Helen Collins
Kura OncologyAbout Helen Collins
Helen Collins, M.D. (age 63) has served as an independent director of Kura Oncology since July 2021. She is currently Chief Medical Officer at Enliven Therapeutics (public) and previously served as EVP & Chief Medical Officer at Five Prime Therapeutics until its April 2021 acquisition by Amgen; earlier roles include clinical program leadership at Gilead and global oncology biosimilars leadership at Amgen, following 12 years as a practicing medical oncologist/hematologist. Dr. Collins holds an M.D. from Johns Hopkins (residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital; fellowship at Stanford) and a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Prime Therapeutics | EVP & Chief Medical Officer | 2016–Apr 2021 | Senior clinical leadership through acquisition by Amgen |
| Gilead Sciences | Program & Clinical Lead (GS-5829 BET, GS-4059 BTK) | 2013–2016 | Led oncology programs |
| Amgen | Global Lead, Oncology Biosimilars | 2009–2013 | Global program leadership |
| Clinical practice | Medical Oncologist/Hematologist | ~12 years (prior to industry) | Direct patient care |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enliven Therapeutics (public) | Chief Medical Officer | Current | Operating executive role |
| IO Biotech (public) | Director | Since Nov 2023 | Public company directorship |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined all directors other than CEO Troy Wilson are independent under Nasdaq standards; Dr. Collins is independent .
- Committee assignments (2024): Compensation Committee (member); Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (member). She is not a committee chair .
- Meeting cadence and attendance: Board met 11 times in 2024; Compensation 5; Nominating 4. Each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings during the portion served in 2024 .
- Lead Independent Director structure: The Board maintains a Lead Independent Director (Faheem Hasnain) with formal responsibilities; independent directors meet in executive session regularly .
| Committee | Member | Chair | 2024 Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | No | — | 4 |
| Compensation | Yes | No (Chair: Mary T. Szela) | |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Yes | No (Chair: Thomas Malley) |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash (FY 2024) | $52,500 | Actual cash paid in 2024 |
| Director cash retainer policy (as of Dec 2024) | $45,000 | Annual base retainer (increased from $40,000) |
| Committee member fees (policy) | $7,500 (Comp), $5,000 (Nominating) | Per-committee annual member retainers |
| Committee chair fees (policy) | $10,000 (Audit), $7,500 (Comp), $5,000 (Nominating) | Not applicable to Dr. Collins (not a chair) |
| Lead Independent Director premium (policy) | $27,500 | Role-specific; not applicable to Dr. Collins |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Value/Terms | Vesting & Term | Change-of-Control | Post-termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option Awards (FY 2024 grant-date fair value) | $341,071 | Company options have 10-year term | ||
| Annual option grant (policy) | 28,500 options | Vests in full on 1-year anniversary of grant | ||
| Initial option grant (policy) | 57,000 options | Vests annually over 3 years | ||
| Vesting on CoC (policy) | Full vesting upon change of control | Applies to director options under plan | ||
| Exercise window (policy) | 12 months post-service (other than cause/death/disability) | Subject to plan terms | ||
| Repricing prohibition | Not permitted without stockholder approval | Stockholder-friendly feature | ||
| Clawback coverage | Awards subject to clawback policies | SEC/Nasdaq compliant clawbacks |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Interlock/Related Transactions |
|---|---|---|---|
| IO Biotech | Public | Director | No related-party transactions disclosed at Kura |
| Enliven Therapeutics | Public | CMO | No related-party transactions disclosed at Kura |
- Compensation Committee interlocks: None; no relationships requiring related-person disclosure and no reciprocal board/comp committee interlocks with Kura executives in 2024 .
Expertise & Qualifications
| Attribute | Collins |
|---|---|
| General Management | X |
| Scientific Research | X |
| Drug Development | X |
| Operations | X |
| Other Public Company Board Service | X |
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 114,166 | Options exercisable within 60 days of Mar 31, 2025 (footnote 8) |
| % of shares outstanding | <1% | As reported in beneficial ownership table |
| Options outstanding (Dec 31, 2024) | 140,166 | Aggregate options held; no other stock awards |
| Shares pledged as collateral | None | Company disclosure: no director shares pledged |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Prohibited | Governance practices disallow hedging/pledging |
| Non-employee director compensation cap | $750,000 (annual); $1,000,000 (first-year) | Plan limits for total director pay incl. equity (grant-date fair value) |
Insider Trades
| Date | Transaction | Shares | Price | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed in DEF 14A | — | — | — | — |
Note: Proxy statements do not list Form 4 transactions; no insider trading data for Dr. Collins is disclosed in the 2025 proxy. Review SEC EDGAR for Form 4 filings for comprehensive insider transaction history .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and engagement: Independent director with active roles on Compensation and Nominating committees; met minimum attendance threshold (≥75%) amid 11 Board meetings and regular committee sessions, supporting governance effectiveness .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay mixes modest cash ($52,500) with equity options ($341,071 grant-date value), with one-year vesting and full acceleration on change-of-control; plan prohibits repricing and applies clawbacks, signaling shareholder-friendly practices and risk controls .
- Ownership and alignment: Beneficial ownership is primarily via options (114,166 exercisable within 60 days), with no pledged shares and a company-wide ban on hedging/pledging; non-employee director pay caps further constrain potential excess .
- Committee effectiveness and process: Compensation Committee is fully independent, uses an external independent consultant (Alpine Rewards) and conducts annual risk assessments; 2024 say‑on‑pay support was ~92%, indicating investor confidence in compensation governance with Collins as a committee member .
- Conflicts and interlocks: No related-party transactions or compensation committee interlocks involving Dr. Collins were disclosed; while she holds an operating role (CMO) at Enliven and a board seat at IO Biotech, the Board affirmed independence and disclosed no conflicts tied to Kura’s transactions .
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed specific to Dr. Collins: No related-party transactions, no hedging/pledging, no option repricing, and minimum attendance achieved .