ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each
of our executive officers and directors as of April 15, 2017.
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
Jeffrey D. Abbey
|
|
55
|
|
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
Charles A. Nicolette, Ph.D.
|
|
54
|
|
Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Research and Development
|
Richard D. Katz, M.D.
|
|
53
|
|
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
|
Lori R. Harrelson
|
|
47
|
|
Vice President of Finance
|
Hubert Birner, Ph.D.
(1)(3)
|
|
50
|
|
Chairman of the Board of Directors
|
Robert F. Carey
(1)(2)
|
|
58
|
|
Director
|
Sander van Deventer M.D., Ph.D.
(2)
|
|
62
|
|
Director
|
Irackly Mtibelishvily
(3)
|
|
45
|
|
Director
|
Igor Krol
|
|
43
|
|
Director
|
______________
(1)
Member of the Audit Committee
(2)
Member of the Compensation Committee
(3)
Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Jeffrey D. Abbey
has served as our president and chief executive officer and a
member of our board of directors since February 2010. Mr. Abbey served in various other positions at our company from September
2002 to February 2010, including as our vice president of business development from February 2004 to January 2009 and as our chief
business officer from January 2009 to February 2010. Prior to joining us, Mr. Abbey served as vice president of business development
and finance at Internet Appliance Network, an information technology company, from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Abbey was a partner at
Eilenberg and Krause, LLP, a corporate law firm, from 1994 to 1999. Mr. Abbey received an A.B. in mathematical economics from
Brown University and an M.B.A. and J.D. from the University of Virginia. We believe that Mr. Abbey is qualified to serve on
our board of directors due to his extensive knowledge of our company and our industry.
Charles A. Nicolette, Ph.D.
has served as our chief scientific officer since December
2007 and as our vice president of research and development since December 2004. Dr. Nicolette served as our vice president
of research from July 2003 to December 2004. Prior to joining us, Dr. Nicolette served in various positions at Genzyme Molecular
Oncology, Inc., a biotechnology company, from 1997 to 2003, most recently as director of antigen discovery. Dr. Nicolette
received a B.S. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and cellular and developmental
biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, completing his doctoral dissertation and post-doctoral fellowship
at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Richard D. Katz, M.D.
has served as our vice president and chief financial officer
since July 2016. Prior to joining us, Dr. Katz served as chief financial officer for Viamet Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology
company, from February 2011 to May 2016. Dr. Katz also served as chief financial officer at Icagen, Inc., a biotechnology company,
from April 2001 to November 2011. Prior to Icagen, Dr. Katz served as a vice president in the healthcare group at Goldman, Sachs
& Company. Dr. Katz received an A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard University, an M.D. from the Stanford University School of
Medicine and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Lori R. Harrelson
has served as our vice president of finance since July 2011.
Ms. Harrelson served as our director of finance and accounting from January 2007 to July 2011 and as our director of accounting
and financial reporting from September 2004 to January 2007. Prior to joining us, Ms. Harrelson served as finance manager
at LipoScience, Inc., a diagnostic company, from 2001 to 2004 and a senior auditor at Ernst & Young, from 1997 to 2001. Ms. Harrelson
received a B.S. in finance from East Carolina University and is a C.P.A.
Hubert Birner, Ph.D.
has served as chairman of our board of directors since 2005
and a member of our board of directors since 2001. Dr. Birner joined the Munich office of TVM Capital, a venture capital
firm and affiliate of Argos, as an investment manager in 2000 and currently serves as the Managing Partner of the firm. From 1998
to 2000, Dr. Birner served as head of European business development and director of marketing for Germany at Zeneca Agrochemicals,
a biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Zeneca Agrochemicals, Dr. Birner served as a management consultant in McKinsey &
Company’s European healthcare and pharmaceutical practice. Dr. Birner currently serves as chairman of the board of
directors of SpePharm Holdings BV, leon-nanodrugs GmbH and AL-S Pharma AG. He is also a member of the board of directors of Proteon
Therapeutics Inc. Dr. Birner previously served on the board of directors of Horizon Pharma, Inc., Bioxell SA, Evotec
AG, Probiodrug AG and Jerini AG. Dr. Birner received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a doctorate in biochemistry
from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. His doctoral thesis was honored with the Hoffmann-La Roche prize for outstanding
basic research in metabolic diseases. We believe that Dr. Birner is qualified to serve as chairman of our board of directors
due to his extensive experience with biopharmaceutical companies and his years of experience providing strategic and advisory
services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as a lead director and investor.
Robert F. Carey
has served as a member of our board of directors since September
2015. Mr. Carey has been executive vice president, chief business officer for Horizon Pharma plc since March 2014. Prior to
that, Mr. Carey served as managing director and head of the healthcare investment banking group at JMP Securities LLC, a full-service
investment bank from March 2003 to March 2014. Prior to JMP, Mr. Carey was a managing director in the healthcare groups at
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Vector Securities International, Inc. Mr. Carey also has held roles at Red Hen Bread, InStadium,
Shearson Lehman Hutton and Ernst & Whinney. Mr. Carey received his B.S. in accounting from the University of Notre
Dame. We believe that Mr. Carey is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his valuable and relevant healthcare
investment banking experience with financings, mergers, acquisitions and global expansion and other strategic transactions as well
as his role as a CPA supporting the audits of public and private corporations, which we expect will assist Mr. Carey in fulfilling
his duties as chair of our audit committee.
Sander van Deventer, M.D., Ph.D.
has served as a member of our board of directors
since 2001. Dr. van Deventer has been a General Partner of Forbion Capital Partners (formerly ABN AMRO Capital), an affiliate
of Argos, since 2006. From 2008 to 2009, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, or AMT,
a gene therapy company that he co-founded in 1998. He has also served as a member of AMT’s board of directors since 2007
and as a member of the board of directors of UniQure since February 2014. Dr. van Deventer has also served as a Professor
of Translational Gastroenterology at Leiden University since 2008. He received an M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam.
We believe that Dr. van Deventer is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience as a founder of a biopharmaceutical
company and his expertise in clinical development.
Irackly Mtibelishvily
has served as a member of our board of directors since 2016.
Since 1998, Mr. Mtibelishvily has served in several capacities for Citigroup. During the period from 2012 until the present, Mr
Mtibelishvily has held the position of managing director and chairman of corporate and investment banking for Russia and CIS and
in December 2015 was appointed chairman of corporate and investment banking for Central and Eastern Europe Middle East and Africa.
In this capacity he is responsible for overseeing and developing Citigroup's corporate and investment banking business in more
than 35 countries. Mr. Mtibelishvily is a specialist in corporate finance, capital markets, securities, and mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to Citigroup, Mr. Mtibelishvily was with the multinational law firm Clifford Chance LLP from 1994 to 1998. Mr. Mtibelishvily
earned a master of international legal studies degree from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and a master of
laws degree from the University of Virginia Law School. We believe that Mr. Mtibelishvily is qualified to serve on our board of
directors due to his 25 years of transactional and management experience in the field of investment banking and corporate finance.
Igor Krol
has been a member of the board of directors since June 2016. Mr. Krol
is currently CEO of Veset International Ltd. (Veset), a technology start-up focused on bringing innovative cloud technologies to
media and broadcasting industry. Prior to joining Veset, Mr. Krol spent 12 years in investment banking at Sberbank CIB and Citigroup
Investment Banking. While at Citigroup from 2001 to 2012, Mr. Krol worked with a broad range of global and emerging markets clients
focusing on M&A and capital markets deal origination and execution including the initial public offering for Pharmstandard,
the leading Russian pharmaceutical company. Mr. Krol still maintains an advisory role with Pharmstandard, one of our principal
stockholders. Prior to those roles, Mr. Krol worked at Nestle, the leading global consumer company in varying roles including finance
and purchasing between 1996 and 1999. Mr. Krol holds an MBA degree from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, and BA in Systems Engineering
from MIREA Technical University, Moscow, Russia. We believe that Mr. Krol is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to
his relevant corporate finance and investment banking experience with mergers, acquisitions and financings, as well experience
in operational, financial and IT matters.
