Rachelle Jacques
uniQureAbout Rachelle Jacques
Rachelle Jacques, age 53, has served as a non-executive, independent director of uniQure N.V. since October 2021. She brings 25+ years of global biopharma leadership across finance, operations, manufacturing, commercialization, and rare disease launches; she holds a B.A. in business administration from Alma College and began her career as a financial auditor at Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche . The Board has determined she is independent under Nasdaq and SEC standards, and she served during a year in which the Board met nine times; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings and all directors attended the 2024 AGM; independent director executive sessions are held regularly .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akari Therapeutics, Inc. | President & Chief Executive Officer | Mar 2022 – May 2024 | Led late-stage orphan autoimmune/inflammatory therapeutics; public company leadership |
| Enzyvant Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | Feb 2019 – Mar 2022 | Focus on regenerative therapies for rare diseases |
| Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | SVP, Global Complement Franchise Head | Aug 2017 – Feb 2019 | Global strategy across hematology, nephrology, neurology |
| Baxalta / Shire | VP U.S. Hematology Marketing; VP Business Operations (post-spin) | 2015 – 2017 | Commercial and operations leadership (post spin from Baxter) |
| Baxter International | Multiple leadership roles incl. VP Finance, U.S. BioScience | Earlier tenure | Finance and operating leadership roles |
| Dow Corning Corporation | Operational management roles (U.S., Europe, China) | Earlier tenure | International operations management |
| Ernst & Young; Deloitte & Touche | Financial auditor | Early career | Public accounting foundation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corbus Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: CRBP) | Director | Since Apr 2019 | Current public company directorship |
| Viela Bio | Director | Apr 2020 – Feb 2021 | Prior public company directorship |
| Alma College | Board of Trustees | Not specified | Non-profit/academic governance |
| ARM Action for Equality Task Force | Founding member | Not specified | Industry initiative participation |
Board Governance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Independence | Board determined Jacques is independent under Nasdaq/SEC rules; Audit and Compensation Committee members meet heightened independence; Nominating & Corporate Governance members are independent . |
| Committees | Audit Committee (member; Chair: Jack Kaye); Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (member; Chair: Jeremy Springhorn) . |
| Meetings & Attendance | Board met 9 times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of Board/committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting . |
| Committee Activity | Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee met 6 times in 2024 with ≥75% attendance by members . |
| Executive Sessions | Independent director sessions held regularly . |
Fixed Compensation (Non-Executive Director – FY2024)
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned (Cash) | $55,000 |
| Committee Retainers (Policy) | Audit: $10,000 member / $20,000 chair; Compensation: $7,500 member / $15,000 chair; Nominating & Corporate Governance: $5,000 member / $10,000 chair; Research & Development: $7,500 member / $15,000 chair; Retainers payable semi-annually . |
- Director equity structure: each non-executive director receives an annual equity grant with value split 50% options / 50% RSUs; one-year vesting; 2024 grant values were intentionally reduced below the peer group 25th percentile due to >70% share price decline and dilution considerations .
Performance Compensation
| Item | Value / Terms |
|---|---|
| Option Awards (Grant-Date Fair Value, 2024) | $36,918 |
| RSU Awards (Grant-Date Fair Value, 2024) | $36,926 |
| Equity Structure | Annual grant: 50% options / 50% RSUs; one-year vesting; no director performance metrics disclosed . |
Note: Director equity awards vest time-based; no performance metric framework is disclosed for directors in 2024 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Corbus Pharmaceuticals (CRBP) | Current public board | No related-party transactions with uniQure disclosed . |
| Viela Bio | Prior public board | No related-party transactions with uniQure disclosed . |
- Related-Party Transactions policy: CFO and Audit Committee review/approve any related-party transaction >$120,000; process and factors outlined; no specific transactions involving Jacques disclosed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Rare disease commercialization, global franchise strategy, manufacturing/operations, and finance, with prior auditor experience at E&Y and Deloitte; B.A. in business administration (Alma College) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (Mar 31, 2025) | 61,923 Ordinary Shares (beneficially owned; includes equity awards exercisable within 60 days) . |
| Ownership % of SO | <1% per proxy; denominator 54,729,000 shares outstanding as of Mar 31, 2025 (≈0.11% by calculation) . |
| Options exercisable within 60 days vs. Shares outstanding (detail) | Options to purchase: 47,515; Outstanding Ordinary Shares: 14,408 . |
| Outstanding Awards (12/31/2024) | Options: 63,355; RSUs: 8,080 . |
| Hedging/Pledging | Insider Trading Policy prohibits pledging except by exception; no pledging exceptions requested by NEOs or Board in FY2024 . |
| Lock-Up (Capital Raise, 2025) | Entered a 60-day post-prospectus lock-up as a non-executive director in Sept 2025 public offering . |
| Section 16 Compliance (2024) | Forms 3/4/5 timely filed by directors and officers, except one late filing for another director (Leonard Post) due to technical issue; no exception noted for Jacques . |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and independence: Jacques is an independent director serving on two core governance committees (Audit; Nominating & Corporate Governance), aligning her oversight role with financial reporting, risk oversight, and board composition processes .
- Engagement and attendance: Board and committee attendance met or exceeded the 75% threshold; all directors (including Jacques) attended the 2024 AGM; independent director executive sessions are held regularly—supportive of robust oversight .
- Alignment and incentives: Director equity is time-based (50% options/50% RSUs; one-year vest), and 2024 grant values were reduced below peer 25th percentile to limit dilution amid share price declines, signaling sensitivity to shareholder alignment; Jacques’s 2024 cash fees were $55,000 and equity grant fair values totaled $73,844 .
- Ownership and risk controls: Jacques beneficially owns 61,923 shares (≈0.11% of SO), with clear anti-pledging provisions and no pledging exceptions in FY2024; she also agreed to a 60-day lock-up in the 2025 offering—positive alignment signals .
- Conflicts and related-party exposure: No related-party transactions involving Jacques disclosed; strong formal review policy via CFO and Audit Committee mitigates risk .
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed specific to Jacques (no attendance shortfalls, Section 16 issues, pledging, or related-party transactions noted) .