Alan Colowick
About Alan B. Colowick
Alan B. Colowick, M.D., M.P.H., age 63, has served on the Alumis Inc. (ALMS) Board since December 2021 and is an independent director under Nasdaq rules. He chairs the Compensation Committee and serves on the Audit Committee. Dr. Colowick is Senior Managing Director of Matrix Capital Management (affiliate of AyurMaya Capital) and previously held senior operating roles at Celgene (EVP), Gloucester Pharmaceuticals (CEO), Geron (President, Oncology), Threshold (CMO) and Amgen; he trained in Hematology-Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s. He holds an M.D. from Stanford, an M.P.H. from Harvard, and a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Colorado .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matrix Capital Management Company | Senior Managing Director | Apr 2021 – present | Senior investment leadership at affiliate of AyurMaya Capital |
| Sofinnova Ventures | Private Equity Partner | May 2017 – Jan 2021 | Investment leadership |
| Celgene Corporation | Executive Vice President | 2010 – 2017 | Executive leadership; strategic/operational oversight |
| Gloucester Pharmaceuticals | Chief Executive Officer | 2008 – 2010 | Led company until acquisition by Celgene (2010) |
| Geron Corporation | President, Oncology | 2006 – 2008 | Business unit leadership |
| Threshold Pharmaceuticals | Chief Medical Officer | 2005 – 2006 | R&D leadership |
| Amgen Inc. | Various positions | 1999 – 2005 | Commercial/clinical leadership roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACELYRIN, Inc. (public) | Director | Nov 2021 – May 2025 | Prior public company directorship; ended May 2025 |
| Multiple private companies | Director | Ongoing | Currently serves on boards of multiple private companies (not individually named) |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board has determined all directors other than the CEO are independent under Nasdaq rules; committee members (including Dr. Colowick) meet independence standards .
- Committees and roles (2024 activity shown):
- Compensation Committee – Chair; 7 meetings in 2024 .
- Audit Committee – Member; 3 meetings in 2024 (Audit Chair is Patrick Machado; Machado designated audit committee financial expert) .
- Governance Committee – Not a member; 0 meetings in 2024 .
- Attendance: Board met 12 times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings for their service period .
- Leadership structure: CEO also serves as Chair; Lead Independent Director role established (Sapna Srivastava, appointed June 2025) to balance combined Chair/CEO .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors met in executive session four times in fiscal 2024 .
- Board/Committee evaluations: Board and each committee conduct annual self-evaluations; 2024 conclusion was that the Board and committees are operating effectively .
Fixed Compensation
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Director Fees (Actual) | $0 | Dr. Colowick voluntarily waived all compensation for Board service in 2024 . |
| 2025 Policy – Annual Board Retainer | $40,000 | Applicable to all non-employee directors; +$30,000 if Non-Executive Chair (not applicable to him) . |
| 2025 Policy – Committee Member Retainers | Audit: $10,000; Compensation: $7,500; Governance: $5,000 | Per committee membership . |
| 2025 Policy – Committee Chair Retainers (in lieu of member fee) | Audit Chair: $20,000; Compensation Chair: $15,000; Governance Chair: $10,000 | He is Compensation Committee Chair (policy amount $15,000) . |
Clawback policy adopted June 2024 (Dodd-Frank compliant) applies to incentive compensation .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | Grant Size | Vesting | 2024 Actual for Colowick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial option grant (policy) | 52,000 shares | Vests monthly over 3 years; accelerates on change in control (as defined) | — (no 2024 grant shown) |
| Annual option grant (policy) | 26,000 shares | Vests by next annual meeting or 1 year (earlier) | — (no 2024 grant shown) |
- 2024 non-employee director equity: Dr. Colowick had $0 in option awards; table shows grants only to certain other directors in 2024 .
- Director equity awards are time-based under the policy; no disclosed performance metrics for director equity .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Major holder affiliations on Board | James B. Tananbaum (Foresite Capital founder) is a director; entities affiliated with Foresite own >5% . |
| Dr. Colowick’s major holder affiliation | Senior Managing Director at Matrix Capital, affiliate of AyurMaya Capital (15.8% holder) . |
| Voting/Support Agreements | In connection with the ACELYRIN merger (signed Feb 6, 2025), entities affiliated with Foresite, AyurMaya, Samsara, and CEO Martin Babler (collectively ~62% at signing) agreed to vote in favor, indicating coordinated major-holder support . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: M.D. (Stanford), M.P.H. (Harvard), B.S. Molecular Biology (University of Colorado); Hematology-Oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s .
- Industry/Functional: Extensive biopharma operating leadership (CEO, EVP, CMO) and investment experience; current role at Matrix Capital; Board cites his financial understanding of the biotechnology industry .
- Committee leadership: Chairs Compensation Committee; serves on Audit Committee (Audit Chair and financial expert designation held by Patrick Machado) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder/Capacity | Shares | % of Voting Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Colowick Trust (personal/trust) | 18,404 | — | Shares held by The Colowick Trust; Dr. Colowick is trustee . |
| AyurMaya Capital Management Fund, LP (affiliate) | 15,139,707 | 15.8% | Dr. Colowick, as Senior Managing Director at Matrix (affiliate), may be deemed to share voting/dispositive power over these shares . |
| Total beneficial ownership (SEC definition) | 15,158,111 | 15.8% | Aggregates personal/trust plus deemed beneficial via AyurMaya . |
- Insider policy prohibits hedging, pledging, and holding in margin accounts, reducing alignment risk from collateralization; no pledging disclosed for Dr. Colowick .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths
- Independent status affirmed by Board; serves as Chair of Compensation and member of Audit, concentrating governance oversight with an experienced operator-investor .
- Board process rigor: annual Board and committee self-evaluations judged effective for 2024; regular executive sessions of independent directors; attendance ≥75% for all directors, 12 Board meetings in 2024 .
- Risk controls: Dodd-Frank/Nasdaq-compliant clawback adopted (June 2024); strict insider trading policy bans hedging/pledging .
- Related-party oversight: Audit Committee reviews related-person transactions; formal policy requires approval and director recusal where applicable .
-
Risks/Red Flags
- Significant ownership/interlock: Dr. Colowick is affiliated with a 15.8% holder (AyurMaya) and may be deemed to share voting/dispositive power; major-holders (AyurMaya, Foresite, Samsara) also entered voting/support agreements for the ACELYRIN merger. While the Board deems him independent, concentrated influence by investor-affiliated directors can raise perceived conflicts and control concerns for minority holders .
- Related-party capital flows: AyurMaya purchased $40M in a concurrent private placement at IPO pricing; AyurMaya, Foresite, Samsara participated in prior preferred financings. Though common in biotech, repeated transactions with affiliated holders warrant continued scrutiny of process and pricing fairness by the Audit Committee .
- Option repricing (March 2024): The Compensation Committee approved an option repricing (including awards held by Board members). Repricings can be viewed as shareholder-unfriendly absent clear performance rationales; continued transparency around rationale and alignment is important for investor confidence .
Overall: Dr. Colowick brings deep sector and capital markets expertise and chairs a key committee, with strong attendance and established risk controls. The primary governance risk is perceived influence due to affiliations with a major shareholder that has been active in financing and M&A-related voting agreements; mitigants include formal related-party review policies and committee independence .