Karen Anderson
About Karen Anderson
Karen Anderson is Centessa Pharmaceuticals’ Chief People Officer, serving since November 2022. She previously held senior HR leadership roles across biotech and pharma, including CHRO at Alnylam (2014–2019), VP HR at Biogen supporting R&D, nearly a decade of HR roles at Pfizer across R&D and Global Commercial, and compensation/M&A-focused roles at Bayer and Baxter; immediately prior to Centessa, she was CHRO at Mimecast, a cybersecurity company. She holds a BA in Psychology/Labor Relations and a Master’s in Organization Development . Company documents do not disclose her age or individual TSR/financial performance attribution.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals | Chief Human Resources Officer | 2014–2019 | Supported build-out of late-stage development, commercial readiness, and dedicated manufacturing facility |
| Biogen | Vice President of HR (supporting R&D) | Not disclosed | Led HR support for R&D |
| Pfizer | HR roles across R&D and Global Commercial | “Almost 10 years” | HR leadership across R&D and commercial businesses |
| Bayer | Compensation and M&A roles | Not disclosed | Specialized in compensation and M&A |
| Baxter | Compensation and M&A roles | Not disclosed | Specialized in compensation and M&A |
| Mimecast | Chief Human Resources Officer | Not disclosed | Led HR for a technology-based cybersecurity company |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No public company directorships or external board roles disclosed for Karen Anderson |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Karen Anderson is not listed among named executive officers (NEOs), and her individual cash compensation is not disclosed in proxy/10-K compensation tables |
| Target Bonus % | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed for Karen Anderson; annual bonus objectives/payouts disclosed for CEO, not for CPO |
| Actual Bonus Paid | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed for Karen Anderson |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — | Individual performance metrics and payouts for Karen Anderson not disclosed |
Company equity award structure (policy context):
- New joiner grants typically vest over 4 years: 25% at first anniversary, then in 36 equal monthly installments; annual awards typically vest in equal monthly installments over 48 months; options carry max 10-year term; awards may include RSUs, options, SARs; performance conditions may apply at committee discretion .
- Share ownership guidelines apply to Executive Directors: required to build and maintain 200% of base salary within five years; this policy is stated for Executive Directors and not explicitly for non-director executive officers .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | Mar 10, 2025 | Apr 24, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned (Number) | 184,389 | 197,410 |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | 0.14% (based on 133,184,349 ADSs) | 0.15% (based on 133,598,369 shares) |
| Vested vs. unvested breakdown | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Company policy prohibits pledging by insiders; no pledges disclosed for Karen Anderson |
Insider selling pressure and trading plans:
- A Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement was entered into by Karen Anderson during the quarter ended September 30, 2024; disclosure was added via a 10-Q/A filed February 14, 2025 (Item 5. Other Information) .
- During Q3 2025, the company disclosed that none of its directors or officers adopted, terminated, or modified Rule 10b5-1 plans or non-Rule 10b5-1 arrangements .
Recent lock-up constraints:
- Karen Anderson is listed among lock-up parties for Centessa’s November 2025 public offering (public offering price $21.50 per ADS) .
- Lock-up terms permit certain transactions during the restricted period: establishment of Rule 10b5-1 plans that do not provide for transfers during the restricted period; sales under pre-existing Rule 10b5-1 plans; and transfers to satisfy option exercises/RSU settlements and withholding; required Section 16 filings must footnote lock-up context .
Employment Terms
| Term | Outside Change-in-Control (CIC) Period | Within CIC Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severance Plan (eligible executives) | CEO: 12 months base salary + 12 months benefits; Tier 2 officers: 12 months base salary + 12 months benefits; Tier 3 officers: 6 months base salary + 6 months benefits; paid in installments | CEO: 18 months base + 150% target bonus + 18 months benefits; Tier 2: 12 months base + 100% target bonus + 12 months benefits; Tier 3: 9 months base + 75% target bonus + 9 months benefits; full acceleration of time-based equity; performance awards deemed achieved at target | Karen Anderson’s specific tier/eligibility is not disclosed; severance terms for executives are governed by the Executive Severance Plan; 280G/4999 “best net” cut-down applies |
| Employment start date | — | — | Karen Anderson has served as CPO since November 2022 |
| Non-compete / Non-solicit | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed for Karen Anderson |
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Year-over-year cash vs equity mix for Karen Anderson is not disclosed; company-wide share-based compensation expense and award activity are disclosed in interim filings but not broken out by individual .
- Option grants across the company in 2025 had weighted-average exercise prices ~$16.00 in H1 and $16.03 YTD Q3; aggregate outstanding options 20.9M with 7.1-year remaining term; unrecognized option expense $67.1M with ~3.1-year recognition period; this indicates ongoing equity-heavy incentives at the company level .
- No evidence of option repricing or award modifications was disclosed; lock-up terms explicitly restrict certain sales and filings during the restricted period .
Say-on-Pay, Ownership Guidelines, and Governance Context
- Compensation Committee members: Brett Zbar (Chair), Samarth Kulkarni, Arjun Goyal; board determined independence per Nasdaq rules; responsibilities include executive compensation oversight and succession planning .
- Executive Director share ownership guidelines: maintain 200% of base salary within five years; enforcement tools include reducing future LTIs or requiring retention of vested shares; guidelines are stated for Executive Directors .
- Insider trading policy prohibits short sales, derivatives/hedging, margin use, and pledging; pre-clearance required; trading windows and special closed windows may apply .
Performance & Track Record
- Company-level financials Q3 2025: net loss $(54.9) million, R&D $41.6 million, G&A $12.2 million; nine-month 2025 net loss $(131.4) million; balance sheet equity $301.6 million . No individual performance metrics are attributed to Karen Anderson in public filings.
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Karen’s share ownership is modest (~0.14–0.15%), consistent with non-NEO executives; company policy prohibits pledging/hedging, which mitigates alignment red flags .
- Selling pressure: A disclosed Rule 10b5-1 plan (Q3 2024) suggests structured, pre-planned trades; near-term discretionary selling is constrained by the November 2025 offering lock-up, reducing immediate overhang risk .
- Retention risk: Executive Severance Plan provides market-standard protections and equity acceleration under CIC, supporting retention; Karen’s tier is not disclosed, but the framework implies meaningful protection for covered executives .
- Data gaps: Lack of disclosed base salary/bonus metrics and individual equity award details for the CPO limits precise pay-for-performance analysis; monitoring future proxies or 8-K 5.02 filings is necessary for updates .