Meghan Joyce
Guardant HealthAbout Meghan Joyce
Independent director at Guardant Health (GH) since August 2021; age 41. Co-founder and CEO of Duckbill Technologies since April 2022; previously COO and EVP of Platform at Oscar Health (2019–2022) and Regional GM, US & Canada at Uber (2013–2019). Education: MBA, Harvard Business School; AB in History, Harvard College. Core credentials in business strategy, technology implementation, operations, and financial modeling; designated by GH as an “audit committee financial expert.”
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Health | Chief Operating Officer; EVP, Platform | Sep 2019 – Apr 2022 | Led operations, technology, clinical, marketing, and new business lines |
| Uber Technologies | Regional General Manager, US & Canada; other leadership roles | 2013 – 2019 | Scaled operations and growth in North America |
| U.S. Department of the Treasury | Senior Policy Advisor | — | Policy advisory experience |
| Bain Capital | Investor | — | Investing and financial analysis |
| Bain & Company | Consultant | — | Strategy consulting |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duckbill Technologies, Inc. | Co-founder & CEO | Apr 2022 – Present | Founder-operator experience |
| The Boston Beer Company | Director | Current | Committee roles not disclosed |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Board determined Joyce is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules; no material relationships affecting judgment |
| Committee Assignments (2024–2025) | Audit Committee (member); Compensation Committee (member) |
| Financial Expert Status | Identified by GH as an “audit committee financial expert” |
| Attendance | All incumbent directors attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings in 2024; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting |
| Meeting Cadence (FY2024) | Board: 10 meetings; Audit: 4; Compensation: 5; Governance: 4 |
| Lead Independent Director | Ian Clark serves as LID with delineated responsibilities; executive sessions occur regularly |
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component (2024) | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | — |
| Stock Awards (RSUs) | 212,500 |
| Option Awards | 212,746 |
| Total | 425,246 |
GH’s director compensation program is equity-only; no cash retainers or per-meeting fees; reasonable expenses reimbursed. Annual Awards: RSUs $212,500 and stock options $212,500; Initial Awards: RSUs $362,500 and options $362,500. Annual awards vest fully after one year or at the next annual meeting; initial awards vest over four years (25% at first anniversary; remainder monthly). LID receives an additional $45,000 RSU grant annually. Change-in-control, death, disability, or termination without cause accelerates vesting. No additional compensation for committee service. Annual per-director cap: $750,000 (2018 Plan).
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Applicability to Director Pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Financial/TSR/ESG metrics | Not applicable | Director equity awards are time-based (RSUs) and options; no performance-based metrics for directors disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| The Boston Beer Company | Current public company director | No related-person transactions disclosed by GH for 2024 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Strategy, technology, operations leadership across health tech and consumer tech; prior investing and consulting foundation .
- Audit committee financial literacy and designation as audit committee financial expert .
- Harvard MBA and Harvard College AB (History) .
Equity Ownership
2024 Outstanding Awards
| As of 12/31/2024 | RSUs (units) | Stock Options (units) |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding awards | 7,205 | 33,961 |
2025 Beneficial Ownership Breakdown
| As of 4/21/2025 | Direct Shares | Options Exercisable (within 60 days) | RSUs Vesting (within 60 days) | Total Beneficial Ownership | % of Shares Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Footnote (12) | 7,780 | 33,738 | 6,807 | 48,325 | * (<1%) |
Stock Ownership Alignment and Restrictions
- Stock ownership guidelines: non-employee directors must hold $250,000 of GH stock (equal to 5× $50,000 peer cash retainer benchmark); compliance timeline is the later of Jan 1, 2026 or five years from designation; until compliant, must retain 20% of net settled shares for one year. Options and unearned performance awards do not count toward compliance.
- Anti-hedging and anti-pledging: directors prohibited from hedging, pledging, short sales, margin purchases, and derivatives involving GH stock.
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Joyce serves on Audit and Compensation, with audit committee financial expert status—positions central to financial oversight, audit quality, risk management, human capital, and pay governance. Attendance met ≥75% threshold; all directors attended 2024 Annual Meeting. These are positive indicators of engagement and oversight rigor.
- Pay-for-alignment signals: Equity-only director pay (no cash retainers/meeting fees) with one-year vesting and 4-year initial vesting promotes alignment and retention; annual per-director cap and no committee fees minimize pay inflation risk. Anti-hedging/pledging strengthens alignment.
- Ownership and skin-in-the-game: 48,325 shares beneficially (including exercisable options and near-term RSU vesting) with explicit ownership guidelines requiring $250,000; retention requirements until compliant further align director interests with shareholders.
- Conflicts and related-party exposure: Board affirmed independence status; Audit Committee reviews related-person transactions; GH disclosed no related-person transactions in 2024—reducing conflict risk.
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed specific to Joyce: no related-party transactions; hedging/pledging prohibited; equity-only pay structure and attendance threshold met. Monitor external time commitments given CEO role at Duckbill and Boston Beer directorship, though “overboarding” concerns were noted by GH for another director (Ian Clark) rather than Joyce.