Board Composition and Election of Directors
Our board of directors is currently authorized to have up to seven members. In accordance
with the terms of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, our board of directors is divided into three classes, class I, class
II and class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. The members of the classes are divided as follows:
|
•
|
the class I directors are Sander van Deventer, M.D., Ph.D. and Igor Krol, and their term expires at our annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2018;
|
|
•
|
the class II directors are Hubert Birner, Ph.D. and Robert F. Carey, and their term expires at our annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2019; and
|
|
•
|
the class III directors are Jeffrey D. Abbey and Irackly Mtibelishvily, and their term expires at our annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2017.
|
Upon the expiration of the term of a class of directors, directors in that class will
be eligible to be elected for a new three-year term at the annual meeting of stockholders in the year in which their term expires.
In accordance with the terms of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, our directors are only able to be removed for cause
by the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% or more of our voting stock.
There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
Audit Committee
The current members of our audit committee are Hubert Birner, Ph.D. and Robert F. Carey.
Mr. Carey chairs our audit committee. Philippe Van Holle served as a member of our audit committee in 2015 and 2016 until December
2016 at which time he ceased to serve as a member of our board of directors. Ralph Snyderman, M.D. served as a member of our audit
committee from December 2016 to March 2017 at which time he ceased to serve as a member of our board of directors. Under NASDAQ
Listing Rule 5605(c)(2)(A), we are required to have three independent directors on the audit committee. Currently the audit committee
is comprised of Hubert Birner and Robert F. Carey, each of whom is independent under NASDAQ rules.
Our audit committee’s responsibilities include:
|
•
|
appointing, approving the compensation of, and assessing the independence of our registered public accounting firm;
|
|
•
|
overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting firm, including through the receipt and consideration of reports from such firm;
|
|
•
|
reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures;
|
|
•
|
monitoring our internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures and code of business conduct and ethics;
|
|
•
|
overseeing our internal audit function, if any;
|
|
•
|
overseeing our risk assessment and risk management policies;
|
|
•
|
establishing policies regarding hiring employees from our independent registered public accounting firm and procedures for the receipt and retention of accounting related complaints and concerns;
|
|
•
|
meeting independently with our internal auditing staff, our independent registered public accounting firm and management;
|
|
•
|
reviewing and approving or ratifying any related person transactions; and
|
|
•
|
preparing the audit committee report required by SEC rules.
|
All audit and non-audit services, other than
de minimis
non-audit services, to
be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm must be approved in advance by our audit committee.
Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Carey is an “audit committee financial
expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and qualifies as independent for audit committee members as defined under applicable
NASDAQ rules.
Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct
On December 20, 2013, we adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that
applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal
accounting officer or persons performing similar functions. The code became effective on February 6, 2014. We have posted
a current copy of the code on our website, www.argostherapeutics.com. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures
that are required by law or NASDAQ stock market listing standards concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision
of the code of business conduct and ethics.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors, executive officers and holders of more
than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership of our equity securities
on a Form 3 and reports of changes in such ownership on a Form 4 or Form 5. Based solely on our review of copies of such filings
by our directors, executive officers, and 10% shareholders, or written representations from certain of those persons, we believe
that all filings required to be made by those persons during fiscal 2016 were timely made.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
This section describes the material elements of compensation awarded to, earned by or
paid to each of our named executive officers in 2016. This section also provides qualitative information regarding the manner and
context in which compensation is awarded to and earned by our named executive officers and is intended to place into perspective
the data presented in the tables and narrative that follow. Our “named executive officers” for 2016 were:
|
•
|
Jeffrey D. Abbey, our president and chief executive officer;
|
|
•
|
Charles A. Nicolette, Ph.D., our vice president of research and development and chief scientific officer; and
|
|
•
|
Lee F. Allen, M.D., Ph.D., our chief medical officer who served during the year ended December 31, 2016.
|
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth information regarding compensation awarded to, earned
by or paid to our named executive officers during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015.
Name and Principal Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
($)
|
|
Bonus
($)
(1)
|
|
Option
Awards
($)
(2)
|
|
All Other
Compensation
($)
(3)
|
|
Total ($)
|
Jeffrey D. Abbey
(4)
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
|
450,000
|
|
|
|
356,500
|
|
|
|
1,029,892
|
|
|
|
18,527
|
|
|
|
1,854,919
|
|
President and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
|
450,000
|
|
|
|
202,500
|
|
|
|
714,502
|
|
|
|
6,911
|
|
|
|
1,373,913
|
|
Charles A Nicolette, Ph.D.
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
|
325,000
|
|
|
|
121,875
|
|
|
|
720,925
|
|
|
|
10,719
|
|
|
|
1,178,519
|
|
Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
|
325,000
|
|
|
|
108,875
|
|
|
|
446,564
|
|
|
|
9,267
|
|
|
|
889,706
|
|
Lee F. Allen, M.D., Ph.D.
(5)
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
|
407,292
|
|
|
|
389,375
|
|
|
|
1,016,592
|
|
|
|
62,170
|
|
|
|
1,875,429
|
|
Chief Medical Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
____________________
(1)
|
|
In lieu of paying an annual bonus to each of our named executive officers entirely in cash for 2016, in January 2017 we paid 75% of the annual bonus in cash and paid the balance of the annual bonus through the grant of restricted stock awards having a value equal to 25% of the annual bonus, including 11,875 shares of common stock to Mr. Abbey, 5,642 shares to Dr. Nicolette and 7,378 shares to Dr. Allen. The number of shares of common stock granted to each named executive officer was calculated by dividing 25% of the amount of such officer’s 2016 annual bonus that would otherwise have been paid by the closing price of our common stock on January 13, 2017. Each of the restricted stock awards was subject to a lapsing right of repurchase in our favor, which right lapsed with respect to 100% of the underlying shares of each award on April 19, 2017. Since Dr. Allen resigned on April 13, 2017, we repurchased the shares from Dr. Allen upon his resignation. In addition to the bonuses mentioned above, Mr. Abbey also received an additional cash bonus of $100,000 for 2016 and Dr. Allen received a starting bonus in 2016 in the amount of $230,000 paid in three installments within his first six months of service. In lieu of paying annual cash bonuses for 2015, in January 2016 we granted restricted stock awards to our executive officers, including 90,401 shares to Mr. Abbey and 48,604 shares to Dr. Nicolette. The number of shares granted to each named executive officer was calculated by dividing the amount of the 2015 annual cash bonus that would otherwise have been paid by the closing price of our common stock on January 8, 2016. Each of the restricted stock awards was subject to a lapsing right of repurchase in our favor, which right lapsed with respect to 100% of the underlying shares of each award on November 20, 2016.
|
(2)
|
|
The amounts reported in the “Option Awards” column reflect the aggregate fair value of share-based compensation awarded during the year computed in accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standard Codification Topic 718, or FASB ASC Topic 718. See Notes 2 and 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.
|
(3)
|
|
The amounts reported in the “All Other Compensation” column reflect, for each named executive officer, the sum of the incremental cost to us of all perquisites and other personal benefits and includes post-tax insurance earnings. The amount reported in this column for Dr. Allen for 2016 also includes $55,769 in relocation and temporary living expenses paid on behalf of Dr. Allen.
|
(4)
|
|
Mr. Abbey serves as a member of our board of directors but does not receive any additional compensation for his service as a director.
|
(5)
|
|
Dr. Allen was appointed as our chief medical officer in January 2016 and resigned in April 2017.
|
Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table
The primary elements of our executive compensation program are:
|
•
|
annual cash bonuses; and
|
|
•
|
equity incentive awards.
|
We strive to achieve an appropriate mix between the various elements of our compensation
program to meet our compensation objectives and philosophy; however, we have not adopted any formal policies or guidelines for
allocating compensation among these elements.
