Philip Nickson
About Philip Nickson
Philip Nickson, J.D., Ph.D., is Chief Business and Legal Officer at Monte Rosa Therapeutics (GLUE). He was promoted to this role in May 2024, after serving as General Counsel (March 2022–April 2024) and leading the legal function as Head of Legal Operations (March 2021–March 2022). He previously held roles of increasing responsibility at Momenta Pharmaceuticals (Vice President of Intellectual Property and Associate General Counsel, 2012–2021) and was an attorney at Fish & Richardson (2006–2012). Nickson completed post-doctoral research at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute and holds a J.D. from Suffolk University and a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester. As of March 31, 2025, he is 45 years old .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Rosa Therapeutics | Chief Business & Legal Officer | May 2024–present | Expanded remit spanning business development and legal; promoted from GC to CBLO to advance pipeline programs and external transactions . |
| Monte Rosa Therapeutics | General Counsel | Mar 2022–Apr 2024 | Led legal, provided IP support and external business transactions; built legal framework during clinical-stage growth . |
| Monte Rosa Therapeutics | Head of Legal Operations | Mar 2021–Mar 2022 | Established legal operations function at company inception stage . |
| Momenta Pharmaceuticals | VP of Intellectual Property & Associate GC | 2012–2021 | Led IP strategy through company’s acquisition by Johnson & Johnson; increasing responsibility in life sciences IP . |
| Fish & Richardson (law firm) | Attorney | 2006–2012 | Practice focused on supporting small to mid-size biotech clients (life sciences IP) . |
| Boston Biomedical Research Institute | Post-doctoral Researcher | Pre-2006 | Research on cardiomyocyte cell death; scientific foundation complements legal expertise . |
External Roles
No public company directorships or external board roles are disclosed for Nickson in the company’s proxy materials .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | 432,000 | 473,611 |
| Target Bonus (% of Salary) | 40% | 40% |
| Actual Bonus Paid ($) | 172,800 | 217,390 |
| Option Awards – Grant Date Fair Value ($) | 707,983 | 582,827 |
| All Other Compensation ($) | 13,200 | 13,800 |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Executive Cash Incentive Bonus Plan (company and individual-performance goals) | Not disclosed | 40% of base salary | $217,390 (2024) | Cash bonus per plan | N/A (cash incentive) |
Equity compensation for 2024 consisted of stock options, aligned to long-term performance. Annual grants typically occur in early January; grants are not timed around MNPI disclosures and hedging/derivatives are prohibited under the insider trading policy .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Ownership Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shares Beneficially Owned | 409,343 | Represents shares issuable upon conversion of options exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2025 . |
| % of Shares Outstanding | <1% (“*”) | Based on 61,509,821 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2025 . |
| Stock Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited | Insider trading policy prohibits pledging and derivative transactions. |
Detailed Option Holdings (as of 12/31/2024)
| Option Series | Exercisable (#) | Unexercisable (#) | Exercise Price ($) | Expiration | Vesting Schedule (key terms) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (9) | 58,359 | 6,787 | 7.87 | 5/17/2031 | 25% on 5/10/2022; remainder in 1/48 monthly . |
| (10) | 44,602 | 6,372 | 19.00 | 6/24/2031 | 25% on 6/24/2022; remainder in 1/48 monthly . |
| (4) | 48,537 | 22,063 | 13.41 | 3/1/2032 | 25% on 3/1/2023; remainder in 1/48 monthly . |
| (5) | 59,248 | 64,402 | 7.78 | 1/3/2033 | 25% on 1/3/2024; remainder in 1/48 monthly . |
| (7) | — | 109,000 | 5.71 | 1/2/2034 | 25% on 1/1/2025; remainder in 1/48 monthly . |
| (11) | — | 40,000 | 3.98 | 6/3/2034 | 25% on 5/28/2025; remainder in 1/48 monthly . |
Equity compensation plan reserve as of 12/31/2024: 11,725,467 securities issuable; weighted average exercise price $8.02; 4,661,993 shares available for future issuance under plans (ex-ESPP current purchase period) .
Employment Terms
| Provision | Outside Change-of-Control | Change-of-Control + Qualifying Termination |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Terminated without “cause” or for “good reason” (as defined) | Terminated without “cause” or for “good reason” within 3 months prior to or 12 months after a change in control (double-trigger) |
| Base Salary Severance | 12 months | 12 months (or higher of then-current/base pre-CoC) |
| Target Bonus Multiple | Not provided | 1x annual target bonus |
| COBRA (employer portion) | Up to 12 months | Up to 12 months |
| 280G Treatment | Modified economic cutback (pay in full or reduce below threshold to avoid excise tax) | Modified economic cutback |
| Agreement Effective | At IPO in 2021; at-will employment | Same |
Governance and Policies
| Policy/Committee | Key Terms |
|---|---|
| Insider Trading/Trading, Pledging & Hedging Policy | Prohibits derivative transactions and pledging; addresses risks of margin/pledge sales; prohibits purchases of derivative securities that provide economic equivalent of ownership . |
| Compensation Recovery (Clawback) Policy | Adopted 9/27/2023; requires recovery of incentive-based comp for current/former executive officers for 3 years prior to restatement if excess vs. restated results, per SEC/Nasdaq rules . |
| Equity Award Timing | Annual grants typically early January; no timing around MNPI disclosures; no grants near major filings disclosing MNPI in 2024 . |
| Compensation Committee | Independent members (Ali Behbahani, Kimberly Blackwell (Chair), Anthony Manning); met six times in FY2024; Radford (Aon) serves as independent consultant; oversees CEO goals and executive compensation design . |
Investment Implications
- Pay mix skews toward equity via options with long, monthly vesting (1/48th schedules), creating ongoing retention hooks and alignment to long-term value creation; upcoming vest dates (e.g., 25% on 1/1/2025 and 5/28/2025 for recent grants) indicate continuing unearned equity that reduces near-term departure risk .
- Double-trigger severance (12 months salary + 1x target bonus + up to 12 months COBRA) balances protection and alignment, mitigating incentives for change-of-control churn while preserving retention through uncertain strategic outcomes .
- Governance guardrails—prohibition on pledging/derivatives and a Dodd-Frank-compliant clawback—reduce hedging/pledging misalignment and ensure incentive recoupment on restatement, supportive of shareholder-friendly risk control .
- Beneficial ownership is primarily through exercisable options (<1% of shares outstanding), limiting immediate ownership leverage but providing upside participation; monitor liquidity windows around vesting and 60-day exercisability for potential trading activity and selling pressure signals .