Kristine Peterson
About Kristine Peterson
Kristine Peterson (age 65) is Lead Independent Director at ArriVent BioPharma (AVBP). She joined the board in April 2024 and was appointed Lead Independent Director in April 2025. She previously served as CEO of Valeritas (2009–2016), Company Group Chair of Biotechnology at Johnson & Johnson (2006–2009), EVP of Pharmaceutical Strategic Marketing at J&J (2004–2006), held senior commercial roles at Biovail, and spent 20 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb leading the cardiovascular and metabolics business unit. She holds a B.S. and MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valeritas, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | 2009–2016 | Led commercial strategy and operations |
| Johnson & Johnson | Company Group Chair, Biotechnology; EVP Strategic Marketing | 2004–2009 | Responsible for Commercial, R&D, and biologics manufacturing across oncology, immunology, cell therapy |
| Biovail Corporation | President; SVP Commercial Operations | Not disclosed | Senior commercial leadership |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | Various senior roles; ran cardiovascular & metabolics unit | ~20 years | Business unit leadership across multiple disease areas |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enanta Pharmaceuticals | Director | Since Sept 2017 | Current public company directorship |
| Immunocore Holdings | Director | Since Nov 2017 | Current public company directorship |
| Prior boards: ImmunoGen, Amarin, EyePoint, Paratek | Director | Not disclosed | Prior public boards (dates not specified) |
Board Governance
- Classification and tenure: Class I director up for election in 2025, nominated for a three-year term to 2028; board size fixed at seven post-2025 AGM .
- Independence: Board determined Peterson is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules; only CEO (Yao) and President R&D (Lutzker) are non-independent .
- Lead Independent Director: Appointed in April 2025; chartered responsibilities include presiding when Chair absent, leading independent director sessions, principal liaison role, feedback to management, resource assurance, overseeing board self-evaluations, and stockholder engagement as appropriate .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; Compensation Committee Chair; both committees determined independent composition .
- Meetings and attendance: 2024 meetings—Board (6), Audit (5), Compensation (4), Nominating & Governance (3); no director attended fewer than 75% of meetings .
- Audit oversight: Audit Committee responsibilities include auditor selection, independence, financial reporting oversight, internal controls, cybersecurity risk management, related-party review, and pre-approval of services .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Actual ($) | Policy Retainer ($/year) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash fees | 31,030 | Board Member: 45,000; Lead Independent Director: 30,000; Audit Chair: 20,000; Audit Member: 10,000; Compensation Chair: 15,000; Compensation Member: 7,500; Nominating Chair: 10,000; Nominating Member: 5,000 | 2024 cash reflects partial-year service and roles then in effect . Policy amended March 2025 . |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | 2024 Grant Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting Terms | Term | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options (non-employee director grant) | 364,790 | Initial director option awards vest annually over three years; annual option awards vest at next AGM | 10 years (subject to earlier termination) | Policy describes time-based vesting; no performance metrics disclosed |
No RSUs/PSUs or performance-based equity for directors are disclosed; director equity is delivered in options with time-based vesting under the amended policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public boards: Enanta Pharmaceuticals; Immunocore Holdings .
- Prior public boards include ImmunoGen, Amarin, EyePoint, Paratek .
- No related-party transactions disclosed involving Ms. Peterson; audit committee reviews and pre-approves related-party transactions .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep biopharma operating experience (commercial, R&D oversight, biologics manufacturing) across J&J, BMS, Biovail; former CEO of Valeritas; current director at two public biotechs .
- Board concluded her qualifications include operational knowledge and executive-level experience in global pharma/biotech .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Total Beneficial Ownership (shares) | Composition | % Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristine Peterson | 9,529 | Options exercisable or becoming exercisable within 60 days (no additional common shares disclosed) | <1% (asterisk in table denotes less than 1%) |
- Hedging/pledging: Company insider trading policy prohibits hedging, short sales, margin loans, and pledging of company stock; pre-clearance and blackout procedures apply to directors .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Lead Independent Director role and Compensation Committee chair signal meaningful independent oversight over board process and executive/director pay .
- Independent status and robust committee responsibilities; audit member adds financial oversight breadth .
- Attendance met board expectations; board and committees active in 2024 (6/5/4/3 meetings) .
- Director compensation delivered primarily via options, aligning with long-term value creation; policy transparency on retainers and equity .
-
Watch items / potential conflicts
- Multiple external public boards (Enanta, Immunocore): monitor for time commitments and any business relationships that could create interlocks; none disclosed with AVBP .
- As Compensation Chair, ensure continued use of independent advisors and adherence to independence standards; committee charter provides for advisor retention and independence assessment .
-
Context
- Auditor transition to PwC in March 2025; prior internal control material weaknesses remediated by end-2024. As audit committee member, Peterson participates in oversight; not a red flag but worth monitoring continuity and control environment .