Rachel King
About Rachel King
Rachel King, age 65, joined Fulcrum Therapeutics’ board in November 2024 and is classified as an independent director following the board’s April 2025 independence review . She co-founded GlycoMimetics (CEO, 2003–2021), served as interim CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) from October 2022 to March 2024 (BIO board since 2005; chair 2013–2015), and previously held senior roles at Novartis and Genetic Therapy, with earlier experience at Alza and Bain & Company . King holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlycoMimetics, Inc. | Co-founder; President & CEO | 2003–2021 | Led IPO and operations; long-tenured biotech CEO |
| Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) | Interim President & CEO | Oct 2022–Mar 2024 | Industry leadership; BIO board since 2005; chair 2013–2015 |
| Novartis Corporation | Senior Vice President | 1999–2001 | Executive leadership at global pharma |
| Genetic Therapy, Inc. (acquired by Novartis) | Executive team; later CEO post-acquisition | ~1989–1999 | Executive roles through IPO and acquisition; CEO of subsidiary post-acquisition |
| New Enterprise Associates (NEA) | Executive in Residence | 2001–2003 | Venture advisory experience |
| Alza Corporation | Management | Not disclosed | Pharma/medical systems operating experience |
| Bain & Company | Consultant | Not disclosed | Strategy consulting background |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Since/Through | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novavax, Inc. | Director | Current | Public company board experience in vaccines |
| University of Maryland BioPark | Director | Current | Non-profit/academic ecosystem role |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined in April 2025 that all directors except the CEO (Sapir) and Robert J. Gould are independent; King is therefore independent under Nasdaq and Exchange Act rules .
- Committee assignments (FULC): Member, Compensation & Human Capital Management Committee; she joined in November 2024. Chair is Alan Ezekowitz (independent) .
- Other committees (context): Audit Committee (Dorton chair), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Geraghty chair), Science & Technology (Gould chair); King is not listed on these .
- Board activity and attendance: The board met 7 times in 2024; each director met or exceeded 75% attendance of board/committee meetings during their service period .
- Annual meeting: Corporate guidelines expect directors to attend; all then-serving directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Leadership: Independent board chair; no lead independent director because the chair is independent. Independent directors meet in executive session at least twice per year .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Terms | Period/Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees paid to Rachel King (Board/committees, pro-rated) | $6,114 | 2024 (partial year following Nov 2024 appointment) |
| Board annual cash retainer (member) | $40,000 | 2024 program |
| Board chair incremental cash retainer | $30,000 | 2024 program |
| Audit Committee (member/chair) | $7,500 / $7,500 | 2024 program |
| Compensation & HCM Committee (member/chair) | $5,000 / $5,000 | 2024 program |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance (member/chair) | $4,000 / $4,000 | 2024 program |
| Science & Technology (member/chair) | $5,000 / $5,000 | 2024 program |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | Shares/Value | Vesting / Key Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option awards to Rachel King (grant-date fair value) | $182,160 | Per director program; options issued at FMV; change-in-control full vesting; service-vesting per plan | 2024 reported value |
| Initial director option grant (standard program in 2024) | 60,000 options | Vests 2.7778% monthly over 3 years | Applies at initial election/appointment |
| Annual director option grant (standard program in 2024) | 30,000 options | Vests in full at 1-year or before next annual meeting | Requires ≥6 months of service |
| Revised (effective Jan 24, 2025) – Initial grant | 72,000 options | Same vesting cadence as prior (monthly over 3 years) | Program change approved Jan 2025 |
| Revised (effective Jan 24, 2025) – Annual grant | 36,000 options | Vests at 1-year or prior to next annual meeting | Program change approved Jan 2025 |
The director equity program uses time-based vesting and stock options (not RSUs/PSUs). There are no performance-metric targets tied to director equity; value is market-linked through option strike and vesting .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Role | Interlocks/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Novavax, Inc. | Director | Public company directorship (vaccines); no FULC related-party ties disclosed – |
| University of Maryland BioPark | Director | Non-profit/academic; no FULC related-party ties disclosed – |
| Compensation committee interlocks | None disclosed | Company states no compensation committee interlocks or insider participation in 2024 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Biopharma operating leadership: 18+ years as CEO/Founder of GlycoMimetics; senior roles at Novartis and Genetic Therapy (pre/post acquisition) .
- Industry leadership: BIO interim CEO; BIO board since 2005; BIO chair 2013–2015, indicating policy and stakeholder engagement capabilities .
- Capital markets and strategy: Venture EIR (NEA) experience; public company board at Novavax .
- Education: Dartmouth B.A.; Harvard Business School M.B.A. .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Amount/Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of Mar 31, 2025) | 10,000 shares (all from options exercisable within 60 days) | “Less than 1%” of outstanding shares |
| Options outstanding (as of Dec 31, 2024) | 60,000 options | Aggregate outstanding director options for King |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited by company policy; pledging only by exception with financial capacity review | Applies to directors, officers, employees |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and alignment: Independent director serving on the Compensation & HCM Committee since Nov 2024; no compensation committee interlocks; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy in place, supporting alignment with shareholders .
- Engagement: Board met 7 times in 2024 with ≥75% attendance by all directors during their service periods; corporate governance guidelines require director attendance at annual meetings and independent director executive sessions at least twice per year .
- Compensation structure: Director pay leans equity-heavy via stock options with time-based vesting, inherently linking value to share price; January 2025 program increased grant sizes (initial to 72k; annual to 36k), which raises the equity at-risk component but also increases potential dilution—appropriate to monitor given company stage .
- Conflicts/related party: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Ms. King in the related person transactions section covering January 1, 2023 onward; audit committee oversees related-party review – .
- Controls and recovery: Compensation recovery (clawback) policy effective November 2023 and administered by the Compensation & HCM Committee (where King serves), enhancing accountability in the event of a restatement .
RED FLAGS: None identified specific to Ms. King in the 2025 proxy. Items to monitor include: the step-up in director equity grant sizes (dilution optics) and any future expansion of external public company commitments that could affect bandwidth, though no attendance concerns are indicated in the filing .