Daniel Tassé
REGENXBIOAbout Daniel Tassé
Daniel Tassé (age 65) is Lead Independent Director at REGENXBIO (RGNX), serving on the Board since August 2016 and appointed Lead Independent Director effective July 1, 2024 . He is currently CEO and a director of DBV Technologies SA (since November 2018) and holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Montreal, with prior senior operating roles across biopharma and medtech . The Board has determined he is independent under Nasdaq standards (non‑independent directors are the CEO Curran Simpson, Chair Kenneth T. Mills, and Allan M. Fox) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ikaria Inc. | President, CEO & Chairman (until sale to Mallinckrodt in Apr 2015) | Pre-2015 | Led company through acquisition; extensive operating leadership |
| Bellerophon Therapeutics | Interim CEO & President | Feb 2014 – Jun 2014 | Transitional leadership during strategic phase |
| Baxter International | General Manager, Pharmaceuticals & Technologies BU | Prior role | Global/commercial leadership experience |
| GlaxoSmithKline | VP & Regional Director, Australasia | Prior role | Regional P&L and market leadership |
| Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) | Health Section Governing Board member | Prior role | Bioethics, regulatory, reimbursement committees participant |
| PhRMA | Board member | Prior role | FDA and biomedical research committee participation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| DBV Technologies SA (public) | Chief Executive Officer & Director | Nov 2018 – present | Public-company CEO; strategic/commercial leadership |
| Alcresta Therapeutics (private) | Chairman; Chairman & CEO | Chairman: Mar 2016 – Mar 2019; Chairman & CEO: Mar 2016 – Nov 2018 | Early-stage leadership and governance |
| Indivior PLC (public) | Director | Aug 2014 – May 2021 | Board oversight in specialty pharma |
| Bellerophon Therapeutics (public) | Director | Dec 2013 – May 2019 | Clinical-stage governance |
| HLS Therapeutics Inc. (public) | Director | Mar 2018 – Mar 2019 | Board service in specialty pharma |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments (2024): Tassé chairs the Compensation Committee; other members are Drs. Alexandra Glucksmann and A.N. “Jerry” Karabelas; the committee met 8 times in 2024 . Audit Committee: Chair George Migausky; members Jennifer Zachary and Dr. David C. Stump (5 meetings). Nominating & Corporate Governance: Chair Dr. Stump; member Dr. Jean Bennett (4 meetings) .
- Lead Independent Director: Appointed July 1, 2024 with a clear mandate including presiding over executive sessions, setting executive session agendas, liaising between the Chair/CEO and independent directors, and calling special meetings of independent directors .
- Independence and executive sessions: Independent directors meet in regularly scheduled executive sessions; the Board affirms independence for all committee members and for all directors except the CEO, Chair Mills, and Allan M. Fox .
- Attendance and evaluations: The Board met 8 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and relevant committee meetings; annual Board and committee self-evaluations are conducted .
- Interlocks: No Compensation Committee interlocks or insider participation; no member has been an officer/employee of the Company, and no cross-board executive interlocks are present .
