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David Bonita

Director at Repare Therapeutics
Board

About David Bonita

David Bonita, M.D. (age 49) is an independent director of Repare Therapeutics (RPTX), serving since September 2019; he resides in Connecticut (USA) and is a Member at OrbiMed Advisors LLC. He holds a B.A. in Biology from Harvard University and an M.D./M.B.A. from Columbia University . He is up for re‑election as a Class II director at the June 17, 2025 annual meeting, with the term extending to 2028 if elected .

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
Morgan Stanley; UBSCorporate finance analyst, healthcare investment bankingPrior to OrbiMed (dates not specified)Investment banking experience in healthcare
IMARA Inc.; Tricida, Inc.Public company director (prior)Prior service (dates not specified)Prior governance experience

External Roles

OrganizationRoleStatusCommittees/Notes
OrbiMed Advisors LLCMemberCurrentHealthcare investment firm partner-level role
Acutus Medical, Inc.DirectorCurrentNot disclosed
Ikena Oncology, Inc.DirectorCurrentNot disclosed
Prelude Therapeutics Inc.DirectorCurrentNot disclosed
Third Harmonic Bio, Inc.DirectorCurrentNot disclosed
Several private companiesDirectorCurrentNot disclosed

Board Governance

  • Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Dr. Bonita is “independent” under Nasdaq listing standards .
  • Board/Committee roles: Member, Compensation Committee; Member, Science & Technology Committee; not a committee chair .
  • Meetings/attendance: The Board met 7 times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings. Notably, “Dr. Bonita has attended every meeting of the board, compensation committee and science & technology committee over the past three years,” signaling strong engagement .
  • Leadership structure: Independent Board Chair (Thomas Civik); independent committee-only composition; seven executive sessions of non‑management directors in 2024 .
  • Overboarding consideration: He serves on four other public company boards in addition to RPTX; the Board states he is actively engaged and within its guideline cap (≤5 boards). Attendance and preparation cited as strong .

Fixed Compensation (Non‑Employee Director)

ComponentAmount/StructureSource
Annual cash retainer$40,000 for Board service; plus applicable committee retainers (Audit chair: $15,000; member: $7,500; Compensation chair: $10,000; member: $5,000; Nominating chair: $8,000; member: $4,000; Science & Tech chair: $8,000; member: $4,000)
2024 cash actually paid$46,708
Other cash (tax advisory reimbursements)None disclosed for Dr. Bonita (0)

Performance Compensation (Non‑Employee Director)

Equity ElementGrant Mechanics2024 Value/GrantsVestingSource
Annual stock optionOptions to purchase 27,200 shares at each AGM for continuing directors2024 grant fair value: $72,352Monthly over 12 months post‑AGM
Initial stock option (for new directors)One‑time 54,400 options upon joiningNot applicable (joined 2019)1/3 on first anniversary; remainder monthly to 3 years
Outstanding options (12/31/2024)124,400 optionsN/AStandard 10‑year term; 9‑month post‑service exercise window

Notes:

  • Director equity is time‑based; no performance metrics apply to director awards .
  • Options are granted at fair market value and vest subject to continued service; acceleration occurs upon change in control for outstanding director awards immediately prior to closing .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

  • OrbiMed affiliation: OrbiMed‑affiliated funds are significant RPTX shareholders (7.7%); Dr. Bonita is a member of OrbiMed Advisors and OrbiMed Capital. His beneficial ownership line (8.0%) aggregates OrbiMed positions and his exercisable options (see Equity Ownership) .
  • Director commitments: Four other public boards in addition to RPTX; Board asserts he meets internal policy and is fully engaged (see Governance) .

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Healthcare investment and capital markets expertise (OrbiMed, prior investment banking at Morgan Stanley and UBS) .
  • Advanced education: Harvard (BA Biology), Columbia (MD/MBA) .
  • Board believes his extensive investment and board experience qualifies him for service .

Equity Ownership

HolderShares/Derivatives% of Shares OutstandingNotes
Entities affiliated with OrbiMed3,322,488 common shares7.7%OPI VII: 3,177,041; BIOG: 49,257; OPM: 96,190
David Bonita, M.D. (beneficial line)3,444,6218.0%Includes 122,133 options exercisable within 60 days, plus OrbiMed‑affiliated holdings attributed in footnote; address: 601 Lexington Ave, NY

Alignment and Policies:

  • Anti‑hedging and anti‑pledging: Company policy prohibits hedging, short selling, trading in derivatives, margin purchases, and pledging of company shares by directors .
  • Stock ownership guidelines for directors: Not disclosed in the proxy.

