Maykin Ho
AGIOS PHARMACEUTICALSAbout Maykin Ho
Maykin Ho, Ph.D. (age 72 as of April 1, 2025) is an independent director of Agios Pharmaceuticals and has served on the board since June 2015, bringing 30+ years of healthcare and finance experience, including senior roles at Goldman Sachs and operating roles at DuPont-Merck and DuPont . The board determined she is independent under Nasdaq rules and she serves on multiple committees, including Audit and Nominating & Corporate Governance; she is also designated an audit committee financial expert by the board . Dr. Ho earned a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology (SUNY Downstate), completed postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School, and holds a B.S. from SUNY Downstate .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldman Sachs | Advisory Director, Global Healthcare Investment Banking; Partner & Co‑Head, Healthcare Investment Research; Senior Biotechnology Research Analyst | 1992–2015 | Leadership in healthcare research and banking; partner-level responsibilities |
| DuPont‑Merck Pharmaceuticals | Licensing, Strategic Planning, Marketing, Research (managerial roles) | Pre‑1992 | Cross-functional operating experience in pharma |
| DuPont de Nemours & Company | Managerial roles | Pre‑1992 | Corporate operating experience |
| Harvard Medical School (Pathology) | Postdoctoral Fellow | Prior to industry roles | Academic research credentials |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Committee Positions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | Director | Audit; Science & Technology | Public biopharma |
| Fibrogen, Inc. | Director | — | Public biotech |
| Neumora Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | Audit; Nominating & Governance | Public biotech |
| Parexel International | Director | Audit | Private global pharma services |
| Qiming Venture Partners | Venture Partner | — | Venture capital (China/HK) |
| Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center | Director | Audit; Investment | Non‑profit research |
| Institute for Protein Innovation | Director | Audit; Investment | Non‑profit research |
| The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong | Biotech Advisory Panel Member | — | Market advisory role |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments (AGIO): Audit Committee member (Capello chair); Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member (Foster chair); audit committee financial expert designation by the board .
- Independence: Independent director; committee compositions comply with SEC and Nasdaq independence standards .
- Attendance and engagement: In FY2024, the board met 7 times, Audit met 8 times, Nominating & Corporate Governance met 3 times; each then‑serving director attended ≥75% of board and applicable committee meetings .
- Board leadership: Chair is Jacqualyn Fouse (not independent); Lead Independent Director is Kaye Foster, who chairs executive sessions of independent directors and facilitates governance matters .
- Governance framework: Corporate governance guidelines, code of conduct, and posted committee charters; independent director executive sessions occur regularly .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Fees ($) | Components (Illustrative) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 65,000 | Board retainer $50,000 + Audit member $10,000 + Nominating & Governance member $5,000 |
- Non‑employee director cash/equity policy (effective Jan 1, 2025): Annual cash retainer $50,000; chair +$35,000; lead independent +$30,000; committee chairs/members: Audit $20,000/$10,000; Compensation & People $17,500/$8,750; Nominating & Governance $10,000/$5,000; Science & Technology $15,000/$7,500; annual equity grants valued at $400,000 (approx. 75% options, 25% RSUs) with initial grants at $630,000 for new directors .
- Vesting terms (directors): Annual options/RSUs vest 100% on the first anniversary of grant; initial options vest 25% at year 1 then monthly through year 4; initial RSUs vest one‑third per year .
Performance Compensation
| Year | Option Awards ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Shares/Grants | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 266,287 | 89,994 | Options: 11,774 sh; RSUs: 2,120 sh | Both vest in full on June 20, 2025 |
- Structure: Director equity is primarily time‑based (options and RSUs) under the non‑employee director policy; no director‑level performance metrics disclosed for equity vesting .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public boards: BioMarin (Audit; Science & Tech), Fibrogen, Neumora (Audit; Nominating & Governance) .
- Private/Non‑profit/Advisory roles: Parexel (Audit), Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (Audit; Investment), Institute for Protein Innovation (Audit; Investment), HKEX Biotech Advisory Panel .
- Interlocks/conflicts: AGIO discloses no related‑party transactions since Jan 1, 2024, and the Audit Committee reviews/approves any related‑party matters per written policy .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit committee financial expert designation by AGIO’s board, reflecting finance and accounting oversight capability; breadth across investment research and banking enhances board effectiveness on capital markets and strategic matters .
- Deep domain expertise in biotechnology/healthcare from analyst and operating roles, plus academic research credentials (Ph.D.; Harvard postdoc) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shares of Common Stock Owned | 14,912 | As of March 31, 2025 |
| Options/Other Rights Exercisable within 60 Days | 117,118 | Counted in beneficial ownership |
| Total Beneficial Ownership (sh) | 132,030 | <1% of shares outstanding |
| RSUs Outstanding (12/31/2024) | 2,120 | Granted for 2024 board service |
| Options Outstanding (12/31/2024) | 128,892 | Aggregate outstanding options |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited | Insider trading policy bans hedging and, with limited exceptions, pledging/margin |
| Ownership Guidelines | In compliance | Directors must hold ≥3x annual cash retainer; all directors compliant as of Mar 31, 2025 (phase‑in exceptions noted for others) |
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independence affirmed; dual committee service (Audit; Nominating & Governance) supports oversight breadth .
- Audit financial expert designation plus prior finance/biotech experience strengthens financial reporting, risk, and strategic oversight; signed Audit Committee report indicates active engagement .
- Attendance thresholds met at board/committee level and regular executive sessions of independent directors support board effectiveness .
- Alignment: Director ownership guidelines met; hedging/pledging prohibited; no related‑party transactions disclosed .
- Shareholder signals: 94% say‑on‑pay support in 2024 suggests positive investor sentiment on compensation governance .
-
Risks/Watch‑Items:
- Multiple external board and venture roles can introduce time‑commitment constraints; however, no related‑party transactions were disclosed with AGIO, and committee independence standards are satisfied .
- Director equity awards increased in 2025 (to $400k annual value) and certain cash retainers rose to align with market medians; monitor for pay escalation vs. performance linkage, even though director grants are time‑based .
-
Overall:
- No apparent red flags from latest proxy: independence, attendance, ownership policy compliance, and absence of related‑party transactions reinforce investor confidence .
- Continued focus on committee workload and external commitments advisable in ongoing governance monitoring .