Catherine Bollard
About Catherine Bollard
Independent Class II director since April 2019; age 57 as of April 28, 2025. MBChB and MD from the University of Otago; distinguished immunotherapy and cell therapy researcher, currently Senior Vice President, Chief Research Officer, and Director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at Children’s National Research Institute; tenured Professor at George Washington University; prior Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. Past president of ISCT; former member of the FDA Cellular, Tissues and Gene Therapy Advisory Committee; scientific co‑founder of Catamaran Bio; current roles include SAB memberships and DSMB chair appointments in cell therapy and rare disease organizations .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington University | Tenured Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine; Associate Center Director for Translational Research and Innovation (GW Cancer Center) | Since 2013 | Academic leadership in translational research |
| Children’s National Research Institute | SVP & Chief Research Officer; Director, Center for Cancer & Immunology Research | Since 2017 | R&D strategy; clinical/translational oversight |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Immunology | Pre‑2013 | Clinical and immunology leadership |
| FDA CTGTAC | Committee Member | Until 2019 | Federal advisory role in cell/gene therapies |
| Children’s Oncology Group (COG) | Chair, Non‑Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Committee | 2012–2020 | Multicenter trial oversight; disease-area governance |
| Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) | President | Since 2021 | Standards-setting for cellular therapy programs |
| Mana Therapeutics | Director (prior), later Scientific Advisory Board | Prior years (dates not specified) | Pipeline and clinical program guidance |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran Bio | Scientific co‑founder; Scientific Advisory Board member (ended) | SAB until 2024 | Off‑the‑shelf CAR‑NK cell therapies |
| Minovia Tx Ltd | Scientific Advisory Board member | Current | Mitochondrial therapy focus |
| SOBI (Swedish Orphan Biovitrum) | Chair, Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) | Current | Safety oversight in rare disease studies |
| Alliance for Regenerative Medicine | Director | Current | Industry coalition governance |
| Access4Kids (nonprofit) | Co‑founder and Director | Current | Pediatric access advocacy |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined all non‑employee directors, including Dr. Bollard, are independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules; only CEO (Dr. Nichtberger) is non‑independent .
- Committee assignments: Chair, Science & Technology Committee; Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Committee activity: Science & Technology Committee formed July 2023; 2 meetings in 2023 and 4 meetings in 2024 .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance met 2 times in 2023 and 2 times in 2024 .
- Attendance: In 2024 each director attended ≥90% of board and applicable committee meetings; in 2023 each attended ≥75% .
- Annual meeting attendance: 5 of 6 directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Trading, pledging, hedging: Insider trading policy prohibits short sales and derivatives; pledging requires advance Audit Committee approval; derivative transactions require advance approval .
- Clawback: Company adopted a Dodd-Frank compliant compensation recovery policy for executive officers on September 12, 2023 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2023 | 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Annual Retainer (policy) | $40,000 | $40,000 | Cash; paid quarterly |
| Audit Committee (member/chair policy) | $7,500 / $15,000 | $7,500 / $15,000; amended to $10,000 / $20,000 for 2025 | Not applicable to Bollard (not on Audit) |
| Compensation Committee (member/chair policy) | $5,000 / $10,000 | $5,500 / $11,000; amended to $6,250 / $12,500 for 2025 | Not applicable to Bollard (not on Compensation) |
| Nominating & Governance (member/chair policy) | $4,000 / $8,000 | $5,000 / $10,000 | Bollard member |
| Science & Technology (member/chair policy) | $7,500 / $15,000 | $7,500 / $15,000 | Bollard chair |
| Bollard – Cash Fees (actual) | $56,231 | $60,000 | Cash earned in year |
Performance Compensation
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bollard – Option Awards (grant date fair value) | $199,202 | $181,810 | FASB ASC 718 valuation; service‑based vesting |
