Peter Chin
Denali TherapeuticsAbout Peter Chin
Peter Chin, M.D., is Acting Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development at Denali Therapeutics (DNLI) as of November 6, 2025, after joining Denali in 2019 and most recently serving as Senior Vice President of the Enzyme TransportVehicle (ETV) Franchise and Late-Stage Clinical Development . He previously held senior positions at Genentech and Novartis across neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory, and rare diseases, and earned his M.D. from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth . During his Denali tenure (2019–present), company revenue rose to $330.5M in 2023 while DNLI remained loss-making as it invested for late-stage programs and commercialization; EBITDA remained negative, consistent with a clinical-stage biotech scaling to commercial readiness . The company’s 2024 proxy and 2025 proxy emphasize pay-for-performance alignment, strong shareholder support (92.2% 2024 say-on-pay), and robust clawback and anti-hedging policies guiding executive incentives .
Company financial trajectory during Dr. Chin’s tenure:
| Metric (USD) | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $26.7M | $335.7M | $48.7M | $108.5M | $330.5M | — |
| Net Income (IS) | $(197.6)M | $71.1M | $(290.6)M | $(326.0)M | $(145.2)M | $(422.8)M |
| EBITDA | $(205.2)M* | $71.2M* | $(287.2)M* | $(330.4)M* | $(180.0)M* | $(500.8)M* |
Values with asterisk (*) retrieved from S&P Global.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denali Therapeutics | Acting Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development | 2025–present | Executive leadership for development; continuity of late-stage and pre-launch execution . |
| Denali Therapeutics | SVP, ETV Franchise & Late-Stage Clinical Development | 2019–2025 | Led pivotal studies, outcomes research, drug safety; helped build medical affairs and operational readiness; contributed to first BLA filing (tividenofusp alfa, MPS II) . |
| Genentech | Senior positions (development leadership) | — | Advanced therapies in neurodegenerative and related areas . |
| Novartis | Senior positions (development leadership) | — | Advanced therapies in neurodegenerative and rare diseases . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No public company board or external roles disclosed for Dr. Chin in DNLI filings/press releases as of Nov 2025 . |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Detail | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | Not individually disclosed for Dr. Chin in DNLI DEF 14A filings through April 2025; appointment announced Nov 6, 2025 without comp terms | Appointment noted in press release and 10-Q without compensation schedule . |
| Benefits/Perquisites | Not disclosed for Dr. Chin | — |
| Clawback | Company adopted a Compensation Recovery Policy on Nov 13, 2023, covering current and former executive officers (cash incentive and performance-vesting equity) upon qualifying restatements | . |
| Anti-hedging/pledging | Hedging and pledging of company stock prohibited by policy; limited exceptions require approvals | . |
Performance Compensation
Denali’s Annual Cash Incentive Program ties payouts to pre-established corporate program, pipeline, and cross-functional goals, with a pool typically capped at 200% of target. The compensation committee can adjust funding and individual NEO payouts under the Executive Incentive Compensation Plan .
- Plan mechanics and funding schedule (company-wide framework): | % of Goals Achieved | 25% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% | 100% and/or Major value driver | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | % Pool Funding | 0% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 125% | 150% | 200% |
Source: 2025 Proxy (applies to 2024 plan year) .
- 2024 Outcome (for reference to framework): DNLI met 83% of high-impact goals (5/6) and 88% of other objectives (15/17), leading to 140% pool funding. NEO payouts illustrate calibration: CEO target 65% of base, others 45%, funded at 140% . Specific bonus outcomes for Dr. Chin are not disclosed; once designated as an executive officer, his incentive plan terms would be expected to align with the corporate program unless DNLI discloses different terms .
Long-term incentives: DNLI grants a mix of time-vested stock options and RSUs to executive officers; split between options and RSUs is calibrated annually balancing retention and dilution. No individual 2024–2025 equity grant disclosure for Dr. Chin in the proxy as of April 2025 .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership | Dr. Chin is not listed among NEOs/directors in DNLI ownership tables as of March 31, 2025; he became an executive officer in Nov 2025 | . |
| Ownership % | Not disclosed | — |
| Vested vs. unvested | Not disclosed | — |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited by company policy (red flag mitigant) | . |
| 10b5-1 trading plans | Q4 2024 disclosure shows plan adoptions by certain officers (Ho, Schuth); no other officers/directors adopted plans that quarter (pre-dates Chin’s appointment) | . |
| Ownership guidelines | Not disclosed for executives in cited materials; directors receive annual equity; director ownership detailed separately | . |
| Clawback | Adopted Nov 13, 2023; covers incentive comp for current/former executive officers | . |
Employment Terms
| Term | DNLI Practice (per DEF 14A) | Applicability to Dr. Chin |
|---|---|---|
| Severance (no CoC) | NEOs: 75% of base salary (CEO 100%) paid over 9 months (CEO 12); prorated target bonus; 9 months COBRA (CEO 12) | Dr. Chin’s participation not yet disclosed; likely clarified in future filings following his Nov 2025 appointment . |
| Change-in-control (double-trigger) | If terminated without cause or resigns for good reason within 12 months post-CoC: 100% of base salary (CEO 200%) paid over 12 months (CEO 24); 100% of target bonus (CEO 200%); 12 months COBRA (CEO 24); full acceleration of time-vested equity | Same note on applicability; plan is company-wide for NEOs . |
| Legacy equity treatment | Partial acceleration of certain pre-plan time-based awards at CoC; balance continues vesting up to 12 months; may accelerate on qualifying termination | . |
| Excise tax gross-ups | None; cutback vs. full-pay “best-net” approach | . |
| Non-compete / Non-solicit | Not disclosed in cited documents | — |
Performance & Track Record
- Role-linked execution: Denali highlighted Dr. Chin’s leadership in late-stage development and in the filing of DNLI’s first BLA (tividenofusp alfa for MPS II), supporting transition to commercial readiness .
- Company operating profile during tenure (2019–2024): Revenues scaled with collaboration and milestone variability; EBITDA and net income remained negative excluding the 2020 outlier, reflecting heavy R&D and platform investment ahead of planned launches .
Company financials (context for Dr. Chin’s tenure):
| Metric (USD) | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $26.7M | $335.7M | $48.7M | $108.5M | $330.5M | — |
| Net Income (IS) | $(197.6)M | $71.1M | $(290.6)M | $(326.0)M | $(145.2)M | $(422.8)M |
| EBITDA | $(205.2)M* | $71.2M* | $(287.2)M* | $(330.4)M* | $(180.0)M* | $(500.8)M* |
Values with asterisk (*) retrieved from S&P Global.
Investment Implications
- Alignment and governance: Anti-hedging/pledging policy and a robust clawback adopted in 2023 are positives for pay-for-performance and alignment as Chin assumes an executive officer role .
- Retention and CoC economics: DNLI’s double-trigger CoC structure (with full time-based equity acceleration and salary/bonus multiples) is standard for biotech and should support retention through pivotal milestones; Chin’s specific participation to be confirmed in forthcoming filings .
- Incentive design and selling pressure: Annual cash incentives tied to program and cross-functional milestones (140% funding in 2024) signal a metrics-driven culture; lack of disclosed individual grants/10b5-1 plans for Chin limits visibility on near-term insider selling pressure as of the latest filings .
- Execution risk: As Acting CMO, Chin provides continuity in late-stage development and launch preparation for tividenofusp alfa; success hinges on regulatory outcomes and scaling commercial capabilities highlighted in DNLI’s 8-K/press release updates .
