Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) announced that Vivek Jayaraman will be promoted from chief operating officer to president and chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2026. Current CEO William "Obi" Greenman will transition to executive chairman of the board of directors.

Jayaraman will join the board of directors upon his appointment. The leadership transition follows what the company described as a thorough succession planning process.

Jayaraman joined Cerus in 2016 as chief commercial officer and has served as chief operating officer since 2020. During his tenure, the company's annual product revenue grew from less than $40 million to more than $200 million in 2025, according to the press release.

In his current role as COO, Jayaraman oversees commercial operations, supply chain, and customer service. Before joining Cerus, he held executive positions at TriVascular and Medtronic. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and dual bachelor's degrees from the University of Michigan.

Greenman joined Cerus in 1995 and has served as CEO for over 15 years. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a pre-clinical development company into a commercial enterprise with product sales in over 40 countries. He became president and CEO in April 2011, previously serving as chief business officer.

The Concord, California-based company develops pathogen-protected blood components and technologies for blood centers and hospitals. Its INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma has both CE mark and FDA approval. The company's INTERCEPT red blood cell system is under regulatory review in Europe and in late-stage clinical development in the United States.