Sharon Townson
About Sharon Townson
Sharon Townson, Ph.D., is Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Monte Rosa Therapeutics (Nasdaq: GLUE). She was promoted to CSO effective May 2024 after serving as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) from December 2020 to April 2024 and originally joining in July 2020 as Vice President, Biomolecular Sciences; age 50 as of March 31, 2025 . Dr. Townson holds a Ph.D. in structural biology/biochemistry from the University of Manchester Institute of Technology, began her career as a structural biologist at Pfizer, and brings deep expertise in molecular glues and targeted protein degradation platforms; management credited her with advancing pipeline programs and enhancing the company’s AI/ML-driven QuEEN discovery engine . Company-level TSR and revenue/EBITDA growth tied specifically to her tenure are not disclosed in company filings.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Rosa Therapeutics (GLUE) | Chief Scientific Officer | May 2024 – present | Leads R&D strategy in molecular glue degraders; recognized by CEO for advancing programs and enhancing QuEEN engine . |
| Monte Rosa Therapeutics (GLUE) | Chief Technology Officer | Dec 2020 – Apr 2024 | Built platform capabilities in targeted protein degradation and molecular glues . |
| Monte Rosa Therapeutics (GLUE) | VP, Biomolecular Sciences | Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | Early leadership in platform/biomolecular sciences . |
| Kymera Therapeutics | Executive Director, Platform Biology | Apr 2019 – Jul 2020 | Led platform biology in protein degradation therapeutics . |
| Warp Drive Bio | Leadership roles incl. developing a novel molecular glue approach to target KRAS | Jun 2013 – Dec 2018 | Advanced first-wave molecular glue concepts against KRAS . |
| Pfizer | Structural Biologist | Prior to 2013 (year not specified) | Structural biology foundation for drug discovery . |
External Roles
- No public company directorships or external board roles disclosed in GLUE proxy/8-K materials for Dr. Townson .
Fixed Compensation
- Individual salary, target bonus %, and actual annual bonus for Dr. Townson are not disclosed in proxies (she is not listed as a Named Executive Officer in 2023–2024 or 2024–2025 proxies) .
- Company context (NEO plan design): 2024 base salaries for CEO/CMO/CBLO were $616,400 / $500,000 / $473,611; target bonuses were 50% (CEO) and 40% (CMO/CBLO), with actual 2024 bonuses of $354,430 (CEO), $230,000 (CMO) and $217,390 (CBLO) .
- Equity grant timing policy: annual equity grants generally in early January; no grants are made around material disclosures; a Dodd-Frank-compliant clawback policy was adopted Sept 27, 2023 .
Performance Compensation
- Not disclosed for Dr. Townson (no individual short-term incentive metrics/weights/payout tables reported). Company’s Senior Executive Cash Incentive Bonus Plan bases payouts on company and individual goals; specific metrics and weights are not disclosed in proxy for executives beyond general description .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | As of | Amount/Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Options exercisable within 60 days (vested options) | March 31, 2025 | 417,870 options (aggregate noted in beneficial ownership footnote) . |
| Shares directly owned | — | Not disclosed for Dr. Townson in the principal stockholders table (individual line item not provided) . |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | March 31, 2025 | Not itemized for Dr. Townson; GLUE had 61,509,821 shares outstanding at that date . |
| Pledging/hedging | Policy | Insider trading policy prohibits derivative transactions (including instruments providing economic equivalent of ownership); policy warns of risks of margin/pledging but does not state a categorical ban on pledging in the excerpt provided . |
| Stock ownership guidelines | — | Not disclosed for executives in cited materials. |
| Clawback | Sept 27, 2023 | Compensation Recovery Policy (Dodd-Frank, SEC/Nasdaq compliant) requires recovery of excess incentive comp after required restatements (three-year lookback) . |
Employment Terms
- Role and tenure: Promoted to CSO May 2024; CTO Dec 2020–Apr 2024; joined GLUE July 2020 as VP; age 50 as of March 31, 2025 .
- Employment agreement/severance: Proxy details severance/CIC economics for CEO, CMO, and CBLO; there is no disclosed employment agreement summary for the CSO (Dr. Townson) in the 2024 or 2025 proxies. For context, NEO severance for those listed includes 12–18 months base salary and 1.0–1.5x target bonus in a double-trigger CIC scenario (CEO at higher multiples); non-CIC severance varies by role—all subject to release conditions .
- Award timing policy and clawback apply to all executive officers as summarized above .
Performance & Track Record (Company context relevant to CSO remit)
- Platform and leadership: CEO cited Dr. Townson’s role in enhancing the QuEEN AI/ML discovery engine and advancing pipeline programs upon her promotion to CSO .
- Pipeline/BD momentum during her time on the leadership team includes:
- Second Novartis agreement in 2025 (immunology degraders): $120M upfront, option maintenance payments, and up to $5.7B total deal value plus tiered royalties; MRT-6160 (VAV1 degrader) advancing toward Phase 2 with Novartis .
- MRT-8102 (NEK7 degrader) in Phase 1 with initial readout planned H1 2026; MRT-2359 (GSPT1 degrader) continuing in mCRPC with additional data targeted by year-end 2025 .
- Ongoing collaboration with Roche in oncology/neurology molecular glue targets .
- Financial capacity: Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and marketable securities of $396.2M at 9/30/2025, with runway guidance through 2028 (supports multi-program execution under CSO purview) .
Compensation Committee Analysis (governance context)
- Compensation Committee members: Ali Behbahani, M.D., Kimberly L. Blackwell, M.D. (Chair), and Anthony Manning, Ph.D.; six meetings in FY2024 .
- Independent consultant: Radford (Aon) retained since 2022; assists on peer group design and pay levels/mix; committee assessed independence and found no conflicts .
Related Party Transactions, Risk Indicators, Red Flags
- Related party transaction policy: Audit Committee approval required for transactions >$120,000 with related persons (effective since IPO) .
- Clawback: Adopted Sept 27, 2023 as described above .
- Insider trading policy: Prohibits derivative transactions; addresses risks of margin/pledging; award timing controls to avoid MNPI timing concerns .
- No legal proceedings, SEC investigations, tax gross-ups, option repricings, or pledging by Dr. Townson are disclosed in cited materials.
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Townson’s seniority and platform expertise are strategic to GLUE’s molecular glue pipeline; while her individual cash/equity comp details are not disclosed, the footnoted 417,870 vested options indicate meaningful equity linkage. Lack of disclosed severance/CIC terms for the CSO suggests standard at-will arrangements versus the enhanced NEO packages, which could modestly elevate retention risk in a competitive talent market .
- Execution leverage: Her track record in platform biology and prior leadership of molecular glue initiatives (Kymera, Warp Drive Bio) aligns with GLUE’s BD and clinical progress (Novartis/Roche collaborations, MRT-6160/MRT-8102/MRT-2359 advancement), reinforcing confidence in near- to medium-term data and partnering milestones under her scientific leadership .
- Trading signals: No Form 4 pattern analysis is available in cited documents; however, the company’s prohibitions on derivatives and award timing controls reduce optics of opportunistic trading. Monitor upcoming vest dates on executive option schedules (annual grants timed early January) and clinical/BD catalysts for potential insider activity and liquidity needs, with attention to blackout periods and policy constraints .