomplished pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive with over 25 years of leadership experience
- Dr Ruth McKernan FMedSci CBE, co-founder and Interim CEO, will continue as a Non-executive Director
Cardiff, United Kingdom – 3 November 2025 – Draig Therapeutics (“Draig”), a clinical-stage company aiming to transform the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, today announced the appointment of Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch, Ph.D., J.D., as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She succeeds Ruth McKernan, Ph.D., who continues as a Director on the Draig Board of Directors.
Dr Magovčević-Liebisch brings more than 25 years of biopharmaceutical leadership and industry experience. She joins Draig having recently served as President and CEO of Vigil Neuroscience, a company she founded, built and led until its acquisition by Sanofi in August 2025. Under her leadership, Vigil evolved from inception with early preclinical assets through IPO to a clinical-stage organisation within 18 months. Dr Magovčević-Liebisch also raised more than $350 million while advancing Vigil’s lead candidates into clinical development, including the first clinical-stage small molecule TREM2 agonist for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Earlier in her career, Dr Magovčević-Liebisch served as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Business Officer at Ipsen where she was responsible for fuelling the company’s pipeline through executing key strategic transactions. Previously, she was Senior Vice President and Head of Global Business Development for the specialty drug business at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Acrivon Therapeutics, a publicly traded biotech focused on precision-based cancer therapeutics, and Quanterix Corporation, a publicly traded life sciences company focused on ultra-sensitive biomarker-based diagnostics.
Douglas E. Williams, Chairman of the Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ivana as Draig’s new President and CEO. She is a fantastic addition to the team given her strong track record in growing companies and advancing innovative product candidates for patients in need, particularly in the neuroscience space. The Board is confident that these qualities will benefit Draig as it advances the clinical development of DT-101, a differentiated AMPAR positive allosteric modulator, for people with major depressive disorder and its broader pipeline in other neuropsychiatric disorders. On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Ruth for her visionary leadership and the rapid progress made to date and I look forward to her continued service on the Board.”
“I am thrilled to be joining Draig as this exciting stage of its development,” said Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch, President and CEO at Draig Therapeutics. “In just a short period of time, Draig has established a strong foundation, assembled a team with exceptional talent, and developed a clear path to advance its pipeline of ground-breaking therapies for people with neuropsychiatric disorders. This company and its approach to neuropsychiatric disorders has enormous potential to develop best-in-class AMPAR- and GABAAR-based therapeutics, and I cannot wait to start working with the board, leadership and team to bring medicines to people that make a significant positive impact on their lives.”
Ruth McKernan, co-founder, Director of Draig Therapeutics and Interim CEO, said, “I am extremely proud of the work we have done building Draig, raising $140M at Series A and starting our first Phase 2 trial with DT-101. I enthusiastically welcome Ivana, whose exemplary skills will develop the company to deliver transformative medicines for people with neuropsychiatric disorders.”
Dr Magovčević-Liebisch holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from Harvard University and received her J.D. in High Technology Law from Suffolk University Law School. She graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in Biology and Chemistry. Dr Magovčević-Liebisch is also active in the non-profit world, serving as a trustee at the Museum of Science (Boston) and the Boston Ballet, and as an overseer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
A picture of Dr Magovčević-Liebisch is available on request to draigtx@medistrava.com.
ENDS
For further information:
Mark Swallow, Sandi Greenwood
draigtx@medistrava.com
Draig Therapeutics
media@draigtherapeutics.com
About Draig Therapeutics
Draig Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company with a mission to transform treatments in Neuropsychiatry. The company is leveraging its founders’ unique scientific expertise in modulating the core glutamate / GABA pathways that play a critical role in neuropsychiatric diseases to advance a pipeline of groundbreaking therapies designed to address large unmet patient needs, including in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
Draig is the Welsh word for ‘dragon’ and it reflects the company’s origins in Wales. The name and logo were inspired by this heritage, reflecting its scientific roots stemming from Cardiff University.
Draig was co-founded by Cardiff University and SV Health Investors, which led the seed financing with ICG, and is backed by other leading healthcare venture firms including Access Biotechnology, Canaan Partners, SR One, Sanofi Ventures and Schroders Capital. For more information, please visit www.draigtherapeutics.com
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Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch
President and CEO, Draig Therapeutics
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