Lon Cardon
About Lon Cardon
Lon Cardon, Ph.D., FMedSci (age 59) has served as an independent Class I director of Mirum Pharmaceuticals since November 2022. He is President & Chief Executive Officer of The Jackson Laboratory (an independent, nonprofit biomedical research organization) since November 2021, and previously served as Chief Scientific Officer at BioMarin Pharmaceutical (2017–2021) and SVP of Genetics/Target Sciences at GlaxoSmithKline (2008–2017). He is an elected fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and AAAS and holds a B.A. (University of Puget Sound) and Ph.D. (University of Colorado, Boulder), with postdoctoral training at Stanford University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | Chief Scientific Officer | Sep 2017 – Nov 2021 | Led R&D strategy and genetics; senior executive role |
| GlaxoSmithKline plc | SVP, Genetics, Alternative Drug Discovery & Target Sciences | 2008 – Sep 2017 | Built genetics and target sciences functions |
| University of Oxford | Professor | Prior to 2008 | Academic leadership in genetics/biostatistics |
| University of Washington & Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | Professor (Biostatistics and Human Biology) | Prior to 2008 | Academic roles in human genetics/biostatistics |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Jackson Laboratory | President & CEO | Nov 2021 – Present | Independent, nonprofit biomedical research organization |
| Reneo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Director (public) | 2019 – 2022 | Prior public company directorship |
| Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences | Institutional Founder/Board | Historical | Founding/board role (institutional) |
| Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation (Open Targets) | Institutional Founder/Board | Historical | Target discovery collaboration (institutional) |
| GSK/Avalon Center of Excellence | Institutional Founder/Board | Historical | Collaboration governance role |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Dr. Cardon is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committee assignments (2024): Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member; no Audit or Compensation assignments .
- Committee chairs: Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee chaired by Timothy Walbert; Audit chaired by Laura Brege; Compensation chaired by Laurent Fischer .
- Board leadership: Independent, non-executive Chair (Michael Grey) with separate CEO; independent leadership structure .
- Meetings and attendance (2024): Board met 6 times; Audit 5, Compensation 4, Nominating 3; each director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board+committee meetings for their service period; independent directors held 4 executive sessions .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Policy | 2024 Amount for Cardon |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $45,000 per director (Q1 2024); increased to $50,000 effective April 4, 2024 [policy] | Included in fees below |
| Committee membership fees | Audit $10,000 (raised to $12,500 from Apr 2, 2025); Compensation $10,000; Nominating $5,000 [policy] | Included in fees below (Cardon served on Nominating) |
| Committee chair fees | Board Chair $60,000; Audit Chair $20,000 (raised to $25,000 from Apr 2, 2025); Compensation Chair $20,000; Nominating Chair $10,000 | Not applicable (not a chair) |
| Meeting fees | Not disclosed (policy built on retainers) | — |
| Total cash fees (2024) | — | $53,750 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | 2024 Grant Structure/Value | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual equity grant (from Apr 4, 2024 policy) | Aggregate grant date fair value $300,000 split 50% nonstatutory options and 50% RSUs (Cardon 2024 reported: Stock Awards $149,989; Option Awards $149,774; total $299,763) | Annual option/RSU grants vest on earlier of 1st anniversary or next annual meeting; full vest on change in control; 10-year option term |
| Initial director grant (for new appointees) | Aggregate fair value $450,000 split 50% options/50% RSUs effective Apr 4, 2024; increased to $550,000 from Apr 2, 2025 | Vests in three equal annual installments; full vest on change in control |
| Deferral program | Directors may defer RSU settlement until separation or change in control | Elections per policy |
Notes:
- Director compensation is not tied to company performance metrics; there are no cash bonus/PSU metrics for non-employee directors .
- Hedging/pledging of Mirum stock is prohibited for directors .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Cardon |
| Prior public company boards | Reneo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2019–2022) |
| Potential interlocks | None identified involving Cardon. Note: another Mirum director (Walbert) currently serves on BioMarin’s board; Cardon was previously BioMarin CSO (not a director) . No related-party transactions disclosed involving Cardon . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Scientific and translational leadership: Former CSO of BioMarin; built genetics and target discovery at GSK .
- Academic depth: Professorships at Oxford and University of Washington/Fred Hutch; elected fellow of UK Academy of Medical Sciences and AAAS .
- Governance exposure: Prior public board at Reneo; institutional founder roles in biomedical collaborations .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (Feb 15, 2025 measurement date) | 29,750 shares | Represents options exercisable within 60 days; <1% of shares outstanding |
| % of shares outstanding | <1% | Asterisk denoted in ownership table |
| RSUs outstanding (as of Dec 31, 2024) | 5,703 RSUs | Each non-employee director held RSUs representing 5,703 shares |
| Options outstanding (as of Dec 31, 2024) | 49,862 options | Options to purchase 49,862 shares |
| Shares pledged | None permitted (prohibited by policy) | |
| Hedging | Prohibited |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and engagement: Independent director with relevant scientific and industry leadership; active on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, which met 3 times in 2024; overall Board met 6 times with independent executive sessions held 4 times; all directors met at least the 75% attendance threshold .
- Independence/Conflicts: Affirmatively determined independent; no related-party transactions involving Cardon disclosed; company prohibits hedging and pledging by directors, lowering alignment risk concerns .
- Compensation/Alignment: 2024 total director compensation of $353,513 with a balanced equity mix (~$150k RSUs and ~$150k options) supports alignment; change-in-control vesting present; deferral available for RSUs . Beneficial ownership primarily through options/RSUs, with <1% ownership; policy-level protections against pledging/hedging .
- Shareholder signals: 2024 Say-on-Pay support >96% and broad shareholder outreach (>70% of shares engaged) indicate supportive governance environment (contextual to board oversight, not specific to director pay) .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Cardon—no attendance shortfalls, no related-party transactions, no Section 16(a) delinquencies noted for him (only CEO/C.O.O. had late Form 4s) .