AppointmentHagai Dror appointed as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer at Salignostics
Appointment
Hagai Dror appointed as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer at Salignostics
Dror most recently served as the Managing Director of Healthcare Israel, the Ministry of Health's Government to Government (G2G) Health Cooperation Directorate
Hagai Dror, a former senior official at the Israeli Ministry of Health, has been appointed as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer at Jerusalem-based startup Salignostics. Salignostics specializes in the development and supply of rapid tests based on saliva samples for early detection of pregnancy, Covid-19, heart attack, malaria, and other diseases.
Hagai Dror brings extensive experience to the role, having joined the health ministry in 2006 and serving in various positions within the Planning, Budgeting, and Pricing Division. In 2013, he was appointed as the director of planning and budgeting, overseeing all ministry budgets totaling NIS 40 billion.
In 2016, Dror became the Managing Director of Healthcare Israel, the ministry's Government to Government (G2G) Health Cooperation Directorate, where he facilitated international economic ventures benefiting the public health system.
"Hagai Dror is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable healthcare managers in Israel,” said Dr. Guy Krief, co-founder, and Deputy CEO at Salignostics. “His expertise in leading innovation processes on both national and international scales makes him the perfect choice for the role of Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer.”
Founded in 2016 by a team of PhDs from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Salignostics leverages years of scientific research on saliva. The company's founders include Prof. Aharon Palmon, a renowned saliva researcher who also serves as the university's Vice President for R&D, as well as Dr. Omer Deutsch (CEO), Dr. Guy Krief (Deputy CEO), Dr. Raluca Cohen (Chief Scientific Officer), and Dr. Yoav Neumann (Senior Researcher).
To date, Salignostics has raised $20 million, including four grants from the Israel Innovation Authority and RADx program funded by the NIH, and $8 million in Series A funding from a group of private angel investors led by Avigdor Orlinsky. The company employs 13 people at its Jerusalem headquarters and five at its new production plant in the Lavon industrial zone in the Galilee.
