Mark Parrish
ViatrisAbout Mark Parrish
Mark Parrish (age 70) is Vice Chair of the Board and an independent director of Viatris (VTRS), serving since 2020. He chairs the Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee and serves on the Executive, Governance & Sustainability, and Science & Technology Committees; he was an Audit Committee member until March 7, 2025 . Parrish’s background includes CEO/Chair roles in healthcare services (TridentUSA Health Services) and senior leadership at Cardinal Health, with deep experience in compliance, restructuring, and M&A . The Board has determined he is independent under NASDAQ rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| TridentUSA Health Services | Chief Executive Officer; Executive Chairman | CEO 2008–2018; Executive Chairman 2008–2013 and 2018–2019 | Led mobile X-ray/lab provider; company filed Chapter 11 in Feb 2019 and emerged Sep 2019 (governance risk context) |
| Cardinal Health Inc. & affiliates | CEO, Healthcare Supply Chain Services; prior roles of increasing responsibility | 1993–2007; CEO, HSCS 2006–2007 | Healthcare supply chain leadership; government oversight, restructuring, M&A experience |
| International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers | President & CEO | 2008–2025 | Global industry association leadership in pharma wholesaling |
| Frazier Healthcare Ventures | Senior Advisor | Not disclosed | Growth equity advisory in healthcare |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omnicell, Inc. (NASDAQ: OMCL) | Director | Since 2013 | Audit and Compensation Committees |
| Safecor Health, LLC (private) | Non-executive Chair | Since 2022 | Unit-dose drug packaging services |
| Mylan N.V. (pre-Combination) | Director; Lead Independent Director; Vice Chairman | 2009–2020 | Chair, Compliance; member, Audit, Executive, Governance & Nominating, Risk Oversight |
| Comprehensive Pharmacy Services (private) | Director | 2019–2023 | Outsourced hospital pharmacy services |
| Golden State Medical Supply (private) | Director | 2014–2019 | Pharma packaging/serialization |
| Silvergate Pharmaceuticals (private) | Director | 2013–2019 | Pediatric medications |
Board Governance
- Roles: Vice Chair of the Board; independent director . Appointed Vice Chair by the independent Chair, Melina Higgins, under governance principles .
- Committee leadership and membership:
- Compliance & Risk Oversight Committee Chair
- Executive Committee member
- Governance & Sustainability Committee member
- Science & Technology Committee member
- Audit Committee member until March 7, 2025
- Attendance: All directors standing for re-election (including Parrish) attended >75% of aggregate Board and relevant committee meetings in 2024; likewise >75% from Jan 1, 2025 to Oct 20, 2025 .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors met in executive session five times in 2024 and six times through Oct 20, 2025, chaired by the Board Chair .
- Independence: Board determined Parrish is independent under NASDAQ rules .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Components ($) | Equity Components ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 actual | 250,000 (retainer + Vice Chair + Committee Chair + Executive Committee fee) | 225,001 RSUs (grant-date fair value) | 475,001 |
| 2025 structure (approved) | Board retainer $150,000; Vice Chair $50,000; Committee Chair $25,000; Executive Committee member $25,000 | Annual RSU grant $225,000 | N/A (structure unchanged from 2024) |
Notes:
- 2024 RSU awards vested March 4, 2025 .
- Non-Employee Director matching gift program: dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000 per director per year .
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Value ($) | Shares/Units | Vesting | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (2024) | 225,001 | 18,977 unvested units as of 12/31/2024 (includes DEUs accruing and vesting with underlying RSUs) | Vested March 4, 2025 | None; director RSUs are time-based (no PSUs disclosed for directors) |
Viatris’ proxy does not disclose any performance-based equity (PSUs) or option performance conditions for non-employee directors; RSUs vest on time-based schedules .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to Viatris | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Omnicell (healthcare technology) | No disclosed related-party transactions with Viatris | Overlapping healthcare sector; no transactions disclosed (RPT section lists only Malik-related items) |
| Safecor Health (packaging services) | Private supplier to healthcare providers; no Viatris transactions disclosed | No related-party exposure disclosed |
| Mylan (pre-Combination) | Legacy governance experience | Historical role; not a current interlock |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Governance, risk, and compliance leadership: Chair of Compliance & Risk Oversight; extensive experience managing regulatory oversight and corporate compliance in healthcare .
- Healthcare operations and supply chain: Former CEO, Healthcare Supply Chain Services at Cardinal Health; broad global operations expertise .
- Restructuring/M&A: Led complex restructurings and transactions in healthcare services; strategic and M&A experience .
- Human capital and information security experience noted in Board skills summary for Parrish .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | Options Exercisable within 60 Days | Unvested RSUs (12/31/2024) | % of Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Parrish | 140,395 | 21,806 | 18,977 | <1% (based on 1,154,467,256 shares outstanding) |
Additional context:
- Non-Employee Director share ownership guidelines: 5x annual cash retainer; five years from start date to attain compliance; unvested RSUs (including DEUs) count toward compliance .
- Pledging/hedging: Company maintains anti-hedging and anti-pledging policies (policy referenced in proxy’s CD&A contents) .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent Vice Chair with deep healthcare operations and compliance expertise; chairs the Compliance & Risk Oversight Committee overseeing enterprise risk, cybersecurity, and compliance programs with quarterly reporting cadence and cross-committee coordination .
- High engagement: >75% attendance; participates across multiple committees (Executive, Governance & Sustainability, Science & Technology) .
- Alignment via equity and ownership guidelines; director compensation mix balances cash retainers for leadership roles with annual RSUs .
- Watch items / RED FLAGS:
- TridentUSA Chapter 11 during Parrish’s chair/CEO tenure (2019), signaling prior exposure to distressed operations; useful restructuring experience but a governance risk indicator to monitor .
- 2024 Say-on-Pay concerns (company-level) related to a former consulting arrangement; Board terminated the arrangement by June 30, 2025 and tightened compensation practices—positive remediation but underscores sensitivity to shareholder expectations .
- Potential conflicts:
- No related-party transactions disclosed involving Parrish; RPT section references only transactions related to Rajiv Malik . External board at Omnicell and chair role at Safecor present sector adjacency but no disclosed dealings with Viatris .
- Committee transitions:
- Stepped off Audit Committee in March 2025—likely governance balancing given his chair role in Compliance & Risk Oversight and expanded committee workload .
Overall, Parrish’s governance profile combines independent leadership with risk and compliance oversight depth, appropriate attendance/engagement, and standard director pay/ownership structures, with the principal risk context being past bankruptcy involvement at TridentUSA and heightened investor sensitivity around compensation practices addressed at the company level .