Governance Assessment

Key findings

  • Strengths:

    • Independent director, with explicit Board independence determination despite significant shareholder affiliation through OrbiMed .
    • High engagement and attendance; explicitly “attended every meeting” across Board, Compensation, and Science & Technology committees for three years .
    • Balanced director pay structure; majority at‑risk via equity options with standard vesting; overall 2024 total compensation of $119,060 (cash $46,708; equity grant FV $72,352) .
    • Independent Board chair and fully independent committees with regular executive sessions; 7 Board meetings in 2024 .
  • Potential conflicts/watch items:

    • OrbiMed affiliation and OrbiMed‑managed funds’ 7.7% ownership could present perceived conflicts in capital allocation, BD/M&A, or investor‑related decisions; the proxy discloses related‑party review policy and Board independence decision. Management states none of these relationships impair independence .
    • Director commitments: Serves on four other public company boards; the Board reviewed overboarding risk and attests to his full participation and compliance with its guidelines (≤5 boards) .
  • Red flags observed:

    • None disclosed regarding related‑party transactions since January 1, 2023; section covers indemnification and the related‑person transaction policy with no specific transactions listed .
    • No hedging/pledging permitted under insider trading policy, reducing alignment risk .
    • No option repricing, tax gross‑ups for directors, or low say‑on‑pay signal; 2024 say‑on‑pay for NEOs garnered >99.9% approval (context for governance climate) .

Implications for investors

  • Governance quality appears solid with strong engagement and independence controls; however, investors should monitor decisions where OrbiMed’s shareholder role could intersect with Board deliberations, ensuring continued robust recusals and audit committee oversight under the related‑party policy .
  • Attendance and committee workload indicate high availability despite multiple board seats, but overboarding sentiment at some institutions warrants ongoing monitoring, especially if additional outside roles are added .

Board Governance (Detail)

CommitteeMemberChair?2024 Meetings
CompensationYesNo7
Science & TechnologyYesNo6
AuditNo4
Nominating & Corporate GovernanceNo5

Additional Board practices:

  • Independent chair (Thomas Civik); separation of Chair and CEO roles enhances oversight .
  • Executive sessions: non‑management directors met 7 times in 2024 .

Director Compensation (Detail)

Metric (FY2024)Amount
Fees Earned in Cash ($)$46,708
Option Awards ($) (grant date FV)$72,352
All Other Compensation ($)$0
Total ($)$119,060
Options Outstanding at 12/31/2024 (#)124,400

Policies & Controls Relevant to Conflicts

  • Related‑person transactions: Audit Committee oversight; formal policy specifying identification, review, and approval/ratification procedures, including recusal where appropriate .
  • Code of Business Conduct and Ethics; Insider Trading Policy filed as exhibit to 2024 10‑K .
  • Anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging: Comprehensive prohibitions applicable to directors .

Attendance & Engagement

  • Board met 7 times in 2024; each director met the 75% attendance threshold .
  • Specific to Dr. Bonita: “attended every meeting of the board, compensation committee and science & technology committee over the past three years,” indicating consistently high engagement .

Say‑on‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback (Context)

  • Prior year say‑on‑pay (2024) approval exceeded 99.9%, signaling high investor support for compensation governance at RPTX .

Related‑Party Transactions

  • No specific related‑person transactions disclosed for 2023–2024 beyond standard indemnification agreements; the policy framework is detailed, with Audit Committee oversight .

Committee Assignments, Chair Roles, Expertise

  • Assignments: Compensation (member); Science & Technology (member). Not a chair .
  • Expertise: Healthcare investing, capital markets, and biopharma board experience across multiple public companies .

Risk Indicators

  • Legal/SEC investigations: None disclosed.
  • Hedging/pledging: Prohibited by policy .
  • Overboarding: Present but mitigated by Board’s guideline compliance and attendance record .

Overall, Dr. Bonita brings deep healthcare investing and board experience, strong attendance and engagement, and material ownership alignment via OrbiMed‑affiliated holdings; investors should monitor potential conflicts inherent in the OrbiMed affiliation and ongoing board load, though the company’s independence determinations and related‑party policy provide mitigating controls .