Sherry D. Davis
About Sherry D. Davis
Sherry D. Davis is a senior finance and operations executive at Eli Lilly and Company who became a director of Verve Therapeutics on July 25, 2025 following Lilly’s acquisition of Verve; she previously served as a director of Ridgeway Acquisition Corporation (the Lilly subsidiary that merged with Verve) . She has been Senior Vice President, Chief Procurement Officer at Lilly since 2024 and held multiple CFO roles within Lilly from 2018–2024; she is based in Indianapolis and completed studies at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business (years listed 1995–2000) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly and Company | Senior Vice President, Chief Procurement Officer | 2024–present | Leads global procurement; enterprise supply chain alignment |
| Eli Lilly and Company | VP & CFO, Lilly USA and Immunology | 2021–2024 | Oversaw US P&L/Immunology finance |
| Eli Lilly and Company | CFO, Lilly USA | 2018–2024 | US business unit CFO |
| Eli Lilly and Company | CFO & Treasurer, Lilly Del Caribe | 2017–2018 | Regional finance leadership |
| Eli Lilly and Company | CFO, Research (Lilly Research Laboratories) | 2014–2016 | R&D finance governance |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Finance Director, Access Expansion | 2013–2014 | Market/access finance |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Director, Finance – Corporate Audit Services | 2009–2013 | Internal audit leadership |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Financial Consultant (Emerging Markets; Discovery LRL) | 2006–2009 | Finance support in EM and discovery |
| Ford Motor Company; Collins & Aikman; PwC | Finance roles (Senior Analyst; Project Accountant; Senior Associate) | 2000–2006 | Early career finance/audit |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgeway Acquisition Corporation (Lilly subsidiary) | Director | 2025 | Served as director prior to the Verve merger |
| Verve Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | 2025–present | Appointed at Effective Time of the merger |
| Citizens Energy Group (non-profit utility) | Director | Not disclosed | Listed as board member; community/non-profit governance experience |
Board Governance
- Role and tenure: Appointed to Verve’s board at the Effective Time (July 25, 2025) alongside Christopher Anderson and Jonathan R. Haug; the prior nine-member public-company board resigned in connection with the merger .
- Committees: Post-merger bylaws permit the board to create committees and define powers, but the filing does not specify committee assignments for Davis (or any director) .
- Independence: Post-merger Verve became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lilly and was delisted; Nasdaq independence requirements no longer apply. Davis is a current Lilly senior vice president, indicating she is an affiliate of the controlling parent rather than an independent director .
- Board framework: New certificate and bylaws empower the board to set director compensation, remove directors by majority stockholder vote, and operate with a streamlined governance structure typical of private subsidiaries .
Fixed Compensation
- Director cash/equity: The new bylaws authorize the board to fix director compensation and reimburse expenses; specific retainers or fees for Davis are not disclosed .
- Plans: At the merger effective time, Verve terminated the 2021 ESPP, 2018/2021 stock plans and 2024 Inducement Plan, eliminating prior equity grant programs used for directors/non-employees .
Performance Compensation
- No performance metrics tied to director pay are disclosed for Davis; post-merger subsidiary governance and terminated equity plans indicate no public equity-based director awards remain outstanding .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity | Relationship | Interlock/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly and Company | Senior Vice President, Chief Procurement Officer | Parent executive; potential influence on subsidiary strategy and supplier decisions |
| Ridgeway Acquisition Corporation | Director | Directorship at acquirer’s merger vehicle prior to Verve board appointment |
| Verve Therapeutics | Director | Board member of the newly private, wholly-owned subsidiary |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Finance and audit: Extensive CFO roles (Lilly USA, Immunology, Del Caribe; Research), internal audit leadership, and US business unit P&L ownership .
- Operations and procurement: Current Chief Procurement Officer at Lilly, indicating deep experience in supply chain and vendor governance .
- Education: Indiana University – Kelley School of Business, 1995–2000 (per professional profile) .
Equity Ownership
- Beneficial ownership: Davis was not a Verve director as of the proxy record date (April 11, 2025) and is not listed in the 2025 proxy’s beneficial ownership table; post-merger equity plans were terminated and Verve’s authorized capital was reset to 100 common shares under a private structure .
- Vested/unvested breakdown, options, pledging: Not disclosed for Davis in SEC filings; director equity programs were terminated at closing .
Governance Assessment
- Alignment and control: Verve is now a wholly-owned subsidiary with amended charter/bylaws; the board may set compensation, remove directors by majority stockholder vote, and act without stockholder meetings under written consent—signals of tight parent control, reducing traditional public-company board independence .
- Independence and conflicts: Davis’s concurrent senior role at Lilly presents an inherent affiliate relationship; related-party exposure (procurement/supplier policies) should be overseen through clear conflict management given her procurement remit at parent. No specific related-party transactions involving Davis are disclosed, but Lilly–Verve governance shifted to parent-sub model at closing .
- Committees and oversight: Post-merger filings do not disclose committee chairs or membership; investors should note the absence of public disclosure on audit/compensation committee composition in the private subsidiary structure .
RED FLAGS
- Non-independent director from controlling parent at subsidiary board (affiliation risk) .
- Termination of equity plans and delisting (reduced transparency; no public say-on-pay/ownership alignment reporting) .
- New charter/bylaws concentrating board powers typical of private entities (e.g., removal by majority, compensation setting), limiting traditional minority stockholder protections seen pre-merger .
Overall, Davis brings strong finance/audit and procurement expertise from Lilly, but as a parent executive her role is not independent—appropriate for a wholly-owned subsidiary, yet a notable shift from Verve’s prior independent, publicly listed governance model .