Gary Nabel
About Gary J. Nabel
Independent director at Candel Therapeutics since August 2022; age 71. A renowned virologist/immunologist, currently Chief Innovation Officer and director at OPKO Health (since May 2022) and President/CEO of ModeX Therapeutics (since November 2020). Previously Chief Scientific Officer/SVP at Sanofi (2012–November 2020); founding director of NIH’s Vaccine Research Center; investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute/University of Michigan (1987–1999). Education: Harvard BA magna cum laude (1975), PhD (1980), MD (1982); postdoctoral fellowship at the Whitehead Institute .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanofi, S.A. | Chief Scientific Officer, SVP | 2012–Nov 2020 | Directed breakthrough lab; tri‑specific products to early clinical development |
| NIH Vaccine Research Center | Founding Director | Not disclosed | Led vaccine/antibody programs across HIV, influenza, SARS, Ebola, etc. |
| University of Michigan / HHMI | Investigator | 1987–1999 | Research leadership in virology/immunology |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPKO Health (Nasdaq: OPK) | Chief Innovation Officer; Director | May 2022 | Also founder/co‑leader of ModeX prior to merger with OPKO |
| ModeX Therapeutics (OPKO subsidiary) | President & CEO | Nov 2020 | Co‑founded ModeX |
| SIGA Technologies (Nasdaq: SIGA) | Director | 2021 | Board service alongside CADL director Diem Nguyen’s CEO role at SIGA |
Board Governance
- Board classification: Class I director; term ended at 2025 annual meeting with nomination for re‑election to 2028 .
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (chair: Dr. Benz). Compensation and Audit committees do not include Nabel .
- Independence: Board determined all directors except CEO (Dr. Tak) are independent under Nasdaq/SEC rules; Nabel is independent .
- Attendance/engagement: Board met 16 times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of board/committee meetings where they served. Six directors attended the prior annual meeting .
- Committee activity levels in 2024: Audit (4 meetings), Compensation (3), Nominating & Corporate Governance (1) .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Year | Cash Retainer ($) | Committee Fees ($) | Total Cash ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (actual) | — | — | 39,000 |
| Policy components (reference) | 35,000 (board member) | 4,000 (Nom/Gov member; 8,000 chair) | Illustrative: 39,000 if only Nom/Gov member |
Notes: CADL’s non‑employee director policy provides $35,000 annual retainer; additional $30,000 for non‑executive chair; Audit chair/member $15,000/$7,500; Compensation chair/member $10,000/$5,000; Nominating chair/member $8,000/$4,000 .
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Year | Equity Type | Grant Detail | Grant Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Stock options | Annual director grant | 68,405 | Vests fully at earlier of 1‑year anniversary or next annual meeting, subject to service |
| Ongoing policy | Stock options | Initial 28,480 shares at appointment; Annual 14,240 shares thereafter | Not stated | Initial: monthly over 3 years; Annual: 1‑year/next annual meeting cliff |
No director performance metrics (e.g., TSR/EBITDA) are disclosed for director equity; awards are time‑based per policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity | CADL Director Link | Potential Interlock/Signal |
|---|---|---|
| SIGA Technologies | Nabel: Director; Nguyen: CADL director and SIGA CEO | Information‑flow network; monitor for related‑party transactions or shared strategic priorities; none disclosed at CADL . |
| OPKO Health / ModeX | Nabel: OPKO CIO & director; ModeX CEO | Executive roles outside CADL; ensure continued independence in CADL decisions; no CADL‑OPKO transactions disclosed . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep domain expertise in virology/immunology, gene therapy, molecular biology; elected to National Academy of Medicine; fellow of AAP and American Academy of Arts & Sciences; Geoffrey Beene Builders of Science Award .
- Academic and R&D leadership with vaccine and antibody programs across multiple pathogens; extensive biotech/pharma executive experience (Sanofi CSO/SVP) .
- Harvard BA (1975), PhD (1980), MD (1982); Whitehead Institute postdoc .
Equity Ownership
| As‑of Date | Beneficial Ownership | % of Shares Outstanding | Composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 21, 2025 | 55,377 shares | <1% | Options exercisable within 60 days |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 36,391 options outstanding | — | Unexercised stock options held at year‑end |
Policy on hedging/derivatives: CADL prohibits short sales, derivative transactions, and hedging by directors/executives; margin/pledging risks noted, but no pledging by Nabel disclosed .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with top‑tier scientific credentials and prior Fortune‑global CSO experience; service on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; strong board engagement with ≥75% attendance; equity compensation aligns director pay with shareholder value accretion; company maintains clawback policy complying with SEC/Nasdaq .
- Risks/RED FLAGS to monitor: Network interlock with SIGA (Nabel director; Nguyen CEO/director at CADL) may raise perceived conflicts if transactions emerge—none disclosed; limited Nominating Committee meeting frequency (one in 2024) may constrain formal governance refresh cadence; low direct common share ownership (beneficial ownership comprised of exercisable options) may indicate weaker “skin‑in‑the‑game” versus outright shares .
- Compensation structure: Director cash equals retainer plus committee fees; equity delivered via options with time‑based vesting—no performance metric linkage; compensation consultant (Radford/Aon) assessed independent with no conflicts for executive comp; Nabel is not on Compensation Committee, reducing pay‑setting conflicts .
- Related‑party/transactions: CADL outlines approval policies via Audit Committee; no related‑party transactions involving Nabel disclosed for 2023–2024 review period .
Overall: Nabel brings high‑value scientific and biopharma leadership, is independent, and participates in governance oversight. Interlocks warrant continued surveillance for conflicts, but current disclosures show no CADL‑SIGA or CADL‑OPKO transactions. Attendance and clawback/insider‑trading policies support investor confidence .