Base Salary
. We use base salaries to recognize the experience, skills, knowledge
and responsibilities required of all our employees, including our named executive officers. None of our named executive officers
is currently party to an employment agreement or other agreement or arrangement that provides for automatic or scheduled increases
in base salary. In 2016, we paid an annual base salary of $450,000 to Mr. Abbey, $325,000 to Dr. Nicolette and $407,292
to Dr. Allen.
Annual Bonus.
In addition to base salaries, our executive officers are
eligible to receive annual discretionary cash bonuses based on the achievement of corporate objectives and individual
performance. Bonuses are typically prorated on a monthly basis, as applicable, for executive officers who commence employment
after the beginning of the year. Our executive officers’ annual bonus opportunities are generally set as a specified
percentage of annual base salary. The 2016 annual target bonus amount was 60% of base salary for Mr. Abbey, 40% of base
salary for Dr. Nicolette and 40% of base salary for Dr. Allen. In determining Mr. Abbey’s annual bonus, we have
attributed 100% of the target bonus to the achievement of specified corporate objectives and in determining Dr. Nicolette and
Dr. Allen’s annual bonuses, we attributed 75% of the target bonus to the achievement of specified corporate objectives
and 25% to the individual’s effectiveness in helping us achieve our corporate objectives or other individual
performance criteria. The annual corporate objectives are recommended by our chief executive officer and approved by the
compensation committee and the board of directors. In lieu of paying an annual bonus to our named executive officers
entirely in cash for 2016, in January 2017 we paid 75% of the annual bonus in cash and paid the balance of the annual bonus
through the grant of restricted stock awards under our 2014 stock incentive, having a value equal to 25% of the annual bonus,
including 11,875 shares of common stock to Mr. Abbey, 5,642 shares to Dr. Nicolette and 7,378 shares to Dr. Allen.
The number of shares of common stock granted to each named executive officer was calculated by dividing 25% of the amount of
such officer’s 2016 annual bonus that would otherwise have been paid by the closing price of our common stock on
January 13, 2017. Each of the restricted stock awards is subject to a lapsing right of repurchase in our favor, which right
lapsed with respect to 100% of the underlying shares of each award on April 19, 2017. Since Dr. Allen resigned on April 13,
2017, we repurchased the shares from Dr. Allen upon his resignation. In addition to the above mentioned bonuses, Mr. Abbey
received an additional cash bonus of $100,000 for 2016 and Dr. Allen received a starting bonus in 2016 in the amount of
$230,000 paid in three installments within his first six months of service.
Equity Incentive Awards
. Our equity award program is the primary vehicle
for offering long-term incentives to our executives. We believe that equity awards provide our executives with a strong link to
our long-term performance, create an ownership culture and help to align the interests of our executives and our stockholders.
To date, we have used stock option grants for this purpose because we believe they are an effective means by which to align the
long-term interests of our executive officers with those of our stockholders. The use of options also can provide tax and other
advantages to our executive officers relative to other forms of equity compensation. We believe that our equity awards are an
important retention tool for our executive officers, as well as for our other employees.
We award stock options broadly to our employees, including to our non-executive employees.
Grants to our executives and other employees are made at the discretion of our board of directors and are not made at any specific
time period during a fiscal year. All of our named executive officers have received stock option grants under our 2008 stock incentive
plan or our 2014 stock incentive plan, each of which is described below. No further options may be granted under the 2008 plan.
Initial option grants to our executive officers are generally set forth in their employment
agreements. These initial grants are the product of negotiation with the executive officer, but we generally seek to establish
equity ownership levels that we believe are commensurate with the equity stakes held by executive officers serving in similar roles
at comparable biopharmaceutical companies. In addition, from time to time in connection with corporate finance transactions and
at other times as our compensation committee and board of directors deem appropriate, we provide subsequent option grants to those
executive officers determined to be performing well.
The majority of the stock option grants we have made to our executive officers vest over
four years. However, from time to time, our board of directors has approved grants with different and sometimes shorter vesting
provisions. Our historical practice has been to provide for 100% acceleration of vesting of outstanding stock options in the event
of a change of control. Additional information regarding the effect of accelerated vesting upon a change in control with respect
to our named executive officers is discussed below under “— Agreements with our Named Executive Officers.”
Outstanding Equity Awards as of December 31, 2016
The following table provides information about outstanding stock options held by each
of our named executive officers as of December 31, 2016. All of the listed options were granted under our 2014 and 2008 stock
incentive plans.
Name
|
|
Number of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
|
|
Number of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
|
|
Option
Exercise
Price ($)
|
|
Option
Expiration
Date
|
|
Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
|
|
Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
|
Jeffrey D. Abbey
|
|
|
14,175
|
(1)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
7/2/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,706
|
(2)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
12/5/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
50,425
|
(3)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
12/10/20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
63,452
|
(4)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
4/10/22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
45,602
|
(5)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
12/11/22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
297,632
|
(6)
|
|
|
88,486
|
(6)
|
|
|
5.82
|
|
|
|
11/1/23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
49,396
|
(7)
|
|
|
14,686
|
(7)
|
|
|
5.82
|
|
|
|
11/11/23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
35,283
|
(9)
|
|
|
23,117
|
(9)
|
|
|
6.09
|
|
|
|
7/27/24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
87,600
|
(10)
|
|
|
6.09
|
|
|
|
7/27/24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
45,000
|
(11)
|
|
|
75,000
|
(11)
|
|
|
7.80
|
|
|
|
6/16/25
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
250,000
|
(12)
|
|
|
7.41
|
|
|
|
6/12/26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4,552
|
(16)
|
|
|
22,305
|
(16)
|
Charles A. Nicolette, Ph.D.
|
|
|
14,640
|
(1)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
7/2/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,893
|
(2)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
12/5/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,619
|
(3)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
12/10/20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31,726
|
(4)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
4/10/22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,801
|
(5)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4.20
|
(8)
|
|
|
12/11/22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
124,599
|
(6)
|
|
|
37,044
|
(6)
|
|
|
5.82
|
|
|
|
11/1/23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,954
|
(7)
|
|
|
6,527
|
(7)
|
|
|
5.82
|
|
|
|
11/11/23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,875
|
(9)
|
|
|
7,125
|
(9)
|
|
|
6.09
|
|
|
|
7/27/24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
27,000
|
(10)
|
|
|
6.09
|
|
|
|
7/27/24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28,125
|
(11)
|
|
|
46,875
|
(11)
|
|
|
7.80
|
|
|
|
6/16/25
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
175,000
|
(12)
|
|
|
7.41
|
|
|
|
6/12/26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
4,552
|
(16)
|
|
|
22,305
|
(16)
|
Lee F. Allen, M.D., Ph.D.
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
300,000
|
(13)
|
|
|
2.19
|
|
|
|
1/19/26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
16,628
|
(14)
|
|
|
10.97
|
|
|
|
4/14/26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
83,373
|
(15)
|
|
|
6.30
|
|
|
|
7/10/26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
___________________
(1)
|
|
This option was granted on July 2, 2008 and vested as to 50% of the shares on the date of grant, and as to the remaining 50% of the shares in equal amounts monthly over the two year period commencing on April 1, 2008.
|
(2)
|
|
This option was granted on December 5, 2008 and vested in specified increments over a two-year period ending on April 1, 2010.
|
(3)
|
|
This option was granted on December 10, 2010. This option vested in equal monthly installments over a four year period, with the first installment vesting on February 24, 2010, provided that recipient continued to provide services to us over such period.
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(4)
|
|
This option was granted on April 10, 2012 and vested as to 1/3 of the shares on the date of grant, and as to the remaining 2/3 of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on April 10, 2012, provided that the recipient continued to provide services to us over such period.
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(5)
|
|
This option was granted on December 11, 2012 and vested as to 50% of the shares on the date of grant, and as to the remaining 50% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the two year period commencing on October 31, 2012, provided that the recipient continued to provide services to us over such period.
