Adele Gulfo
About Adele M. Gulfo
Adele M. Gulfo, age 62, joined Tyra Biosciences’ Board in January 2025 and is nominated for re‑election as a Class I director through 2028. She is an independent director under Nasdaq rules and brings deep biopharma commercial leadership; she holds a B.S. in Biology (Seton Hall University) and an MBA in Marketing (Fairleigh Dickinson University) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer, Biopharma Commercial | Jul 2023 – Oct 2024 | Led multi‑therapeutic commercial org across oncology, urology, rare disease, neurology, and women’s health |
| Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc. | Chief Commercial & Business Development Officer | 2020 – 2023 | Integration into Sumitomo Pharma; commercial leadership |
| Roivant Sciences | Chief Commercial Development Officer | Prior to 2020 | Key role in forming Sumitovant; launch prep/commercialization of ORGOVYX, GEMTESA, RETHYMIC, MYFEMBREE |
| Pfizer | President & GM U.S. Primary Care; President Latin America; U.S. Biopharma Country Manager | Various years | Oversaw Market Access and Commercial Ops; instrumental in LIPITOR development/launch |
| AstraZeneca | Multiple VP roles (Commercial Readiness, Business Development, Cardiovascular BU Head) | Prior | Led CRESTOR launch and commercialization |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NewAmsterdam Pharma Co N.V. | Director | Current |
| Enpro Inc. | Director | Current |
| Mass General Brigham | Innovation Growth Board member | Current |
| Myovant Sciences | Director | Prior |
| Bemis Company, Inc. | Director | Prior; acquired by Amcor plc |
| Medexus Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Director | Prior |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; Ms. Gulfo is listed as independent and serves on the Compensation Committee .
- Committees: Compensation Committee member (non‑employee, independent); no chair role disclosed .
- Board structure and activity: 9 directors across three staggered classes; 6 Board meetings in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings (Ms. Gulfo joined in 2025; attendance info pertains to 2024 incumbents) .
- Annual meeting participation: With one exception, all directors at the time attended the 2024 annual meeting .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $40,000 | Non‑employee director base retainer (amended May 2024) |
| Committee membership fee (Compensation) | $5,000 | Member fee; chair fee $10,000 (Ms. Gulfo is a member) |
| Audit/Nominating/Science member fees | $7,500 / $4,000 / $5,000 | For other committees (not applicable to Ms. Gulfo unless assigned) |
| Board Chair additional retainer | $30,000 | For Chair role (not applicable to Ms. Gulfo) |
| Initial option grant | 37,200 options | Granted upon Board election; vest over 3 years; exercise price at grant date closing; accelerates on change‑in‑control |
| Annual option grant | 18,600 options | Vest in equal monthly installments over 12 months; remainder vests at next annual meeting if earlier; change‑in‑control acceleration applies |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | Policy comprises retainers and equity; no meeting fees disclosed |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Director performance‑linked pay (cash/equity) | None disclosed; director equity is time‑based vesting (no TSR/revenue/ESG metrics) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Possible Interlock/Conflict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NewAmsterdam Pharma Co N.V.; Enpro Inc. | None disclosed with TYRA | External public boards disclosed; no TYRA related‑party transactions involving Ms. Gulfo identified |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: B.S. Biology (Seton Hall); MBA Marketing (Fairleigh Dickinson) .
- Core skills: U.S. and global biopharma commercialization, market access, multi‑therapy portfolio leadership; notable launch roles for LIPITOR and CRESTOR; product launch prep for ORGOVYX, GEMTESA, RETHYMIC, MYFEMBREE .
- Board suitability: Independent, senior commercial operator across large‑cap pharma and emerging biopharma .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Owned | Options Exercisable (≤60 days of 3/31/2025) | % of Outstanding | Pledging/Hedging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adele M. Gulfo | 4,000 | 4,133 | <1% | Company policy prohibits pledging and hedging by directors/officers/employees |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; Compensation Committee service; deep commercialization track record relevant to Tyra’s pipeline‑to‑market trajectory; company‑wide prohibition on pledging/hedging supports alignment .
- Alignment: Cash compensation is modest relative to equity options with multi‑year vesting and change‑in‑control acceleration; beneficial ownership includes shares and exercisable options, though total ownership remains <1% .
- Engagement: Board met 6 times in 2024 with ≥75% attendance by each director; Ms. Gulfo’s 2025 appointment means future attendance should be monitored; no personal delinquent filings disclosed for her, and Section 16 compliance was strong overall in 2024 .
- Conflicts/Related‑party: No related‑party transactions involving Ms. Gulfo are disclosed; her external boards (NewAmsterdam, Enpro) do not show transactions with Tyra in the proxy .
- Compensation structure signals: 2024 policy increased director retainer and option grant sizes (initial and annual), maintaining option‑based equity rather than RSUs; indicates continued at‑risk equity exposure tied to share price, not performance metrics .