Olivia Ware
About Olivia Ware
Olivia Ware (age 68) is an independent, non-employee director of Contineum Therapeutics, Inc. (CTNM), serving since March 2024; she brings 20+ years of biopharma commercialization, portfolio leadership, and healthcare management experience, with an A.B. in Psychology from Davidson College and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from UNC Chapel Hill . Her background includes senior roles at Genentech with major oncology launches (Rituxan, Herceptin, Avastin, Lucentis) and franchise leadership at Principia Biopharma, Proteus Digital Health, and CytRx .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genentech, Inc. | Commercial, Team Leadership, Product Development; Head of Oncology Team Leadership | 1997–2010 | Led strategic plans and portfolio management for oncology; key role in launches of Rituxan, Herceptin, Avastin, Lucentis |
| Various biopharma firms | Private consultant | 2011–2018 | Advisory across commercial and development |
| Proteus Digital Health, Inc. | SVP, U.S. Market & Franchise Development | Aug 2018–Nov 2019 | U.S. market strategy |
| Principia Biopharma Inc. (Sanofi acquired) | SVP, BTK Franchise Head | Nov 2019–Mar 2021 | Portfolio strategy for three BTKi molecules |
| CytRx, Inc. | Chief Commercial Officer | 2016–2017 | Commercial leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcellx, Inc. | Director | Jun 2022–present | Current public company board |
| Revance Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | Mar 2021–Feb 2025 | Former public company board |
| Ambrx Biopharma Inc. | Director | Apr 2021–Jun 2022 | Former public company board |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Compensation Committee member; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member .
- Committee chair roles: None; Compensation Committee chaired by Todd Brady; Nominating & Corporate Governance chaired by Sarah Boyce .
- Independence: Board determined all directors except CEO Carmine Stengone and Diego Miralles are independent; Ware is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met seven times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; independent directors hold regular executive sessions .
- Committee activity cadence: Compensation Committee met six times in 2024; Nominating & Corporate Governance met two times .
2025 Election Support (Investor Confidence Signal)
| Director | Votes For | Votes Withheld | Broker Non-Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia Ware | 12,756,245 | 583,699 | 2,050,305 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | $37,654 | Pre-IPO quarterly cash fees ($25,000 annually to select directors) and/or committee retainers |
| Annual Board Cash Retainer (policy) | $40,000 | Non-employee director program effective upon IPO |
| Committee Member Retainers (policy) | Compensation: $5,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance: $4,000 | Applies to Ware’s committees |
| Committee Chair Retainers (policy) | Audit: $15,000; Compensation: $10,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance: $8,000 | Not applicable to Ware (not a chair) |
Performance Compensation
Non-employee director pay is cash retainers plus stock options; no performance-based metrics (e.g., revenue/EBITDA/TSR-linked awards) are described for directors in CTNM’s program .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current/Recent public boards: Arcellx, Revance (ended Feb 2025), Ambrx (ended Jun 2022) .
- Interlocks/conflicts: The proxy discloses related party transactions (e.g., investors’ rights, J&J license) but none involving Ware; no disclosed business dealings between CTNM and her other board companies .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Biopharma commercialization and portfolio management (Genentech oncology portfolio leadership and multiple product launches) .
- Senior franchise and market development roles (Principia; Proteus; CytRx) .
- Education: A.B. Psychology (Davidson); MBA Finance/Marketing (UNC Chapel Hill) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shares Beneficially Owned | 17,302 | Footnote indicates options exercisable within 60 days of 3/14/2025 |
| % of Class A Outstanding | ~0.090% | Calculated using 19,142,377 Class A shares outstanding as of 3/14/2025 ; For shares: 17,302 |
| Options Outstanding (as of 12/31/2024) | 33,179 | Director option holdings table |
| Pre-IPO Option Grant (Mar 2024) | 29,479 shares | Vests over 24 months monthly; full vest on change-in-control (2012 Plan) |
| Director Equity Program (post-IPO) | Initial: 0.090% of shares; Annual: 0.045% of shares | Initial award vests 1/3 at 1-year then monthly; annual award vests by next AGM or 1-year; full vest on change-in-control |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited for directors; pledging requires approval; no short sales or derivatives permitted | Insider Trading Policy applies to directors |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Ware adds commercialization and portfolio leadership depth to Compensation and Nominating & Governance oversight; independent status and regular executive sessions support board challenge and risk oversight .
- Alignment: Director equity is options with time-based vesting and change-of-control acceleration; anti-hedging/pledging policy reduces misalignment risk; beneficial ownership is modest (~0.09% via options exercisable), typical for new directors post-IPO .
- Engagement: 2024 meeting cadence and ≥75% attendance indicate baseline engagement; committee schedules (Comp: 6x; N&CG: 2x) provide structured involvement .
- Investor confidence: 2025 re-election support was strong (12.76M for; 0.58M withheld), signaling favorable shareholder sentiment .
- Conflicts/related-party: No related-party transactions involving Ware disclosed; her other public boards are not identified as CTNM counterparties in the proxy .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Ware (no related-party transactions, pledging, or attendance shortfalls) .
Watch items: Change-in-control full vesting for director options is standard but accelerates equity on M&A; ensure continued independence and avoidance of interlocks as CTNM partners evolve (e.g., J&J license context) .