Bo Cumbo
About Bo Cumbo
Alexander (Bo) Cumbo, 54, joined Climb Bio’s board in March 2025 and serves as an independent director with deep commercial and gene therapy leadership experience; he holds a B.S. in Laboratory Technology from Auburn University . He is currently President & CEO and a director at Solid Biosciences (since Dec 2022), and previously led AavantiBio as CEO and served as EVP & Chief Commercial Officer at Sarepta Therapeutics, with earlier commercial roles at Vertex and Gilead . He was elected to the CLYM board on March 28, 2025, and is designated independent under Nasdaq rules (excluding the CEO, former Executive Chair, and Stephen Thomas) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Biosciences Inc. | President & CEO; Director | Dec 2022–present | Leads gene therapy strategy and operations |
| AavantiBio, Inc. | President & CEO | Oct 2020–Dec 2022 | CEO transition; company acquired by Solid Bio |
| Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. | EVP, Chief Commercial Officer | Jan 2013–Oct 2020 | Built precision genetic medicines commercial org |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals | VP Sales & Treatment Education; Area Director | 2011–2013 | Launched Incivek (HCV) |
| Gilead Sciences | Multiple commercial roles (HIV, HBV, CV) | Prior to 2011 | Therapeutics commercial leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Biosciences Inc. | Director | Dec 2022–present | Board service (CEO) |
| Verve Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | Jun 2022–present | Board service |
| Ra Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Director | Nov 2018–Apr 2020 | Board service until acquisition by UCB |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Chair, Compensation Committee; Member, Audit Committee .
- Independence: Board determined Cumbo is independent under Nasdaq rules; only the CEO, former Executive Chair (Levin), and Stephen Thomas are non-independent .
- Committee responsibilities:
- Compensation Committee: reviews/approves executive pay, oversees incentive plans and clawback policy, sets director compensation, prepares required reports .
- Audit Committee: oversees financial statements, auditor independence, internal controls, risk (financial, operational, cybersecurity, legal/compliance, reputation), and related-party transaction approvals .
- Board process: Independent directors hold executive sessions at least twice annually; board conducted five meetings in 2024 with ≥75% attendance by then-serving directors; directors are expected to attend the annual meeting .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Basis/Effective Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board annual cash retainer | $40,000 | 2025 non-employee director policy (effective Mar 23, 2025) | |
| Compensation Committee Chair cash retainer | $10,000 | As assigned to Cumbo upon appointment (Mar 28, 2025) | |
| Audit Committee Member cash retainer | $7,500 | As assigned to Cumbo upon appointment (Mar 28, 2025) | |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | — |
Performance Compensation
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Exercise Price | Vesting | Term/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Director Stock Option | Mar 28, 2025 | 80,000 | $1.28/share (closing price on grant date) | Monthly over 36 months from 3/28/2025, subject to service | 10-year term; standard non-employee director terms |
| Annual Director Stock Option | Annual Meeting (2025 policy) | 40,000 | Closing price on grant date | Vests in full on 1-year anniversary or the day before next annual meeting | 10-year term; accelerates upon Change in Control |
| Change-in-control treatment (director awards) | Policy-wide | — | — | 100% vesting acceleration upon Change in Control if director in service | Applies to non-employee directors |
No director performance metrics (TSR/EBITDA/ESG) are disclosed for director equity; vesting is time-based under the policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public boards | Solid Biosciences (CEO/director), Verve Therapeutics (director) |
| Prior public boards | Ra Pharmaceuticals (director) until acquisition by UCB |
| Related-party/Interlocks | Company discloses no related-party transactions involving Cumbo; indemnification agreement in standard form . RA Capital is a major shareholder and has board representation (Levin), but no Cumbo-related transactions disclosed . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Commercial leadership across genetic medicines with CEO roles at Solid Biosciences and AavantiBio; EVP/CCO at Sarepta; commercial roles at Vertex and Gilead .
- Education: B.S. in Laboratory Technology, Auburn University .
- Brings commercialization, gene therapy, and strategic partnering expertise relevant to CLYM’s pipeline .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of Mar 31, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares/options exercisable within 60 days) | 4,444 (options exercisable within 60 days) |
| Ownership % of outstanding | Less than 1% (outstanding shares: 67,575,767) |
| Anti-hedging/derivatives policy | Prohibits short sales, derivatives, and hedging for directors/officers; insider trading policy filed as exhibit |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director; chairs Compensation Committee and serves on Audit, aligning with governance best practices; no related-party transactions disclosed for Cumbo; robust anti-hedging and executive clawback policies in place .
- Alignment: Receives standard director cash retainers and time-based options with reasonable vesting and 10-year terms; beneficial ownership (exercisable options) present but de minimis vs float; director awards accelerate on change-in-control consistent with market norms .
- Watch items: Significant external commitments (CEO at Solid Biosciences and director at Verve) warrant monitoring for time/attention; CLYM notes ≥75% attendance for 2024 directors, but Cumbo joined in 2025—no specific attendance data yet disclosed .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Cumbo—no pledging/hedging, no loans, no related-party transactions, no option repricing, and no director conflicts reported .
Shareholder confidence signals: 2025 annual meeting showed strong support for board nominees and auditor ratification; while Cumbo was not up for election, overall governance votes were favorable (Dunn and Thomas elected; PwC ratified) .