Laura Brege
About Laura Brege
Independent director at Edgewise Therapeutics (EWTX), age 67, serving since December 2020. She is Audit Committee Chair and a member of the Compensation Committee, designated as an “audit committee financial expert” under SEC rules and financially sophisticated under Nasdaq rules. Her background includes CFO and operating executive roles across biotech and medtech, and she holds a B.S. in economics and B.B.A. in government from Ohio University and an MBA from the University of Chicago .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. | Senior Advisor | Since April 2018 | Strategic advisory in biotech; finance and operations background |
| Cervantes Life Science Partners, LLC | Managing Director | Sep 2015–Jun 2018 | Healthcare advisory; capital markets and strategy |
| Nodality, Inc. | President & CEO; Director | Sep 2012–Jul 2015 | Led personalized medicine biotech |
| Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer | Jun 2006–Dec 2011 | Senior operating leadership in oncology biotech |
| Red Rock Capital Management | General Partner | Not disclosed | Venture capital leadership |
| COR Therapeutics, Inc. | Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer | Not disclosed | CFO experience in cardiovascular R&D |
| Flextronics | Vice President & Chief Financial Officer | Not disclosed | Finance leadership in electronics manufacturing |
| The Cooper Companies | Vice President & Treasurer | Not disclosed | Corporate finance and treasury |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Director | Since May 2008 | Biotech; neurological diseases |
| Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Director | Since July 2019 | Biotech; rare liver diseases |
| Pacira BioSciences, Inc. | Director | Since June 2011 | Non-opioid pain management |
| Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Former Director | Through Jul 2020 (acquired by Alexion) | Prior public company board |
| Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. | Former Director | Not disclosed | Prior public company board |
| Delcath Systems, Inc. | Former Director | Not disclosed | Prior public company board |
| HLS Therapeutics Inc. | Former Director | Not disclosed | Prior public company board |
| Dynavax Technologies Corporation | Former Director | Not disclosed | Prior public company board |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Ms. Brege is independent under Nasdaq rules (audit and compensation committee independence affirmed) .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee Chair; Compensation Committee member .
- Attendance/Engagement: Each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings in 2024; Board met 4 times . Audit Committee met 4 times; Compensation Committee met 2 times; Nominating & Corporate Governance met once .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors hold executive sessions at each regularly scheduled Board meeting .
| Governance Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence status | Independent director |
| Committees | Audit (Chair); Compensation (Member) |
| Audit Committee expert designation | Audit committee financial expert (SEC 407) and financially sophisticated (Nasdaq) |
| 2024 meetings attended | ≥75% of Board/committee meetings; Board held 4 meetings |
| Committee meeting cadence (2024) | Audit: 4; Compensation: 2; Nominating: 1 |
| Executive sessions | Independent director sessions each regular meeting |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Effective Date/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee directors) | $40,000 | Increased from $38,000 in March 2024 |
| Audit Committee Chair fee | $20,000 | Increased from $15,000 effective Jan 1, 2025 |
| Audit Committee Member fee | $10,000 | Increased from $7,500 effective Jan 1, 2025 |
| Compensation Committee Chair fee | $15,000 | Increased from $10,000 effective Jan 1, 2025 |
| Compensation Committee Member fee | $7,500 | Increased from $5,000 effective Jan 1, 2025 |
| Nominating & Governance Chair fee | $10,000 | Increased from $8,000 effective Jan 1, 2025 |
| Nominating & Governance Member fee | $5,000 | Increased from $4,000 effective Jan 1, 2025 |
| Director Compensation (2024) | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash (Laura Brege) | $59,579 |
| Option Awards Grant-Date Fair Value (Laura Brege) | $247,738 |
| Total (Laura Brege) | $307,317 |
Performance Compensation
- Equity awards structure (non-employee directors):
- Initial stock option award fair value: $700,000; capped at 60,000 options; vests monthly over 36 months (increases effective Jan 1, 2025; prior levels $500,000 and $300,000) .
- Annual stock option award fair value: $350,000; capped at 30,000 options; vests in full on first anniversary or prior to next annual meeting (increased effective Jan 1, 2025; prior $250,000 and $150,000) .
- Term: 10 years; exercise price at grant-date fair market value; full acceleration upon Change in Control .
| Equity Metrics (Laura Brege) | Value |
|---|---|
| 2024 Option Award (grant-date fair value) | $247,738 |
| Options outstanding as of Dec 31, 2024 | 173,440 |
No director-specific performance metrics (e.g., revenue, TSR) are tied to non-employee director compensation; awards are time-based under the Director Compensation Policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. | Senior Advisor (Brege) | External affiliation; another EWTX director (Jonathan Fox) is President & CMO for cardiovascular/renal at BridgeBio |
| Compensation Committee Interlocks | None | No interlocks or insider participation disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit committee financial expert; Nasdaq financial sophistication designation .
- Deep CFO/COO experience across biopharma and medtech; extensive board service at public biotechs .
- MBA (University of Chicago); economics/government degrees (Ohio University) .
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Value | As Of |
|---|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned (Laura Brege) | 152,846; <1% of outstanding | March 31, 2025 |
| Composition of beneficial ownership | 152,846 shares issuable via options exercisable within 60 days (no direct common reported) | March 31, 2025 |
| Options outstanding (all) | 173,440 | Dec 31, 2024 |
- Hedging/Pledging: Company policy bars hedging and pledging of Company stock; directors prohibited from publicly traded options/derivatives on Company securities (limited exceptions require approval) .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independent director; Audit Committee Chair; Compensation Committee member—central roles in financial oversight and pay governance .
- Designated audit financial expert; active engagement (Audit Committee report signed by Chair) .
- Equity-heavy director pay (2024: cash $59,579 vs option fair value $247,738), aligning incentives with shareholder value; change-in-control acceleration standard in biotech boards .
- Robust policies: clawback policy adopted Oct 2023; prohibitions on hedging/pledging; regular independent director executive sessions .
-
Watch items / potential conflicts:
- Multiple external board roles (ACADIA, Mirum, Pacira) and advisory role at BridgeBio; while common in biotech governance, monitor for time commitments and potential information flow overlaps, especially given another EWTX director’s BridgeBio executive role (no specific conflicts disclosed) .
- Director compensation policy increased cash and option values in 2025 (e.g., Audit Chair fee and Annual Award fair value); observe for pay inflation trends versus governance outcomes .
- Related-party financing transactions involved major holders (OrbiMed, RA Capital, etc.), overseen by Audit Committee; no transactions involving Ms. Brege disclosed .
-
Attendance/engagement: Meets ≥75% threshold; Audit Committee met 4 times, indicating active oversight cadence .