Jennifer Jarrett
About Jennifer Jarrett
Jennifer Jarrett (age 54) has served as an independent director of Zura Bio since March 2023 (Legacy Zura since January 2023). She is Chief Operating Officer at Arcus Biosciences (since October 2020), and previously held senior finance and corporate development roles at Uber and Medivation after 20 years in investment banking at Citigroup, Credit Suisse, and DLJ. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth and an MBA from Stanford GSB .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcus Biosciences (RCUS) | Chief Operating Officer | Oct 2020–present | Executive operator across oncology portfolio |
| Arcus Biosciences (RCUS) | COO & CFO; Chief Business Officer & CFO | Jun 2018–Jan 2019; Mar 2017–Jun 2018 | Built finance and BD infrastructure pre-commercial |
| Uber Technologies | VP, Corporate Development & Capital Markets | Jan 2019–Sep 2020 | Led strategic transactions and capital markets |
| Medivation | Chief Financial Officer | Mar 2016–Oct 2016 | CFO through sale to Pfizer |
| Citigroup; Credit Suisse; DLJ | Investment Banking (Life Sciences) | ~1996–2016 | Ran West Coast life sciences IB at Citi |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syndax Pharmaceuticals (SNDX) | Director | Sep 2018–present | Board member |
| Sagimet Biosciences (SGMT) | Director; Audit Committee | Aug 2024–present | Audit committee member |
| LifeMine Therapeutics | Director | Oct 2022–present | Private company board |
| Cajal Neuroscience | Director | Nov 2023–present | Private company board |
| Arena Pharmaceuticals | Director | Jun 2017–Mar 2022 | Audit history; company sold to Pfizer |
| Audentes Therapeutics | Director | Jul 2017–Jan 2020 | Board member |
| Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp | Director | Dec 2020–Aug 2021 | SPAC board |
| Radius Health | Director | May 2022–Aug 2022 | Short-tenure board role |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board has determined Jarrett is independent under Nasdaq listing standards .
- Committee assignments (latest): As of April 22, 2025, Jarrett stepped down from Audit and was appointed to the Compensation Committee and the Nominating & Governance Committee .
- Attendance: In FY2024, the Board met 5 times; each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
- Leadership: Zura maintains separation of CEO and independent Chair (Amit Munshi); independent directors hold regular executive sessions .
| Committee | FY2024 Membership | Post-4/22/2025 Membership | Chair Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | Jarrett (member) | Not a member | Chair: Steve Schoch |
| Compensation | Member (noted in 2024 disclosures) | Member; Becker expected to be chair after AGM | Chair: Sandeep Kulkarni (pre-AGM); Dan Becker post-AGM |
| Nominating & Governance | Member | Member; Chair: Neil Graham | Chair: Neil Graham |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric (USD) | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual director cash retainer paid | $58,000 | $56,125 |
| Committee/member/Chair fees included in cash | Included in cash totals | Included in cash totals |
| Equity awards (options grant-date fair value) | $128,327 | $251,082 |
| Total director compensation | $186,327 | $307,207 |
Policy benchmarks:
- 2024 policy: Annual cash retainer $50,000 (reduced to $40,000 effective Oct 23, 2024); committee member retainers $8,000 (Audit), $6,000 (Comp), $6,000 (N&G); chairs $16,000/$12,000/$10,000; initial option 48,149 shares; annual option 117,000 shares .
- 2025 policy: Annual cash retainer $40,000; Chair of Board $25,000; committee member/chair fees same as above; initial and annual options equal to the lesser of 51,000 shares or $200,000 value, vesting in 12 monthly installments; six-month post-termination exercise if service ends (other than death/cause) .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Program Feature | 2024 Program | 2025 Program |
|---|---|---|
| Initial option grant | 48,149 shares; vest over 3 anniversaries or until next AGM | ≤51,000 shares or ≤$200,000 value; 12 monthly installments; full vest day before next AGM |
| Annual option grant | 117,000 shares; vest over 1 year | ≤51,000 shares or ≤$200,000 value; 12 monthly installments; prorated if <1 year tenure |
| Term/Exercise | 10-year term, earlier termination per plan | 10-year term; 6-month post-termination exercise (except death/cause) |
| Performance metrics | None disclosed; director equity is time-based vesting |
Jarrett’s outstanding director equity:
| As of Dec 31, 2024 | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Options outstanding | 137,406 | Director option grants under plan terms |
| Vesting structure | Time-based per director program | No performance metrics disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Multiple Zura directors/executives previously served at Arena Pharmaceuticals (e.g., Munshi, Schoch; Lisicki as CCO; Davis as VP), creating industry network interlocks; Jarrett also served on Arena’s board from 2017–2022 .
- No disclosed related-party transactions involving Jarrett in the “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” sections (transactions primarily involve licensing and capital raises; Jarrett not cited) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Finance and capital markets expertise (former CFO/COO; VP Capital Markets at Uber) supports Compensation and Nominating & Governance committee roles .
- Audit familiarity: Previously served on Audit Committee and signed the Audit Committee report in 2024 .
- Education: BA Dartmouth; MBA Stanford GSB .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned (Apr 1, 2025) | Percent of Outstanding | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Jarrett | 82,809 | <1% | Options exercisable within 60 days: 82,809 ; Unexercisable options outstanding: 54,597 (137,406−82,809) derived from |
Alignment safeguards:
- Hedging, short selling, margin purchases, and pledging of Zura stock are prohibited by insider trading policy .
- Company-wide clawback policy (effective Oct 2, 2023) applies to incentive compensation tied to financial measures (primarily executives) .
Insider Trades and Section 16 Compliance
| Year | Disclosure for Jennifer Jarrett | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Not cited among late Section 16(a) filers; company noted late filings by others (e.g., Ploos van Amstel, Davis, Sidhu, Badial) due to administrative errors |
Governance Assessment
- Committee posture: Jarrett’s move from Audit to Compensation and Nominating & Governance in April 2025 concentrates her finance/operating expertise where pay structures and board composition are set; Becker becoming Comp chair adds external investor perspective while maintaining Jarrett’s independent status .
- Engagement: FY2024 attendance ≥75% at Board and committees indicates acceptable engagement; independent director executive sessions are routine .
- Pay alignment: Director pay mix is modest cash plus time-based options; no performance metrics disclosed for director equity, typical for small-cap biotech governance; 2025 option cap ($200k value) adds discipline .
- Ownership: Beneficial ownership (<1%) with exercisable options; no pledging/hedging permitted — alignment without undue risk-taking .
- Conflicts: No related-party transactions disclosed for Jarrett; multiple prior Arena ties across the board present network interlocks, but independence affirmations and committee composition mitigate governance risk .
RED FLAGS: None specific to Jarrett disclosed (no related-party transactions, no hedging/pledging). Note broader board-level late Section 16 filings by others; monitor continued improvements in filing controls .