BJ Jones
About BJ Jones
William (BJ) Jones, Jr., age 61, is a Class I independent director of Annexon, Inc. (ANNX), appointed January 9, 2025, with a term continuing until the 2027 annual meeting; he currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer at NewAmsterdam Pharma Company N.V. and brings extensive commercial launch expertise across biopharma brands and markets . His education includes a B.S. in human factors engineering (U.S. Air Force Academy), an M.S. in industrial engineering (Texas A&M), and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Holding Company Ltd. | Chief Commercial Officer, Migraine & Common Diseases | Apr 2019 – Dec 2022 | Built commercial capability and launched first FDA-approved product (Nurtec ODT) |
| Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | Vice President, Head of Sales & Commercial Operations (General Medicine BU) | Jan 2016 – Mar 2019 | Led sales/commercial operations for general medicine |
| AstraZeneca; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Boehringer-Ingelheim; NitroMed | Senior commercial leadership roles | Not disclosed | Led major mass-market product launches (e.g., Abilify, Farxiga, Pradaxa, BiDil, Excedrin Migraine) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NewAmsterdam Pharma Company N.V. | Chief Commercial Officer | Aug 2023 | Leads marketing, market access, sales, medical science engagement, and operations |
| Akili, Inc. | Director | Not disclosed | Public digital medicine company |
| Apogee Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | Not disclosed | Public biopharmaceutical company |
Board Governance
- Independence: Annexon’s Board determined all directors other than the CEO (Douglas Love) are independent under Nasdaq rules; Jones is independent .
- Board class/term: Class I director, term continuing until the 2027 annual meeting .
- Committee assignments: At appointment, Jones did not initially serve on any Board committees . 2024 committee composition listed below for context (Jones joined in 2025):
- Audit Committee: Chair William D. Waddill; members Muneer A. Satter, Bettina M. Cockroft; met 4 times in 2024 .
- Compensation Committee: Chair Jung E. Choi; members Thomas G. Wiggans, William H. Carson; met 4 times in 2024 .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance: Chair Muneer A. Satter; members William D. Waddill, Thomas G. Wiggans; met 2 times in 2024 .
- Science & Technology: Chair William H. Carson; members Bettina M. Cockroft, Jung E. Choi; met 5 times in 2024 .
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board met 6 times; each Board member attended ≥85% of meetings, and independent directors met in regular executive sessions .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount ($) | Eligibility/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board retainer (non-employee director) | 40,000 | Program disclosed in 8-K at Jones’s appointment |
| Annual Board retainer (non-employee director) | 40,000 | Confirmed in Amended Program (Apr 2025) |
| Non-executive Chair additional retainer | 35,000 | For Chair of the Board |
| Audit Committee chair/member | 20,000 / 10,000 | Annual cash compensation |
| Compensation Committee chair/member | 12,000 / 6,000 | Annual cash compensation |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance chair/member | 10,000 / 5,000 | Annual cash compensation |
| Science & Technology chair/member | 12,000 / 6,000 | Annual cash compensation |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Shares/Structure | Vesting | Change-of-Control Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Option Grant (at Jones appointment) | 88,000 shares | Equal monthly installments over 3 years from grant date | Not specified in 8-K |
| Annual Option Grant (legacy terms at appointment) | 44,000 shares (each annual meeting) | Vests on earlier of first anniversary or next annual meeting | Not specified in 8-K |
| Initial Option Grant (Amended Program, Apr 2025) | 110,000 shares | Equal monthly installments over 3 years; subject to continued service | Vests in full upon change in control |
| Annual Option Grant (Amended Program, Apr 2025) | 55,000 shares (each annual meeting) | Vests by earlier of first anniversary or next annual meeting | Vests in full upon change in control |
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | None disclosed | N/A | N/A |
| Anti-hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors under insider trading policy | N/A | N/A |
| Clawback policy | Adopted Nov 2023 per Dodd-Frank/Nasdaq rules | Applies per policy | N/A |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Akili, Inc. | Director | No related-person transactions disclosed at appointment |
| Apogee Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | No related-person transactions disclosed at appointment |
| NewAmsterdam Pharma Company N.V. | Chief Commercial Officer | Executive role at another public biopharma; independence affirmed by Annexon |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Three decades of commercial leadership across large pharma and biotech; led mass-market product launches for brands including Nurtec ODT, Abilify, Farxiga, Pradaxa, BiDil, Excedrin Migraine .
- Current CCO experience overseeing end-to-end commercial and medical affairs functions (marketing, market access, sales, medical science engagement, operations) .
- Educational background spans engineering and business (USAFA B.S.; Texas A&M M.S.; Stanford GSB M.B.A.) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | Percent of Shares Outstanding | Vested vs. Unvested Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| William (BJ) Jones, Jr. | 9,777 (options exercisable within 60 days of Mar 31, 2025) | * (<1%) | Initial option grant vests monthly over 3 years; remaining unexercisable portion not disclosed |
- Beneficial ownership percent marked “*” indicates less than 1% as presented in Annexon’s proxy .
- Non-employee directors held no stock awards as of December 31, 2024; compensation was via cash fees and options .
- Insider trading policy prohibits hedging and pledging of company securities by directors .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and independence: Jones is affirmatively independent under Nasdaq rules; no family relationships or related-person transactions disclosed at appointment, and he entered the standard director indemnification agreement .
- Committee engagement: As a new director, Jones had no initial committee assignments; 2024 committees were active with defined charters and regular meetings. Monitoring future committee placement will be key to assessing governance impact .
- Alignment and incentives: Director pay emphasizes at-risk equity via options with change-in-control acceleration; cash retainer is modest. Anti-hedging/pledging and clawback policy strengthen alignment and governance controls .
- Shareholder signals: 2025 say-on-pay passed with 79,754,521 for, 3,796,829 against, 3,296,805 abstain—indicating broad support for compensation practices (though focused on executives) .
- Potential risk indicators to monitor: Multiple external commitments (CCO at NewAmsterdam and two public boards) may elevate time-commitment considerations; attendance metrics specific to Jones are not yet disclosed given his 2025 appointment . No related-party transactions involving Jones were reported .
- Strategic value: Jones’s commercial launch credentials align with Annexon’s stated near-term commercialization objectives for ANX005 (GBS) and ANX007 (geographic atrophy), potentially enhancing board effectiveness in go-to-market oversight .