William Meury
Syndax PharmaceuticalsAbout William Meury
Independent Class II director at Syndax Pharmaceuticals since September 2018; age 57 as of April 1, 2025. Meury is a seasoned commercial biopharma executive: currently CEO and board member of Anthos Therapeutics (since April 2024), previously President & CEO of Karuna Therapeutics (Jan 2023–Mar 2024), Partner at Hildred Capital (May 2020–Dec 2022), and held senior commercial leadership at Allergan and Forest Laboratories. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Maryland; early career in public accounting (Reznick Fedder & Silverman) and financial reporting (MCI). Tenure on the SNDX board: 7+ years, with deep launch/commercialization credentials .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allergan plc | Chief Commercial Officer; President, Branded Pharma; EVP, Commercial North American Brands | CCO May 2016–acq. by AbbVie; President Mar 2015–May 2016; EVP since Jul 2014 | Led commercialization strategy for branded pharma portfolio; extensive product launches |
| Forest Laboratories, Inc. | Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing; multiple roles in marketing, new products, BD, sales | 1993–Allergan transition | Drove U.S. commercial execution; foundation of long-term commercialization expertise |
| Hildred Capital Management | Partner | May 2020–Dec 2022 | Healthcare-focused PE investing; strategic oversight |
| Karuna Therapeutics (public; acquired by BMS) | President & CEO (and company leader) | Jan 2023–Mar 2024 | Led late-stage neuropsychiatric asset to strategic outcome; public company CEO experience |
| Reznick Fedder & Silverman | Public accounting | Early career | Finance/accounting grounding |
| MCI Communications | Financial reporting | Early career | Corporate reporting experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthos Therapeutics | Chief Executive Officer; Board member | Since Apr 2024 | Operational leadership; board governance at therapeutics company |
| Private Organizations (unspecified) | Director | Current | Several private boards; details not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined all directors except the CEO are independent; Meury is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules .
- Committees: Audit (Legault/Katkin/Podlesak), Compensation (Katkin/Legault/Podlesak), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Jarrett/Katkin/Legault/Podlesak), Science & Technology (Huber/Rizo/Jarrett/Katkin). Meury is not listed on any standing committee for 2024 .
- Attendance: Board met 4 times in 2024; no director attended fewer than 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors held 4 executive sessions in 2024; Board Chair (Podlesak) presides .
- Board leadership: Chair (Podlesak) separate from CEO (Metzger); Board reviews risk via committees and maintains separation to reinforce independence .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Terms | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee director) | $45,644 | 2024 | Policy retainer before 2025 increase |
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee director) | $50,000 | 2025 | Policy updated effective 2025 |
| Committee member retainers | Audit $11,410; Comp $8,558; Sci&Tech $8,558; N&CG $5,706 | 2024 | Per-committee membership; not applicable to Meury if not a member |
| Committee chair retainers | Audit $22,822; Comp $17,115; Sci&Tech $17,115; N&CG $11,410 | 2024 | Higher fees for chairs; Meury not listed as chair |
| Committee member retainers | Audit $12,500; Comp $10,000; Sci&Tech $10,000; N&CG $7,500 | 2025 | Policy updated effective 2025 |
| Committee chair retainers | Audit $25,000; Comp $20,000; Sci&Tech $17,500; N&CG $12,000 | 2025 | Policy updated effective 2025 |
| 2024 actual fees earned (Meury) | $45,644 | 2024 | Reflects base retainer; no committee fees shown for Meury |
| Travel expense reimbursement | Reasonable expenses reimbursed | Ongoing | Standard director expense policy |
Performance Compensation
| Element | Structure | Metric | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual equity grant (Deferred RSUs) | 17,000 Deferred RSUs to non-chair (34,000 to chair); vests in 1 year; delivery deferred until separation, death, disability, or change-in-control | Service-based vesting only; no performance metrics | Granted alongside executive annual awards (Meury received $378,760 grant date fair value in 2024) |
No performance-linked director compensation metrics (TSR, revenue, ESG) are disclosed for non-employee directors; Deferred RSUs are service-based with deferred settlement .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Public/Private | Role | Interlocks/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthos Therapeutics | Private (not disclosed as public) | CEO; Board member | External CEO role; no SNDX related-party activity disclosed |
| Karuna Therapeutics | Public (acquired by BMS) | President & CEO | Prior public-company CEO; no current interlock at SNDX |
| Private organizations (unspecified) | Private | Director | Not specified; no related-party transactions disclosed |
Compensation Committee interlocks: SNDX discloses no interlocks or insider participation; no executives serve on other boards creating compensation committee interlocks .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep commercialization and launch experience across CNS, oncology, and hospital therapeutics; senior roles at Allergan and Forest underpin operational expertise .
- Financial grounding and discipline from public accounting and corporate reporting; BS Economics (University of Maryland) .
- Prior public company CEO experience and current CEO role enhance board oversight of commercial scaling and capital allocation .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Meury | 65,000 | <1% | As of March 7, 2025; beneficial ownership table |
| Outstanding director equity (Meury) | 65,000 stock awards | N/A | Director stock awards outstanding at year-end 2024; no options outstanding |
Policies impacting alignment:
- Prohibition on hedging, pledging, short sales, and margin transactions for officers, directors, employees and consultants .
- Indemnification agreements for directors and D&O insurance in place .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; high attendance; clear separation of Chair/CEO; four executive sessions; no related-party transactions; director equity via Deferred RSUs strengthens long-term alignment (deferred settlement until separation) .
- Compensation structure: Modest cash retainer with service-based Deferred RSUs (17,000 in 2024; policy increasing to 25,000 in 2025) supports alignment without pay-for-performance distortions in director compensation .
- Engagement: All directors attended the 2024 annual meeting; Board met quarterly; no <75% attendance—suggests adequate engagement .
- Potential watch items: External CEO role at Anthos may create time-commitment pressure; not a disclosed conflict and no related-party transactions since Jan 1, 2024, but continued monitoring is prudent .
- Red flags: None disclosed regarding related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, tax gross-ups, legal proceedings, or option repricing; clawback policy applies to executive officers (not directors), but director risks appear contained .
Summary: Meury brings strong commercial and operating expertise with clean independence and attendance record. The director pay mix (cash retainer plus Deferred RSUs) and prohibition on hedging/pledging provide alignment; absence from standing committees reduces direct committee influence but alleviates conflict concerns. No related-party exposures disclosed; governance signals are supportive of investor confidence .