Raymond Sanchez
About Raymond Sanchez
Raymond (Ramiro) Sanchez, M.D., age 64, was appointed as an independent director of Alto Neuroscience (ANRO) on August 12, 2025, serving as a Class II director with a term expiring at the 2026 Annual Meeting; the Board determined he meets NYSE independence standards . He brings 20+ years of life sciences leadership, currently serving as Senior Advisor at Bain Capital Life Sciences (since September 2024) and director at Rapport Therapeutics (since November 2024), following prior CMO roles at Cerevel Therapeutics and Avanir and senior clinical leadership at Otsuka . Dr. Sanchez trained in psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine (Chief Resident, fellow, instructor) and holds a B.A. in Psychology and M.D. from Northwestern University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerevel Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. | Chief Medical Officer | Jan 2019 – Aug 2024 | Oversaw medical strategy; tenure concluded upon AbbVie acquisition |
| Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. | Sr. VP, Global Clinical Development (and prior roles) | Nov 2013 – Jan 2019 | Led global clinical development |
| Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Chief Medical Officer (concurrent) | Jun 2018 – Jan 2019 | Role concurrent with Otsuka tenure |
| International Society for CNS Drug Development | Executive Co-Chair | Nov 2017 – Jan 2022 | Industry governance role |
| Yale School of Medicine | Chief Resident, Fellow, Instructor (Psychiatry) | Pre-industry | Academic clinical training and teaching |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bain Capital Life Sciences | Senior Advisor | Sep 2024 – Present | Global investment firm; advisory role |
| Rapport Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RAPP) | Director | Nov 2024 – Present | Public biotech board |
| Various privately held biotechnology companies | Director | Not disclosed | Additional private boards (names not disclosed) |
Board Governance
- Appointment and Class: Appointed August 12, 2025; Class II; term expires 2026 Annual Meeting .
- Independence: Determined independent under NYSE and SEC rules .
- Committee Assignments (current as of Aug 12, 2025): Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (NCGC); Board reconstituted on same date to balance classes .
- Board Leadership: CEO Amit Etkin is Chair; Christopher Nixon Cox is Lead Independent Director with responsibilities for executive sessions and agendas .
| Director | Audit Committee | Compensation & Management Development | Nominating & Corporate Governance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Husseini Manji | Chair | ||
| Christopher Nixon Cox | Member | Chair | Member |
| Gwill York | Chair | Member | |
| Andrew Dreyfus | Member | Member | |
| Raymond Sanchez | Member |
- Board Attendance: FY2024 Board met 11 times; all then-directors attended ≥75% of meetings (pre-dates Sanchez’s tenure) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Payment Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Board Cash Retainer | $40,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears; pro-rated for partial quarters | Eligible to elect options in lieu of cash |
| NCGC Member Retainer | $5,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears; pro-rated | Additional fees apply if appointed to other committees |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Size / Value | Grant Timing | Vesting / Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Non-Employee Director Stock Option | 30,574 shares | On appointment (Aug 12, 2025) | Vests in equal monthly installments over 3 years; 10-year term |
| Annual Non-Employee Director Stock Option | 15,287 shares | Each Annual Meeting (starting 2026) | Vests on earlier of 1-year anniversary or next Annual Meeting; 10-year term |
| Amended Policy (Nov 11, 2025) – Initial Grant | Lesser of 48,200 shares or $400,000 Black-Scholes value | Upon first election/appointment after Effective Date | Vests monthly over 3 years; accelerates on change in control |
| Amended Policy (Nov 11, 2025) – Annual Grant | Lesser of 24,100 shares or $200,000 Black-Scholes value | Each Annual Meeting after Effective Date | Vests by next Annual Meeting or 1-year; accelerates on change in control |
- Indemnification: Company standard indemnification agreement entered at appointment .
- Clawbacks and Hedging/Pledging: Company maintains Dodd-Frank compliant incentive clawback policy and prohibits hedging, short-selling, derivative transactions, margin accounts, and pledging of shares .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Industry Link to ANRO | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Rapport Therapeutics (RAPP) | Neuro/biotech adjacent | No related-party transactions with ANRO disclosed under Item 404(a) |
| Bain Capital Life Sciences | Investor/advisory | No related-party transactions with ANRO disclosed |
The Company reported no related-party transactions involving Dr. Sanchez requiring Item 404(a) disclosure .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep CNS drug development leadership across big pharma and biotech; prior executive co-chair of ISCDD .
- Psychiatry-trained clinician with academic leadership at Yale; Northwestern BA (Psychology) and MD .
- Governance experience on public and private biotech boards; Senior Advisor to a leading life sciences investment firm .
Equity Ownership
| Instrument | Quantity | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Director Option | 30,574 shares | Unvested; time-based monthly vesting over 3 years | Granted per policy at appointment; 10-year term |
| Annual Director Option (2026 expected) | 15,287 shares | Not yet granted (timed to Annual Meeting) | Vests by next Annual Meeting or 1-year |
| Section 16 Filings Setup | N/A | Power of Attorney executed | POA for Forms 3/4/5 signed July 10, 2025 |
Beneficial ownership totals (shares owned, options exercisable) were not disclosed in available filings at appointment; Form 3 holdings were not located in the searched documents .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; immediate engagement via NCGC membership; complementary CNS clinical expertise to ANRO’s precision psychiatry strategy; no Item 404(a) related-party transactions disclosed .
- Alignment: Director pay mix combines modest cash retainers with time-based stock options; ability to elect options in lieu of cash increases equity alignment; hedging and pledging prohibited, supporting investor alignment .
- Oversight Signals: Committee structure places Sanchez within governance pipeline while Audit and Compensation remain chaired by seasoned directors; Manji chairs NCGC, with Cox as Lead Independent Director, suggesting robust independent oversight .
- Watch Items: November 2025 amendment increased share caps for director option grants (with Black-Scholes value limits), which warrants monitoring for pay escalation optics though value-capped; ensure continued linkage to market norms and independence of compensation decisions .
RED FLAGS: None identified in available filings (no conflicts, related-party transactions, or attendance issues disclosed for Sanchez) .