Bridget van Kralingen
About Bridget van Kralingen
Bridget van Kralingen (age 61) joined Schrödinger’s board in March 2025 and is standing for election as a Class II director at the June 18, 2025 annual meeting. She is a Senior Partner and executive committee member at Motive Partners, and previously held multiple global senior leadership roles at IBM after earlier senior tenure at Deloitte; she holds a Master of Commerce (Industrial & Organisational Psychology), a B.Com, and an honours degree in commerce from South African universities . The board determined she is independent under Nasdaq rules; her current SDGR board tenure is since March 2025 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBM | Senior Vice President; previously CEO/SVP IBM Global Markets; SVP Global Industries, Clients, Platforms & Blockchain; SVP Global Business Services; GM IBM North America; GM GBS EMEA; Global Managing Partner, Financial Services Sector | 2004–Nov 2022 | Led large-scale global client, platform and services businesses; enterprise software and technology solutions experience |
| Deloitte Consulting | Managing Partner, US Financial Services | Pre-2004 (prior to IBM) | Financial services client leadership and consulting operations |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motive Partners | Senior Partner; Executive Committee member | Nov 2022–present | PE firm focused on technology-enabled financial/business services |
| Teradyne, Inc. | Director | Current | Public company; automated test equipment/robotics; committee roles not disclosed here |
| The Travelers Companies, Inc. | Director | Current | Public insurance company; committee roles not disclosed here |
| Discovery Limited | Director | Current | SA-founded financial services; committee roles not disclosed here |
| Royal Bank of Canada | Director (former) | Jun 2011–Apr 2024 | Departed April 2024 |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined all directors except CEO Ramy Farid and co-founder Richard A. Friesner are independent; van Kralingen is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committees: Audit (Sender, Ginsberg, Lynton, Oberoi), Compensation (Sender, Ginsberg, Kapeller‑Libermann), Nominating/Governance (Lynton, Chodakewitz, Thornberry), Drug Discovery (Chodakewitz, Kapeller‑Libermann, Thornberry). No committee assignment for van Kralingen disclosed as of April 24, 2025 .
- Board structure: Independent chair (Michael Lynton); no Lead Independent Director given independent chair; CEO and Chair roles separated .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors meet at least twice annually .
- Attendance: In 2024 the board met 5 times and all then-serving directors met ≥75% attendance of board and committee meetings; van Kralingen joined in 2025 so 2024 data not applicable .
- Classified board: Directors serve staggered three-year terms; van Kralingen is a Class II nominee in 2025 .
- Shareholder engagement on governance: 2024 director election support was 76–81% for Class I; investor concerns cited over classified board and multiple outside boards; the company states it reviews “over-boarding” and found directors’ time commitments sufficient .
Fixed Compensation (Non-Employee Director)
| Component | 2024 Policy | 2025 Policy (effective Jan 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Board annual cash retainer (member) | $45,000 | $50,000 |
| Board chair supplemental annual fee | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| Audit Committee (member / chair add’l) | $10,000 / $10,000 | $10,000 / $10,000 |
| Compensation Committee (member / chair add’l) | $7,500 / $7,500 | $7,500 / $7,500 |
| Nominating & Governance (member / chair add’l) | $5,000 / $5,000 | $5,000 / $5,000 |
| Drug Discovery (member / chair add’l) | $7,500 / $7,500 | $7,500 / $7,500 |
Notes:
- 2024 non-employee director comp table does not include van Kralingen as she joined in 2025 .
