Laura Benjamin

About Laura E. Benjamin

Laura E. Benjamin, Ph.D., is an independent Class II director of Allarity Therapeutics, Inc., serving on the Board since 2023. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer and President of BioHybrid Solutions (private), holds a B.A. in Biology from Barnard College (Columbia University) and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. The company discloses her age as 59, with prior leadership roles spanning biotech operating positions and academic research, supporting her board qualifications in life sciences operations and translational oncology .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Board class/tenure: Class II director; term runs to the 2027 annual meeting; Director since 2023 .
• Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO (Thomas Jensen) are independent under Nasdaq rules; Dr. Benjamin is listed as independent .
• Committees and chairs (2025 proxy):
  • Audit Committee: Member (Chair: Joseph W. Vazzano, Audit Committee Financial Expert) .
  • Compensation Committee: Member (Chair: Gerald W. McLaughlin) .
  • Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: Member (Chair: Gerald W. McLaughlin) .
• Meetings and attendance signals (FY 2024): Board met 4 times; Audit met 4; Compensation met 1; Nominating & Governance held no meetings. All four current directors attended the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders. Dr. Benjamin is listed among signatories to the Audit Committee Report, indicating active participation .
• Recent board/committee changes: On June 10, 2025, Jesper Høiland was appointed as a director (effective June 30, 2025) and as a member of the Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees, following the resignation of Joseph W. Vazzano effective June 30, 2025 .

Fixed Compensation

• Program structure (non-employee directors): Annual retainer $50,000; incremental fees: Chair/member—Audit ($15,000/$7,500), Compensation ($10,000/$5,000), Nominating & Governance ($8,000/$4,000); annual fees may be paid in cash or equity at director’s option .
• Dr. Benjamin’s 2024 compensation (actual): As a member of all three committees (non-chair), her cash fees totaled $66,500 with no stock awards; aligns to $50,000 base plus $7,500 (Audit member) + $5,000 (Comp member) + $4,000 (N&G member) = $66,500 .

Fee schedule for reference:

Performance Compensation

• Equity awards: No stock options granted to non-employee directors in 2024; all outstanding options were forfeited in December 2024. The program contemplates that new directors may receive an initial stock option grant (25,000 shares) subject to 12-month vesting and 10-year term, at Board discretion, but this was not utilized for 2024 awards and prior outstanding options were forfeited .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

• Public company directorships: The company’s biographical disclosures list prior executive and academic roles but do not disclose any current public company directorships for Dr. Benjamin; none are listed among “other publicly traded companies” served in the past five years for her biography .
• Interlocks/related roles: No disclosed interlocks with ALLR competitors, suppliers, or customers via Dr. Benjamin’s roles; no related-person transactions identified involving Dr. Benjamin .

Expertise & Qualifications

• Domain expertise: Biotechnology executive leadership (CEO roles), oncology discovery and translational research, precision medicine/AI-driven diagnostics; academic credentials and experience at Harvard Medical School .
• Financial governance: Serves on Audit Committee; Board affirms all Audit members (including Dr. Benjamin) meet Nasdaq and SEC independence standards and can read and understand fundamental financial statements .

Equity Ownership

• Beneficial ownership at Record Date (2025 proxy): “None of our directors or executive officers beneficially owned any shares” as of the Record Date; table lists Dr. Benjamin with “—” shares and “—” % .
• Section 16 compliance: Company states all required Section 16(a) reports for 2024 were timely filed .

Base for calculation: 17,075,338 shares outstanding at the Record Date; however, directors, including Dr. Benjamin, held no shares per the proxy .

Governance Assessment

• Strengths

  • Full independence with membership across all three key committees (Audit, Compensation, Nominating & Governance), supporting board effectiveness and oversight breadth .
  • Deep biopharmaceutical operating and translational oncology experience aligned to company strategy; advanced academic and industry credentials bolster R&D oversight .
  • Active committee engagement indicated by inclusion among Audit Committee Report signatories for FY 2024 and attendance at the 2024 annual meeting .

• Cautions / Potential RED FLAGS

  • Alignment risk: No beneficial ownership reported for any director, including Dr. Benjamin, at the 2025 proxy Record Date—signals limited “skin in the game” for board members unless subsequently updated; directors’ equity awards were not granted in 2024 and prior options were forfeited in December 2024 .
  • Committee activity variance: Nominating & Governance Committee held no meetings in FY 2024, which may reflect the company’s stage but still indicates limited formal activity in that area for the year .

• Related-Party & Conflicts

  • The company’s related-party transactions section details financing transactions primarily with 3i, LP; no related-person transactions involving Dr. Benjamin are disclosed, and the Board affirmed her independence under Nasdaq standards .

• Say-on-Pay / Shareholder Feedback

  • As an Emerging Growth Company, Allarity is exempt from certain Dodd-Frank executive compensation requirements, including the nonbinding say-on-pay vote, limiting direct shareholder feedback on compensation .

• Recent Board Changes

  • Post-FY 2024 changes include the appointment of Jesper Høiland to the Board and all three committees (effective June 30, 2025), which may rebalance committee workloads and expertise following the resignation of Joseph Vazzano; no adverse implications disclosed .

Overall: Dr. Benjamin contributes significant domain expertise and independent oversight across all three core committees. The absence of director share ownership and the forfeiture of prior options in 2024 reduce alignment signaling; investors may watch for future equity participation and committee activity (especially N&G) as indicators of governance engagement and long-term alignment .