Committee Membership Snapshot (2024)
| Committee | Chair | Non-Chair Members | Meetings (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | George Migausky | Jennifer Zachary; David C. Stump, M.D. | 5 |
| Compensation | Daniel Tassé | A.N. “Jerry” Karabelas, Ph.D.; Alexandra Glucksmann, Ph.D. | 8 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | David C. Stump, M.D. | Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D. | 4 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Standard Cash ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board retainer (non-employee) | 45,000 | Paid quarterly, in arrears |
| Lead Independent Director | 25,000 | Paid quarterly; pro‑rated for partial year |
| Committee Chair – Compensation | 15,000 | Paid quarterly; pro‑rated for partial year |
| Committee Member – Compensation | 7,500 | Paid quarterly; pro‑rated for partial year |
| Committee Chair – Audit | 20,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Committee Member – Audit | 10,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Committee Chair – Nominating/Gov. | 10,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Committee Member – Nominating/Gov. | 5,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Director | 2024 Cash Fees ($) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Tassé | 72,500 | Reflects Board retainer, Compensation Chair, and pro‑rated Lead Independent retainer per program terms |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Program Element | Grant Value / Mix | Vesting | Other Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual director equity | $275,000 aggregate value; 75% options, 25% RSUs | Options: monthly over 12 months; RSUs: cliff on 1st anniversary of month-start grant date | Exercise price = FMV on grant date; full vest on change in control |
| New director initial grant | $550,000 aggregate; 75% options, 25% RSUs | Options: monthly over 36 months; RSUs: 1/3 annually over 3 years | Exercise price = FMV; full vest on change in control |
| Director (2024) | Stock Awards ($) | Option Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Tassé | 206,245 | 68,737 | 347,481 |
| Unvested/Outstanding at 12/31/2024 | Unvested RSUs (shares) | Options Outstanding (shares) |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Tassé | 4,790 | 137,670 |
Additional governance controls: The Compensation Committee (chaired by Tassé) retains an independent consultant (Willis Towers Watson) and confirmed consultant independence and absence of conflicts . The Company maintains an executive compensation clawback policy (accounting restatement-triggered) overseen by the Board/committee structure .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Organization | Role | Period | Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DBV Technologies SA (public) | CEO & Director | Nov 2018 – present | External CEO role; no RGNX related-party transactions disclosed |
| Indivior PLC (public) | Director | Aug 2014 – May 2021 | No compensation committee interlocks with RGNX executives disclosed |
| Bellerophon Therapeutics (public) | Director | Dec 2013 – May 2019 | No interlocks disclosed |
| HLS Therapeutics Inc. (public) | Director | Mar 2018 – Mar 2019 | No interlocks disclosed |
| Alcresta Therapeutics (private) | Chairman; Chairman & CEO | 2016 – 2019 | No related-party transactions with RGNX disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Executive leadership and business-building track record across healthcare; deep commercial operations and global management experience in life sciences .
- Public-company CEO and director experience (DBV Technologies), plus prior senior roles at Baxter and GSK; seasoned understanding of regulatory and market dynamics .
- Academic foundation in biochemistry (B.Sc., University of Montreal) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership (shares) | % of Class | Record Date | Shares Outstanding (reference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Tassé | 148,956 | <1% (per proxy footnote) | Apr 1, 2025 | 50,116,910 |
| Equity Detail at 12/31/2024 | Unvested RSUs (shares) | Options Outstanding (shares) |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Tassé | 4,790 | 137,670 |
No related-party transactions >$120,000 involving directors or executives (including entities affiliated with directors) were disclosed for 2024; Audit Committee pre-approves any such transactions under policy .
Say‑on‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback
| Meeting | Item | For | Against | Abstain | Broker Non-Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2024 Annual Meeting | Advisory vote on NEO compensation | 40,147,111 | 727,846 | 35,362 | 3,342,209 |
- Outcome signals strong shareholder support for the compensation program in 2024 (For vs. total votes cast), which the Compensation Committee (chaired by Tassé) oversees .
- The Company engages regularly with top shareholders; Board highlights commitment to independent oversight and investor engagement .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths for investor confidence:
- Independent Lead Director with defined authority; Tassé appointed Jul 1, 2024 to enhance counterbalance to a non‑independent Chair; responsibilities include presiding over executive sessions and acting as liaison with management .
- Compensation Committee chaired by Tassé met frequently (8x in 2024), uses an independent consultant (WTW) with independence affirmed; committee independence and non‑employee status confirmed .
- Robust director compensation structure with meaningful equity; annual grants and clear, time-based vesting; change‑in‑control terms disclosed; pro‑ration applied to roles commencing mid‑year .
- Board/committee attendance and annual evaluations support effectiveness (each director ≥75% attendance; 8 Board meetings in 2024) .
- No related‑party transactions disclosed for 2024; Audit Committee oversight of related‑person transactions .
-
Watch items:
- Chair is not independent (necessitating a strong Lead Independent Director role); continued monitoring of Lead Director effectiveness (Tassé’s remit is clearly articulated) .
- External CEO role (DBV Technologies) requires ongoing assessment of time commitments and potential ecosystem overlaps; no RGNX related‑party dealings disclosed .
-
Compensation and risk controls:
- Executive clawback policy in place for incentive compensation in the event of restatements; overseen by Board/committees (positive governance signal under Tassé’s compensation oversight remit) .
- No Compensation Committee interlocks; independent structure reduces conflict risk .