| Director Equity Policy – Initial Grant | 44,000 options | 44,000 options | Vests in equal quarterly installments over 3 years from vesting commencement |
| Director Equity Policy – Annual Grant | 22,000 options | 22,000 options | Vests in full at earlier of first anniversary or next annual meeting; vesting ceases upon resignation unless Board permits continuation |
| Unvested Shares Outstanding (Bollard) | 22,000 | 22,000 | Aggregate unvested shares outstanding as of year‑end |
Performance linkage: Non‑employee director equity grants are time‑based (no revenue/TSR/ESG performance metrics disclosed) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Organization | Type | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance for Regenerative Medicine | Non‑profit/industry | Director | Ecosystem influence; not a supplier/customer |
| Catamaran Bio | Private biotech | Scientific co‑founder; SAB (ended 2024) | Overlapping cell therapy domain; monitor for RPTs (none disclosed) |
| Mana Therapeutics | Private biotech | Prior Director; later SAB | Biotech network ties; no RPTs disclosed |
| Minovia Tx Ltd | Private biotech | SAB | Advisory role; no RPTs disclosed |
| SOBI | Public biopharma | DSMB Chair | Oversight role; not a CABA board; no RPTs disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep scientific expertise in immunology, cell therapy, and translational research; multi‑institutional leadership posts at CNRI and GWU .
- Regulatory and standards experience (FDA CTGTAC; FACT presidency), signaling high governance literacy in clinical risk, safety, and accreditation .
- Extensive network across cell therapy and biotech ecosystems (ISCT, SABs, DSMB), relevant to CABA’s R&D oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shares Beneficially Owned (Number) | 135,428 | Includes 1,000 common shares held plus 134,428 options exercisable within 60 days of April 28, 2025 |
| Shares Beneficially Owned (%) | 0.27% of 50,743,101 outstanding | SEC beneficial ownership definition; includes options exercisable within 60 days |
| Options Outstanding (Aggregate, as of 12/31/2024) | 134,428 | Director‑level aggregate options |
| Unvested Shares Outstanding (as of 12/31/2024) | 22,000 | Aggregate unvested shares outstanding |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited without Audit Committee pre‑approval; derivatives restricted | Insider trading policy |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Bollard chairs the Science & Technology Committee—a targeted oversight forum for R&D, manufacturing, and supply—formed in 2023 and active (4 meetings in 2024), a positive signal for technical governance rigor aligned with CABA’s development-stage profile .
- Independence and engagement: Independent under Nasdaq/SEC rules; consistent board/committee participation thresholds met (≥90% in 2024; ≥75% in 2023), supporting reliability in board duties .
- Alignment: Director pay mix is equity‑heavy via options with service‑based vesting; beneficial ownership includes exercisable options, indicating some skin‑in‑the‑game while avoiding complex RSU/PSU structures for directors .
- Compensation structure: Cash retainer policy is modest; S&T chair fees codified; 2025 policy increased Audit and Compensation fees (member/chair), suggesting continued market alignment with Radford consultant input (no conflicts identified) .
- Conflicts/related‑party exposure: Despite multiple external scientific roles, the proxy reports no related‑party transactions ≥$120,000 since Jan 1, 2023—reducing near‑term conflict risk; audit committee reviews related‑person transactions .
- Risk indicators and red flags:
- RED FLAG watch areas: Interlocks with other cell therapy companies (Catamaran Bio; Mana Therapeutics; Minovia SAB) warrant ongoing monitoring for future transactions; however, none disclosed to date .
- Hedging/pledging restrictions and clawback (executive‑focused) policies are in place, mitigating misalignment risks at the enterprise level .
- Attendance and independence thresholds met; no disclosed say‑on‑pay concerns or director‑specific investigations noted in the proxy .
Overall: Bollard’s technical leadership and committee chair role bolster R&D oversight quality; independence, attendance, and a conservative director pay structure with option‑based equity support investor confidence. Ongoing monitoring is appropriate for potential future related‑party transactions given her external biotech affiliations; current disclosures show none .