Garret Hampton
About M. Garret Hampton
Independent Class I director at IDEAYA Biosciences since June 2020; age 59 as of March 31, 2025; term runs to the 2026 annual meeting . Hampton holds a Ph.D. from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now Cancer Research UK) under Sir Walter Bodmer, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute, and served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego before senior industry roles spanning oncology biomarkers, clinical genomics, and clinical sequencing . The Board has determined he is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermo Fisher Scientific | President, Clinical Sequencing and Oncology | Jun 2020 – Sep 2024 | Led clinical next-generation sequencing strategy |
| Illumina, Inc. | SVP, Clinical Genomics | Jan 2017 – Jan 2020 | Developed sequencing-based solutions in oncology, reproductive health, rare disease diagnostics |
| Genentech, Inc. | VP & Global Head, Oncology Biomarker Development and Companion Diagnostics | Jun 2009 – Dec 2016 | Global leadership in biomarker and CDx strategy |
| Celgene; Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) | Various leadership roles | Pre-2009 | Focused on drug target discovery, development, precision medicine |
| UC San Diego; Salk Institute | Assistant Professor; Postdoctoral Fellow | Academic | Research, >150 peer-reviewed publications (~10,000 citations) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No current public company directorships disclosed for Hampton in the proxy |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (not Chair) . Not a member of Audit or Compensation Committees .
- Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; committees comprised solely of independent directors .
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, the Board met 5x; each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings where appointed, and all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Tenure/class: Class I director; term expires at the 2026 annual meeting .
- Board leadership: Independent Chair (Terry Rosen); independent directors hold regular executive sessions .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | 2024 Amount | 2025 Program Update | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $40,000 | $45,000 effective Jan 1, 2025 | Program-level retainer |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance (NCG) member fee | $5,000 | $5,000 | Hampton is an NCG member |
| Total cash (Hampton, 2024) | $45,000 | — | Sum of retainer + NCG fee |
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Instrument | 2024 Grant/Value | Vesting | Outstanding/Exercisable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options (annual director program) | Annual Grant size: 16,200 options (program level) | Annual Grant vests on earlier of 1-year from grant or next annual meeting; Initial Grant 32,400 options vests monthly over 3 years | Options outstanding at 12/31/2024: 76,400 (Hampton) |
| Stock options (Hampton, 2024 compensation) | Option awards grant date fair value: $407,668 | Program vesting as above | Exercisable within 60 days as of 3/31/2025: 60,200 options (beneficially owned) |
No RSUs/PSUs or meeting fees are disclosed for directors; director equity is delivered in stock options under the program described .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Hampton |
| Committee interlocks | The company reports no Compensation Committee interlocks; Hampton is not on the Compensation Committee |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep domain expertise in oncology biomarkers, companion diagnostics, clinical genomics, and clinical sequencing; executive leadership across Genentech, Illumina, and Thermo Fisher .
- Academic credentials include a Ph.D. (Imperial Cancer Research Fund), Salk postdoc, UCSD faculty; >150 peer-reviewed papers (~10,000 citations) .
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Amount | Basis/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 60,200 | Options exercisable within 60 days as of 3/31/2025 |
| Shares outstanding (denominator) | 87,565,252 | As of 3/31/2025 |
| Ownership (% of SO) | ~0.07% | Computed from 60,200 / 87,565,252 using figures above |
| Options outstanding (total) | 76,400 | As of 12/31/2024 |
| Pledging/hedging | Company policy prohibits pledging and hedging by directors |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with high-relevance scientific/diagnostic expertise; active service on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; Board-wide attendance ≥75% and full annual meeting attendance in 2024, indicating engagement .
- Alignment: Director compensation is heavily equity-oriented (2024: cash $45k vs. option value $407,668), promoting long-term alignment; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy reinforces alignment .
- Conflicts/related-party: The proxy’s related-party section provides policies and indemnification/D&O insurance disclosures; no Hampton-specific related-party transactions are described in the materials reviewed .
- Investor sentiment: 2024 Say-on-Pay support of ~91% reflects generally constructive shareholder views on pay practices (governance context) .
RED FLAGS observed: None disclosed specific to Hampton.
Monitoring items: Any new outside roles post-September 2024 departure from Thermo Fisher; continued equity accumulation toward stronger ownership alignment; future committee rotations.