Barry D. Quart
About Barry D. Quart
Barry D. Quart, Pharm.D., age 68, has served as an independent director of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc since 2015. He is currently CEO of Connect Biopharma (since June 2024), and previously served as CEO and director of Heron Therapeutics (2013–2023) and co‑founded Ardea Biosciences, where he was President/CEO until its 2013 sale to AstraZeneca. Dr. Quart began his career at Agouron/Warner‑Lambert and later led Pfizer’s La Jolla R&D site; he holds a Pharm.D. from UCSF .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heron Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; Director | 2013–2023 | Led commercial-stage biotech; board service |
| Ardea Biosciences, Inc. | Co‑founder; President & CEO; Director | 2006–May 2013 (sale to AstraZeneca) | Invented/oversaw gout drug (ZURAMPIC) development; licensed MEK inhibitors to Bayer |
| Pfizer Inc. | SVP, Pfizer Global R&D; Site Head, La Jolla | Pre‑2013 | Ran La Jolla laboratories following Pfizer’s acquisition of Warner‑Lambert |
| Agouron/Warner‑Lambert | President, R&D (Agouron, a Warner‑Lambert division) | Pre‑Pfizer acquisition | Led R&D prior to integration into Pfizer |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect Biopharma | Chief Executive Officer | Public | CEO since June 2024 |
| Synageva BioPharma Corp. | Director (prior) | Public (acquired) | Past board role (date not specified) |
Board Governance
- Independence: Kiniksa’s board has 9 of 10 independent directors; all directors other than the CEO are independent. Dr. Quart is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Class/Term: Class II director; nominated to serve until the 2026 annual meeting (one-year term under initial post‑redomiciliation staggering) .
- Committees: Member—Audit; Compensation; Science & Research. Not a committee chair .
- Attendance: The board met 4 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings during their service period .
- Committee meeting cadence (context for workload): Audit (4 meetings), Compensation (3), Governance (1), Science (8) in 2024 .
- Board leadership: Lead Independent Director is Felix J. Baker; regular executive sessions of independent directors are maintained .
Fixed Compensation (Non‑Employee Director, 2024)
| Component | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Board annual retainer (2024) | $40,000 |
| Audit Committee member fee | $9,000 |
| Compensation Committee member fee | $6,300 |
| Science & Research Committee member fee | $6,300 |
| Strategic Transaction Committee (ad hoc) fee | $1,575 |
| Total cash fees (sum) | $63,175 |
Notes:
- Kiniksa raised standard non‑employee director retainers effective Jan 1, 2025 (Director retainer to $50,000; higher committee chair/member fees), but 2024 pay reflects the schedule above .
Performance Compensation
- Non‑employee director pay has no performance‑based elements; equity for directors vests by time and “there are no elements … subject to performance conditions,” so no clawback applies to director equity awards. (Company maintains an executive clawback for erroneously awarded incentive pay, not applicable to director equity which lacks performance conditions) .
Director Equity Compensation (2024 Grants and Values)
| Equity Type | 2024 Grant Value (Fair Value) |
|---|---|
| Stock awards (RSUs) | $62,540 |
| Option awards | $225,053 |
| Total equity value granted | $287,593 |
Program context:
- Standard non‑employee director equity policy: Initial award $600,000; annual subsequent award $300,000 in 2024 (in 2025, subsequent award increased to $340,000). Grants consist of options and RSUs with time‑based vesting per policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heron Therapeutics (prior) | CEO; Director | Not disclosed | Prior role; no Kiniksa related‑party transaction disclosed |
| Synageva BioPharma (prior) | Director | Not disclosed | Prior board role; no Kiniksa related‑party transaction disclosed |
- Related‑party transactions: The proxy discloses a consulting arrangement with director Richard S. Levy; no related‑party transactions are disclosed for Dr. Quart .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: Pharm.D., University of California, San Francisco .
- Domain expertise: Biotech leadership (multiple CEO roles), drug development and commercialization; invented/oversaw gout therapy (ZURAMPIC) development; strategic licensing (MEK inhibitors to Bayer) .
- Board qualification statement: Kiniksa cites his “extensive management experience in the biotechnology industry and his experience developing pharmaceutical products” as qualifications for board service .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Class A) | 206,156 shares; <1% of Class A outstanding (*) |
| Shares owned outright | 9,373 Class A shares |
| Options/RSUs exercisable/vesting within 60 days | 196,783 Class A shares underlying options/RSUs exercisable/vesting within 60 days |
| Director equity outstanding (12/31/24) | 193,610 options; 3,173 RSUs |
| Hedging/Pledging | Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging by insiders |
(*) “Less than one percent” as presented in the beneficial ownership table .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Dr. Quart adds seasoned operating and R&D leadership to Audit, Compensation, and Science committees, a value‑add mix for a commercial‑stage biotech scaling revenue and pipeline investments .
- Independence & attendance: Independent; met the company’s 75%+ attendance threshold; committee workloads suggest meaningful engagement (Audit 4x; Comp 3x; Science 8x in 2024) .
- Pay alignment: Director pay structure is standard (cash retainer + time‑vested equity), with no performance‑conditioned director pay—typical for U.S. biotech boards. 2025 increases align with peer benchmarking; no performance‑based director elements to create misalignment risk .
- Ownership alignment: Meaningful in‑the‑money exposure via options/RSUs and shares, within policy that bans hedging/pledging, supporting alignment with shareholders .
- Conflicts/related‑party: No related‑party transactions disclosed for Dr. Quart; no pledging; insider trading policy is robust. RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Dr. Quart .
- Broader shareholder sentiment: 2024 Say‑on‑Pay for executives passed with ~98% support, indicating favorable governance/compensation sentiment (contextual, not director‑specific) .