Myla Lai-Goldman
About Myla Lai-Goldman
Independent director of Quanterix (QTRX) since July 8, 2025; age 67; physician-scientist and diagnostics executive with >25 years in clinical labs and precision medicine. Education: BA Biology (University of Pennsylvania) and MD (Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons); board-certified in anatomic and clinical pathology. Former CEO/President and current Chair of GeneCentric Therapeutics; Venture Partner at Hatteras Venture Partners; extensive senior leadership at Labcorp including EVP/CMO/CSO, introducing 400+ clinical assays; prior CEO/CSO of CancerGuide Diagnostics .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeneCentric Therapeutics, Inc. | Chair; co-founder; former CEO & President | Chair current; CEO/President since June 2011 (prior) | Led precision medicine strategy and platform commercialization |
| Personalized Science, LLC | Managing Partner | Since 2008 | Diagnostics consulting leadership |
| CancerGuide Diagnostics, Inc. | CEO and Chief Scientific Officer | Prior to GeneCentric | Executive leadership in oncology diagnostics |
| Labcorp (Laboratory Corporation of America) / Roche Biomedical Labs | EVP, CMO, CSO; Exec/Management Committees | ~18 years | Led all clinical/scientific/medical activities; introduced >400 clinical assays; ran 3 genomic labs (>700 staff) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Start | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE: WST) | Director | Public | 2014 | Ongoing directorship at major pharma components supplier |
| NovoPath Inc. | Director | Private | 2022 | Diagnostics software/pathology (private) |
| Mercy BioAnalytics, Inc. | Director | Private | 2023 | Liquid biopsy/early detection (private) |
| Hatteras Venture Partners | Venture Partner | Private (VC) | N/A | Focus on bio/pharma/diagnostics investments |
| Akoya Biosciences (NASDAQ: AKYA) | Director | Public | Sep 2021–Jul 2025 | Served until QTRX acquired Akoya; then appointed to QTRX board |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Dr. Lai-Goldman is independent under Nasdaq standards .
- QTRX committee assignments: Not listed on Audit, Compensation, or Nominating & Governance rosters in the proxy; current committee members do not include her (as of the disclosed rosters) .
- Tenure on QTRX board: Appointed July 8, 2025 in connection with the Akoya acquisition; nominated for election at the Sep 23, 2025 annual meeting (Class II) .
- Attendance: In 2024, all incumbent directors attended ≥75% of board/committee meetings; Dr. Lai-Goldman was not yet on the board in 2024 .
- Board structure: Independent Chair (William Donnelly); CEO and Chair roles separated; fully independent key committees; majority voting adopted for uncontested elections; proposal to declassify board and eliminate supermajority votes on charter/bylaws at 2025 meeting .
- Shareholder engagement: Met ~12 of top 20 holders representing ~47% of outstanding shares in 2024 .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | 2024 Policy | 2025 Policy (effective Jan 1, 2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non‑employee director) | $40,000 | $50,000 | Payable quarterly; may elect QTRX stock in lieu of cash |
| Chair/Lead Independent Director retainer | $80,000 | $95,000 | Applies to Board Chair/Lead Director |
| Audit Committee | Member: $10,000; Chair: $20,000 | Unchanged | Annual, paid quarterly |
| Compensation Committee | Member: $7,500; Chair: $15,000 | Unchanged | Annual, paid quarterly |
| Nominating & Governance Committee | Member: $5,000; Chair: $10,000 | Unchanged | Annual, paid quarterly |
No meeting fees disclosed. Directors may elect to receive cash fees in stock; some directors did so in 2024 under the policy .
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Grant Type | Value | Mix | Vesting | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial appointment grant (new directors) | $400,000 | 60% options / 40% RSUs | Options: 3-year vest (1/3 at 1-year, then monthly over 24 months); RSUs: 1/3 each anniversary over 3 years | Granted upon initial election/appointment; priced at grant-date FMV |
| Annual grant (each fiscal year) | $200,000 | 60% options / 40% RSUs | Vests in full on Dec 31 of grant year (for that year’s awards) | Options priced at FMV; values rounded to nearest share |
Director equity is time-based; no performance metrics or TSR/financial hurdles are used for director grants .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Potential Interlock/Conflict with QTRX | Disclosure Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Pharmaceutical (WST) | Supplier to pharma/biotech | No QTRX-related transactions disclosed | No related-party transactions involving Dr. Lai-Goldman disclosed; board confirms independence |
| Akoya Biosciences (AKYA) | Spatial biology | Served as director until QTRX acquired Akoya; appointment to QTRX board occurred at close | Appointment disclosed; no related-party transactions with Dr. Lai-Goldman noted |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Clinical diagnostics and laboratory operations leadership (Labcorp EVP/CMO/CSO; >400 assays launched) .
- Company-building and precision medicine commercialization (GeneCentric; CancerGuide) .
- Public company board experience (WST) and venture investing (Hatteras) .
- Board skill matrix reflects healthcare industry, R&D/scientific, M&A/transactional, governance and other public board experience .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myla Lai‑Goldman, M.D. | 2,940 | <1% | As of July 31, 2025; table deems exercisable options/RSUs within 60 days as beneficially owned |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited | — | Anti‑hedging and pledging policy applies to directors/officers/employees |
| Ownership Guidelines | 5x annual cash retainer for non‑employee directors | 5‑year attainment from appointment | Unvested RSUs/options count toward guideline; compliance for long‑tenured directors was confirmed as of Oct 9, 2024 (new appointees have 5 years) |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths and signals supporting investor confidence
- Independence affirmed; no related-party transactions involving Dr. Lai‑Goldman disclosed .
- Highly relevant diagnostics expertise and public board experience; enhances board oversight of scientific, regulatory, and commercial risk .
- Director equity aligned to shareholder value via options/RSUs; anti‑hedging/pledging and ownership guidelines improve alignment .
- Governance enhancements through a cooperation agreement with an activist (Kent Lake): declassification proposal and majority voting for uncontested elections; suggests responsiveness to shareholders .
- Active investor engagement (47% of outstanding shares represented in 2024) supports board feedback loops .
-
Watch items and potential red flags
- Committee assignments not yet disclosed for Dr. Lai‑Goldman in the proxy; monitor post‑election committee placement for Audit/Comp/N&G impact .
- Board/committee attendance data for Dr. Lai‑Goldman not available for 2024 (pre‑appointment); confirm 2025 attendance in next proxy .
- Related-party concentration risk on the board exists with founding scientist Dr. Walt’s Tufts/Harvard licensing arrangements (royalties and affiliated lab revenue), though these involve another director, not Dr. Lai‑Goldman; Audit Committee oversight processes are in place .
-
Say‑on‑Pay context (governance climate)
- 2024 Say‑on‑Pay approval was 98%, indicating broad shareholder support for executive compensation framework .
Overall: Dr. Lai‑Goldman brings deep clinical diagnostics governance and productization experience with clear independence and alignment features; key diligence item is tracking her eventual committee roles and attendance in 2025+ to assess board effectiveness contributions .