Saurabh Saha
About Saurabh Saha
Saurabh Saha, M.D., Ph.D., is an independent director of Clarivate (CLVT) since May 2023 and serves on the Human Resources & Compensation Committee. He is 48 and is the CEO and a director of Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (since January 2021); his background spans senior R&D leadership at Bristol Myers Squibb (2017–Jan 2021), venture capital (Atlas Venture), biotech CEO roles, Novartis translational research, and McKinsey. He holds a B.S. in Biology (Caltech), M.Sc. in Biochemistry (Oxford), and M.D./Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins); he is also an associate member and global clinical scholar at Harvard Medical School and has 100+ publications/patents. He was selected for the Board for deep health and life sciences expertise .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure (if disclosed) | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc | Chief Executive Officer | Since Jan 2021 | Public company CEO and director; 20+ years in health and life sciences . |
| Bristol Myers Squibb Company | SVP R&D and Global Head of Translational Medicine | 2017–Jan 2021 | Led translational R&D across hematology/oncology, CV, immunosciences, fibrosis, neuroscience . |
| Atlas Venture Life Science Advisors, LLC | Venture Partner | 2015–2017 | Venture investing and company building in biotech . |
| Delinia (biotech) | President & CEO | Not disclosed | Autoimmune therapeutics focus . |
| Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research | Led New Indications Discovery Unit | Not disclosed | Indications expansion strategies . |
| McKinsey & Company | Strategic Consultant | Not disclosed | Drug discovery strategy for top pharma/biotech . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure (if disclosed) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc | Director (and CEO) | Since Jan 2021 | Current public company directorship . |
| Harvard Medical School | Associate member and global clinical scholar | Not disclosed | Academic affiliation . |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; this includes Dr. Saha .
- Committee assignment: Human Resources & Compensation Committee (HRCC) member .
- Attendance/engagement: The Board held six formal meetings in FY2024 and each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings on which they served; HRCC held five meetings in 2024 .
- Share ownership/hedging: Directors must reach holdings ≥5x the annual cash board retainer within five years; hedging and pledging by directors is prohibited under policy .
| Committee | Role | 2024 Meetings | Independence Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Resources & Compensation | Member | 5 | All members meet NYSE/SEC independence rules . |
Fixed Compensation (Non-Employee Director – 2024)
| Metric | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board Annual Retainer (cash) | $85,000 | Standard for non-employee directors . |
| Committee chair fees (if any) | — | Saha is not a chair . |
| Board Chair retainer (shares) | — | Not applicable (non-chair) . |
| Fees earned/paid (Saha) | $85,000 | Reported for FY2024 . |
Performance Compensation (Director Equity – 2024)
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant Date FMV | Vesting | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (annual grant) | May 7, 2024 | 23,741 | $165,000 | Vests immediately prior to the next AGM | None; time-based only (no options or non-equity incentive pay for directors) . |
Additional program detail:
- Annual director equity award: RSUs with fair market value of $165,000 each AGM; vests prior to next AGM .
- No director stock options or non-equity incentive plan compensation in 2024 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Exchange | Role | Since | Interlocks/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc | Public | Director (and CEO) | Jan 2021 | Disclosed as other public company directorship within five years . |
- Compensation committee interlocks: Company disclosed no compensation committee interlocks involving CLVT executive officers in 2024 (contextual governance disclosure) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Health/life sciences executive and scientist; CEO of a public biotech; extensive translational R&D leadership at BMS; venture and operating experience across biotech and big pharma .
- Education: B.S. Biology (Caltech), M.Sc. Biochemistry (Oxford), M.D./Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins); Harvard Medical School academic affiliation; 100+ papers/patents .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Value | Date/Context |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficially owned CLVT shares | 82,016 | As reported in 2025 proxy; <1% of outstanding (“*”) . |
| Ownership % of outstanding | <1% (“*”) | 2025 proxy footnote . |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding | 23,741 | Year-end 2024 (annual director grant) . |
| Ownership guideline | ≥5x annual cash retainer; 5-year compliance window | Board policy . |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors | Insider trading and pledging policy . |
Insider transactions (Section 16 – Form 4):
| Trade Date | Type | Shares | Price | Shares After | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-30 | Sale | 17,646 | $6.75 | 23,741 | |
| 2025-03-03 | Purchase | 58,275 | $4.36 | 82,016 |
Potential Conflicts / Related-Party Exposure
- Related-party policy: Audit Committee reviews/approves related-person transactions per written policy .
- Disclosed transactions involve Cambridge Information Group/Exor arrangements; no transactions involving Dr. Saha or Centessa are listed in the 2025 proxy’s related-party section .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with deep domain expertise; active HRCC member (5 meetings in 2024); board-level attendance threshold met (≥75%); equity-based pay and ownership guidelines promote alignment; hedging/pledging prohibitions reduce misalignment risk .
- Signals: March 2025 open-market purchase (58,275 shares at $4.36) increased holdings to 82,016—positive alignment signal; 2024 annual RSU grant standard and time-based (no performance risk dilution) .
- Watch items: Dual role as a public-company CEO could pose time/attention constraints; however, CLVT’s guidelines cap outside board seats and independence was affirmed; no Centessa-related transactions disclosed (continue to monitor) .
Appendix — Reference Data
- Director profile (age, independence, committees, other public boards) .
- Board/committee activity and attendance expectations .
- Director compensation program (retainers and equity) , individual 2024 compensation .
- Beneficial ownership (directors/officers) .
- Related-person transactions section .