John Maraganore
Beam TherapeuticsAbout John Maraganore
John Maraganore, Ph.D. (age 62 as of April 18, 2025) has served as an independent Class III director of Beam Therapeutics since November 2021. He is CEO and Principal of JMM Innovations, LLC, and is best known as the founding CEO and director of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (2002–2021), leading RNAi medicines to approval; prior roles include senior leadership at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Biogen, with early scientific roles at ZymoGenetics and Upjohn. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Chicago .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals | Founding CEO and Director | 2002–2021 | Led from platform to approval/commercialization of ONPATTRO, GIVLAARI, OXLUMO |
| Millennium Pharmaceuticals | Officer; SVP Strategic Product Development | Pre-2002 | Oversaw oncology, cardiovascular, inflammatory, metabolic franchises |
| Biogen | Director of Molecular Biology; Director of Market & Business Development | Pre-Millennium | Invented/led discovery of ANGIOMAX (bivalirudin) |
| ZymoGenetics; Upjohn | Scientist | Early career | Scientific roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kymera Therapeutics | Director | Public | Current board member |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals | Director | Public | Current board member |
| Rapport Therapeutics | Director | Public (listed) | Current board member |
| Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) | Board Member; Chair (2017–2019) | Non-profit | Industry leadership |
| Arch Ventures; Atlas Ventures; Blackstone Life Sciences; Jefferies Financial Services; RTW Investments | Advisory roles | — | Investment/banking advisory roles |
| Orbital Therapeutics | Board included Maraganore post-agreement; holds Orbital common stock | Private | Beam–Orbital license; ARCH ~30% holder; multiple overlaps; Maraganore equity in Orbital |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance; Member, Science & Technology. Other committees comprised solely of independent directors; Lead Independent Director is Mark Fishman, M.D. .
- Independence: Board determined Maraganore is independent under Nasdaq rules (audit and compensation committees are fully independent; CEO John Evans is not independent) .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 4 times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of board and applicable committee meetings; directors attended the 2024 annual meeting and held executive sessions at each regular meeting .
- Risk oversight: Nominating & Corporate Governance oversees board independence and potential conflicts; Audit oversees accounting/legal/cyber; Compensation oversees comp-related risk .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees (retainers/committee roles) | $61,794 | Actual cash earned in 2024 |
| Policy baseline (for reference) | Board member $45,000; Nominating Chair $10,000; S&T Member $5,000 | Fee schedule for 2024/2025; paid quarterly, pro-rated |
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Equity Component | Grant Value (2024) | Grant Mechanism | Vesting | Performance Metrics Tied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options (annual grant) | $385,241 | Annual option at the annual meeting | Vests in full by next annual meeting or one-year anniversary | None disclosed; time-based only |
| New director option (if applicable) | Up to ~$770,000 fair value | At initial appointment/election | 1/3 at one year; remainder monthly over two years | None disclosed; time-based only |
No director cash bonuses, meeting fees, or performance metric hurdles are disclosed for director equity; options provide market-aligned exposure to Beam’s share price .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Potential Interlock | Nature | Governance Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH Venture Partners | Maraganore is affiliated; ARCH funds were ≥5% stockholder in 2024 | Disclosed director affiliation; related-party oversight under policy; Investor Rights Agreement with ARCH terminated Feb 2025 |
| Orbital Therapeutics | Beam–Orbital license/collaboration; Orbital board initially included Maraganore; he holds Orbital stock; ARCH ~30% holder | Related-party transaction managed; multiple overlaps disclosed; audit committee reviews such transactions under policy |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Biopharma company-building CEO experience (Alnylam) with commercialization track record in RNAi; senior R&D/product development roles (Millennium, Biogen); scientific training and drug discovery contributions (ANGIOMAX) .
- Governance leadership: Chairs Nominating & Corporate Governance; experience in board evaluation, succession, independence/conflicts oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Shares | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Maraganore | 40,056 | <1% | As of March 31, 2025 |
| Options held (unexercised) | 63,170 | — | As of Dec 31, 2024; director option holdings |
- Insider trading policy: Prohibits hedging, short sales, derivatives, and pledging of company securities; blackout periods enforced; pre-clearance required for certain persons .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independent director with deep domain expertise; chairs Nominating & Corporate Governance and sits on Science & Technology, indicating high engagement in board composition, succession, and technical oversight .
- Attendance and participation standards met; executive sessions conducted regularly; clear committee risk oversight structure .
- Director pay structure is balanced: modest cash retainer and equity options vesting time-based, aligning with shareholder outcomes; annual option grants sized by policy and capped under the equity plan .
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Potential Conflicts and Mitigants:
- RED FLAG: Affiliations with ARCH (significant stockholder in 2024) and Orbital (Beam license; equity holdings; overlapping board memberships) introduce related-party exposure and network interlocks .
- Mitigants: Formal related-person transaction policy administered by the audit committee with arm’s-length review; explicit disclosure of affiliations; ARCH-related Investor Rights Agreement terminated Feb 2025, reducing entanglement going forward .
- No pledging/hedging allowed, reducing alignment risk; Section 16(a) compliance reported for 2024, lowering regulatory risk indicators .
- RED FLAG: Affiliations with ARCH (significant stockholder in 2024) and Orbital (Beam license; equity holdings; overlapping board memberships) introduce related-party exposure and network interlocks .
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Signals for investors:
- Governance leadership and independence support board effectiveness; however, continued monitoring of ARCH/Orbital interactions is warranted given director affiliations.
- Company-wide say-on-pay support (98% approval in 2024) suggests broad investor confidence in compensation governance, though directed at NEOs rather than directors .
Overall, Maraganore’s industry credentials and committee leadership enhance board effectiveness. Related-party linkages to ARCH and Orbital are appropriately disclosed and subject to policy oversight, but remain areas to watch for evolving conflicts and information flow .