Design Therapeutics Appoints Former GW Pharma CEO Justin Gover To Board of Directors As Arsani William Departs

Design Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies for serious degenerative genetic diseases, announced the appointment of Justin Gover to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Gover is a biotech industry veteran with over 25 years of leadership experience, best known as the founding CEO of GW Pharmaceuticals, where he led the company from inception through its $7 billion acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2021. Under his leadership, GW became a fully integrated biotech company and successfully commercialized Epidiolex® (cannabidiol) for childhood-onset epilepsies in the U.S. and Europe.

“It has been an honor to serve on Design’s Board during such an important stage of the company’s evolution. I am proud of the meaningful progress the team has made in advancing the GeneTAC® platform and establishing a pipeline with the potential to transform the treatment paradigm for serious genetic diseases. I am confident the company is well-positioned to continue delivering on its mission and to make a lasting impact for patients,” said Dr. William. 

In connection with this appointment, Dr. Arsani William, Managing Partner and CIO of Logos Capital, stepped down from Design’s Board on September 9, 2025. Since joining in 2021, Dr. William has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s trajectory, including guiding its successful IPO, advancing its clinical pipeline, and strengthening corporate governance as a public company.

“I am privileged to join Design’s Board at such an exciting stage of the company’s growth. Design’s platform has the potential to address the root cause of a wide range of severe genetic diseases, and I look forward to working with the team to help realize the promise of this important approach for patients,” said Mr. Gover. 

Beyond Design, Gover currently serves on the boards of Compass Pathways and Xenon Pharmaceuticals and is active in nonprofit work with organizations such as the Rady Children’s Hospital Institute for Genomic Medicine and CURE Epilepsy. He previously served on the Board of Directors of BIO from 2018 to 2021. Gover holds an MBA from INSEAD in France and a BSc (Hons) from Bristol University.