Amy Simon
Beam TherapeuticsAbout Amy Simon
Amy Simon, M.D., is Beam Therapeutics’ Chief Medical Officer and age 61 as of April 18, 2025; she has served as CMO since March 2021 after eleven years at Alnylam leading clinical development of RNAi medicines, preceded by academic leadership at Tufts University’s Asthma Center and clinical training at Tufts Medical Center; she holds a B.A. in history and science from Harvard and an M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine . Company performance context during her tenure includes strong 2024 corporate goal execution that led to 120% bonus payouts and cumulative TSR of 132.27 in 2024 versus peer group TSR of 125.21; 2024 net loss was $376,742 thousand .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals | Vice President, Clinical Development | Apr 2010–Mar 2021 | Led clinical development of RNAi-based medicines; increasing responsibility in clinical programs |
| Tufts Medical Center | Resident (Internal Medicine); Fellow (Pulmonary and Critical Care) | Early career (years not specified) | Clinical training foundational to subsequent academic and industry roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts University School of Medicine | Professor; Director, Asthma Center (Pulmonary and Critical Care Division) | Years not specified | Directed asthma research and clinical programs; lab conducted basic science research on asthma |
| Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Science | Professor | Years not specified | Led academic research in respiratory disease; built translational expertise |
| Education | B.A., Harvard University; M.D., Tufts University School of Medicine | — | Foundational training in science and medicine supporting clinical development leadership |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Base Salary ($) | Target Bonus % | Target Bonus ($) | Actual Bonus Paid ($) | All Other Compensation ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 517,500 | 40% | 207,000 | 248,400 | 13,270 (401(k) match $10,350; commuting $1,720; cell phone $1,200) |
| 2023 | 495,000 | — | — | 207,900 | 12,675 |
Performance Compensation
Annual Performance-Based Cash Bonus
| Metric Category | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout Mechanics | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical goals (regulatory clearance, patient dosing, positive trial results) | Discretionary; no formula disclosed | 207,000 (40% of base) | 248,400 | 120% of target based on overall corporate performance | Committee and Board use subjective assessment across totality of goals; no thresholds or maximums |
| R&D goals (advance early-stage pipeline) | Discretionary | — | — | — | — |
| Manufacturing goals (patient supply, critical on-time deliveries) | Discretionary | — | — | — | — |
| Commercial goals (scenario planning, potential launches) | Discretionary | — | — | — | — |
| Organizational goals (attract/retain talent) | Discretionary | — | — | — | — |
| Financial goals (extend cash runway) | Discretionary | — | — | — | — |
Long-Term Equity Incentives (2024 grants)
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares | Exercise Price ($) | Grant Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Options | 1/31/2024 | 55,000 | 24.40 | 927,911 | 48 equal monthly installments, time-based | 1/31/2034 |
| RSUs | 3/31/2024 | 27,500 | — | 908,600 | Equal annual installments on first four anniversaries of grant date | — |
Equity program structure: fixed ratio of two option shares per RSU; options reward price appreciation, RSUs provide retention and guaranteed value; awards set considering performance, dilution, ownership, and peer practices .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Simon, M.D. | 155,826 | <1% (star as disclosed) | Beneficial ownership includes exercisable options/vested RSUs within 60 days; shares outstanding 100,557,094 as of 3/31/2025 |
- Insider Trading Policy: Robust anti-hedging and anti-pledging; prohibits short sales, derivatives, margin purchases, and pledging company securities; quarterly and event-specific blackout periods; pre-clearance required for certain covered persons .
- Clawback: Company maintains executive compensation clawback policy .
- Ownership guidelines: Compensation committee is empowered to recommend stock ownership guidelines; specific multiples are not disclosed in the proxy .
Outstanding Awards at 12/31/2024
RSUs (unvested and their market values at $24.80 close):
| Grant Identifier | Unvested RSUs (#) | Market Value ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Footnote 42 (59,750 RSUs granted 3/31/2021) | 14,938 | 370,462 |
| Footnote 43 (15,000 RSUs granted 3/31/2022) | 7,500 | 186,000 |
| Footnote 44 (5,000 RSUs granted 6/30/2022) | 2,500 | 62,000 |
| Footnote 45 (20,000 RSUs granted 3/31/2023) | 15,000 | 372,000 |
| Footnote 46 (27,500 RSUs granted 3/31/2024) | 27,500 | 682,000 |
- Vesting terms: Each RSU grant vests in equal annual installments on the first four anniversaries of its grant date, subject to continued employment .