Performance Compensation (Director Equity; Time-Based)
| Grant Type | 2024 Policy | 2025 Policy | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial option (upon appointment) | Value $237,500 (cap ≤17,050 shrs) | Value $252,500 (cap ≤25,480 shrs) | 1/3 per year over 3 years, service-based |
| Initial RSU (upon appointment) | Value $237,500 (cap ≤10,000 shrs) | Value $252,500 (cap ≤15,190 shrs) | 1/3 per year over 3 years, service-based |
| Annual option (at annual meeting) | Value $118,750 (cap ≤8,550 shrs) | Value $126,250 (cap ≤12,740 shrs) | Vests on 12-month anniversary or next AGM, service-based |
| Annual RSU (at annual meeting) | Value $118,750 (cap ≤5,000 shrs) | Value $126,250 (cap ≤7,595 shrs) | Vests on 12-month anniversary or next AGM, service-based |
- No director performance (PSU/TSR) metrics are used; all director equity is time-based per policy .
- Options are granted at fair market value; specific option term for directors not separately stated in the policy excerpts; awards follow plan terms .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Category | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Teradyne, Inc. | Tech hardware/robotics | No SDGR-related transaction disclosed |
| The Travelers Companies, Inc. | P&C insurance | No SDGR-related transaction disclosed |
| Discovery Limited | Financial services | No SDGR-related transaction disclosed |
| Royal Bank of Canada (former) | Banking | Departed April 2024 |
- SDGR’s related-person disclosure lists only Columbia/Friesner arrangements and Gates Foundation share exchange; no transactions involving van Kralingen or her affiliated entities are disclosed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Enterprise technology and software solutions leadership across IBM’s global markets, industries, platforms, and services businesses; deep financial services client expertise from IBM and Deloitte .
- Board experience across multiple large-cap public companies (technology, insurance, financial services) .
- Education: M.Com (Industrial & Organisational Psychology) University of South Africa; B.Com University of the Witwatersrand; honours degree in commerce University of Johannesburg .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Common Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Common | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridget van Kralingen | — | — | No beneficial ownership reported as of April 1, 2025; newly appointed in March 2025 . |
Ownership alignment policies
- Director stock ownership guideline: 3.0x annual cash retainer; five-year phase-in for new directors .
- Compliance status: As of April 21, 2025, all directors and executive officers met guidelines except Porges, Dugan, and van Kralingen (newly appointed) .
- Hedging/pledging prohibitions: Hedging prohibited; pledging generally prohibited with limited exceptions. Only Friesner has a disclosed pledge; no pledges by van Kralingen disclosed .
Governance Assessment
Key findings
- Independence and fresh perspective: Newly appointed independent director with deep enterprise software and financial services expertise; could strengthen board oversight of SDGR’s software go-to-market and partnerships .
- Committee impact: No committee assignment disclosed yet; near-term influence will be at full board level until committee placement is made .
- Time-commitment risk: Serves on three current public-company boards while holding a senior role at a private equity firm. Investors raised over-boarding concerns in 2024; SDGR states it reviews director commitments regularly and deems current commitments sufficient, but this remains a monitoring item for investors focused on director capacity and engagement .
- Alignment and incentives: Director pay mix is cash + time-vested equity; 2025 policy increased retainers and equity values modestly, aligned with market. Ownership guidelines require 3x retainer; she is within the five-year compliance window as a new appointee .
- Related-party risk: No related-party transactions involving van Kralingen disclosed; SDGR has formal related-person review procedures overseen by the Audit Committee .
- Board/ESG governance: Independent chair; executive sessions; ongoing shareholder engagement with responsive changes (e.g., expanded use of performance-based equity for executives; active review of classified board topic); 98% say-on-pay support in 2024 indicates broad investor confidence in pay governance .
RED FLAGS to monitor
- Potential over-boarding perception given multiple outside directorships and a senior PE role (company indicates review and sufficiency but investor thresholds vary) .
- Classified board structure remains a recurring governance critique among some investors (company continues to review) .
Overall implication for investor confidence
- Van Kralingen brings highly relevant software/commercial expertise and a strong board resume; independence is clear and no conflicts are disclosed, supporting governance quality. The key watch item is time-commitment optics given multi-board service; committee placement and attendance data in 2025–2026 will be important signals of board effectiveness .