Meeta Gulyani
About Meeta Gulyani
Independent director at Seer, Inc. since November 2021; age 56 as of March 31, 2025. Senior Vice President, General Manager, Bioprocessing and Head of Life Science Strategy at Ecolab since December 2024; prior senior strategy and operating roles at Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma/EMD Serono), Roche, and Novo Advisory Group. MBA, Asian Institute of Management (exchange at Wharton); BA Economics, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University. The Board has determined she is independent under Nasdaq standards.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novo Advisory Group | Member | Oct 2023 – Feb 2024 | Management advisory for healthy and distressed companies |
| Merck KGaA (Life Science; MilliporeSigma in U.S./Canada) | EVP, Head of Strategy, Business Development & Transformation | Jan 2016 – Aug 2023 | Led strategy/BD/transformation for global life science business |
| Merck KGaA (Pharma; EMD Serono in U.S./Canada) | EVP, Head of Global Strategy & Franchises | May 2014 – Dec 2015 | Global franchise and strategy leadership |
| Roche Pharmaceuticals (India Management Center) | General Manager | Jan 2012 – Apr 2014 | Country management leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecolab | SVP, GM Bioprocessing; Head of Life Science Strategy | Dec 2024 | Executive role at public company (ECL) |
| Single Use Support GmbH | Advisory Board Member | n/a | Current advisory role |
Board Governance
- Independence and tenure: Independent director since 2021; one of five independent directors out of seven (as of the proxy date).
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee Chair; Audit members were Gulyani (Chair), Hallal, McGuire. Audit held 4 meetings in 2024 and acted once by unanimous written consent.
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board met 5 times; each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings.
- Lead Independent Director structure: Lead Independent Director (Nicolas Roelofs, Ph.D.) presides over independent director sessions; CEO is Board Chair.
- Committee interlocks: Compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors; no interlocks or insider participation disclosed.
- Nasdaq audit committee compliance note: On July 7, 2025, Seer notified Nasdaq it was no longer in compliance with Rule 5605(c)(2)(A) for Audit Committee composition/financial sophistication after the 2025 AGM; the company intends to cure within the permitted period.
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY2024 |
|---|---|
| Cash fees (director retainer + committee fees) | $72,500 |
| Policy reference (as amended Feb 26, 2025): annual director cash retainer | $42,500 |
| Policy reference: Audit Committee Chair annual fee | $20,000 |
Notes:
- Under policy, Chairs receive the chair fee (not chair+member). The 2024 fees actually paid to Ms. Gulyani were $72,500 (as disclosed).
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Quantity/Terms | Vesting | Grant-date FV/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSU (Annual) | 6/12/2024 | 58,178 RSUs | Vest in full on 6/12/2025, subject to service | $108,793 stock awards value in FY2024 table |
| Stock Option (Initial) | 11/29/2021 | 30,000 options @ $21.52 | 36 equal monthly installments from 12/9/2021 | Outstanding as of 12/31/2024 |
| Stock Option (Annual) | 6/15/2022 | 16,159 options @ $7.33 | Vested in full on 6/14/2023 | Outstanding record |
| Stock Option (Annual) | 6/14/2023 | 34,735 options @ $4.33 | Vest in full on 6/11/2024 | Outstanding record |
| RSU + Option (Annual mix under revised policy) | 7/7/2025 | 20,500 RSUs; 30,500 options @ $2.18; option exp. 7/7/2035 | Both RSUs and options vest on the earlier of 7/7/2026 or the day prior to next annual meeting | Director grants per policy shift; Form 4 confirmation |
Policy shift context:
- 2024 annual director equity was RSUs only (58,178 RSUs). As of Feb 26, 2025, policy changed to a mix: Annual Option Award (30,500 sh) + Annual RSU Award (20,500 sh).
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Other current public company directorships: None disclosed for Ms. Gulyani.
- Interlocks: No compensation committee interlocks; members were independent and none were current/former company officers.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Domain expertise: Extensive life sciences operating and strategy experience across global markets (Asia, Europe, U.S.).
- Audit oversight: Serves as Audit Committee Chair; Audit Committee financial expert designation is held by David Hallal (not Ms. Gulyani).
- Education: MBA (Asian Institute of Management; Wharton exchange), BA Economics (SRCC, Delhi Univ.).
- Independence: Affirmed independent by Board under Nasdaq standards.
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Dec 31, 2024 | Mar 31, 2025 | Jul 7, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unvested RSUs outstanding | 58,178 (vest 6/12/2025) | — | +20,500 RSUs granted 7/7/2025; vest earlier of 7/7/2026 or day prior to next AGM |
| Options outstanding (select grants) | 30,000 @ $21.52 (2011); 16,159 @ $7.33 (2022); 34,735 @ $4.33 (2023) | — | +30,500 @ $2.18 granted 7/7/2025; expire 7/7/2035 |
| Beneficial ownership - Class A common (SEC proxy table) | — | 109,759 sh (includes 28,865 sh held + 80,894 options exercisable within 60 days) — below 1% | — |
| Beneficially owned after 7/7/2025 grants (Form 4 line item for common stock) | — | — | 107,543 sh (per Form 4; common stock count, excludes derivative holdings) |
Alignment/controls:
- Hedging and pledging of company stock are prohibited by insider trading policy (applies to executives and directors).
Fixed Compensation (Director Compensation Detail)
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Cash fees (actual) | $72,500 | Fees earned/paid in cash as disclosed |
| 2024 Stock awards (actual) | $108,793 | Aggregate grant-date fair value (RSUs) |
| 2025 Policy: Annual director cash retainer | $42,500 | Effective as amended Feb 26, 2025 |
| 2025 Policy: Audit Committee Chair cash fee | $20,000 | Effective as amended Feb 26, 2025 |
Performance Compensation (Director Equity Detail)
| Year | Instrument | Quantity | Vesting | Grant FV/Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | RSU (Annual) | 58,178 | Full vest 6/12/2025 | $108,793 FV; standard director award |
| 2025 | Option + RSU (Annual mix) | 30,500 options @ $2.18; 20,500 RSUs | Both vest on earlier of 1-year or day prior to next AGM; option expires 7/7/2035 | Policy shift adopted Feb 26, 2025; Form 4 confirms grants on 7/7/2025 |
Related-Party Transactions and Conflicts
- The Audit Committee oversees conflicts and related-party transactions. No transactions >$120,000 involving directors/executives or 5% holders (or their immediate family) were disclosed since Jan 1, 2023, other than standard equity awards/indemnification.
- Ms. Gulyani’s Ecolab employment was disclosed; no Seer-related transactions with Ecolab were disclosed.
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback (Context)
- Say-on-pay support ~83% at 2023 annual meeting; next say-on-pay scheduled for 2026.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with deep life sciences operating and strategy experience; Audit Committee Chair with active oversight (4 meetings in 2024) and responsibility for conflicts/related-party review; attendance at or above 75% threshold; hedging/pledging prohibited.
- Watch items: Audit Committee financial expert is designated as another member (Hallal), not the chair; post-2025 AGM audit committee composition/sophistication shortfall disclosed to Nasdaq with cure plan—monitor remediation timing.
- Alignment: Director pay structure mixes modest cash with annual equity; 2025 policy adds options to prior RSU-only structure, increasing at-risk component aligned to shareholder outcomes; no related-party transactions disclosed.
No red flags identified related to attendance, independence, related-party dealings, or share pledging for Ms. Gulyani. The audit committee composition notice in July 2025 is a governance risk to watch until cured.