Pierre Kyme
Armata PharmaceuticalsAbout Pierre Kyme
Pierre Kyme, Ph.D., is Chief Business Officer (CBO) of Armata Pharmaceuticals, appointed June 1, 2024, with prior leadership across business development and product strategy at C3J Therapeutics and translational R&D roles at Cedars-Sinai, Sydney’s Millennium Institute, and the Michael Smith Laboratories; he sits on the boards of Armata’s Australian subsidiaries and holds a Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Sydney with postdoctoral training under a Gates Foundation grant . Company performance context: Armata’s Pay‑vs‑Performance table shows 2024 TSR value of $33 on an initial $100 investment (vs. $58 in 2023), and Net Income of −$18.9 million in 2024 (vs. −$69.0 million in 2023), indicating narrowing losses alongside shareholder return volatility . Kyme’s employment agreement provides a $400,000 base and 50% target bonus at hire, with severance and change‑of‑control equity acceleration terms designed to support retention in a clinical‑stage environment .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| C3J Therapeutics (later part of Armata) | Lead Scientist; Director, Product Development; then Business/Corp Dev | 2012–2015+ | Led strategy and data generation advancing lead antimicrobial into Phase 2; expanded pipeline rationale; transitioned to BD in 2015 . |
| Cedars‑Sinai Medical Center | Project lead, Infectious Disease & Immunology | ~5 years | Led projects from concept through preclinical; worked with Tech Transfer; received Malaniak Award for Excellence in Research . |
| Sydney’s Millennium Institute (with Qiagen Pty Ltd.) | Researcher on avian influenza | Prior to Cedars‑Sinai | Executed priority national grant on urgent avian influenza research, contributing to translational virology insights . |
| Michael Smith Laboratories (Vancouver) | Postdoctoral fellow | Post-PhD | Developed Innate Defense Regulators under $8M Gates Foundation grant with Inimex/soligenix workstreams . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armata Australian subsidiaries | Director | 2024–present | Governance oversight for regional entities aligned with clinical/manufacturing footprint . |
| Cappello Global (Australia Desk; Life Sciences & Healthcare) | Scientific Advisor | Prior roles | Advisory on transactions; contributed to sector diligence . |
| Global specialist life sciences investment firm | Consultant analyst | Prior roles | Evaluation across therapeutic areas; work contributed to a $60M capital raise for US oncology biotech initiating large Phase 3 melanoma vaccine trial (2012) . |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Base Salary Paid ($) | Target Bonus (%) | Actual Bonus Paid ($) | All Other Compensation ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 379,484 | 50% of base | 75,000 | 7,626 (401(k) match) |
2024 Salary Progression Detail
| Period | Annualized Base ($) |
|---|---|
| Through Jan 7, 2024 | 300,880 |
| Jan 8–Feb 11, 2024 | 312,915 |
| Feb 12–May 31, 2024 | 342,915 |
| Jun 1–Dec 31, 2024 | 400,000 |
Performance Compensation
Equity Awards Granted and Structure (as reported)
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant Date Fair Value ($) | Strike ($) | Expiration | Vesting Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSU | 3/14/2024 | 10,000 | 33,800 (2024 SCT) | — | — | 2,500 per year on Mar 14, 2025–2028; accel. on certain terminations . |
| Stock Option | 3/14/2024 | 40,000 (unexercisable) | 137,730 (2024 SCT) | 3.38 | 3/14/2034 | 10,000 per year on Mar 14, 2025–2028; accel. on certain terminations . |
| Stock Option | 4/01/2020 | 25,000 (exercisable) | — | 3.05 | 4/01/2030 | Historical terms; fully vested/exercisable balance shown . |
| Stock Option | 3/25/2021 | 11,250 exercisable; 3,750 unexercisable | — | 5.14 | 3/25/2031 | Remaining tranche vests Mar 25, 2025; accel. on certain terminations . |
| Stock Option | 4/13/2022 | 25,000 exercisable; 25,000 unexercisable | — | 5.11 | 4/13/2032 | Remaining tranches vest Apr 13, 2025 and 2026; accel. on certain terminations . |
Annual cash bonus: Employment agreement sets a 50% target of base salary tied to “performance objectives,” with the Compensation Committee establishing and assessing corporate goals; 2024 actual bonus paid to Kyme was $75,000 .
Company Pay‑vs‑Performance (context)
| Metric | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSR – $100 initial investment | $22 | $58 | $33 |
| Net Income (Thousands) | −$36,917 | −$69,045 | −$18,916 |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| As of Record Date | Shares/Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 112,491 (<1%) | Based on 36,193,479 shares outstanding (Apr 17, 2025) . |
| Common stock from vested RSUs | 2,991 | Issued upon vested RSUs; excludes unvested units . |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 109,500 | Counted for beneficial ownership under SEC rules . |
| Unvested RSUs (not counted) | 7,500 | Do not vest within 60 days of Apr 17, 2025 . |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited by company policy | Insider trading policy bans hedging or pledging of company shares . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start date/role | Employment agreement dated June 1, 2024; appointed CBO in June 2024 . |
| Base salary & target bonus | Initial base $400,000; annual target bonus 50% of base . |
| Severance | If terminated without cause or resigns for good reason: 12 months of continued base salary (subject to release) . |
| Change‑of‑control | If qualifying termination occurs in connection with a change‑in‑control: full acceleration of outstanding time‑based equity awards as of earlier of CoC date or qualifying termination date . |
| Clawback | Compensation Committee authorized to review, approve, and administer any clawback policy as required by law . |
| Insider trading | Hedging/pledging prohibited by policy; pre‑clearance required for any monetization transactions per policy framework . |
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Kyme’s equity mix includes multi‑year RSUs and options with four‑year vesting schedules, creating retention incentives; unvested units (7,500) and unexercisable options tranches (e.g., 40,000 from Mar‑2024) suggest ongoing alignment and limited near‑term selling pressure from vesting events .
- Retention and CoC economics: Severance of 12 months base and full acceleration of time‑based equity upon qualifying CoC termination is typical for small‑cap biotech, balancing retention with strategic flexibility; note that pro‑rated bonus on termination is not provided for Kyme (unlike CEO), indicating tighter pay‑for‑performance alignment .
- Governance risk mitigants: Explicit ban on hedging/pledging and committee oversight of clawbacks reduce misalignment risks; beneficial ownership is modest (<1%), consistent with clinical‑stage cash compensation plus options/RSUs approach .
- Execution signal: 2024 improvement in net loss to −$18.9M and ongoing clinical communications (e.g., AP‑SA02 Phase 2a updates; KOL webinar) reflect operational progress but TSR volatility underscores financing and clinical readout dependencies typical of the sector .