Options (exercisable/unexercisable, strike, expiry):
| Shares Exercisable | Shares Unexercisable | Exercise Price ($/share) | Option Expiration Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74,531 | 4,969 | 80.04 | 3/31/2031 |
| 21,875 | 8,125 | 69.21 | 1/31/2032 |
| 6,250 | 3,750 | 38.71 | 6/30/2032 |
| 19,166 | 20,834 | 43.45 | 1/31/2033 |
| 12,604 | 42,396 | 24.40 | 1/31/2034 |
- As of 12/31/2024, the closing price was $24.80; the 2024 option grant at $24.40 was near at-the-money, while earlier grants at higher strikes were out-of-the-money at year-end levels .
Employment Terms
| Provision | Term |
|---|---|
| Pay structure | Fixed base salary and annual bonus opportunity subject to committee review; bonus per applicable bonus plan |
| Non-solicit | One-year post-termination non-solicitation of employees, contractors, customers, vendors, suppliers; perpetual confidentiality and IP assignment |
| Severance (termination without cause) | 12 months of base salary and employer portion of COBRA premiums for 12 months (or until eligible under subsequent employer plan), subject to COBRA election |
| Change-in-control (double trigger: within 12 months after or 30 days prior to CIC, terminated without cause or for good reason) | 12 months of base salary; target annual bonus for year of termination; immediate vesting of any unvested equity; employer portion of COBRA premiums for 12 months, subject to COBRA election |
| Release requirement | Severance conditioned on a release of claims |
| Clawback & hedging/pledging | Company maintains executive clawback policy; robust anti-hedging and anti-pledging prohibitions |
| Tax gross-ups | Company policy does not provide tax gross-up payments for any change-in-control payments |
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Mix and trend: Compensation emphasizes variable pay via equity and bonuses; annual equity grants use a 2:1 options-to-RSU share ratio to balance upside and retention value .
- 2024 cash bonus: Payout at 120% of target reflects strong achievement against multi-dimensional corporate goals; bonus plan retains full committee discretion without thresholds or caps .
- No performance-based equity (PSUs): Long-term incentives are time-based options and RSUs; no PSUs disclosed, reducing strict pay-for-performance linkage on LTI .
- Governance features: Executive clawback, anti-hedging/anti-pledging, and no CIC tax gross-ups; 2024 say-on-pay support was ~98% indicating shareholder endorsement of program .
Compensation Peer Group
| 2024 Peer Companies (selected) |
|---|
| Allogene Therapeutics; Apellis Pharmaceuticals; Arcellx; Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals; Blueprint Medicines; BridgeBio Pharma; CRISPR Therapeutics; Denali Therapeutics; Editas Medicine; ImmunityBio; Intellia Therapeutics; Iovance Biotherapeutics; Lyell Immunopharma; Mirati Therapeutics; Prime Medicine; Rocket Pharmaceuticals; Sana Biotechnology; Verve Therapeutics |
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback
- 2024 say-on-pay approval ~98%; committee maintained general approach to compensation for 2025 reflecting strong support .
Equity Ownership & Alignment Policies
- Anti-pledging and anti-hedging: Strict prohibitions on pledging, margining, short sales, and derivatives; blackout periods and pre-approval reduce trading risk .
- Clawback policy: Maintained for executive compensation .
- Ownership guidelines: Committee authority to recommend guidelines, but specific executive multiples or compliance status are not disclosed .
Investment Implications
- Retention and selling pressure: Significant unvested RSUs across 2022–2024 grants vest in annual tranches through 2028, creating predictable supply overhang; options vest monthly, but many tranches were out-of-the-money at 2024 year-end, moderating near-term selling incentives (2024 grant near at-the-money) .
- Alignment and governance: Anti-hedging/pledging and clawback policies, plus no CIC tax gross-ups, are shareholder-friendly; 98% say-on-pay support reduces governance risk .
- Change-in-control economics: Double-trigger CIC terms with full equity acceleration, one year salary, and target bonus can increase transaction-related dilution/overhang but also mitigate retention risk around strategic events .
- Pay-for-performance: Annual bonus tied to multi-dimensional corporate outcomes with discretionary committee assessment delivered 120% payout in 2024, signaling confidence in execution across clinical/R&D/manufacturing/financial goals; absence of PSUs limits direct LTI-performance linkage .
- Ownership: Beneficial ownership is modest (<1%), implying limited personal economic exposure to stock price compared to peers; however, ongoing RSU/option vesting maintains skin-in-the-game incentives .