Georgia Erbez
Coherus OncologyAbout Georgia Erbez
Georgia Erbez, age 58, has served as an independent Class III director of Coherus BioSciences since February 2024; her current term runs to the 2026 annual meeting. She is a seasoned biotech finance executive, currently Chief Financial Officer of Codexis, Inc. (since September 2024), with prior roles including CFO of Harpoon Therapeutics (2018–2022), COO of Walking Fish Therapeutics (2022–2023), and Managing Director of Axiom Financial Partners (since 2014). She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Davis.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codexis, Inc. | Chief Financial Officer | Sep 2024–present | Public-company CFO; financial stewardship and capital markets experience |
| Walking Fish Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | Sep 2022–Oct 2023 | Operations leadership in biotech |
| Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Financial Officer | Oct 2018–Sep 2022 | Built finance/org capabilities in immuno-oncology |
| Axiom Financial Partners | Managing Director | Nov 2014–present | Advisory expertise, finance consulting |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Oncology, Inc. | Director | Jun 2021–Jul 2022 | Public biopharma (acquired by GSK) |
| Artelo Biosciences, Inc. | Director | Sep 2017–Dec 2019 | Public clinical-stage biopharma |
| AltiBio, Inc. | Director | Sep 2018–Mar 2023 | Private biotechnology company |
Board Governance
- Board classification and term: Class III director; term expires at the 2026 annual meeting.
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; post-2025 meeting expected composition is Wahlström, Satvat, Karachun (Chair), and Erbez.
- Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; Audit Committee members (including Erbez) meet heightened SEC/Nasdaq independence standards.
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board met 6 times, Audit 4 times; each director attended at least 75% of applicable Board/committee meetings.
- Lead Independent Director: Mats L. Wahlström; presides over executive sessions of independent directors.
- Risk oversight: Audit Committee oversees financial/reporting risks and related-person transactions; Compensation Committee monitors compensation-related risk; regular independent director executive sessions held.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees (2024) | $60,000 | Consistent with policy: $50,000 annual director retainer plus $10,000 Audit Committee member fee |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | Policy provides retainers and committee fees; no meeting fees disclosed |
- Director fee policy highlights: Lead Independent Director $40,000 (as amended April 2024); Compensation Committee Chair $20,000/member $10,000; Audit Committee Chair $20,000/member $10,000; Strategic Transaction Committee Chair $25,000/member $12,500.
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | Grant/Status | Value/Terms | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option awards (2024) | Granted | Grant-date fair value $227,390 | Director options generally: initial grant 168,000 upon appointment; annual grant 112,000 thereafter |
| Exercise price | Per policy | Equal to closing price on grant date | — |
| Outstanding options | 168,000 | As of Dec 31, 2024 | Initial grant: 1/3 vests at 1 year, then monthly over next 2 years; annual grant vests after 1 year |
- Performance metrics: None disclosed for director equity; awards are time-based options (no PSUs/TSR metrics for directors).
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public-company executive role: CFO at Codexis, Inc. (public). No related-party transactions between Coherus and entities where Erbez has roles were disclosed.
- Prior public boards: Sierra Oncology (public until acquisition), Artelo Biosciences (public). No shared directorships indicating supplier/customer/competitor interlocks with Coherus disclosed.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep finance leadership across public biotech and consulting; capital markets and operational finance experience (CFO roles at Codexis/Harpoon; MD at Axiom).
- Biotech sector expertise and prior governance experience (board seats at Sierra Oncology, Artelo; operational COO role).
- Independent status and Audit Committee service; Audit Committee members meet heightened independence requirements.
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (total) | 61,620 shares | Represents options exercisable within 60 days of Apr 24, 2025; less than 1% of outstanding shares |
| Shares outstanding (reference) | 115,922,573 | As of Apr 24, 2025 |
| Options outstanding | 168,000 | As of Dec 31, 2024 |
| Anti-hedging policy | In place | Prohibits hedging company stock for directors/officers/employees |
| Section 16 compliance | Compliant | All insiders complied in 2024; one late Form 4 was for Wahlström (not Erbez) |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee engagement: Independent director serving on Audit; meets heightened independence standards; attended at least 75% of meetings—supports board effectiveness and oversight.
- Compensation structure and alignment: Director pay comprised cash retainer/committee fees and time-vested options (no performance-based equity); outstanding options and option-based annual grants align incentives to long-term stock appreciation, though no explicit performance metrics are used for director equity.
- Ownership alignment: Beneficial ownership is modest (<1%) based on exercisable options disclosed; anti-hedging policy strengthens alignment and mitigates misalignment risks.
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-party transactions involving directors since Jan 1, 2023; independence determinations include review of relationships; current CFO role at another public biotech (Codexis) presents potential time-commitment considerations but no conflicts disclosed.
- Committee oversight quality: Audit Committee composition includes experienced financial and industry directors; charter compliance and independence noted; chair transition to Karachun expected post-2025 meeting.
RED FLAGS: None disclosed regarding related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, legal proceedings, or attendance shortfalls; director equity is time-based (no PSUs), which reduces pay-for-performance rigor for directors but is typical for non-employee directors.