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(6)
|
|
This option was granted on November 1, 2013 and vested as to 25% on November 1, 2014, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on November 1, 2014, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
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(7)
|
|
This option was granted on November 11, 2013 and vested as to 25% on November 1, 2014, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on November 1, 2014, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
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(8)
|
|
In April 2012, our board of directors approved the repricing of stock options that had exercise prices between $10.86 and $36.66 per share, including this option, to the then estimated fair value of our common stock, determined to be an exercise price of $4.20 per share.
|
(9)
|
|
This option was granted on July 28, 2014 and vested as to 25% of the shares on July 1, 2015, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on July 1, 2015, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
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(10)
|
|
These options were granted on July 28, 2014 and vest based on the achievement of various individual performance and market targets at various dates through December 31, 2017, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us through such dates.
|
(11)
|
|
These options were granted on June 17, 2015 and will vest as to 25% of the shares on June 1, 2016, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on June 1, 2016, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
|
(12)
|
|
This option was granted on June 13, 2016 and vested as to 25% of the shares on June 1, 2017, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on June 1, 2017, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
|
(13)
|
|
This option was granted on January 19, 2016 and vested as to 25% of the shares on January 1, 2017, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on January 1, 2017, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
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(14)
|
|
This option was granted on April 15, 2016 and vested as to 25% of the shares on April 1, 2017, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three year period commencing on April 1, 2017, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
|
(15)
|
|
This option was granted on July 11, 2016 and vested
as to 25% of the shares on July 1, 2017, with the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal amounts monthly over the three
year period commencing on July 1, 2017, provided that the recipient continues to provide services to us over such period.
|
(16)
|
|
This award of restricted stock units for 10,924
shares of common stock was granted on June 13, 2016 and vests monthly in equal amounts over one year with the first installment
vesting on July 1, 2016 and the award of restricted stock vesting in full on June 1, 2017, provided that the recipient continues
to provide services to us over such period.
|
Agreements with our Named Executive Officers
We have entered into written employment agreements with each of our named executive officers.
The agreements set forth the terms of the named executive officer’s compensation, including base salary, severance and an
annual cash bonus opportunity. In addition, the agreements provide that the named executive officers are eligible to participate
in company-sponsored benefit programs that are available generally to all of our employees. The agreements also subject our named
executive officers to certain non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions. In connection with the commencement of their employment
with us, our named executive officers executed our standard confidential information and invention assignment agreements.
Each named executive officer is eligible to receive an annual performance cash bonus
under his or her employment agreement based on the achievement of corporate objectives and the named executive officer’s
individual performance, which is determined by our board of directors in its sole discretion. The bonus opportunity is calculated
as a percentage of the named executive officer’s then annual base salary. For the year ended December 31, 2016, the target
annual bonus for each named executive officer was 60% for Mr. Abbey, 40% for Dr. Nicolette and 40% for Dr. Allen. Each
named executive officer must be employed on the date the bonus is paid in order to be eligible for and receive his or her annual
bonus.
Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control
Upon execution and effectiveness of a separation agreement and release of all claims,
each named executive officer is entitled to severance payments if his or her employment is terminated under specified circumstances
pursuant to the terms of his or her employment agreement.
If we terminate Mr. Abbey’s, Dr. Nicolette’s or Dr. Allen’s employment
without cause or if each such named executive officer terminates his employment with us for good reason in accordance with the
terms of his employment agreement, he is entitled to receive from us an amount equal to nine months of his then annual base salary,
payable in nine equal monthly installments in accordance with our payroll practices, and standard health insurance coverage for
a period of nine months, subject to such benefits being available to non-employees. If the named executive officer’s standard
health insurance coverage is not available to non-employees under our company sponsored plan, we will reimburse the named executive
officer in an amount equal to the cost of the premium for coverage under a medical plan at the same level and on the same terms
and conditions in place immediately before his or her termination.
If we terminate the named executive officer’s employment without cause or if the
named executive officer terminates his or her employment with us for good reason in accordance with the terms of his or her employment
agreement, in either case within 90 days before or six months after a “change in control event” as defined in our
2008 stock incentive plan for Mr. Abbey and Dr. Nicolette, and as defined in our 2014 stock incentive plan, for Dr. Allen, and
such event also constitutes a “change in control event” within the meaning of the regulations promulgated under Section 409A
of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, or the Code, Mr. Abbey, Dr. Nicolette and Dr. Allen will be entitled to receive
the payments and benefits specified above for a period of 15 months rather than nine months. Additionally, in such circumstances,
Mr. Abbey, Dr. Nicolette and Dr. Allen will each be entitled to receive an amount equal to 15 months of his target bonus
for the year in which his employment terminates, payable in 15 equal monthly installments in accordance with our payroll practices.
Under Mr. Abbey’s and Dr. Nicolette’s employment agreements, effective
upon the closing of our initial public offering, or IPO, in February 2014 and for a period of four years from such date, to the
extent that any payment, benefit or distribution, or combination thereof, by us or any of our affiliates to the executive officer
pursuant to his employment agreement or any other agreement, plan or arrangement would constitute a “parachute payment”
within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and would be subject to the excise tax imposed under Section 4999 of the
Code, Mr. Abbey and Dr. Nicolette, as applicable, will be entitled to receive a “gross-up” payment equal
to the sum of such excise tax and related interest or penalties, plus the amount necessary to put him in the same after-tax position
that he would have been in had he not incurred any tax liability under Section 4999 of the Code. After such four-year period,
the applicable executive officer will not be entitled to any such “gross up” payment associated with any “parachute
payment” or excise tax.
If required by Section 409A of the Code, the payments we are required to make to
each named executive officer in the first six months following the termination of such named executive officer’s employment
under such employment agreement will be made as a lump sum on the date that is six months and one day following such termination.
Under the terms of the stock options granted to our named executive officers prior to
2013 under our 2008 stock incentive plan, upon a “change of control event” as defined in our 2008 stock incentive plan,
all unvested portions of any outstanding options held by them will vest in full. Under the terms of the stock options granted to
our named executive officers in 2013 under our 2008 stock incentive plan, upon a “change of control event” all unvested
portions of any outstanding options held by them will vest in full if we terminate the named executive officer’s employment
without cause or if the named executive officer terminates his or her employment with us for good reason, in each case within ninety
days before or six months after the “change in control event.”
On April 13, 2017, Dr. Allen voluntarily resigned from his position of chief medical
officer. No additional payments are owed to Dr. Allen.
2014 Stock Incentive Plan
In January 2014, our board of directors adopted and our stockholders approved the 2014
stock incentive plan, which became effective immediately prior to the closing of our IPO, which occurred in February 2014.
The 2014 stock incentive plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation
rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other stock-based awards. Upon effectiveness of the plan, the number
of shares of our common stock that were reserved for issuance under the 2014 stock incentive plan was the sum of 1,951,182 shares,
plus such number of shares of our common stock (up to 357,841 shares) as was equal to the sum of the number of shares of common
stock reserved for issuance under the 2008 stock incentive plan that remained available for grant under the 2008 stock incentive
plan immediately prior to the closing of our IPO and the number of shares of common stock subject to outstanding awards under
the 2008 stock incentive plan that expire, terminate or are otherwise surrendered, cancelled, forfeited or repurchased by us at
their original issuance price pursuant to a contractual repurchase right, plus an annual increase, to be added on the first day
of the 2015 fiscal year and each subsequent anniversary through January 1, 2024, equal to the lowest of 2,309,023 shares
of our common stock, 4% of the number of our outstanding shares on the first day of each such fiscal year and an amount determined
by our board of directors. On January 1, 2015, an additional 589,722 shares of common stock were authorized for issuance
under the 2014 stock incentive plan, on January 1, 2016, an additional 865,660 shares of common stock were authorized for
issuance under the 2014 stock incentive plan, and on January 1, 2017, an additional 1,650,527 shares of common stock were authorized
for issuance under the 2014 stock incentive plan.
Our employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisors will be eligible to receive
awards under the 2014 stock incentive plan. However, incentive stock options may only be granted to our employees.
