Rona Anhalt
CertaraAbout Rona Anhalt
Rona S. Anhalt, age 60, has served as Certara’s Chief Human Resources Officer since May 2024, following senior HR leadership roles at EQRx, Celgene, and Novartis . She holds an MBA in finance from New York University and a bachelor’s in accounting and economics from Queens College; her career began in finance before transitioning to HR leadership in life sciences . Company performance during her tenure included 2024 revenue of $385.1 million (+9% year over year), adjusted EBITDA of $122.0 million, and net loss of $12.1 million, metrics that inform executive incentive design .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQRx, Inc. | Chief People Officer | Aug 2020 – Nov 2023 | Led HR from start-up through acquisition by Revolution Medicines; championed mission-oriented culture . |
| Celgene Corporation | Corporate VP, Human Resources | 2017 – 2020 | Led HR functions; aligned people and talent strategies with business performance . |
| Celgene Corporation | Executive Director, HR for Global Hematology/Oncology | 2016 – 2017 | HR leadership across franchises; supported growth and execution in oncology . |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals | HR roles of increasing responsibility | 1986 – 2016 | Scaled organizations; built high-performing teams in life sciences . |
External Roles
No public company board memberships or external directorships are disclosed in Certara’s proxy or related filings for Anhalt .
Fixed Compensation
- Specific base salary and cash compensation for the Chief Human Resources Officer are not disclosed; Certara’s executive compensation program (for named executive officers) comprises base salary, annual incentive bonuses, long-term equity compensation, benefits/perquisites, and severance/change-in-control protections .
- Governance features include at-will employment, a Dodd-Frank compliant clawback policy, prohibition on hedging/short sales, and no excise tax gross-ups upon change of control .
Performance Compensation
Company incentive architecture relevant to executive pay-for-performance:
| Metric | Weighting | Target Definition | FY 2024 Achievement | Payout Rule | Vesting/Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EBITDA | 80% | Annual adjusted EBITDA vs. Compensation Committee targets | Company-wide adjusted EBITDA achievement exceeded 90% of target, enabling AIB funding . | No payment if Company-wide adjusted EBITDA <90% of target; multipliers scale from 50% to 200% based on attainment . | Annual cash bonus under the AIB Plan paid after year-end . |
| Revenue | 20% | Annual revenue vs. Compensation Committee targets | Revenue grew 9% YoY to $385.1 million . | Multipliers scale from 50% to 150%; combined with EBITDA weighting to determine payout . | Annual cash bonus under the AIB Plan paid after year-end . |
| PSUs Tranche I | 50% of PSUs | Annual revenue achievement; threshold/target/max with linear interpolation | Performance determined annually; Earned PSUs later subject to rTSR modifier . | Weighted Percentage: 50% threshold, 100% target, 200% max; <50% = 0% . | Three-year performance period (FY 2024–2026); distribution after period; forfeiture if avg EBITDA margin <20% in first two years . |
| PSUs Tranche II | 50% of PSUs | Annual adjusted EBITDA achievement; threshold/target/max | Performance determined annually; Earned PSUs later subject to rTSR modifier . | Same Weighted Percentage rules as Tranche I . | Same three-year performance period and forfeiture condition . |
| rTSR Modifier | Adjustment | Relative TSR vs. peer group | If rTSR >75th percentile: +20%; if ≤25th percentile: −20%; 25th–75th percentile: no adjustment . | Applies to Earned PSUs after revenue/EBITDA calculations . | Final PSUs adjusted then distributed post-performance period . |
Note: The AIB plan details and PSU design apply to named executive officers; CHRO-specific targets or payouts are not disclosed .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Policy Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Stock ownership guidelines | NEOs, EVPs, SVPs must hold equity equal to 2x base salary; CEO 5x base; directors 5x annual cash retainer . |
| Compliance timing | 5-year period from appointment; annual assessment each Feb 1; until compliant, must retain 100% of net shares from option exercises and vesting . |
| Hedging/pledging | Hedging, derivatives, short sales prohibited; pledging/margin purchases require General Counsel pre-approval and may be refused . |
| Beneficial ownership disclosure | Individual holdings for Anhalt not separately itemized; total executive/director group ownership disclosed; footnotes include Anhalt among officers . |
Employment Terms
- Start date: May 2024; currently an executive officer of the company .
- At-will employment and company-wide clawback policy for incentive compensation .
- Equity award treatment generally: RSUs fully vest upon qualifying termination in connection with change in control; PSUs vest based on Committee-determined performance through the period, with distributions at period end; unvested RSUs typically forfeit upon termination absent acceleration .
Performance & Company Context
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue ($USD Millions) | 354.3 | 385.1 |
| Adjusted EBITDA ($USD Millions) | 123.108 | 122.046 |
| Net Income ($USD Millions) | (55.357) | (12.051) |
Additional context: Say-on-pay approval was 94.8% at the May 2024 annual meeting; Meridian Compensation Partners engaged as independent consultant in Nov 2024 for peer development and incentive design .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Ownership guidelines and 100% net-share retention until compliant, combined with prohibitions on hedging/short sales and restricted pledging, support strong executive-stockholder alignment and mitigate adverse trading behaviors .
- Incentive levers: Executive incentive designs emphasize adjusted EBITDA and revenue with a relative TSR PSU modifier, tying realized pay to operational performance and market outcomes; the EBITDA <20% forfeiture adds downside protection against low-margin growth .
- Retention risk: As a new appointee in May 2024, Anhalt operates under the five-year compliance window and governance policies (at-will employment, clawbacks), with no CHRO-specific severance or award details disclosed that would suggest unusual retention risk or immediate selling pressure .
- Program confidence: High say-on-pay support (94.8%) and third-party consultant oversight indicate balanced pay practices; investors should monitor future proxies for CHRO-specific compensation grants and ownership levels to refine pay-for-performance and alignment assessments .
References: Executive biography and appointment ; Compensation policies, ownership requirements, and incentive design ; Performance metrics and pay-versus-performance data .