Jeff George
About Jeff George
Jeff George (age 51 as of April 14, 2025) is an independent director and Chair of the Board at LENZ, serving since March 2024. He is Managing Partner of Maytal Capital and formerly served on Novartis Group AG’s Executive Committee as CEO of Sandoz and CEO of Alcon (2008–2016). He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a BA from Carleton College .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novartis Group AG (Sandoz) | Division Head and CEO | 2008–2016 | Led global generics and biosimilars subsidiary |
| Novartis Group AG (Alcon) | Division Head and CEO | 2008–2016 | Led eye care subsidiary while on Novartis Executive Committee |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals | Head of Emerging Markets (ME, Africa, SE Asia, CIS) | Not disclosed | Regional leadership across growth markets |
| Novartis Vaccines | VP and Head of Western & Eastern Europe | Not disclosed | Regional vaccines leadership |
| Gap Inc.; McKinsey & Co. | Leadership roles | Not disclosed | Early career operating/consulting experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Ticker/Status | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Nasdaq: AMRX | Director | Public company board service |
| 908 Devices | Nasdaq: MASS | Director | Public company board service |
| Dorian Therapeutics | Private | Director | Stanford spin-out; cellular senescence biotech |
| MAPS PBC | Private | Chairman of the Board | Late-stage CNS-focused biopharma |
Board Governance
- Independence and leadership: George is classified as independent by the Board and serves as Chair; LENZ separates Chair and CEO roles, with the Chair focusing on independent oversight .
- Committee assignments: Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; committee members are independent (with Kimberlee C. Drapkin and Zach Scheiner) . He is identified as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee in the director roster .
- Attendance and engagement: Following the Merger through December 31, 2024, the Board held six meetings and each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
- Committee activity: Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held one meeting; Audit Committee held four; Compensation Committee held two (all committees comprised of independent directors per policy) .
- Executive sessions: Corporate governance guidelines provide for periodic executive sessions of non-employee directors, at least twice per year .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash (FY2024) | $62,418 | Pro-rated cash fees in 2024 after March appointment |
| Annual non-employee director retainer | $40,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Board Chair retainer (non-employee) | $30,000 | In addition to director retainer |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair fee | $10,000 | Chair receives chair fee (not member fee) |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance member fee | $5,000 | Member fee (not applicable when chair) |
| Audit Committee chair/member fees | $15,000 / $7,500 | Policy detail (not applicable to George) |
| Compensation Committee chair/member fees | $12,000 / $6,000 | Policy detail (not applicable to George) |
Performance Compensation
- Equity awards framework: Outside directors receive stock options under the Outside Director Compensation Policy; RSUs and performance awards are permitted under the 2024 Plan but no director-specific RSU/PSU grants are disclosed for FY2024 .
- Vesting and CIC terms: Initial Award options vest monthly over 36 months; Annual Award options vest fully on the first anniversary of grant; director equity fully vests immediately prior to a change-in-control, subject to continued service through the CIC date .
| Award Type | Shares/Value | Vesting Schedule | Grant/Policy Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Option Awards (grant-date fair value) | $333,804 | As per award agreement; options vest per policy | Aggregate grant-date fair value disclosed |
| Initial Award (policy) | 27,000 options | Equal monthly over 36 months | Granted upon becoming a non-employee director |
| Annual Award (policy) | 13,500 options (pro-rated in first year) | 100% on first anniversary | Granted after each Annual Meeting |
| Change-in-Control (policy) | Full acceleration | Vests immediately prior to CIC | 2024 Plan/Outside Director Policy |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company boards: Amneal (AMRX), 908 Devices (MASS) .
- Private boards: Dorian Therapeutics (director), MAPS PBC (chairman) .
- Compensation committee interlocks: The compensation committee (Guerard, Drapkin, Thunen) disclosed no interlocks with LENZ executive officers in the most recent fiscal year; Drapkin was interim CEO pre-Merger at Graphite .
- Related party transactions: A LENZ director (not identified) serves on the board of a manufacturing vendor; fees incurred to that vendor were $0.5 million in 2024; the Audit Committee oversees related party transactions per policy .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Industry leadership: Extensive senior operating experience in generics, biosimilars, and eye care; Novartis Executive Committee tenure .
- Governance exposure: Multiple public and private board roles; current independent Chair at LENZ .
- Education: MBA (Harvard), MA (Johns Hopkins SAIS), BA (Carleton College) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Total Beneficial Ownership (shares) | % of Outstanding | Composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff George | 10,500 | <1% | Options exercisable within 60 days (beneficially owned) |
| Options outstanding (as of 12/31/2024) | 27,000 | — | Director-level outstanding options held by George |
- Hedging/pledging: Directors are prohibited from short sales, hedging transactions, pledging, and holding securities in margin accounts under LENZ’s insider trading policy, supporting alignment with shareholders .
Governance Assessment
- Positive signals: Independent Chair role separated from CEO enhances oversight; George chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; Board determined he is independent; directors met attendance thresholds; director compensation is at-risk via stock options with time-based vesting; hedging/pledging prohibitions strengthen alignment .
- Potential risks/RED FLAGS to monitor: Multiple external directorships may present time-commitment considerations; a board-level related-party vendor relationship exists (unattributed), though subject to Audit Committee oversight—continued disclosure and monitoring are advisable .
- Shareholder feedback: 2025 annual meeting director votes showed strong support for Class I nominees (Guerard and McCollum) and majority support for Class III nominees (Drapkin and Scheiner); there was no say-on-pay vote disclosed on the 2025 ballot .