Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Under the rules of Nasdaq, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of that company’s board of directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.
To be considered to be independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3 and under the rules of Nasdaq, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors or any other board committee: (1) accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or (2) be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries.
To be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10C-1 and under the rules of Nasdaq, the board of directors must affirmatively determine that each member of the compensation committee is independent, including a consideration of all factors specifically relevant to determining whether the director has a relationship to the company which is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, including, but not limited to: (i) the source of compensation of such director, including any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee paid by the company to such director and (ii) whether such director is affiliated with the company, a subsidiary of the company or an affiliate of a subsidiary of the company.
Our board of directors undertook a review of its composition, the composition of its committees and the independence of our directors and considered whether any director has a material relationship with us that could compromise his or her ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, including family relationships, our board of directors has determined that each of Charles M. Baum, M.D., Ph.D., Kirsten Flowers, Carol Gallagher, Pharm.D., Richard Heyman, Ph.D., Laurie Stelzer, and Arnold Levine, Ph.D., representing six of our seven directors, do not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these directors is “independent” as that term is defined under the rules of Nasdaq. Dr. Mack is not an independent director because he is our President and Chief Executive Officer.
In making these determinations, our board of directors considered the current and prior relationships that each non-employee director has with our company and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director, and the transactions involving them. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
Board Leadership Structure
Our board of directors is currently chaired by Richard Heyman, Ph.D. Dr. Heyman’s term of office will expire at the Annual Meeting, and Laurie Stelzer will succeed Dr. Heyman as the chairperson of our board of directors. As a general policy, our board of directors believes that separation of the positions of chairperson of our board of directors and Chief Executive Officer reinforces the independence of our board of directors from management, creates an environment that encourages objective oversight of management’s performance and enhances the effectiveness of our board of directors as a whole. As such, David H. Mack, Ph.D. serves as our Chief Executive Officer while Dr. Heyman has served as the chairperson of our board of directors, but is not an officer. In addition, Ms. Stelzer, who is not an officer, will serve as the chairperson of our board of directors effective immediately following the Annual Meeting. We currently expect and intend the positions of chairperson of our board of directors and Chief Executive Officer to continue to be held by two individuals in the future. We believe that our board leadership structure is appropriate for our Company, particularly where we have a majority of independent directors who are all actively involved in meetings of the board of directors and its committees, which include active engagement with management for oversight of our key risk areas. In addition, our board of directors, including our leadership, is comprised of individuals who have expertise in research, product and clinical development, finance, accounting, commercialization, corporate development and general management of other biopharmaceutical companies.
Board Committees and Meetings
Our board of directors has established an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. The composition and responsibilities of each committee are described below.