Pursuant to the terms of the 2014 stock incentive plan, our board of directors will administer
the plan and, subject to any limitations in the plan, select the recipients of awards and determines:
|
•
|
the number of shares of our common stock covered by options and the dates upon which the options become exercisable;
|
|
•
|
the type of options to be granted;
|
|
•
|
the duration of options, which may not be in excess of ten years;
|
|
•
|
the exercise price of options, which may not be less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant of the options; and
|
|
•
|
the number of shares of our common stock subject to any stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units or other stock-based awards and the terms and conditions of such awards, including conditions for repurchase, issue price and repurchase price.
|
As of January 1, 2017, options to purchase 3,240,486 shares of our common stock, at a
weighted average exercise price per share of $6.39 were outstanding under the 2014 stock incentive plan.
Our board of directors has delegated authority to an executive officer to grant awards
under the 2014 stock incentive plan to all of our employees, except employees at or above the director level. Our board of directors
has fixed the terms of the awards to be granted by such executive officer, including the exercise price of such awards, and the
maximum number of shares subject to awards that such executive officer may make.
Upon a merger or other reorganization event, our board of directors may, in its sole
discretion, take any one or more of the following actions pursuant to the 2014 stock incentive plan as to some or all outstanding
awards other than restricted stock:
|
•
|
provide that all outstanding awards shall be assumed, or substantially equivalent awards shall be substituted, by the acquiring or successor corporation (or an affiliate thereof);
|
|
•
|
upon written notice to a participant, provide that all of the participant’s unexercised awards will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such reorganization event unless exercised by the participant;
|
|
•
|
provide that outstanding awards shall become exercisable, realizable or deliverable, or restrictions applicable to an award shall lapse, in whole or in part, prior to or upon such reorganization event;
|
|
•
|
in the event of a reorganization event pursuant to which holders of shares of our common stock will receive a cash payment for each share surrendered in the reorganization event, make or provide for a cash payment to the participants with respect to each award held by a participant equal to (1) the number of shares of common stock subject to the vested portion of the award (after giving effect to any acceleration of vesting that occurs upon or immediately prior to such reorganization event) multiplied by (2) the excess, if any, of the cash payment for each share surrendered in the reorganization event over the exercise, measurement or purchase price of such award and any applicable tax withholdings, in exchange for the termination of such award; and
|
|
•
|
provide that, in connection with a liquidation or dissolution, awards shall convert into the right to receive liquidation proceeds.
|
In the case of certain restricted stock units, no assumption or substitution is permitted,
and the restricted stock units will instead be settled in accordance with the terms of the applicable restricted stock unit agreement.
Upon the occurrence of a reorganization event other than a liquidation or dissolution,
the repurchase and other rights with respect to outstanding restricted stock will continue for the benefit of the successor company
and will, unless the board of directors may otherwise determine, apply to the cash, securities or other property into which shares
of our common stock are converted or exchanged pursuant to the reorganization event. Upon the occurrence of a reorganization event
involving a liquidation or dissolution, all restrictions and conditions on each outstanding restricted stock award will automatically
be deemed terminated or satisfied, unless otherwise provided in the agreement evidencing the restricted stock award.
At any time, our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, provide that any award
under the 2014 stock incentive plan will become immediately exercisable in full or in part, free of some or all restrictions or
conditions, or otherwise realizable in full or in part.
No award may be granted under the 2014 stock incentive plan on or after January 17,
2024. Our board of directors may amend, suspend or terminate the 2014 stock incentive plan at any time, except that stockholder
approval will be required to comply with applicable law or stock market requirements.
2008 Stock Incentive Plan
In February 2008, our board of directors adopted our 2008 stock incentive plan. Our stockholders
approved our 2008 stock incentive plan in March 2008. Upon the completion of our IPO, our board of directors agreed not
to grant any further awards under the 2008 stock incentive plan but all outstanding awards will continue to be governed by
their existing terms.
Types of Awards
. The 2008 stock incentive plan provides for the grant of
incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, nonstatutory stock options, restricted
stock awards, consisting of restricted stock and restricted stock units, and other forms of stock-based awards. Awards under the
plan may be granted to our employees, directors and individual consultants and advisors. Only our employees are eligible to receive
incentive stock options.
Share Reserve
. When initially adopted, an aggregate of 201,278 shares were
reserved for issuance under the 2008 stock incentive plan. The 2008 stock incentive plan was subsequently amended to increase the
total number of shares which were available for issuance under the plan to 2,325,898.
As of January 1, 2017, options to purchase 1,662,342 shares of our common stock, at a
weighted average exercise price per share of $5.44, were outstanding under the 2008 stock incentive plan.
Administration
. Our board of directors, or a duly authorized committee thereof,
is authorized to administer our 2008 stock incentive plan. Our board of directors has delegated certain authority to administer
the 2008 stock incentive plan to our compensation committee; however, our general practice was that awards were approved by the
board of directors. In addition, our compensation committee delegated to Mr. Abbey the authority to award stock options to
purchase 251,324 shares of our common stock to non-executive employees. Our board of directors or its authorized committee has
the authority under the plan to interpret and adopt rules and procedures relating to the 2008 stock incentive plan, as well as
to determine the terms of any award or amend the terms of any award made under the plan. No amendment to any award made under the
plan may materially and adversely affect the rights of a participant under any outstanding award without the participant’s
consent.
Stock Options
. Each stock option awarded under the 2008 stock incentive
plan was granted pursuant to a notice of stock option and stock option agreement. The board of directors determined the exercise
price for a stock option, within the terms and conditions of the 2008 stock incentive plan, provided that the exercise price of
a stock option generally could not be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. The vesting
and other terms of each grant under the 2008 stock incentive plan were determined by the board of directors in its discretion;
however, shares subject to stock options granted under the 2008 stock incentive plan generally vest in installments over a specified
period of service, typically four years.
The board of directors determined the term of stock options granted under the 2008 stock
incentive plan, subject to limitations in the case of some incentive stock options, as described below. In general, if an optionee’s
service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases for any reason other than disability, death or cause, the optionee
may generally exercise the vested portion of any option for a period of three months following the cessation of service. If an
optionee’s service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases due to disability or death or if an optionee dies
within a specified period following cessation of service, the optionee or a beneficiary generally may exercise the vested portion
of any option for a period of 12 months following the death or disability. If an optionee’s services are terminated for cause,
options generally terminate immediately upon such termination. In no event may an option be exercised beyond the expiration of
its term.
Stock purchased upon the exercise of a stock option may, depending on the terms of the
particular option agreement, be paid for using any of the following: (1) cash or check, (2) a broker-assisted cashless
exercise, (3) so long as our common stock is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the tender of common stock
previously owned by the optionee, (4) delivery of a promissory note, (5) payment of other lawful consideration as determined
by the plan administrator, or (6) any combination of the above.
Tax Limitations on Incentive Stock Options
. Incentive stock options are
subject to certain restrictions contained in the Internal Revenue Code. Among such restrictions, incentive stock options may be
granted only to our employees. The maximum term of an incentive stock option is ten years from the date of grant. Any incentive
stock option granted to any person who, at the time of the grant, owns or is deemed to own stock possessing more than 10% of our
total combined voting power or that of any of our affiliates must have an exercise price equal at least to 110% of the fair market
value of the stock subject to the option on the date of grant, and the term of the incentive stock option may not exceed five years
from the date of grant. The aggregate fair market value, determined at the time of grant, of shares of our common stock with respect
to incentive stock options that are exercisable for the first time by an optionee during any calendar year under all of our stock
plans may not exceed $100,000.
Restricted Stock Awards
. Each restricted stock award granted under the 2008
stock incentive plan was granted pursuant to a summary of restricted stock purchase and a restricted stock purchase agreement.
