George Mclean Milne Jr., Ph.D.
About George Mclean Milne Jr., Ph.D.
Independent, non‑executive Chair of Amylyx’s board; age 81; director since 2015 and Chair since December 2021. Former Executive Vice President, Global R&D and President, Worldwide Strategic & Operations Management at Pfizer; over 30 years in pharma R&D and >20 years as a board member/lead director across biopharma. Education: B.S. in Chemistry (Yale) and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (MIT). Tenure signals continuity and deep R&D oversight experience relevant to Amylyx’s clinical pipeline .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pfizer | EVP, Global R&D; President, Worldwide Strategic & Operations Mgmt; President, Pfizer Central Research; SVP; VP R&D; Executive Director; Director of Immunology & Infectious Disease | 1970–2002; major appointments 1981, 1984–85, 1985–88, 1988, 1993, retired 2002 | Led global human/veterinary R&D; strategic/operations management; broad R&D governance |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaylord Specialty Healthcare | Director | Since 2016 | Non‑profit healthcare; governance oversight |
| New York Botanical Garden | Director | Since 1998 | Non‑profit; long‑standing board service |
| Sea Research Foundation | Director | Since 1995 | Non‑profit; extended tenure |
| Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AUPH) | Director | 2017–2023 | Prior public company board |
| Charles River Laboratories (NYSE: CRL) | Director | 2002–2022 | Prior public company board |
| BioStorage Technologies | Director | 2006–2016 | Prior corporate board |
| MedImmune; Mettler‑Toledo | Director | Not specified | Prior corporate boards |
Board Governance
- Board leadership: Non‑executive Chair; CEO and Chair roles are separated, enhancing oversight independence .
- Independence: Board determined all non‑employee directors (including Milne) are independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules .
- Committee assignments:
- Audit Committee member (chair: Quimi)
- Compensation Committee member (chair: Fonteyne)
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee chair
- Science & Technology Committee member (chair: Zeiher)
- Board/committee activity: Full board met 16 times in 2024; all directors attended at least 75% of board/committee meetings; 6 of 7 directors attended the annual meeting .
- Trading, pledging, hedging: Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging of company stock for directors/officers/employees; insider trading policy filed with the Annual Report .
- Clawback policy: Compensation Recovery Policy adopted Oct 2, 2023 consistent with SEC/Nasdaq rules .
- Related‑party transactions: None >$120,000 involving directors/executives/5% holders since January 1, 2023 (apart from standard compensation/indemnification) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees earned | $115,625 | Reflects chair retainer and committee roles |
| Policy – Board annual retainer (member; chair) | $45,000; $82,500 | Standard cash retainers |
| Policy – Audit Committee (member; chair) | $10,000; $20,000 | Additional cash retainers |
| Policy – Compensation Committee (member; chair) | $7,500; $15,000 | Additional cash retainers |
| Policy – Nominating & Governance (member; chair) | $5,000; $10,000 | Additional cash retainers |
| Policy – Science & Technology (member; chair) | $7,500; $15,000 | Additional cash retainers |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | 2024 Grant/Value | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Option awards – grant date fair value | $27,704 | Annual option grants vest fully by the earlier of 1st anniversary or next annual meeting; all director Initial/Annual awards accelerate upon a sale event per plan |
| Options held at 12/31/2024 | 46,385 exercisable; 25,000 unexercisable | Reflects accumulated annual grants; standard vesting policy |
Note: Director equity awards are time‑based options; no director‑specific performance metrics (e.g., TSR, EBITDA) are disclosed for director compensation .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Role | Overlap with AMLX (potential interlock) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaylord Specialty Healthcare; NY Botanical Garden; Sea Research Foundation | Director | None disclosed | Non‑profit boards |
| Aurinia Pharmaceuticals; Charles River Laboratories; BioStorage; MedImmune; Mettler‑Toledo | Prior Director | None disclosed | Historical service; no related‑party transactions reported at AMLX |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Extensive pharma R&D leadership (Pfizer global R&D executive) and long‑tenured board governance experience across biopharma and life sciences services .
- Scientific credentials (Yale Chemistry B.S.; MIT Organic Chemistry Ph.D.) support oversight of clinical/science strategy as a member of the Science & Technology Committee .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Owned | Options (≤60 days) | Total Beneficial | % of Outstanding | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Mclean Milne Jr., Ph.D. | 830,661 common shares | 71,385 options exercisable within 60 days | 902,046 | 1.0% | Shares outstanding: 89,084,085 (as of 4/11/2025) |
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited by company policy (alignment positive) .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent non‑executive Chair with deep R&D and board governance background; active leadership across audit, compensation, nominating (chair), and science committees, indicating high engagement and board effectiveness .
- Strong attendance and meeting cadence; board met 16x in 2024 and all directors met ≥75% attendance threshold .
- Ownership alignment: ~1.0% beneficial stake including long‑held shares; hedging/pledging prohibited; director equity primarily time‑vested options supporting long‑term focus .
- No related‑party transactions reported; robust clawback and insider trading policies in place .
- Considerations:
- Director compensation mix modest equity component ($27,704 grant‑date fair value in 2024) vs. cash retainers; acceleration on sale events may reduce risk‑bearing but is standard for directors .
- Prior service on multiple life‑sciences boards is historical; continued monitoring warranted for any future interlocks with Amylyx counterparties, though none are disclosed and related‑party screening runs through Audit Committee .
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed: no legal proceedings adverse to the company; no related‑party transactions; attendance above threshold; pledging/hedging prohibited .