Grant Pickering
About Grant Pickering
Grant Pickering (age 57) has served as an independent Class II director of Athira Pharma since January 2022, bringing three decades of operating and CEO experience in biotechnology. He is co-founder and CEO, and a director of Vaxcyte, Inc. (public biotech) since November 2013; prior roles include CEO of Mymetics Corporation, CEO and director of Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Executive-in-Residence at Kleiner Perkins, and SVP of Operations at Dendreon. He holds an MBA (Georgetown, 1997, high honors) and a BS in Marketing (Penn State, 1989) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dendreon Corporation | SVP, Operations | Not disclosed | Operational leadership at public biotech |
| Kleiner Perkins | Executive-in-Residence | Not disclosed | Operating advisor while serving as CEO/director at Juvaris |
| Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc. | CEO and Director | Not disclosed | Biopharma leadership and board service |
| Mymetics Corporation | CEO | Not disclosed | Led a publicly traded biotech company |
| Atreca, Inc. | Strategic Advisor | May 2013 – April 2015 | Advisory role at public biotech |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes / Interlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ) | Co-founder, CEO, Director | Since Nov 2013 | Current public company directorship (no ATHA related-party transactions disclosed) |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee (committee held 4 meetings in FY 2024; Chair: Barbara Kosacz) .
- Independence: Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; Mr. Pickering satisfies Nasdaq and SEC independence standards for committee service .
- Attendance: In FY 2024, the board held 7 meetings and each director attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings; 7 of 8 directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Board leadership: Independent Chair (Kelly A. Romano); CEO and Chair roles are separated. Executive sessions of non-employee directors occur periodically, chaired by the Board Chair or relevant committee chair .
- Term and nomination: Class II director with current term expiring 2025; nominated to continue 2025–2028 with unanimous Board recommendation “FOR” .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | 50,258 | Actual cash paid for director service in 2024 |
| Option Awards ($) (ASC 718 grant-date fair value) | 43,404 | Annual option grant value under policy |
| Total ($) | 93,663 | Sum of cash + option grant value |
Director cash retainer policy (amended Sept 2024):
- $40,000 per year non-employee director retainer .
- Committee fees: Compensation Committee member $5,000/year; chair $10,000/year. Audit Committee member $7,500; chair $15,000. Nominating & Corporate Governance member $4,000; chair $8,000. Compliance member $5,000; chair $10,000 .
- Fees paid quarterly; travel expense reimbursement .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Terms | Quantitative Detail | Vesting / Triggers | Other Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Award (options) | 41,800 shares | Vests 1/36 monthly; service requirement | 10-year term; strike = FMV at grant |
| Annual Award (options) | 20,900 shares (prorated if partial year) | Vests at 1-year or immediately before next annual meeting; service requirement | 10-year term; strike = FMV at grant |
| Change-in-Control | N/A shares count (accelerates outstanding) | Accelerates vesting in full if still a non-employee director at change-in-control date | Granted under 2020 Equity Incentive Plan |
| Annual Director Comp Limit | $500,000 cap; $750,000 cap in initial year | Applies to cash + equity grant-date value | GAAP-based valuation for cap |
No performance-based RSUs/PSUs or compensation metrics (e.g., revenue, EBITDA, TSR) are disclosed for non-employee directors; option awards are time-based per policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Governance Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaxcyte, Inc. | Public biotech | CEO, Director | External leadership role; no ATHA related-person transactions reported |
No related-party transactions involving Mr. Pickering were disclosed for 2023–2025; ATHA’s policy requires Audit Committee review/approval of related-person transactions and exempts mere service as a director of another entity party to a transaction (without a material interest) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep operating and CEO experience in biopharma across vaccine platforms, therapeutics, and clinical ops (Vaxcyte, Mymetics, Dendreon, Juvaris) .
- Strategic and venture engagement (Executive-in-Residence, Kleiner Perkins) .
- Education: MBA (Georgetown, 1997, high honors) and BS Marketing (Penn State, 1989) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Held | Options Exercisable ≤60 days | Total Beneficial Ownership | % Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Pickering | 25,783 | 73,009 | 98,792 | <1% (denoted “*”) |
- Shares outstanding basis: 39,042,445 as of April 4, 2025 .
- Option holdings as of Dec 31, 2024: options to purchase 73,009 shares .
- Hedging/pledging: ATHA insider trading policy prohibits short sales, derivatives, hedging, and pledging/margin accounts—enhancing alignment .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee engagement: Independent director; active on Compensation Committee; committee met 4 times in FY 2024—supports board oversight of executive pay, clawback policy administration, and compensation risk reviews .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 7 times; each director attended ≥75% of combined board/committee meetings; strong engagement signal; majority attended annual meeting .
- Pay mix and alignment: Modest cash retainer with equity paid in options (time-based vesting) indicates at-risk equity alignment; director compensation limits constrain pay inflation .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Mr. Pickering; service as CEO/director at Vaxcyte is noted without ATHA transactional ties; audit committee oversees RPTs, and policy exempts mere external board service absent a material interest .
- Oversight quality signals: Independent chair structure; periodic executive sessions; use of independent compensation consultants (Pearl Meyer) for director pay policy reviews; clear committee charters and independence adherence .
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed: no related-party transactions; hedging/pledging prohibited; attendance threshold met; independence confirmed for committees .