An award of restricted stock entitles a participant to acquire shares of our common stock that are subject to specified restrictions,
which may include a repurchase right or forfeiture right, if the shares are issued at no cost, in our favor that lapses in accordance
with a vesting schedule or as conditions specified in the award are satisfied. The board of directors determined the terms and
conditions of restricted stock awards, including the conditions for repurchase or forfeiture and the purchase price, if any. Unless
the board of directors determined otherwise, participants holding shares of restricted stock are entitled to all ordinary cash
dividends paid with respect to such shares.
Amendment
. The board of directors may amend, suspend or terminate the plan at
any time, subject to approval of the stockholders in certain circumstances if required by the Internal Revenue Code to ensure that
incentive stock options are tax-qualified and to a participant’s consent to the extent that any amendment to the plan may
materially and adversely affect the rights of a participant under any outstanding award.
Effect of Certain Corporate Transactions
. Unless otherwise provided in an
individual award document, in the event of specified changes of control of our company, our board of directors may take any one
or more actions as to any outstanding equity award, or as to a portion of any outstanding equity award, including:
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•
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providing that such awards will be assumed, or substantially equivalent awards substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding corporation or an affiliate thereof;
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|
•
|
providing, upon notice to the participant, that all unexercised awards will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction unless exercised within a specified period of time;
|
|
•
|
providing that all or any outstanding awards will become vested or exercisable, or restrictions applicable to such awards will lapse, in full or in part, at or immediately prior to such event;
|
|
•
|
in the event of a consolidation, merger, combination, reorganization or similar transaction under the terms of which holders of our common stock will receive a cash payment per share surrendered in the transaction, making or providing for an equivalent cash payment in exchange for the termination of such equity awards; or
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|
•
|
providing that in the event of a liquidation or dissolution awards will convert into the right to receive liquidation proceeds.
|
|
•
|
The majority of the awards granted under the 2008 stock incentive plan provide that the unvested portion of such award would become fully vested upon specified changes of control of our company.
|
Transferability
. Awards made under the 2008 stock incentive plan are not
transferable except by will or by the laws of descent or distribution or, other than in the case of an incentive stock option,
pursuant to a domestic relations order.
2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
In January 2014, our board of directors adopted and our stockholders approved the 2014
Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2014 ESPP, which became effective immediately prior to the closing of our IPO. Under the
2014 ESPP, as of January 1, 2016, an aggregate of 312,998 shares of the Company’s common stock are reserved for issuance.
Our compensation committee administers the 2014 ESPP.
The 2014 ESPP provides for six month offering periods during which eligible employees
may elect to have wages or salary withheld through payroll deductions for the purpose of purchasing shares at the end of the period.
All of our employees or employees of any designated subsidiary, as defined in the 2014 ESPP, are eligible to participate in the
2014 ESPP, provided that:
|
•
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such person is customarily employed by us or a designated subsidiary for more than 20 hours a week and for more than five months in a calendar year;
|
|
•
|
such person has been employed by us or a designated subsidiary for at least three months prior to enrolling in the 2014 ESPP; and
|
|
•
|
such person was our employee or an employee of a designated subsidiary on the first day of the applicable offering period under the 2014 ESPP.
|
No employee is eligible to receive an option to purchase shares of our common stock that
would result in the employee owning 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of our stock immediately after the grant
of such option.
We intend to make multiple offerings to our employees to purchase stock under the 2014
ESPP. Purchase plan periods under the 2014 ESPP will commence at such time or times as our board of directors determines. The first
purchase plan period commenced on September 1, 2014 and ended on February 28, 2015. Our board of directors has currently authorized
additional offering periods of six months each, beginning on March 1 and September 1 of each year until amended, suspended or terminated
by the board. Payroll deductions made during each purchase plan period will be held for the purchase of our common stock at the
end of each purchase plan period.
On the offering commencement date of each purchase plan period, we will grant to each
eligible employee who is then a participant in the 2014 ESPP an option to purchase shares of our common stock. The employee may
authorize up to a maximum of 10% of his or her base pay to be deducted by us during the purchase plan period. Each employee who
continues to be a participant in the 2014 ESPP on the last business day of the purchase plan period is deemed to have exercised
the option, to the extent of accumulated payroll deductions within the 2014 ESPP ownership limits. Under the terms of the 2014
ESPP, the option exercise price shall be determined by our board of directors for each purchase plan period and the option exercise
price will be at least 85% of the applicable closing price. If our board of directors does not make a determination of the option
exercise price, the option exercise price will be 85% of the lesser of the closing price of our common stock on either the first
business day of the purchase plan period or the last business day of the purchase plan period. In no event may an employee purchase
in any one purchase plan period a number of shares that exceeds the number of shares determined by dividing (1) the product
of $2,083 and the number of full months in the purchase plan period by (2) the closing price of a share of our common stock
on the commencement date of the purchase plan period. Our board of directors may, in its discretion, choose a different purchase
plan period of twelve months or less for each offering.
An employee who is not a participant on the last day of the offering period is not entitled
to exercise any option, and the employee’s accumulated payroll deductions will be refunded. An employee’s rights under
the purchase plan terminate upon voluntary withdrawal from the purchase plan at any time, or when the employee ceases employment
for any reason.
We will be required to make equitable adjustments in connection with the 2014 ESPP and
any outstanding awards to reflect stock splits, reverse stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations, combination of shares,
reclassification of shares, spin-offs and other similar changes in capitalization.
Upon the occurrence of a reorganization event, as defined in the 2014 ESPP, our board
of directors is authorized to take any one or more of the following actions as to outstanding options under the 2014 ESPP:
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•
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provide that options will be assumed, or substantially equivalent options will be substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding corporation (or an affiliate thereof);
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•
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upon written notice to employees, provide that all outstanding options will be terminated immediately prior to the consummation of such reorganization event and that all such outstanding options will become exercisable to the extent of accumulated payroll deductions as of a date specified by our board of directors;
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•
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upon written notice to employees, provide that all outstanding options will be cancelled as of a date prior to the effective date of the reorganization event and that all accumulated payroll deductions will be returned to participating employees on such date;
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•
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upon the occurrence of a reorganization event in which holders of our common stock will receive a cash payment for each share surrendered in the reorganization event, change the last day of the purchase plan period to be the date of the consummation of the reorganization event and provide that participants will receive a cash payment equal to the acquisition price times the number of shares of common stock that the participant’s accumulated payroll deductions as of immediately prior to the reorganization event could purchase at the option price minus the result of multiplying such number of shares by such option price; and
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•
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provide that, in connection with a liquidation or dissolution of our company, options will convert into the right to receive liquidation proceeds (net of the option price).
|
Our board of directors may at any time, and from time to time, amend or suspend the 2014
ESPP. We will obtain stockholder approval for any amendment if such approval is required by Section 423 of the Code. Further,
our board of directors may not make any amendment that would cause the 2014 ESPP to fail to comply with Section 423 of the
Code. Our board of directors may terminate the 2014 ESPP at any time. Upon termination, we will refund all amounts in the accounts
of participating employees.
Director Compensation
Our non-employee director compensation program is designed to provide a total compensation
package that enables us to attract and retain qualified and experienced individuals to serve as directors and to align our directors’
interests with those of our stockholders. The form and amount of director compensation paid under our program is reviewed and assessed
from time to time by the compensation committee with changes, if any, recommended to the board for action. Director compensation
may take the form of cash, equity, and other benefits ordinarily available to directors.
From January 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016, our non-employee director compensation
program, or the Original Program, provided for non-employee directors to receive an option grant of 11,000 shares upon election
to the board, which option grant vests in equal quarterly installments over a term of three years so long as such person continues
to serve as a director and an annual option grant of 5,500 shares upon the annual meeting of stockholders, which option grant vests
in equal quarterly installments over a term of one year so long as such person continues to serve as a director. These grants were
made under our 2014 stock incentive plan. Our program also provided for our non-employee directors to receive an annual retainer
of $35,000, and an additional retainer of $25,000 in the event such director is the chairman or lead director. If the non-employee
director was a member of our audit or compensation committee, he or she would receive an additional $5,000 retainer, which is increased
to $10,000 if such director is serving as the chair of such committee. If the non-employee director was a member of our nominating
and corporate governance committee, he or she would receive an additional $2,500 retainer, which is increased to $5,000 if such
director is serving as the chair of such committee. These retainers are paid to each non-employee director quarterly in arrears.
