William Polvino
About William Polvino
Independent director at SAB Biotherapeutics (SABS) since 2019; age 64. Medical degree from Rutgers Medical School; B.S. in Biology from Boston College; trained in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and completed a clinical pharmacology fellowship at the NIH before senior roles across biopharma R&D and commercialization . The Board has affirmatively determined Polvino is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traverse Biotech, Inc. | Executive Chairman & Co‑founder | Since May 2024 | Immunotherapy development leadership |
| Bridge Medicines | Chief Executive Officer | 2017–2024 | Advanced early drug technologies to clinic |
| Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S (NASDAQ‑OMX: VELO) | President & CEO | Prior to Bridge Medicines (years not specified) | Commercialized oral transplant drug; public company leadership |
| Helsinn Therapeutics (formerly Sapphire Therapeutics) | President & CEO | Prior | Oncology/supportive care portfolio execution |
| Merck; Wyeth; Theravance | Senior drug development roles | Prior | Clinical development and pharmacology leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traverse Biotech, Inc. | Executive Chairman & Co‑founder | Private | Immunotherapy focus |
| SABS | Director | Public | Class I director nominee (re‑elected 2025) |
No additional current public company directorships disclosed for Polvino beyond SABS .
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member (Lucera—Chair; members: Lucera, Polvino, Spragens) .
- Audit committee qualifications: All members financially literate; Lucera and Spragens designated “audit committee financial experts” (Polvino is not designated as the committee’s financial expert) .
- Independence: Board determined Polvino is independent .
- Attendance and engagement: Board held 7 meetings in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; Independent directors held 7 executive sessions in 2024 .
- Election status: Polvino stood for re‑election as a Class I director at the July 17, 2025 Annual Meeting .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount (FY2024) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | $31,417 |
| Committee role cash policy (reference) | Board retainer $30,000; Audit member $6,000; Audit chair $8,000; Comp member $5,000; Nom/Gov member $4,000; chair retainers: Comp $7,000; Nom/Gov $6,000 (company policy schedule) |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award Type | FY2024 Grant Date Fair Value | Vesting Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Stock Options (director annual grant) | $77,801 | Company policy: Initial option 35,000 shares vests in 3 equal annual installments; annual option 20,000 shares vests in 2 equal annual installments starting at first anniversary . |
No director performance metrics (e.g., revenue/EBITDA/TSR goals) are disclosed for director equity; awards vest time‑based per policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S (past) | President & CEO | None disclosed with SABS suppliers/customers . |
| Bridge Medicines (past) | CEO | None disclosed . |
| Traverse Biotech (current) | Executive Chairman | No related‑party transactions with SABS disclosed . |
SABS related‑party transaction policy requires Audit Committee pre‑approval, with none specifically disclosed involving Polvino during the period reviewed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Industry: 25+ years across biotech and pharma, including public company CEO experience and clinical development leadership .
- Education: M.D. (Rutgers), B.S. Biology (Boston College); Internal Medicine residency at MGH; NIH clinical pharmacology fellowship .
- Board skills: Financial literacy (Audit Committee member), drug development, commercialization .
Equity Ownership
| Date | Common Stock Owned | % of Common | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 21, 2025 | 13,958 (options exercisable within 60 days) | <1% | Beneficial ownership comprises vested options; no direct common disclosed . |
| August 1, 2025 | 30,937 (options exercisable within 60 days) | <1% | Increase reflects additional vested options by Aug 2025 . |
- Ownership as % of voting power: less than 1% at both dates .
- Pledging/Hedging: Company Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging transactions for directors; no pledging disclosures identified .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with extensive biopharma CEO experience; active Audit Committee membership; Board independence affirmed; directors attended ≥75% of meetings; robust insider trading policy (hedging ban) reduces misalignment risks .
- Alignment: Director equity via options ties compensation to stock performance; however, Polvino’s direct equity stake is minimal (<1%), which may limit “skin‑in‑the‑game” relative to executives .
- Compensation structure: Director pay is primarily fixed cash and time‑vested options; no performance metrics disclosed for director awards, reducing potential pay‑for‑performance signaling at the board level .
- Conflicts/Related Parties: No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Polvino; Audit Committee oversees and pre‑approves any >$120k related‑party transactions per policy .
- Risk indicators: No legal proceedings or SEC investigations disclosed for directors; compliance with Section 16(a) filings generally timely, with one late filing noted for another officer; none referenced for Polvino .
Overall, Polvino’s independence, audit committee role, and industry pedigree support board effectiveness; low direct ownership is a modest alignment gap to monitor, but option‑based equity provides upside exposure. No specific conflicts or attendance issues are disclosed for Polvino .