Russell Greig
About Russell Greig
Dr. Russell Greig, 72, is an independent Chairman of the Board at BiomX Inc. (PHGE), serving since October 2019, with 44+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience across R&D, business development, and commercial operations . He previously held senior leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and led its corporate venture group SR One, underscoring deep strategic and governance credentials relevant to drug development companies .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | President, Pharmaceuticals International | 2003–2008 | Oversight of international commercial operations |
| GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | SVP, Worldwide Business Development | Not disclosed | Strategic transactions and BD leadership |
| SR One (GSK corporate venture) | President | 2008–2010 | Venture investments; portfolio governance |
| Genocea Biosciences | Acting CEO | Interim | Stabilization/transition leadership |
| Isconova AB | Acting CEO | Interim | Stabilization/transition leadership |
| Scottish Scientific Advisory Committee | Member | Not disclosed | Scientific advisory to First Minister |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nucleome Therapeutics Limited (Oxford, UK) | Chairman | Private | Current |
| Merus N.V. (Nasdaq: MRUS) | Director | Public | Prior |
| Ablynx N.V. (acquired by Sanofi) | Director | Public (historical) | Prior |
| TiGenix N.V. (acquired by Takeda) | Director | Public (historical) | Prior |
| MedEye NV (Mint Solutions) | Chairman | Private | Prior |
| eTheRNA immunotherapies NV | Director | Private | Prior |
| Syntaxin Ltd (sold to Ipsen) | Chairman | Private | Prior |
| Novagali Pharma S.A. (acquired by Santen) | Chairman | Public (historical) | Prior |
| Isconova AB (acquired by Novavax) | Chairman | Public (historical) | Prior |
| Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH (sold to Novo Nordisk) | Chairman | Private | Prior |
Board Governance
- Independent Chairman; separate Chair/CEO roles to enhance oversight and strategic focus .
- Independence affirmed under NYSE American and SEC standards; Greig counted among independent directors .
- Committee assignments: Audit (member), Compensation (member), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Chair); all committees fully independent .
- Attendance and engagement: Board held 22 meetings in 2024; all incumbent directors attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings; independent directors met in six executive sessions with the Chairman presiding .
| Committee | Greig Role | 2023 Meetings | 2024 Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | Member (2024); Chair (2023) | 6 | 6 |
| Compensation | Member | 8 | 2 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Chair | Not disclosed | 2 |
Fixed Compensation
- Policy: Non-employee directors receive $35,000 annual retainer; Chairman receives $100,000 annual retainer (inclusive of committee roles); committee member retainers—Audit $7,500; Compensation $5,000; Nominating $4,000; committee chair retainers—Audit $15,000; Compensation $10,000; Nominating $8,000; paid quarterly .
- 2024 Director Cash Compensation (actual): Greig received $101,262 in cash fees; total compensation $156,592 including option grant fair value .
| Metric | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Annual Director Retainer (policy) | $35,000 |
| Chairman Annual Retainer (inclusive) | $100,000 |
| Audit Committee Member Retainer | $7,500 |
| Compensation Committee Member Retainer | $5,000 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Member Retainer | $4,000 |
| Audit Committee Chair Retainer | $15,000 |
| Compensation Committee Chair Retainer | $10,000 |
| Nominating Committee Chair Retainer | $8,000 |
| Greig: Fees Earned/Paid in Cash | $101,262 |
| Greig: Total Compensation | $156,592 |
Performance Compensation
- Structure: Annual option awards to directors; 2024 grant design—17,600 options to continuing directors, 26,400 to newly appointed directors, 35,200 to the Chairman; vesting: 25% on first anniversary, remainder in 12 equal quarterly installments, subject to service .
- 2024 Greig Equity: Option award grant-date fair value $55,330; outstanding options 53,740 with 12,456 exercisable/vested as of 12/31/2024 .
- Clawback policy: Administered by the Compensation Committee as part of incentive plan governance .
| Equity Metric | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Annual Option Award Policy – Chairman | 35,200 options |
| Vesting Schedule | 25% at 1-year; remainder quarterly (12 installments) |
| Greig: Option Award Grant-Date Fair Value | $55,330 |
| Greig: Total Options Outstanding | 53,740 |
| Greig: Options Exercisable/Vested | 12,456 |
| Clawback Policy Coverage | Compensation Committee oversight |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Board composition includes investor-affiliated director Jonathan Leff (Partner at Deerfield) on the Compensation Committee alongside Greig; Deerfield was a significant financing participant in February 2025—potential interlock sensitivity in pay/financing oversight .
- No disclosed related-party transactions involving Greig personally; company policy mandates Audit Committee review/approval of related-person transactions above thresholds .
| Entity/Link | Nature | Potential Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Deerfield (major holder) | Financing participant (Feb 2025); warrants and investments | Investor influence; Comp Committee member affiliated (Leff) |
| Related-Person Transactions Policy | Audit Committee review; independence impact considered | Mitigating process controls |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Extensive leadership in pharma R&D, business development, and commercial strategy; prior GSK executive roles and venture leadership at SR One .
- Board leadership at multiple biotech/pharma companies; currently Chairman at Nucleome Therapeutics; deep transaction and portfolio governance experience .
Equity Ownership
- Beneficial ownership increased in 2025; Greig held 14,071 shares as of March 17, 2025 and 26,609 shares as of August 22, 2025; <1% of outstanding shares in each case .
- Options outstanding and vested counts as of December 31, 2024 detailed below; no pledging or hedging permitted under company policy .
| Metric | Mar 17, 2025 | Aug 22, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Shares Beneficially Owned | 14,071 | 26,609 |
| Ownership % of Class | <1% | <1% |
| Options Detail (as of Dec 31, 2024) | Count |
|---|---|
| Total Options Outstanding | 53,740 |
| Options Exercisable/Vested | 12,456 |
- Anti-hedging/pledging policy applies to directors, officers, and employees .
Governance Assessment
- Positives: Independent Chairman since 2019, separate Chair/CEO roles, fully independent committees, Greig chairs Nominating, and sits on Audit and Compensation; robust meeting cadence in 2024 with independent executive sessions; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies in place .
- Alignment: Meaningful option exposure with ongoing vesting; increased share ownership in 2025; director equity uses multi-year vesting (time-based) .
- Watch items / RED FLAGS: 2023 option exchange/repricing overseen by Compensation Committee with consultant Aon—shareholder sensitivity to repricing; investor-affiliated director (Deerfield’s Leff) on Compensation Committee during periods with Deerfield financing activity—potential conflict perception though mitigated by related-party policies; Compensation Committee met only twice in 2024—monitor committee workload vs. strategic demands .