John Leonard
IQVIA HOLDINGSAbout John M. Leonard, M.D.
John M. Leonard, M.D. is IQVIA’s Lead Independent Director and an independent director since 2015, age 67, with deep biopharma R&D and executive leadership credentials . He is President & Chief Executive Officer of Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (CEO since 2018) and previously held senior R&D leadership roles at AbbVie and Abbott Laboratories; his education includes an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison . He has been Lead Independent Director at IQVIA since 2018, elected annually by the independent directors, and is designated an Audit Committee Financial Expert .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| AbbVie Inc. | Chief Scientific Officer; SVP, Research & Development | Not disclosed | Executive leadership in biopharma R&D |
| Abbott Laboratories | SVP, Global Pharmaceutical Research & Development (and other roles) | Not disclosed | Senior R&D leadership experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | President & Chief Executive Officer | 2018–Present | Also serves on Intellia’s board of directors |
| Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | U.S. public company directorship | Not disclosed | Board service disclosed by IQVIA |
Board Governance
- Leadership role: Lead Independent Director with authority and responsibilities including presiding over executive sessions, approving agendas, liaising between independent directors and management, and engaging with stockholders; served in this role since 2018 .
- Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; Leonard is independent (and listed as “INDEPENDENT Lead Independent Director”) .
- Committee assignments:
- Audit Committee member; Audit Committee Financial Expert; 6 meetings in 2024 .
- Nominating & Governance Committee member; 4 meetings in 2024 .
- Leadership Development & Compensation Committee (ex officio); 6 meetings in 2024 .
- Attendance: In 2024, each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; eight directors attended the annual meeting .
- Years of service on IQVIA’s board: Director since 2015 .
- Governance framework highlights affecting board effectiveness: fully declassified board, majority voting in uncontested elections, robust share ownership guidelines, anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging policy, and regular executive sessions led by the Lead Independent Director .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024 Non‑Employee Director Program) | Annual Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Cash retainer (paid quarterly) | $100,000 |
| Lead Independent Director fee | $50,000 (raised from $42,500 in July 2024) |
| Committee chair – Audit | $40,000 |
| Committee chair – LDC | $27,500 |
| Committee chair – N&G | $25,000 |
| Committee member – Audit | $15,000 |
| Committee member – LDC | $10,000 |
| Committee member – N&G | $10,000 |
| Dr. Leonard – 2024 Cash Fees | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | $171,250 |
Notes:
- Non‑employee directors may elect to defer cash/equity retainers into deferred stock units payable in shares upon termination, death, or change in control .
- IQVIA reimburses directors for reasonable education and travel expenses related to Board service .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award Type | Grant Date | Shares Granted | Grant‑Date Fair Value per Share | Vesting | Total Stock Awards (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (annual equity retainer) | May 7, 2024 | 1,047 | $229.14 | Fully vested at grant | $239,910 |
- Non‑employee director equity is delivered as fully‑vested RSUs; there are no performance‑conditioned awards (no PSUs or options) for directors under the standard program .
Performance metrics for director pay: None disclosed for non‑employee directors; equity retainer aligns interests via share‑based compensation without performance conditions .
Ownership guidelines:
- Directors must hold stock equal to 5× the annual cash retainer; retain at least 50% of net shares from awards until compliant. As of Feb 24, 2025, all director nominees subject to the guidelines satisfied the requirement .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Relationship to IQVIA/Interlock Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | President & CEO; Director | Biopharma company; IQVIA’s Audit Committee must review and approve related‑person transactions under policy; no specific related‑person transactions involving Dr. Leonard are disclosed in this proxy . |
Note: IQVIA’s Audit Committee reviews and approves all related party transactions per its written policy; the proxy outlines the policy and does not list a transaction involving Dr. Leonard .
Expertise & Qualifications
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Education | M.D., Johns Hopkins University; B.A. in Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Designations | Audit Committee Financial Expert |
| Key skills (IQVIA’s skills matrix) | Public Company CEO/President; Public Company Board; Healthcare; Technology; Financial; Global |
| Lead Independent Director experience | Lead Independent Director since 2018 with defined responsibilities for board effectiveness and investor engagement . |
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Basis for % (Shares Outstanding) |
|---|---|---|---|
| John M. Leonard, M.D. | 13,783 | ~0.0078% (13,783 / 176,063,745) | 176,063,745 shares (as of Jan 31, 2025) |
Additional alignment safeguards:
- Securities Trading Policy prohibits hedging and pledging of Company shares, without exception .
- Director share ownership guidelines: 5× annual cash retainer; all nominees subject to the guidelines are compliant as of the record date .
Governance Assessment
Strengths
- Independent Lead Director with robust, codified authority, leading regular executive sessions and coordinating agendas and shareholder engagement; tenure in role since 2018 supports board independence and effectiveness .
- Multiple committee roles including Audit (Financial Expert), N&G, and ex officio on LDC provide broad oversight across financial reporting, governance, sustainability, and human capital; strong attendance across the board in 2024 enhances confidence in oversight continuity .
- Alignment features: fully declassified board, majority voting with resignation policy, anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging policy, and share ownership guidelines; these reduce agency risk and reinforce accountability .
- Stockholder engagement: the board and management conducted broad outreach (met with holders representing ~23% after inviting ~60%), incorporating investor feedback into governance and compensation enhancements .
Watch items / potential conflicts
- External leadership at Intellia Therapeutics (biopharma) creates a potential interlock if IQVIA engages in business with Intellia; the Audit Committee’s related‑party transaction review and approval policy governs such situations, and the proxy does not disclose any related‑person transactions involving Dr. Leonard for 2024 .
- Special meeting rights remain at 25% with a one‑year holding period; shareholder proposal to lower to 10% was opposed by the board citing cost and potential misuse by transient holders; investors should monitor future shareholder feedback on access rights .
Shareholder signals
- Say‑on‑pay support improved to 84% in 2024, indicating constructive investor alignment with compensation governance; the Lead Independent Director highlighted sustained engagement and governance program enhancements in his letter .