Christi Shaw
Beam TherapeuticsAbout Christi Shaw
Christi Shaw, age 58, has served as an independent Class III director of Beam Therapeutics since December 2023. She previously served as CEO of Kite (a Gilead company) from August 2019 to March 2023, President of Lilly Bio-Medicines at Eli Lilly from 2017 to 2019, and senior leadership roles at Novartis and Johnson & Johnson. She holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from Iowa State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, and is a co-founder of the More Moments More Memories Foundation .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kite (Gilead) | Chief Executive Officer | Aug 2019 – Mar 2023 | Led cancer immunotherapies business |
| Eli Lilly | SVP; President, Lilly Bio-Medicines | Apr 2017 – Aug 2019 | Oversaw neuroscience and immunology |
| Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp. | U.S. Country Head and President | 2014 – 2016 | Led U.S. operations |
| Novartis Oncology (North America) | Region Head | 2010 – 2014 | Oncology franchise leadership |
| Johnson & Johnson | Various leadership roles | Pre-2010 | Senior commercial roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | Current | Public biotech director role |
| Avantor, Inc. | Director | Prior | Former public company director |
| More Moments More Memories Foundation | Co-founder | Ongoing | Cancer patient/caregiver support |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Shaw is independent under Nasdaq rules; 7 of 8 directors are independent .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member (designated “audit committee financial expert”), Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member .
- Board leadership: No Board chair; Dr. Mark Fishman serves as Lead Independent Director .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 4 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings; non‑employee directors held executive sessions at each regular Board meeting .
- Classification/tenure: Class III director; current Class III terms expire at the 2026 annual meeting .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Amount | 2025 Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash fees earned | $59,153 | N/A | Actual cash fees in FY2024 |
| Board annual retainer | $45,000 | $45,000 | Standard non‑employee director retainer |
| Audit Committee member fee | $10,000 | $10,000 | Committee membership fee |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member fee | $5,000 | $5,000 | Committee membership fee |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | Grant/Measure | Vesting/Terms | Value/Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial option grant (upon appointment) | One-time option ≈ $770,000 grant date fair value | Vests 1/3 at 1st anniversary; remainder monthly over next 2 years, subject to service | Policy benchmark |
| Annual option grant | ≈ $385,000 grant date fair value at each annual meeting | Vests in full by next annual meeting or 1st anniversary (earlier), subject to service | 2024 fair value $385,241 |
| Options held (as of 12/31/2024) | Outstanding options to purchase BEAM shares | Standard option terms under 2019 Plan | 62,160 options held |
No director RSUs/PSUs or performance metrics are disclosed for non‑employee directors; equity compensation is delivered via stock options under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to BEAM | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. (Director) | No BEAM transactions disclosed | No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Shaw |
| Avantor, Inc. (Former Director) | No BEAM transactions disclosed | No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Shaw |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Senior operating experience as CEO (Kite) and division president (Lilly), with oncology/immunotherapy commercialization leadership .
- Audit literacy: Designated “audit committee financial expert” by BEAM’s Board, signaling advanced financial reporting acumen .
- Governance: Service on audit and nominating committees; exposure to director selection, board evaluations, and governance principles .
- Education: B.B.A. (Iowa State University); M.B.A. (University of Wisconsin) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (as of 3/31/2025) | 18,335 shares* | Marked “<1%” of outstanding |
| Ownership % of shares outstanding | <1% | 100,557,094 shares outstanding (record date) |
| Composition of beneficial ownership | Consists of options exercisable within 60 days | |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Prohibited by insider trading policy (directors and employees) | |
| Hedging/derivatives | Prohibited (short sales, derivatives, prepaid forwards, swaps, etc.) | |
| Director ownership guidelines | Committee may recommend; numeric thresholds not disclosed |
* Under SEC rules, options exercisable within 60 days are counted in “beneficially owned” shares; Shaw’s beneficial ownership comprises such options .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths for investor confidence: Independent director with deep biopharma operating experience; dual committee service (audit, nominating) including “audit committee financial expert” designation; consistent executive sessions and at least 75% meeting attendance indicate engagement; clear insider trading policy prohibiting hedging/pledging; presence of a clawback policy overseen by the Compensation Committee .
- Compensation/Alignment: Director pay mix balanced between modest cash retainers and annual options, creating equity alignment without excessive guaranteed pay; 2024 cash fees ($59,153) and annual option grant fair value ($385,241) within policy; cap on total annual director compensation under the 2019 Plan supports pay discipline .
- Conflicts and related-party exposure: No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Shaw; Section 16(a) filings were timely for FY2024, mitigating compliance risk signals .
- Watchpoints: Beneficial ownership comprises options rather than outright share holdings and is <1% of outstanding; numeric director stock ownership guideline (e.g., multiple of retainer) is not disclosed—investors may wish to monitor actual share accumulation over time for enhanced alignment .