Dannielle Appelhans
About Dannielle Appelhans
Independent Class III director of Generation Bio (GBIO) since July 2022; age 42. Background spans biotech operating leadership: CEO and director at COUR Pharmaceuticals (since Sep 2024; previously COO Jul 2023–Aug 2024), former CEO (Nov 2022–Mar 2023) and COO (Aug 2021–Oct 2022) of Rubius Therapeutics. Education: B.S. Mechanical Engineering (University of Michigan), M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering (MIT School of Engineering), M.B.A. (MIT Sloan) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | Nov 2022–Mar 2023 | Led wind-down during dissolution |
| Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | Aug 2021–Oct 2022 | Oversight of operations |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. | SVP Technical Operations & Chief Technical Officer, Gene Therapies | Jan 2020–Aug 2021 | Manufacturing and CMC leadership in gene therapy |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. | SVP, Global Head of Supply Chain Management | Jun 2018–Jan 2020 | Global supply chain leadership |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. | VP, Global Head Strategy & Operational Excellence | Oct 2017–Jun 2018 | Strategy and OpEx |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. | Global Head Operations Management & Executive Director | Jul 2016–Sep 2017 | Operations management |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| COUR Pharmaceuticals Development Company, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; Director | Sep 2024–present | Clinical-stage biotech; previously COO Jul 2023–Aug 2024 |
Board Governance
- Class III director; current term expires at the 2026 annual meeting .
- Committee assignments: member, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (not chair) .
- Independence: board determined all non-employee directors, including Appelhans, are independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Attendance: board met 5 times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of board and applicable committee meetings; Nom/Gov committee held 2 meetings in 2024 .
| Committee | Role | Meetings (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Member | 2 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2023 ($) | 2024 ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer + committee fees | 44,000 | 44,000 | Program schedule: Board retainer $40,000; Nom/Gov member fee $4,000; chair adds $30,000 (not applicable) |
Program fee schedule (cash, annual): Board $40,000; Audit $7,500 (member +$7,500 chair); Talent $7,500 (member +$7,500 chair); Nom/Gov $4,000 (member +$4,000 chair) .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award Detail | 2023 | 2024 | Vesting / Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option awards (grant-date fair value) | $96,205 | $166,476 | Options granted at FMV; annual non-employee director grant size 30,000 options; initial grant 60,000 options; annual grants vest 100% on earlier of 1-year anniversary or next annual meeting; initial grants vest monthly over 36 months; 10-year term . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public-company directorships: none disclosed. External role at COUR Pharmaceuticals (private) .
- Interlocks/consultants: Talent committee engaged Compensia; no conflicts of interest found by the committee .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep operations and supply chain leadership in large pharma (Novartis) and gene therapy manufacturing (CTO, Gene Therapies) .
- C-suite experience in clinical-stage biotechs (Rubius, COUR), relevant to GBIO’s stage and strategic needs .
- Technical training (Mechanical Engineering, MIT M.Sc.) and MBA (MIT Sloan) .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Category | Shares |
|---|---|
| Directly owned | 12,637 |
| Indirect (held by spouse) | 7,363 |
| Options exercisable within 60 days of Record Date (Apr 7, 2025) | 121,267 |
| Total beneficial ownership | 141,267 (<1%) |
Additional disclosure: as of Dec 31, 2024, options outstanding (aggregate) for Appelhans totaled 123,400 shares . Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging of company stock; covered persons must adhere to blackout windows and preclearance for transactions .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and engagement: Independent director with governance focus via Nom/Gov committee; attendance threshold met in 2024; committee meets oversight responsibilities including director nominations and board evaluations—supports board effectiveness .
- Alignment: Modest cash fees and meaningful option-based equity consistent with GBIO’s director program; annual options and vesting tie director value to shareholder outcomes without excessive guaranteed pay .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-party transactions involving Appelhans disclosed; the audit committee reviews and must approve any related-person transactions over $120,000 under formal policy .
- Risk indicators: Anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy reduces misalignment risk; no disclosure of pledging or hedging; director limits under the 2020 Plan cap annual director compensation .
- Overall signal: Operational and manufacturing expertise from Novartis and biotech C-suite roles adds relevant capability to GBIO’s board, with independent status and standard director equity participation underpinning investor confidence in governance .