Anthony Manning
About Anthony Manning
Anthony Manning, Ph.D., is an independent Class II director at Monte Rosa Therapeutics (GLUE), serving since July 2023; age 63 as of March 31, 2025. He is a seasoned biochemist with a 30-year pharma/biotech career, formerly Chief Scientific Officer at Momenta Pharmaceuticals (2018–Mar 2021), with prior leadership roles in research and drug discovery at Biogen Idec (2007–2011), Roche Pharmaceuticals (2002–2007), and Pharmacia (2000–2002). Manning is Principal at Manning Bio Worldwide, LLC, helped build first-in-class therapeutics pipelines, and contributed to approvals of two autoimmune disease drugs .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Momenta Pharmaceuticals | Chief Scientific Officer | 2018–March 2021 | Built pipeline of first-in-class therapeutics; led to $6.5B J&J acquisition |
| Biogen Idec | Led research & drug discovery | 2007–2011 | Discovery leadership in multiple therapeutic areas |
| Roche Pharmaceuticals | Research & drug discovery leadership | 2002–2007 | Discovery leadership; autoimmune drugs approvals contribution |
| Pharmacia | Research leadership | 2000–2002 | Drug discovery leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatin Technologies | Board Director | Since Sept 2017 | Public company directorship |
| Institute for Biomedical Entrepreneurship | Chairman | Ongoing | Governance/entrepreneurship leadership |
| Cyrus Biotechnology | Board Director | Since Aug 2024 | Private biotechnology company |
| Manning Bio Worldwide, LLC | Principal | Current | Advises development of transformative medicines |
Board Governance
- Board classification: Class II director; term expires at 2026 annual meeting .
- Independence: Board determined all directors except CEO Markus Warmuth are independent; Manning is independent under Nasdaq/SEC rules .
- Committees: Member, Compensation Committee (Chair: Kimberly Blackwell, M.D.); Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (Chair: Jan Skvarka, Ph.D., MBA) .
- Attendance: Full board met 15 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of board/committee meetings; all directors except Eric Hughes attended the 2024 annual meeting (Manning attended) .
- Board leadership and risk oversight: Non-executive Chair (Andrew Schiff, M.D.) separate from CEO; board and committees oversee key risks including compensation, audit/controls, cybersecurity .
- Insider trading controls: Policy prohibits hedging, short sales, derivatives, margin accounts, and pledging of company stock; waivers require Audit Committee approval (none to date) .
- Clawback: Dodd-Frank compliant compensation recovery policy adopted Sept 27, 2023 .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric (2024) | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash | $43,482 | Non-employee director cash compensation |
| Option awards (grant-date fair value) | $69,016 | ASC 718 fair value; not actual economic value |
| Total | $112,498 | Sum of cash and option award accounting values |
Director compensation policy (amended June 2024):
- Board annual retainer: $40,000; non-exec chair additional $30,000 .
- Committee fees: Audit/Comp member $7,500; chair $15,000; Nominating member $4,000; chair $8,000 .
- Election to take cash fees in unrestricted shares permitted; reasonable expenses reimbursed .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award Type | Grant Size (Shares) | Vesting Schedule | Change-in-Control Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial option (new non-employee director) | 44,200 | Vests in 36 equal monthly installments after grant date | 100% acceleration upon change in control |
| Annual option (continuing non-employee director, 2024) | 22,100 | Vests in full upon earlier of 1-year from grant or next annual meeting | 100% acceleration upon change in control |
Notes:
- The amounts above reflect the formal non-employee director program; Manning’s reported option award accounting value for 2024 was $69,016 .
- No performance-based equity (e.g., PSUs) disclosed for directors; grants are time-based per policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to GLUE | Potential Interlock/Conflict Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Palatin Technologies | External board | No related-party transactions involving Manning disclosed; audit committee reviews any related person transactions >$120k |
| Cyrus Biotechnology | External board (private) | No GLUE-disclosed transactions with Cyrus; general related-person policy in place |
| Institute for Biomedical Entrepreneurship | Chair (non-profit/educational) | Not a related-party transaction; governance oversight framework applies |
Expertise & Qualifications
- 30-year R&D leadership across Momenta, Biogen Idec, Roche, Pharmacia; contributed to approvals of two autoimmune disease drugs .
- Scientific advisor roles; entrepreneurship leadership; board experience at Palatin and Cyrus .
- Adds deep drug discovery and development expertise to compensation/governance deliberations .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 23,916 | Options exercisable within 60 days; <1% of outstanding |
| Ownership % of outstanding | <1% | As disclosed; not a controlling stake |
| Options outstanding (aggregate, 12/31/24) | 63,100 | Director-level outstanding options count |
| Hedging/Pledging status | Prohibited by policy | No waivers to date; reduces alignment risk |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and engagement: Manning is independent, serves on two key committees (Compensation; Nominating & Governance), and met the company’s attendance threshold; he attended the 2024 annual meeting, supporting board effectiveness .
- Compensation mix & alignment: Balanced cash ($43,482) plus option-based equity ($69,016 ASC 718) with time-based vesting and change-in-control acceleration; ownership is modest (<1%) but options outstanding (63,100) provide upside alignment .
- Controls & policies: Robust insider trading prohibitions (hedging/pledging/derivatives), Dodd-Frank-compliant clawback, and separation of Chair/CEO roles enhance investor confidence .
- Related-party risk: No related-party transactions involving Manning disclosed since Jan 1, 2023; audit committee oversees any such matters via a formal policy .
- Shareholder feedback: As an emerging growth company, GLUE is not required to hold say‑on‑pay votes, limiting a standard external feedback channel on pay; compensation consultant (Radford) assessed as independent .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Manning; pledging/hedging prohibited; no related-party exposure flagged .