Christopher I. Wright
AlkermesAbout Christopher I. Wright
Christopher I. Wright, M.D., Ph.D., age 59, has served as an independent director of Alkermes plc since May 2022. He is currently Chief Medical Officer and Head of Translational Research at Ring Therapeutics (since February 2023). Dr. Wright holds an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University, an M.D. in Medicine and Neuroscience and an MMSc. in Clinical Investigation from Harvard Medical School, and a Ph.D. in Neuroanatomy from Vrije Universiteit. His background spans senior development leadership roles across public and private biopharma and two decades as a practicing neurologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, providing deep CNS and drug development expertise to the board.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| AavantiBio, Inc. | SVP, Chief Medical Officer | May 2021 – Dec 2022 (acquired by Solid Biosciences) | Led precision gene therapy development programs |
| Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. (public) | SVP, Chief Medical Officer | Apr 2019 – Mar 2021 | Led global development; previously Scientific Advisor (prior service) |
| Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (public) | SVP, Chief Development Officer | Mar 2017 – Apr 2019 | Oversaw global development functions |
| Axcella Health Inc. | SVP, Chief Medical Officer | Prior to 2017 (dates not specified) | Clinical development leadership |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (public) | SVP, Global Medicines Development & Affairs | Prior to Axcella (dates not specified) | Led global development functions |
| Harvard Medical School / Brigham & Women’s Hospital | Associate Professor of Neurology / Practicing Neurologist | ~20 years (dates not specified) | Academic leadership and patient care |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Medical Officer; Head of Translational Research | Since Feb 2023 | Gene therapy platform company focused on commensal virome |
| Public company boards (other than ALKS) | — | — | None |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments (2024): Compensation Committee (member; 9 meetings) and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (member; 4 meetings). Both committees comprised 100% independent directors under Nasdaq rules.
- Independence: The Board determined all non-CEO directors (including Dr. Wright) are independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules; no family relationships.
- Attendance: In 2024, each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate meetings of the Board and committees on which they served; executive sessions of non-employee directors were held after each regularly scheduled Board meeting.
- Election results (2025 AGM): Votes for Dr. Wright 140,630,049; against 4,543,496; abstain 937,313; broker non-votes 8,347,962.
- Other public company directorships: None (reduces overboarding risk).
- Governance practices relevant to directors: Prohibition on hedging and pledging; director ownership and holding guidelines; annual self-assessments; regular executive sessions.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount / Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash (2024) | $100,170 | Actual cash paid for 2024 service (retainers and any applicable meeting-related amounts) |
| Board annual cash retainer | $74,000 | Includes first five regularly-scheduled Board meetings; $3,500 per meeting above five |
| Compensation Committee member retainer | $15,000 | Dr. Wright served as a member in 2024 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member retainer | $12,000 | Dr. Wright served as a member in 2024 |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant-Date Valuation | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Stock Units (Annual Grant) | May 31, 2024 | 8,013 RSUs | $23.40 per share (ASC 718) | Vest in full on the one-year anniversary; since May 2024, acceleration upon death or permanent disability |
| Stock Options (Annual Grant) | May 31, 2024 | 17,492 options | $10.72 per option (Black-Scholes) | Vest in full on the one-year anniversary; expire earlier of 10 years from grant or three years post-service; since May 2024, acceleration upon death or permanent disability |
| 2024 Director Equity Mix/Values | 50% RSUs / 50% options | Target annual equity value $375,000; New Director Grant value $562,500 (unchanged since 2018) | Methodology uses grant-date closing price and Black-Scholes; rounding to nearest whole share | Applies to all non-employee directors; no performance metrics for director equity |
- 2024 Director Compensation (total mix): For Dr. Wright, Stock Awards $187,504 and Option Awards $187,490; Total $475,164.
- No director performance metrics (e.g., TSR/EBITDA) are used for non-employee director equity; grants are time-based as outlined.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current outside public company boards | None |
| Compensation Committee interlocks | None; no member was an officer/employee; no related-party relationships requiring disclosure; no executive officer cross-directorships with entities whose executives served on ALKS’s Comp Committee or Board in 2024 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep neuroscience and CNS drug development expertise from senior roles at Vertex, Ironwood/Cyclerion, and Axcella; seasoned clinical leader and former academic neurologist (Harvard/BWH, ~20 years).
- Board benefits from his experience overseeing global development, regulatory affairs, clinical operations, pharmaceutical development, and securing approvals for new therapies.
Equity Ownership
| Measure (as of Record Date noted in proxy) | Shares | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Issued Ordinary Shares (beneficially owned) | 14,416 | — (less than 1%) |
| Ordinary Shares Issuable within 60 days (options/RSUs) | 37,584 | — |
| Total Beneficial Ownership | 52,000 | <1% of 164,836,227 shares outstanding |
| Outstanding RSUs (12/31/2024) | 11,314 | — |
| Outstanding Options (12/31/2024) | 61,119 | — |
- Director ownership guideline: 3x annual cash retainer; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee monitors compliance; as of Jan 2, 2025, all directors and officers were in compliance.
- Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging by directors.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent director with no outside public company boards, reducing overboarding and conflict risk.
- Active committee engagement (Comp: 9 meetings; Nominating & Governance: 4 meetings).
- Strong shareholder support in 2025 director election (For 140.6M vs Against 4.5M).
- Director equity program aligns with shareholders via annual time-based RSUs and options; robust ownership guidelines with confirmed compliance; prohibition on hedging/pledging.
- Potential risks/considerations:
- Senior operating role at Ring Therapeutics requires ongoing time commitment; however, ALKS employs a robust overboarding policy and Wright holds zero other public boards, mitigating risk.
- No Compensation Committee interlocks or related-party transactions disclosed for committee members (including Wright), which reduces conflict concerns.
Overall signal: Wright brings differentiated CNS and clinical development expertise, maintains independence, and demonstrates engagement and alignment (ownership compliance, equity mix). No material governance red flags identified in the latest proxy/AGM records.