Michael B. Johannesen

Mike Johannesen is the Chief Legal Officer at Jaguar Gene Therapy, LLC, a company uniquely positioned to accelerate breakthroughs in gene therapy for patients suffering from severe genetic diseases. Mike is a pragmatic, outcomes-driven leader with over 25 years of varied legal experience in the healthcare industry, including gene therapy, branded pharma, generic pharma and medical device.

Before joining Jaguar, Mike served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at AveXis Inc. / Novartis Gene Therapies during the development and approval of Zolgensma® for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, that has dosed over 3,200 patients worldwide.  Mike has also served in leadership roles at Hospira and Abbott Laboratories.

Mike earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Mike is a native Chicago suburbanite and resides in Arlington Heights, IL with his 3 college age kids.