Effective as of October 1, 2016 we adopted a new non-employee director compensation program,
or the New Program, which provides that non-employee directors receive an option grant of 30,000 shares upon election to the board,
which option grant vests in equal quarterly installments over a term of three years so long as such person continues to serve as
a director and an annual option grant of 15,000 shares upon the annual meeting of stockholders, which option grant vests in equal
quarterly installments over a term of one year so long as such person continues to serve as a director. These grants are made under
our 2014 stock incentive plan. Our program also provides for our non-employee directors to receive an annual retainer of $40,000,
and an additional retainer of $25,000 in the event such director is the chairman or lead director. If the non-employee director
is a member of our audit or compensation committee, he or she would receive an additional $7,500 retainer, which is increased to
$15,000 if such director is serving as the chair of such committee. If the non-employee director is a member of our nominating
and corporate governance committee, he or she would receive an additional $5,000 retainer, which is increased to $10,000 if such
director is serving as the chair of such committee. These retainers are paid to each non-employee director quarterly in arrears.
Notwithstanding the change to the non-employee director compensation program, with
respect to the fourth quarter of 2016, we compensated our directors under the Original Program. It is our intention to
provide additional compensation to the non-employee directors to reflect the fact that the New Program was effective as of
October 1, 2016.
For 2016, our board had determined that each non-employee director would receive
shares of our common stock under our 2014 stock incentive plan in lieu of cash board fees on the last day of each calendar quarter
in 2016. The number of shares granted to each non-employee director on a quarterly basis was that number of whole shares of our
common stock equal to the dollar amount of such director’s fees for a given calendar quarter divided by the closing share
price of our common stock on the last trading day of each calendar quarter. For 2017, non-employee directors will receive
cash.
We reimburse each non-employee director for reasonable travel expenses and fees incurred
in connection with attendance at board and committee meetings on our behalf, and for expenses such as supplies.
2016 Compensation of Non-Employee Directors
Our non-employee directors received the following aggregate amounts of compensation in
respect of the year ended December 31, 2016:
Name
|
|
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
|
|
Option Awards
(1)
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
|
($)
|
|
Hubert Birner, Ph.D.
|
|
|
69,622
|
(9)
|
|
|
23,471
|
|
|
|
93,093
|
|
Robert F. Carey
|
|
|
45,260
|
(10)
|
|
|
23,471
|
|
|
|
68,731
|
|
Igor Krol (2)
|
|
|
19,510
|
(11)
|
|
|
59,050
|
|
|
|
78,560
|
|
Irackly Mtibelishvily (3)
|
|
|
1,935
|
(12)
|
|
|
104,056
|
|
|
|
105,991
|
|
Andrei Petrov (4)
|
|
|
40,036
|
(13)
|
|
|
23,471
|
|
|
|
63,507
|
|
Ralph Snyderman, M.D. (5)
|
|
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2,808
|
(14)
|
|
|
110,842
|
|
|
|
113,650
|
|
Brian J. Underdown, Ph.D. (6)
|
|
|
11,872
|
(15)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
11,872
|
|
Sander van Deventer, M.D., Ph.D.
|
|
|
39,989
|
(16)
|
|
|
23,471
|
|
|
|
63,460
|
|
Philippe Van Holle (7)
|
|
|
42,394
|
(17)
|
|
|
23,471
|
|
|
|
65,865
|
|
Alexey Vinogradov, Ph.D. (8)
|
|
|
15,571
|
(18)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
15,571
|
|
(1)
|
The amounts shown in this column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of the option awards granted to our non-employee directors computed in accordance with the FASB ASC Topic 718. The assumptions made in determining the fair values of our option awards are set forth in Notes 2 and 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.
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(2)
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Igor Krol joined our board of directors in June 2016.
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(3)
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Irackly Mtibelishvily joined our board of directors in December 2016.
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(4)
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Andrei Petrov resigned from our board of directors in December 2016.
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(5)
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Ralph Snyderman joined our board of directors in December 2016 and resigned in March 2017.
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(6)
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Brian Underdown resigned from our board of directors in March 2016.
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(7)
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Philippe Van Holle resigned from our board of directors in December 2016.
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(8)
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Alexey Vinogradov resigned from our board of directors in June 2016.
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(9)
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Includes cash retainers of $69,622 in lieu of which Dr. Birner received 12,620 shares of our common stock.
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(10)
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Includes cash retainers of $45,260 in lieu of which Mr. Carey received 8,206 shares of our common stock.
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(11)
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Includes cash retainers of $19,510 in lieu of which Mr. Krol received 3,784 shares of our common stock.
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(12)
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Includes cash retainers of $1,935 in lieu of which Mr. Mtibelishvily received 395 shares of our common stock.
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(13)
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Includes cash retainers of $40,036 in lieu of which Dr. Petrov received 7,197 shares of our common stock.
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(14)
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Includes cash retainers of $2,808 in lieu of which Dr. Snyderman received 573 shares of our common stock.
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(15)
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Includes cash retainers of $11,872 in lieu of which Dr. Underdown received 1,855 shares of our common stock.
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(16)
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Includes cash retainers of $39,989 in lieu of which Dr. van Deventer received 7,352 shares of our common stock.
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(17)
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Includes cash retainers of $42,394 in lieu of which Mr. Van Holle received 7,621 shares of our common stock.
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(18)
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Includes cash retainers of $15,571 in lieu of which Dr. Vinogradov received 2,480 shares of our common stock.
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As of December 31, 2016, our non-employee directors as of such date held the following
numbers of stock options, all of which were granted under our 2014 stock incentive plan:
Name
|
|
Option
Awards
|
Hubert Birner, Ph.D.
|
|
|
22,000
|
|
Robert Carey
|
|
|
16,500
|
|
Igor Krol
|
|
|
11,000
|
|
Irackly Mtibelishvily
|
|
|
30,000
|
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Andrei Petrov
|
|
|
22,000
|
|
Ralph Snyderman, M.D.
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
Brian Underdown, Ph.D.
|
|
|
7,333
|
|
Sander van Deventer, M.D., Ph.D.
|
|
|
22,000
|
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Philippe Van Holle
|
|
|
22,000
|
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Alexey Vinogradov, Ph.D.
|
|
|
—
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Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers serves as a member of the board of directors or compensation
committee, or other committee serving an equivalent function, of any other entity that has one or more of its executive officers
serving as a member of our board of directors or our compensation committee. None of the members of our compensation committee
is, or has ever been, an officer or employee of our company. The current members of our compensation committee are Sander van Deventer
and Robert F. Carey. Sander van Deventer chairs our compensation committee. Philippe Van Holle served as a member of our compensation
committee in 2015 and 2016 until December 2016 at which time he ceased to serve as a member of our board of directors. Ralph Snyderman,
M.D. served as a member of our compensation committee from December 2016 to March 2017 at which time he ceased to serve as a member
of our board of directors.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Since January 1, 2016, we have engaged in the following transactions, in which the
amount involved in the transaction exceeds $120,000 with our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our voting
securities, and affiliates or immediate family members of our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our
voting securities. We believe that all of these transactions were on terms as favorable as we could have obtained from unrelated
third parties. Compensation arrangements for our directors and named executive officers are described in “Item 11. Executive
Compensation.”
Participation in our Follow-On Public Offering
On August 2, 2016, we issued and sold 9,090,909 shares of common stock and warrants to
purchase an aggregate of 6,818,181 shares of common stock in an underwritten public offering at a price to the public of $5.50
per share and accompanying warrant. The shares of common stock and warrants were sold in combination, with one warrant to purchase
up to 0.75 of a share of common stock accompanying each share of common stock sold. The warrants have an exercise price of $5.50
per share, became immediately exercisable upon issuance and will expire on August 2, 2021. Our aggregate net proceeds of the offering
were $48.2 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.
