Eric Rothe
About Eric Rothe
Eric Rothe is an independent director of Greenwich LifeSciences (GLSI) with 12+ years of industry and academic experience in gene-based therapies and vaccines, including 6 years of lab work. He currently serves as Global Product Line Leader at Baker Hughes; prior roles include VP and Global Product Line Leader at GE Oil & Gas and leadership at National Oilwell Varco. He previously was President, CEO, and Chairman of GLSI’s board. Education: BA in Molecular & Cell Biology (UC Berkeley) and MBA (Rice). Age: 50 as of October 28, 2025 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwich LifeSciences (GLSI) | President, CEO & Chairman (prior) | Not disclosed | Prior leadership of GLSI |
| GE Oil & Gas | VP Mid-Continent & NE US Geomarket; Global Product Line Leader | Not disclosed | Commercial and operations leadership |
| National Oilwell Varco | International Sales & Operations Director | Not disclosed | Global commercial operations |
| U.T. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Director, Clinical Cancer Genetics Program | Not disclosed | Clinical genetics leadership |
| Introgen | Project Manager (oncology products in advanced clinical trials) | Not disclosed | Program management |
| Various biotech start-ups (Texas) | Consultant | Not disclosed | Advisory to early-stage companies |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Baker Hughes (energy technology) | Global Product Line Leader | Current |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Rothe is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committees: Member, Audit Committee; member, Compensation Committee. Chairs are David McWilliams (Audit; Compensation) .
- Audit Committee financial expert: McWilliams (2025); noted Brancaccio as audit committee financial expert in 2024 disclosure (as of 2023) .
- Attendance: FY2024—Board held 4 meetings; Audit 1; Compensation 1; no director attended fewer than 75% of meetings of the Board and committees on which they served. FY2023—Board 2; Audit 1; Compensation 1; none below 75% .
- Independent director executive sessions held regularly without management .
- Anti-hedging/pledging: Hedging and short sales prohibited; pledging prohibited unless pre-cleared; as of Dec 31, 2024, none of the directors or executive officers had pledged GLSI shares .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | — |
| 2024 | — |
Notes:
- Non-employee director compensation in 2023 and 2024 was disclosed as equity/option awards only; the “Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)” column was blank for Rothe .
Performance Compensation
| Year | Stock and Option Awards ($) | Grant Details | Vesting Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $65,636 | 6/22/2022 option award (director compensation) | 10,337 options vested during 1/1/2023–12/31/2023; remaining 25,585 to vest over 30 equal monthly installments starting 1/1/2024 |
| 2024 | $170,650 | 6/22/2022 option award; 12/24/2024 option award (director compensation) | 2024 vesting: 10,337 (2022 grant) + 10,559 (2024 grant); remaining 15,247 to vest over 18 equal monthly installments from 1/1/2025 (2022 grant) and 30,790 to vest over 36 equal monthly installments from 1/1/2025 (2024 grant) |
Additional notes:
- Director awards disclose time-based vesting; no performance metrics (TSR, revenue, EBITDA, ESG) are tied to director grants in the proxy text .
- Plan-level clawback language applies to equity awards; the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan includes clawback provisions and prohibits repricing without shareholder approval .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlocks / Potential Conflicts |
|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | No related-party transactions disclosed; no family relationships among directors and executives; no compensation committee interlocks reported . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Oncology and genetics background: Clinical Cancer Genetics Director at M.D. Anderson; project management at Introgen (oncology trials) .
- Industrial/commercial leadership: Senior roles at GE Oil & Gas and National Oilwell Varco; current leadership at Baker Hughes .
- Education: BA in Molecular & Cell Biology (UC Berkeley); MBA (Rice) .
Equity Ownership
| As-of Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Options Exercisable or Vesting Within 60 Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2024 | 339,098 | 2.57% | 25,843 |
| Oct 28, 2025 | 370,585 | 2.67% | 57,330 |
Notes:
- Company policy prohibits hedging; none pledged as of Dec 31, 2024 .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Rothe serves on both Audit and Compensation Committees, supporting oversight breadth; independence affirmed by the Board, with regular independent director sessions—positive for governance quality .
- Engagement and attendance: No attendance issues in 2023–2024—confidence positive .
- Compensation structure: Director pay comprised of equity/option awards without cash fees; this heightens equity alignment but introduces dilution sensitivity. Notably, shareholders approved amending the 2019 Equity Plan to 4,000,000 shares (~30% of fully diluted shares at the 2024 record date), which increases the potential equity overhang—monitor for pay inflation and dilution impact. RED FLAG: Large plan share reserve and year-over-year increase in Rothe’s option award value ($65.6K → $170.7K) warrant scrutiny on mix and grant calibration .
- Conflicts/related party exposure: No related-party transactions or family relationships disclosed; minimal conflict risk identified. Anti-hedging policy and no pledging reported—alignment positive .
- Compensation committee practices: Committee chaired by an independent director; in 2024 engaged Radford (Aon) as independent consultant—good practice; no interlocks reported .
Implications: Rothe’s committee roles and independence support oversight credibility; equity-heavy director pay increases alignment but concentrates compensation risk in equity grants against a sizable plan pool—investors should monitor grant pacing, overhang, and any shift toward guaranteed or discretionary awards. No pledging and anti-hedging are alignment positives, while absence of performance-tied metrics in director awards suggests time-based equity vesting without explicit performance gates .