Alfonso Quintás-Cardama
About Alfonso Quintás-Cardama
Alfonso Quintás-Cardama, M.D., is Chief Medical Officer at Foghorn Therapeutics (FHTX) since September 11, 2023, with 20+ years of oncology drug development experience across cell and gene therapy and leukemias. He holds an M.D. from Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and completed residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and fellowships in hematology/oncology and leukemia at MD Anderson; age 54 as of May 5, 2025 . His 2023 incentive payout reflected 70% achievement on corporate goals (capital raising, leadership recruitment, pipeline and R&D milestones), pro-rated given his September start, aligning compensation with operating execution in that year .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. | Chief Medical Officer | 2017–2023 | Led development of the company’s cell therapy platform |
| GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | Clinical Development Head, Cell & Gene Therapies Unit | 2017 | Instrumental in building GSK’s cell therapies unit |
| Novartis AG | Global Clinical Leader, Cell & Gene Therapy | 2014–2016 | Led development of tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), the first FDA-approved CAR-T therapy |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center | Assistant Professor, Department of Leukemia | 2009–2014 | Developed multiple FDA-approved targeted agents for myeloid malignancies |
External Roles
No external public company directorships disclosed in company filings for Dr. Quintás-Cardama .
Fixed Compensation
Salary and Target Bonus
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary (contracted) ($) | $465,000 | $471,000 |
| Salary Paid ($) | $144,432 | Not disclosed for Dr. Quintás-Cardama in 2024 proxy (not a named executive) |
| Target Bonus (% of base) | 40% | 40% (per letter agreement) |
Bonuses and Sign-on
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-on Bonus ($) | $110,000; subject to repayment if resigns without good reason or terminated for cause before 9/11/2024 | — |
| Annual Bonus Earned ($) | $43,400 (70% of target; pro-rated to one-third for late start) | Not disclosed for Dr. Quintás-Cardama |
| 401(k) Match / All Other Comp ($) | $2,329 | Company provided up to $3,000 match in 2023; standard benefits remain; no separate 2024 figure disclosed for Alfonso |
Equity Awards (Grant-date values and schedules)
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares / FV | Strike | Expiration | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Options | 9/11/2023 | 272,000 shares; grant date FV $1,544,374 | $7.57 | 9/10/2033 | 25% on 9/11/2024; 6.25% quarterly for 12 quarters thereafter, service-based |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate performance goals (capital raising, senior hires, pipeline, R&D targets) | Not disclosed | 40% of base; pro-rated to one-third for 2023 start | 70% achievement for 2023 | $43,400 (70% of pro-rated target) | Annual cash bonus; equity awards vest as scheduled |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | As of Date | Amount / Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (shares) | 4/26/2024 | Not listed; indicated as “—” in beneficial ownership table (less than 1%) |
| Shares Outstanding (reference) | 4/26/2024 | 42,585,616 |
| Options – Exercisable | 12/31/2023 | 0 |
| Options – Unexercisable | 12/31/2023 | 272,000 |
| Option Strike / Expiry | 12/31/2023 | $7.57; expires 9/10/2033 |
| Hedging/Pledging | Policy prohibits short sales, derivatives, hedging, margin accounts and pledging by officers | |
| Clawback | Dodd-Frank compliant clawback adopted in 2023 for incentive comp upon restatement |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start Date | September 11, 2023 |
| Letter Agreement Date | August 4, 2023 |
| Base/Bonus | Base salary initially $465,000; target annual bonus 40% of base |
| Sign-on Bonus | $110,000; subject to repayment if resigns without good reason or terminated for cause prior to 9/11/2024 |
| Equity Grant | Option for 272,000 shares; 25% vest on 9/11/2024 then 6.25% quarterly for 12 quarters |
| Severance (no CoC) | If terminated without cause or resigns for good reason: 9 months base salary; employer COBRA premiums for 9 months; prior-year earned but unpaid bonus |
| Severance (CoC window) | If terminated without cause or resigns for good reason within 3 months prior to or 12 months after CoC: 12 months installments equal to base salary + target bonus; employer COBRA premiums for 12 months; prior-year earned bonus; full acceleration of time-based equity |
| Non-Compete / Restrictive Covenants | Entered Employee Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation, Confidentiality and IP Assignment Agreement with terms substantially similar to CEO’s agreement |
| Clawback Policy | Company clawback policy covering executive incentive comp upon restatement |
| Insider Trading Policy | Prohibits hedging, short sales, derivatives, margin and pledging; requires preclearance processes |
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Committee composition and independence: Compensation Committee comprised of Balkrishan (Simba) Gill (Chair), Douglas Cole, and Michael Mendelsohn; all independent under Nasdaq and Rule 10C-1 .
- Consultant: Pay Governance LLC engaged in 2023 and 2024; committee determined independence and no conflicts .
- Responsibilities include approving executive compensation, overseeing incentive plans, recommending ownership guidelines, and reviewing compensation risk; met five times in 2024 .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: 2023 bonus payout tied to specific corporate milestones (70% attainment) and sizeable service-vested option grant with long-dated expiry aligns compensation with execution and retention; hedging/pledging prohibitions and clawback policy further align incentives with shareholders .
- Retention risk: Non-compete and severance protections (9 months base; enhanced CoC terms with double-trigger and equity acceleration) reduce near-term attrition risk; vesting through 2027 creates continued equity-based retention .
- Selling pressure: Quarterly vesting of options could create periodic supply once options become exercisable, but pledging/hedging bans limit leverage-related forced sales; monitor Form 4s for any 10b5-1 plans or exercises to gauge timing .
- Execution track record: Prior leadership on Kymriah and cell therapy development (Novartis, GSK, TCR2) is additive for FHTX’s oncology pipeline; 2023 incentives emphasized financing and R&D progression, consistent with portfolio needs in a clinical-stage biotech .