Molly Harper
CATALYST PHARMACEUTICALSAbout Molly Harper
Molly Harper (age 48) joined Catalyst Pharmaceuticals’ board in June 2021 and is an independent director slated to become Lead Independent Director following the May 20, 2025 Annual Meeting. She has 20+ years of biopharma leadership with emphasis on rare diseases, and holds a BA from Cornell and an MBA from Wharton. She currently serves on the Compensation and Corporate Governance & Nominating Committees and is Managing Partner at Peacock Hall LLC, a life sciences advisory firm .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synlogic, Inc. | Chief Business Officer; led BD, IR/Comms, new product planning, commercial strategy, patient advocacy | Sep 2021 – Mar 2024 | Strategic growth, partnering in synthetic biology therapeutics |
| Relmada Therapeutics, Inc. | EVP of Operations | May 2020 – Sep 2021 | CNS pipeline ops and scale-up |
| Akcea Therapeutics | SVP & Global Franchise GM; built global rare disease commercial org (six-drug portfolio; two commercial rare disease drugs) | Prior to 2020 (dates not specified) | Commercialization leadership and global build-out |
| Sanofi Genzyme (Rare Disease) | Head of US Endocrinology; earlier global/U.S. marketing leadership | Prior roles; dates not specified | Rare disease commercial leadership |
| Merck & Co. | Sales and marketing roles (primary care and hospital) | Prior roles; dates not specified | Commercial execution |
| UBS Warburg | Equity research (life sciences) | Early career | Capital markets insight |
| The Wilkerson Group/IBM | Strategy consulting | Early career | Strategic planning |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock Hall LLC | Managing Partner | Current | Advisory firm focused on life sciences |
| PreciseDx | Board Director | Private company | AI oncology pathology; no CPRX interlocks disclosed |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board affirms Harper is independent under NASDAQ standards; all directors except the CEO (Daly) and former CEO/Chair (McEnany) are independent .
- Committee assignments: Compensation Committee member; Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee member .
- Lead Independent Director: Harper will assume the role after the 2025 Annual Meeting; responsibilities include setting agendas with the Chair, leading executive sessions, serving as liaison between Chair and independents, overseeing stockholder communications, and calling independent director meetings .
- Attendance/Engagement: In 2024, Board held 8 meetings; all directors met at least 75% attendance, and all attended the 2024 Annual Meeting (virtual). Audit Committee met 4 times; Compensation Committee met 3 times; CG&N met once .
- Insider compliance: All Section 16(a) filings by officers/directors were timely for 2024 .
- Hedging/Pledging: Policy prohibits short sales, options, hedging transactions, and margin/pledging of shares for directors .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2023 Amount | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual retainer (non-employee director) | $50,000 | $60,000 | No meeting fees |
| Audit Chair retainer | $21,000 | $21,000 | |
| Compensation Chair retainer | $15,750 | $15,750 | |
| CG&N Chair retainer | $10,500 | $10,500 | |
| Audit member retainer | $10,500 | $10,500 | |
| Compensation member retainer | $7,875 | $7,875 | |
| CG&N member retainer | $5,250 | $5,250 | |
| Lead Independent Director fee | $23,625 | $25,000 | Harper to assume Lead role post-Annual Meeting |
| Cash paid to Non-Exec Chair (McEnany, role-specific) | N/A in 2023 | $250,000 | Chair-specific; not Harper |
| Molly Harper — Director Cash Compensation | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash ($) | $63,125 | $139,125 (includes $66,000 consulting) |
| Notes | Includes committee retainers | Consulting project reviewed by independent directors; independence deemed unaffected |
Performance Compensation
| Molly Harper — Equity Compensation | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Stock-based awards ($ grant date fair value) | $299,994 | $300,019 |
| Outstanding stock options (as of 12/31) | 114,524 | 120,272 |
| Unvested RSUs (as of 12/31) | 14,907 | 11,002 |
| Equity grant structure | Options and RSUs awarded annually for director service | Options and RSUs awarded; service-based; no meeting fees |
No director performance metrics (e.g., revenue/TSR hurdles) are disclosed for director equity; awards are service-based. Hedging/pledging of equity is prohibited .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Committee Roles | Interlocks/Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PreciseDx | Private | Director | Not disclosed | None disclosed with CPRX |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Rare disease commercialization; built global orgs; led multi-asset portfolios at Akcea; US Endocrinology leadership at Sanofi Genzyme .
- Business development, investor relations, corporate communications, new product planning, commercial strategy, patient advocacy at Synlogic .
- Capital markets and strategy background (UBS Warburg equity research; Wilkerson Group/IBM consulting) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molly Harper | 79,087 | <1% | Address c/o Catalyst; sole voting/investment power unless indicated |
| Harper — Award Holdings (as of 12/31/2024) | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stock options | 120,272 | Outstanding options; grant specifics not broken out for directors |
| Unvested RSUs | 11,002 | Outstanding unvested RSUs |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited | No pledging allowed under policy |
Governance Assessment
- Positives:
- Independent director with deep rare-disease commercialization and BD experience; slated Lead Independent Director enhances board oversight and agenda-setting influence .
- Strong engagement: Board and committees met regularly; all directors met ≥75% attendance; full attendance at 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Equity-based director pay aligns interests; annual option/RSU grants; hedging/pledging prohibited to preserve alignment .
- Section 16 compliance timely for 2024, supporting governance hygiene .
- Potential RED FLAGS / Watch items:
- $66,000 consulting assignment paid to Harper in 2024; independent directors reviewed and concluded no impact on independence—appropriate mitigation, but continue monitoring for related-party optics .
- Beneficial ownership is modest (<1%); alignment relies primarily on option/RSU grants rather than large outright ownership .
- Compensation structure signals:
- Shift in director cash retainer from $50k (2023) to $60k (2024); lead director fee increased ($23,625 → $25,000), consistent with expanded responsibilities and inflation rather than pay inflation risk .
- No meeting fees; compensation tied to retainers and annual equity—no disclosed discretionary elements for directors .
Sources: 2025 DEF 14A (published Apr 11, 2025) and 2024 DEF 14A (published Apr 10, 2024) .