On June 1, 2020, the board of directors (the “Board”) of 89bio, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Lota Zoth as a member of the Board. Ms. Zoth will serve as a Class III Director until the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until her successor is duly elected and qualified, effective immediately. Ms. Zoth was also appointed as Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board.

Ms. Zoth, age 60, serves in leadership roles on a number of public company boards of directors. She has served as a member of the board of directors and chair of the audit committee of Zymeworks, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, since November 2016 and as chair of the board of directors since September 2019. She has served as a member of the board of directors and chair of the audit committee of Lumos Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, since November 2012. She has also served as a member of the board of directors and chair of the audit committee of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, since January 2018 and August 2018, respectively. Previously, she served as a member of the board of Spark Therapeutics, Inc., a gene therapy platform company, from January 2016 to December 2019, Circassia Pharmaceuticals, plc, a specialty biopharmaceutical company, from February 2015 to February 2019, Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from April 2012 to May 2019, Aeras, a non-profit product development organization, from November 2011 to October 2018, Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, from February 2008 to May 2015 and Ikaria, Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, from January 2008 to February 2014. Prior to her retirement, Ms. Zoth most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of MedImmune, Inc., a biotechnology company, from April 2004 to July 2007 and as Vice President, Controller & Chief Accounting Officer from August 2002 to April 2004. Ms. Zoth is a Certified Public Accountant and received her B.B.A. from Texas Tech University.

In accordance with the Company’s non-employee director compensation policy, which is described in the Company’s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 8, 2020, Ms. Zoth will receive an annual cash retainer of $55,000 for her service as a member of the Board and as Chair of the Audit Committee. In addition, Ms. Zoth will be granted an option to purchase 20,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price equal to the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market over the ten trading day period ending on the date of grant. The equity awards will be made under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. The shares underlying the option will vest and become exercisable on the first, second and third anniversary of June 1, 2020, subject to Ms. Zoth’s continued service to the Company. Ms. Zoth has entered into the Company’s standard form of indemnification agreement, which was previously filed by the Company as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Form S-1 filed on October 11, 2019.

There are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. Zoth and any other persons pursuant to which she was elected as a director of the Company. There are no family relationships between Ms. Zoth and any director or executive officer of the Company, and she has no direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

On June 4, 2020, the Company issued a press release announcing Ms. Zoth’s appointment. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.