The number of shares and warrants that each of our principal stockholders purchased and
the aggregate purchase price paid for such shares and warrants is set forth in the table below.
Name
|
|
Shares Purchased
|
|
Shares of
Common
Stock
Underlying
Warrants
Purchased
|
|
Purchase
Price
|
Pharmstandard International S.A.
|
|
|
2,363,636
|
|
|
|
1,772,727
|
|
|
$
|
12,999,998
|
|
Entities affiliated with ForArgos B.V.
|
|
|
1,545,454
|
|
|
|
1,159,090
|
|
|
$
|
8,499,997
|
|
Participation in our PIPE Financing
PIPE Financing.
On March 4, 2016, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain investors pursuant to
which we agreed to issue and sell an aggregate of up to $60 million of our common stock and warrants to purchase shares of common
stock in a private placement financing. The financing was to take place in up to three tranches. At the closing of the initial
tranche in March 2016, we sold and the investors purchased, for a total purchase price of approximately $19.9 million, a total
of 3,652,430 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase a total of 2,739,323 shares of common stock (0.75 shares of common
stock for each share of common stock purchased), based on a purchase price per share of common stock and accompanying warrant equal
to $5.44375. At the closing of the second tranche in June 2016, we sold and the investors purchased, for a total purchase
price of $29.8 million, a total of 5,478,672 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase a total of 4,109,005 shares of common
stock at the same price and on the same terms as the first tranche. The warrants issued in each closing have an exercise
price of $5.35 per share and expire five years from the date of issuance. Our stockholder, Pharmstandard International S.A.,
or Pharmstandard, had also agreed pursuant to the securities purchase agreement that, at our option following the satisfaction
of certain conditions, Pharmstandard could be required to purchase at a third closing up to approximately $10.3 million of shares
of common stock (without warrants). The dollar amount committed to be purchased by Pharmstandard at the third closing was
subject to reduction on a dollar-for-dollar basis for certain cash amounts raised by us after the initial closing through equity
or debt financings or collaborations. The net proceeds received from the follow-on public offering that closed on August 2,
2016 reduced in full the dollar amount committed to be purchased in the third tranche (see Item 1. Note 8 to the Financial Statements
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed on March 16, 2017), and as a result we have no further
ability to effect the closing of, and Pharmstandard has no further obligation to purchase shares in, a third tranche of the private
placement financing.
The number of shares and warrants that each of our principal stockholders purchased and
the aggregate purchase price paid for such shares and warrants is set forth in the table below.
Name
|
|
Shares Purchased
|
|
Shares of
Common
Stock
Underlying
Warrants
Purchased
|
|
Purchase
Price
|
Pharmstandard International S.A.
|
|
|
4,463,835
|
|
|
|
3,347,877
|
|
|
$
|
24,300,002
|
|
Entities affiliated with ForArgos B.V.
|
|
|
2,204,363
|
|
|
|
1,653,273
|
|
|
$
|
12,000,001
|
|
TVM V Life Science Ventures GmbH & Co. KG
|
|
|
458,242
|
|
|
|
344,432
|
|
|
$
|
2,499,999
|
|
Indemnification Agreements
Our certificate of incorporation provides that we will indemnify our directors and officers
to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with all of our directors
and executive officers. These agreements may require us, among other things, to indemnify each such director for some expenses,
including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by him in any action or proceeding arising out
of his service as one of our directors.
Policies and Procedures for Related Person Transactions
Our board of directors has adopted written policies and procedures for the review of
any transaction, arrangement or relationship in which we are a participant, the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and one of our
executive officers, directors, director nominees or 5% stockholders, or their immediate family members, each of whom we refer to
as a “related person,” has a direct or indirect material interest.
If a related person proposes to enter into such a transaction, arrangement or relationship,
which we refer to as a “related person transaction,” the related person must report the proposed related person transaction
to our chief executive officer. The policy calls for the proposed related person transaction to be reviewed and, if deemed appropriate,
approved by our audit committee. Whenever practicable, the reporting, review and approval will occur prior to entry into the transaction.
If advance review and approval is not practicable, the committee will review, and, in its discretion, may ratify the related person
transaction. The policy also permits the chairman of the committee to review and, if deemed appropriate, approve proposed related
person transactions that arise between committee meetings, subject to ratification by the committee at its next meeting. Any related
person transactions that are ongoing in nature will be reviewed annually.
A related person transaction reviewed under the policy will be considered approved or
ratified if it is authorized by the committee after full disclosure of the related person’s interest in the transaction.
As appropriate for the circumstances, the committee will review and consider:
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•
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the related person’s interest in the related person transaction;
|
|
•
|
the approximate dollar value of the amount involved in the related person transaction;
|
|
•
|
the approximate dollar value of the amount of the related person’s interest in the transaction without regard to the amount of any profit or loss;
|
|
•
|
whether the transaction was undertaken in the ordinary course of our business;
|
|
•
|
whether the terms of the transaction are no less favorable to us than terms that could have been reached with an unrelated third party;
|
|
•
|
the purpose of, and the potential benefits to us of, the transaction; and
|
|
•
|
any other information regarding the related person transaction or the related person in the context of the proposed transaction that would be material to investors in light of the circumstances of the particular transaction.
|
The committee may approve or ratify the transaction only if the committee determines
that, under all of the circumstances, the transaction is in, or is not inconsistent with, our best interests. The committee may
impose any conditions on the related person transaction that it deems appropriate.
In addition to the transactions that are excluded by the instructions to the SEC’s
related person transaction disclosure rule, our board of directors has determined that the following transactions do not create
a material direct or indirect interest on behalf of related persons and, therefore, are not related person transactions for purposes
of this policy:
|
•
|
interests arising solely from the related person’s position as an executive officer of another entity (whether or not the person is also a director of such entity), that is a participant in the transaction, where (a) the related person and all other related persons own in the aggregate less than a 10% equity interest in such entity, (b) the related person and his or her immediate family members are not involved in the negotiation of the terms of the transaction and do not receive any special benefits as a result of the transaction, and (c) the amount involved in the transaction equals less than the greater of $200,000 dollars or 5% of the annual gross revenues of the other entity that is a party to the transaction; and
|
|
•
|
a transaction that is specifically contemplated by provisions of our charter or bylaws.
|
The policy provides that transactions involving compensation of executive officers shall
be reviewed and approved by the compensation committee in the manner specified in its charter.
Director Independence
Applicable NASDAQ rules require a majority of a listed company’s board of directors
to be comprised of independent directors. In addition, NASDAQ rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member
of a listed company’s audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees be independent and that audit
committee members also satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
or the Exchange Act, and that compensation committee members satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange
Act. Under applicable NASDAQ rules, a director only qualifies as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of our
board of directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in
carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3, a member of
an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board
of directors, or any other board committee, accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee
from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or otherwise be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries.
In addition, in affirmatively determining the independence of any director who will serve on a listed company’s compensation
committee, Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act requires that a company’s board of directors must consider all factors specifically
relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship to such company which is material to that director’s ability
to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, including: the source of compensation
to the director, including any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee paid by such company to the director, and whether
the director is affiliated with the company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Our board of directors has determined that all current directors and the directors that served during the
year 2016, other than Mr. Abbey, were independent directors as defined by applicable NASDAQ rules. In making such determinations,
our board of directors considered the relationships that each such non-employee director and director nominee has with our company
and all other facts and circumstances that our board of directors deems relevant in determining their independence, including the
beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director and director nominee.
Our board of directors has determined that all of the members of the audit committee,
the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee are independent, as defined under the NASDAQ rules,
including, in the case of all the members of our audit committee, the independence requirements contemplated by Rule 10A-3
under the Exchange Act. In making such determination, our board of directors considered the relationships that each such director
has with our company and all other facts and circumstances that our board of directors deemed relevant in determining independence,
including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director.