James Huang
Atara BiotherapeuticsAbout James Huang
James Huang is an independent director of Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA) appointed effective May 16, 2025, following the company’s $16M offering; he is Founder and Managing Partner of Panacea Venture with ~37 years of biotech operating and investing experience . He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley . Current external public board roles include Kindstar Globalgene Technology, Connect Biopharma (NASDAQ: CNTB), and Lee’s Pharmaceutical; appointment to ATRA followed Panacea’s participation in the offering and he was determined independent by ATRA’s Board .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panacea Venture | Founder and Managing Partner | N/A | Led investments across life sciences |
| Kleiner Perkins (KPCB) China | Managing Partner, Life Sciences | N/A | Led China life-sciences practice |
| Vivo Ventures | Managing Partner | N/A | Led investments in China |
| Anesiva, Inc. | President | N/A | Pain-management biopharma leadership |
| Tularik (acq. Amgen), GSK, BMS, ALZA (acq. J&J) | Senior BD/Sales/Marketing/R&D roles | N/A | Cross-functional operating experience |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Status/Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindstar Globalgene Technology | Director | Current | Diagnostics/biotech board service |
| Connect Biopharma (NASDAQ: CNTB) | Director | Appointed Feb 12, 2024 | Panacea is a significant shareholder |
| Lee’s Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited | Director | Current | Pharma board service |
| CASI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CASI) | Independent Director | Effective Oct 1, 2025 | Panacea to acquire up to 1.5M shares alongside appointment |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined James Huang is independent under Nasdaq and ATRA Corporate Governance Guidelines .
- Committee assignments: None at appointment; the Board had not placed him on any committee as of May 16, 2025 .
- Compensation election: Huang elected not to receive compensation under ATRA’s non-employee director compensation policy .
- Board structure context: ATRA’s standing committees are Audit (Chair: Matthew Fust), Human Capital (Chair: William Heiden), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Chair: Ameet Mallik), and Research & Development (Chair: Pascal Touchon) . Lead Independent Director is Carol Gallagher (since Sept 2024); Chair of the Board is Pascal Touchon .
- Board engagement baseline (pre-appointment): Board met 7 times in 2024; all directors attended ≥75% of meetings; non-employee directors held 8 executive sessions .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Policy Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board Retainer (Director) | $45,000 | Paid quarterly, in arrears |
| Lead Independent Director Retainer | $75,000 | — |
| Chair of the Board Retainer | $85,000 | — |
| Audit Committee Chair | $20,000 | — |
| Human Capital Committee Chair | $15,000 | — |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair | $10,000 | — |
| Audit Committee Member (non-chair) | $10,000 | — |
| Human Capital Committee Member (non-chair) | $7,500 | — |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Member (non-chair) | $5,000 | — |
| Research & Development Committee Member | $5,000 | — |
| James Huang Actual Cash in 2025 | $0 (waived) | Elected not to receive policy compensation |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Policy | Vesting/Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Equity Grant (non-employee director) | Stock options with $450,000 grant-date fair value (rounded) | Vests annually over 3 years | Options fully vest upon change in control |
| Annual Equity Grant (non-employee director) | Options + RSUs at 1:1 ratio; combined $300,000 grant-date fair value (rounded) | Vests in full at next annual meeting | 2024 exception: 150,000 RSUs to each then-serving director in lieu of policy |
| Clawback | Awards subject to company clawback policy (Dodd-Frank/Nasdaq compliant) | Recoupment upon restatement triggers | — |
| Anti-hedging/anti-pledging | Hedging and pledging prohibited for directors | — | — |
| James Huang Equity in 2025 | Waived policy grants | — | — |
Performance metrics tied to director compensation: None disclosed; director equity is time-based (policy specifies time-based vesting rather than performance hurdles) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Investor interlock | Panacea Venture and James Huang share voting/dispositive power over 550,000 ATRA shares (9.1%) as of Jan 30, 2025/Mar 14, 2025; address: Ugland House, Cayman . |
| Appointment context | ATRA appointed Huang to its Board immediately following a registered offering subscribed by Panacea, Redmile, EcoR1, and Adiumentum; Board affirmed independence; no Item 404(a) related-party transactions other than the offering . |
| Compensation waiver | Huang elected to forgo non-employee director compensation, which mitigates pay-related conflicts . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep biopharma operating and investment experience across US and China; leadership roles at Panacea, KPCB China, Vivo Ventures, and Anesiva .
- Cross-functional background in BD, sales/marketing, and R&D at Tularik, GSK, BMS, and ALZA .
- Education: MBA (Stanford), BS Chemical Engineering (UC Berkeley) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares | % of Outstanding | Basis/Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entities affiliated with Panacea Venture; shared voting/dispositive power with James Huang | 550,000 | 9.1% | Schedule 13G as of Jan 30, 2025; ATRA beneficial ownership table as of Mar 14, 2025 |
- Anti-hedging and anti-pledging: Directors prohibited from hedging/pledging ATRA stock under Insider Trading Policy .
- Director stock ownership guidelines: Non-employee directors targeted at 3x (multiple of base pay/retainer) ; compliance status for Huang not disclosed.
Insider Trades
| Date | Shares | Price (Weighted Avg) | Dollar Value | Vehicle/Owner After |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2025 | 55,000 | $12.1895 | $670,422 | Reported holdings after: 1,405,000 shares held by Panacea Venture Healthcare Fund II, L.P.; Huang controls GP ownership chain |
Governance Assessment
- Positive signals: Board determined independence; no related-party transactions requiring Item 404(a) disclosure beyond the capital raise; standard indemnification expected . Election to waive director compensation reduces perceived conflicts and aligns with shareholder sensitivity around dilution/cash preservation .
- Alignment: Material beneficial ownership via Panacea (9.1%) creates strong economic alignment with equity holders; anti-hedging/pledging policy reinforces alignment .
- Risk factors/RED FLAGS to monitor: Appointment concurrent with investor-led financing can create perceived influence by a large holder; Panacea’s Cayman affiliation disclosed; ongoing vigilance on related-party transactions and committee assignments is warranted . Huang was not initially assigned to any Board committee, limiting immediate committee influence but also reducing potential conflict exposure .
- Board effectiveness context: Strong committee leadership and independence across ATRA’s Board (Audit: Fust; Human Capital: Heiden; Nominating: Mallik; R&D: Touchon); non-employee executive sessions held eight times in 2024, indicating active independent oversight .
Overall: Huang brings extensive biopharma and cross-border investing expertise; independence and compensation waiver support investor confidence, but his fund’s significant stake and appointment tied to financing merit continued monitoring for conflicts and governance safeguards .