Patrick Yang
About Patrick Y. Yang
Patrick Y. Yang, Ph.D. (age 77) has served as an independent director of Sana Biotechnology since October 2018. He is a biomanufacturing and operations specialist with deep executive experience at Roche (Global Head of Technical Operations) and Juno, and is currently Vice Chairman and co-founder of National Resilience, co-founder of Acepodia, and Chairman of Taiwan Bio-Manufacturing Corporation. Dr. Yang holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Ohio State, an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and a B.S. in Engineering from National Chiaotung University (Taiwan) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd | EVP & Global Head of Technical Operations | Jan 2010 – Mar 2013 | Led process development, engineering, quality, regulatory, supply chain, and manufacturing plants |
| Juno Therapeutics | Executive Vice President | Sep 2017 – Jan 2019 | Cell therapy operations at scale |
| Genentech; Merck; General Electric; Life Systems | Various senior roles | Prior to 2010 | Developed significant experience in biopharma manufacturing, engineering, technology, and supply chain |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Resilience, Inc. | Co-founder & Vice Chairman | Current | Privately held biomanufacturing technology company |
| Acepodia, Inc. (Taiwan) | Co-founder; Director | Current | Public clinical-stage biotech (Taiwan listing) |
| Taiwan Bio-Manufacturing Corp. | Chairman | Current | Private biopharma manufacturing company |
| Amyris; Andeavor (Tesoro); Codexis; PharmaEssentia; Polaris Group | Director (prior) | Prior | Public company board service (various) |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Dr. Yang is independent under Nasdaq Listing Rules; only Harr and Mulligan are non-independent .
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (chair: Maggie Wilderotter) .
- Attendance: In 2024, each incumbent director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings, except Dr. Bilenker on Nominating; no exception noted for Dr. Yang .
- Board structure: Separate Chair (Hans Bishop) and CEO (Steven Harr); independent directors meet in executive sessions at least quarterly .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $40,000 | Standard non-employee director base retainer |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance committee member fee | $5,000 | Member retainer (non-chair) |
| Total cash fees earned (2024) | $45,000 | As reported for Dr. Yang |
| Annual option grant (6/6/2024) | 65,000 shares | Granted to each non-employee director; vests on earlier of 6/6/2025 or immediately prior to 2025 annual meeting |
| Option grant fair value (ASC 718) | $330,798 | As reported for Dr. Yang |
- Program features: Non-executive chair ($35k); Audit chair ($20k) and members ($10k); Compensation chair ($15k) and members ($7.5k); Nominating chair ($10k) and members ($5k). Directors may elect to receive retainer as fully-vested RSUs; deferral elections permitted; director equity accelerates on change-in-control; Annual option grant cap increased to 80,000 shares effective 2/27/2025 .
Performance Compensation
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | Not applicable; director equity grants are time-based options without performance conditions |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict Consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acepodia, Inc. | Public (Taiwan) | Director | No Sana related-party transactions disclosed involving Acepodia |
| National Resilience, Inc. | Private | Vice Chairman | Manufacturing sector; monitor if Sana contracts with Resilience (none disclosed) |
| Taiwan Bio-Manufacturing Corp. | Private | Chairman | Manufacturing; monitor for any transactions (none disclosed) |
| Prior: Amyris; Andeavor; Codexis; PharmaEssentia; Polaris Group | Public | Director | Historical networks in biotech/industrial sectors |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Biomanufacturing operations, engineering, quality, supply chain leadership in large-cap pharma and cell therapy operations (Roche; Juno) .
- Board experience across biotech and industrial companies; current roles in manufacturing-focused entities .
- Technical credentials: Ph.D. Engineering (Ohio State); M.Sc. Electrical Engineering (Cincinnati); B.S. Engineering (National Chiaotung University) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (common-equivalent shares) | 302,841 | Less than 1% of outstanding |
| Common shares owned | 149,250 | Direct common |
| Options exercisable within 60 days (3/31/2025) | 153,591 | Counted in beneficial ownership |
| Total options outstanding (12/31/2024) | 218,591 | Director options outstanding |
| Shares pledged or hedged | Prohibited by policy | Hedging and pledging are explicitly prohibited |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths
- Independent director on Nominating & Corporate Governance; independent status affirmed; attendance threshold met, supporting engagement and Board effectiveness .
- Compensation is equity-heavy (option fair value $330,798 vs cash $45,000), aligning incentives with shareholder value; options vest over time and require stock appreciation to realize value .
- Robust governance policies: quarterly executive sessions; explicit prohibition of hedging/pledging; related-party transaction review via Audit Committee .
- Watch items / potential conflicts
- Concurrent leadership roles at National Resilience and TBMC (manufacturing) and directorship at Acepodia could present future related-party considerations if Sana engages these entities; 2025 proxy discloses no related-party transactions involving Dr. Yang .
- Director equity accelerates on change-in-control, a common practice but can be perceived as entrenchment risk if not balanced by strong performance alignment; disclosure notes full vesting upon change-in-control .
- Context
- Sana remains an emerging growth company and is not required to hold say-on-pay votes, limiting direct shareholder feedback mechanisms on compensation structures .
Overall, Dr. Yang brings domain-critical manufacturing and operations expertise with independent oversight on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, and an equity-weighted pay mix that generally supports alignment. Ongoing monitoring for any transactional ties with his external manufacturing affiliations is prudent; none are disclosed to date .