Laura Hamill
About Laura J. Hamill
Independent Class II director at Y-mAbs Therapeutics (since June 2020), age 60, with 30+ years of global biopharma commercial leadership. Former EVP, Worldwide Commercial Operations at Gilead; 18 years at Amgen culminating as SVP US Commercial Operations. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Arizona and brings deep commercialization, market access, and governance expertise .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilead Sciences | EVP, Worldwide Commercial Operations (accountable for ~2,200 employees; $22B revenue) | Sep 2018 – Jul 2019 | Led global commercial strategy and long-term planning . |
| Amgen | Various U.S. and international executive roles; most recently SVP US Commercial Operations (managed ~2,000 employees; ~$20B revenue) | Jul 2000 – Aug 2018 | Led U.S. commercial operations across all therapeutic areas . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BB Biotech AG | Director | Current | Swiss-listed biotech investment company . |
| Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc | Director | Current | Public commercial-stage pharma . |
| Unchained Labs | Director | Current | Private life science tools company . |
| LaunchTx | Advisor | Current | Private company advisor . |
| Acceleron Pharma Inc. | Director | Former | Acquired by Merck in 2021 . |
| AnaptysBio, Inc. | Director | Former | Public clinical-stage biotech . |
| Pardes Biosciences, Inc. | Director | Former | Acquired by MediPacific in 2023 . |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals | Director | Former | Commercial-stage company focused on pain/migraine . |
Board Governance
- Independence: Determined independent under Nasdaq rules; currently serves as an independent director .
- Committees (2024): Chair, Compensation Committee; Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Board structure: Independent Chairman (no Lead Independent Director designated) .
- Attendance/engagement: Board met 8 times in FY2024; each director attended at least 75% of board/committee meetings; independent directors held 2 executive sessions. Seven directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Tenure and term: On Board since June 2020; Class II term expires at the 2026 annual meeting; Age 60 (as of May 30, 2025) .
| Governance Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Independent (Nasdaq 5605(a)(2)) . |
| Committee roles | Chair: Compensation; Member: Nominating & Corporate Governance . |
| 2024 meetings held | Board: 8; Compensation: 7; Nominating & Governance: 2 . |
| Attendance | ≥75% for all directors in 2024; 2 independent-only executive sessions . |
| Board leadership | Independent Chair; no Lead Independent Director . |
| Class/term | Class II; term ends 2026; age 60 . |
Fixed Compensation (Non-Employee Director)
| Component (Policy) | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board member annual cash retainer | $50,000 | Standard cash retainer . |
| Compensation Committee Chair fee | $15,000 | Additional annual chair retainer . |
| Nominating & Governance Committee member fee | $5,000 | Additional annual member retainer . |
| Total cash actually paid to Hamill (2024) | $70,000 | Reported cash fees for 2024 . |
Performance Compensation (Equity for Directors)
| Equity Component | 2024 Grant Value (USD) | Vesting Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSU (annual) | $41,975 | Vests in full on earlier of first anniversary or day before next annual meeting, subject to service . | Directors receive time-based RSUs (no performance metrics) . |
| Stock Options (annual) | $125,817 | Vest in 12 equal monthly installments over 1 year, subject to service . | Time-based options; no tax gross-ups disclosed . |
- 2025 policy update (annual equity): Shift to balanced mix—Options grant-date value $122,000 and RSU grant-date value $122,000; vesting terms unchanged (monthly for options over 1 year; RSUs vest by first anniversary/next AGM), subject to service .
- Initial director equity awards (for new directors) set at option value $255,000 and RSU value $85,000, vesting over 3 years, subject to service .
Equity-heavy mix: In 2024, ~70.5% of Hamill’s director pay was equity ($41,975 RSU + $125,817 options = $167,792 of $237,792 total) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Potential Interlock/Conflict Consideration | Disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc; BB Biotech AG; Unchained Labs; LaunchTx | Sector overlap (biopharma) is noted, but the proxy discloses no related-party transactions involving Hamill at Y-mAbs . | No Hamill-specific related party transactions listed in the 2025 proxy’s related-person section . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Commercialization, sales/marketing, and pricing/market access (U.S. and international) .
- Human capital management, governance, strategic planning, and risk oversight .
- Global biopharma operations and life sciences product development exposure .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 88,320 | Includes 2,330 shares held outright and 85,990 underlying options/RSUs exercisable/vestable within 60 days of May 23, 2025 . |
| Outright shares | 2,330 | Directly owned . |
| Options/RSUs exercisable/vestable ≤60 days | 85,990 | As of record date . |
| % of shares outstanding | ~0.19% | Calculated from 88,320 / 45,295,794 shares outstanding on May 23, 2025 . |
- Hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging of YMAB securities by directors, officers, employees, consultants, and contractors .
Governance Assessment
- Committee leadership and effectiveness: As Compensation Committee Chair, Hamill oversees pay philosophy, peer benchmarking (with Aon as independent consultant), and program design. The committee introduced PSUs into executive long-term incentives in 2025 (equally weighted options/RSUs/PSUs for NEOs), signaling stronger pay-for-performance alignment . Say-on-pay support remains strong (~97% approval for 2024 meeting on 2023 comp), and the company engaged institutional holders in early 2025 to incorporate investor feedback .
- Independence and engagement: Independent status affirmed; all directors met at least 75% meeting attendance in 2024; independent-only sessions were held, supporting robust oversight .
- Ownership alignment: Equity-heavy director pay and personal holdings (88,320 shares including exercisable equity) support alignment; company bans hedging/pledging, reducing misalignment risks .
- Potential conflicts: No related-party transactions involving Hamill disclosed; she sits on other biopharma boards, but the proxy does not report any Hamill-related transactions with Y-mAbs. Audit Committee reviews and must approve any related-person transactions under written policy .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed related to attendance, hedging/pledging, related-party dealings, or director pay anomalies. The move to time- and performance-based equity for executives and balanced RSU/option mix for directors suggests responsiveness to investor preferences .
Overall signal: Hamill brings deep commercial and market access expertise and chairs a compensation program that has integrated performance equity. Independence, attendance, and equity-heavy compensation mix support investor confidence, with no disclosed conflicts involving her and strong say-on-pay outcomes .