Jeffrey Albers
About Jeffrey Albers
Independent director of Kymera Therapeutics since 2020, age 53 as of March 31, 2025. Former CEO and Executive Chair of Blueprint Medicines; currently chairs Kymera’s Compensation & Talent Committee and serves on the Audit Committee. Holds a B.S. from Indiana University and both an MBA and J.D. from Georgetown University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blueprint Medicines Corp. | Chief Executive Officer; Executive Chair; Board member; currently Chair of the Board | CEO: Jul 2014–Aug 2022; Exec Chair: Apr–Dec 2022; Board: since Jul 2014; Chair: current | Led IPO and scaled company from research-stage to fully integrated, global biotech . |
| Algeta ASA | President | Jan 2012–Apr 2014 | Oversaw successful commercial launch of targeted cancer therapy before sale to Bayer . |
| Genzyme (now Sanofi) | Senior commercial/corporate development roles; VP U.S. Hem/Onc | Jul 2005–Nov 2011 | Led U.S. hematology/oncology commercial unit . |
| Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo | Life sciences corporate attorney | 2000–2005 | Corporate legal practice in life sciences . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blueprint Medicines Corp. | Chair, Board of Directors | Public | Current chair; extensive CEO/chair experience . |
| Spyre Therapeutics | Chair, Board of Directors | Public | Current chair . |
| Atlas Venture | Venture Partner | Private firm | Also serves on boards of several privately held companies . |
| Life Sciences Cares | Board of Advisors | Non-profit | Advisory role . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments and chair roles
- Compensation & Talent Committee: Chair; committee met 5 times in 2024 and acted by written consent once .
- Audit Committee: Member; committee met 4 times in 2024 and acted by written consent once .
- Independence and leadership
- Board determined all directors except the CEO are independent under Nasdaq/SEC rules; Albers is independent .
- Lead Independent Director is Felix J. Baker (not Albers) .
- Attendance and engagement
- In 2024, each director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and relevant committee meetings; all then-directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Compensation committee interlocks
- No compensation committee interlocks or insider participation reported for 2024; Albers (chair), John Maraganore, and Leigh Morgan served; none were officers/employees in the past fiscal year .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees earned | $59,083 | Director fees paid in 2024 . |
| Policy retainers (as amended Mar 27, 2024) | Board member: $40,000; Comp & Talent Chair: $15,000; Audit member: $10,000 | Lead Independent Director: $60,000; Audit Chair: $20,000; historical rates were lower prior to Mar 27, 2024 . |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | Grant/Units | Vesting/Terms | Grant-Date Fair Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual stock option grant (2024) | 16,000 options | Annual grants vest in full by the next annual meeting or 1-year; director equity is in options; full acceleration upon sale of the company . | $302,722 (Albers’ 2024 option award value) . |
- No performance-based equity (e.g., PSUs) or performance metrics are disclosed for non-employee director compensation; annual equity is time-based options under the Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlock/Conflict Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Blueprint Medicines | Chair | No Kymera related-party transactions disclosed involving Albers; Board affirmed independence while considering affiliations with >5% holders . |
| Spyre Therapeutics | Chair | Same as above . |
| Atlas Venture | Venture Partner | Atlas-affiliated funds own ~7.52% of Kymera; Board considered affiliations with >5% holders in independence determinations . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- 25+ years in biopharma leadership (oncology and rare disease), including IPO execution and commercial scaling at Blueprint Medicines .
- Legal and business credentials: J.D. and MBA (Georgetown), B.S. (Indiana University) .
- Governance and compensation oversight: Chairs Kymera’s Compensation & Talent Committee; prior CEO/chair experience suggests strong compensation/oversight expertise .
- Capital markets and BD experience: Led Algeta U.S. operations through commercial launch and sale to Bayer; senior commercial roles at Genzyme .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Form of Ownership | Amount | % of Shares Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Albers | Options exercisable within 60 days (as of Mar 31, 2025) | 95,539 | <1% . |
| Options held (outstanding, as of Dec 31, 2024) | Director options outstanding | 111,539 | — . |
- Company policy prohibits pledging, hedging, short sales, and derivative transactions by directors, supporting alignment with shareholders .
- No related-party transactions involving Albers (> $120,000) were disclosed since Jan 1, 2024; related transactions disclosed involved major shareholders (e.g., Baker Bros., BVF), not Albers .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths
- Independent director with deep operating and board leadership experience; chairs Compensation & Talent Committee and serves on Audit, indicating strong governance profile .
- High investor support for pay practices (Say-on-Pay approval: 91% in 2023; 94% in 2024), suggesting constructive shareholder relations that the comp committee (chaired by Albers) influences .
- Use of independent compensation consultant (Alpine Rewards) with no conflicts; clawback policy adopted; anti-hedging/pledging policy in place .
- Alignment and incentives
- Director pay skewed toward equity (2024: ~$302.7k equity vs ~$59.1k cash), aligning with long-term shareholder outcomes .
- Non-employee director compensation policy uses options (initial 32,000; annual 16,000; updated in 2024), creating leverage to performance; acceleration upon sale is customary in sector .
- Potential risks/monitoring items
- External affiliations: Venture Partner at Atlas Venture (a >5% Kymera holder) could present perceived influence risk; however, Board affirmed independence after considering large-holder affiliations; Audit Committee reviews related-party transactions .
- Concentrated investor base influence (e.g., Baker Bros., BVF) evidenced by large follow-on participation; while not tied to Albers, ongoing oversight of independence and related-party policies remains important .