Corporate Cease Trade Orders, Bankruptcies, Penalties, Sanctions or Individual Bankruptcies
To the knowledge of the Company, no nominees for election as a director of the Company:
a) is at the date of this Information Circular, or has been, within 10 years before the date of this Information Circular, a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any company (including the Company) or has been, or acted in that capacity for a company that:
(i) was subject, to a cease trade or similar order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemptions under securities legislation, that was in effect for a period of more than 30 consecutive days (collectively, an “Order”); when such Order was issued while the person was acting in the capacity of a director, chief executive office or chief financial officer of the relevant company; or
(ii) was subject to an Order for that was issued after such person ceased to be a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the relevant company, and which resulted from an event that occurred while that person was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive office or chief financial officer of the relevant company; or
b) is, as at the date of this Information Circular, or has been within 10 years before the date of the Information Circular, a director or executive officer of any company that, while that person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets; or
c) has, within the 10 years before the date of this Information Circular, become bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or become subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of the proposed director; or
d) has been subject to any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court relating to securities legislation or by a securities regulatory authority or has entered into a settlement agreement with a securities regulatory authority; or
e) has been subject to any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court or regulatory body that would likely be considered important to a reasonable securityholder in deciding whether to vote for a proposed director.
Shareholders’ Proposals for the 2022 Annual Meeting
Any proposals of holders of common shares intended to be presented pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act (“Rule 14a-8”) at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2022 must be received by the Company, addressed to the Secretary of the Company at Suite 310 – 815 West Hastings St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 1B4, by August 19, 2022 to be considered for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement and form of proxy related to such meeting. After August 19, 2022, notice to the Company of a shareholder proposal submitted otherwise than pursuant to Rule 14a-8 will be considered untimely, and the person named in proxies solicited by the Board of Directors of the Company for its 2022 annual meeting may exercise discretionary authority voting power with respect to any such proposal as to which the Company does not receive timely notice.
Communications with the Board of Directors
Individuals may communicate with the Company’s Board by submitting a letter addressed to the member or members of the Board to whom the communication is directed, care of the Company’s Secretary, at Suite 310 – 815 West Hastings St., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1B4. All such communications, other than unsolicited commercial solicitations or communications, will be forwarded to the appropriate director or directors for review.
Executive Compensation
This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes the objectives and design of the Company’s compensation program for our 2021 named executive officers (NEOs), who are as follows:
Eric. A. Adams
|
|
President and CEO.
|
Bruce Colwill
|
|
Chief Financial Officer & Secretary
|
Alexandra Mancini
|
|
Senior VP, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs
|
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
General
The Company is committed to growing its business over the long-term. As a result of the competitive nature of the industry in which the Company operates, executives have significant career mobility and as a result, the competition for experienced executives is great. The existence of this competition and the need for talented and experienced executive officers to realize the Company’s business objectives underlies the design and implementation of the Company’s compensation programs. At the same time, the Company seeks to keep its approach to compensation simple and streamlined to reflect the growing but still relatively small size of the Company.
For the purpose of this Statement of Executive Compensation:
“compensation securities” includes stock options, convertible securities, exchangeable securities and similar instruments granted or issued by the company or one of its subsidiaries for services provided or to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the company or any of its subsidiaries;
“NEO” or “named executive officer” means, as an “emerging growth company,” as such term is defined in the rules promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, each individual who served as our principal executive officer during our fiscal year 2021, and our next two most highly compensated executive officers in respect of their service to our company for fiscal year 2021.
“Underlying securities” means any securities issuable on conversion, exchange or exercise of compensation securities.
All currency references herein are expressed in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise specified.
Objectives
The objectives of the Company’s compensation program are to:
• attract and retain qualified executive officers via a competitive compensation package;
• incentivize executive officers to deliver strong business performance;
• align the interests of the executive officers with the interests of Shareholders to create Shareholder value by ensuring a significant portion of executive compensation is dependent upon individual and overall business performance; and
• ensure the executive compensation program is simple to communicate and administer.
InMed’s compensation program is designed to reward personal competencies as they pertain to the specific position for which the person is employed and overall contribution to building the company’s business including the science and the R&D pipeline towards commercialization.
As such, the Company has included several factors to assist in developing its compensation philosophy:
• Using a consistent compensation structure among executive officers to encourage aligned goals;
• Including financial regulatory compliance as a performance metric to encourage accountability, as and when appropriate;
• Compensation in line with the company’s financial position;
16
• Incentive plan awards that include long-term metrics to avoid short-sighted decisions;
• Anti-hedging policies in order to prohibit directors and senior management from directly or indirectly hedging against future declines in the securities of the Company; and
• Periodically retaining independent compensation consultants to provide benchmarks and additional perspective.
While the Company’s objective is to reward for performance and remain competitive in the marketplace for executive talent, the Company carefully considers the expense of compensation and benefits in relation to the Company’s consolidated budget and financial strength as significant factors in determining compensation levels.
The Company intends to keep its compensation program simple to communicate and administer by focusing on base salary, short-term incentives, and long-term incentives. Directors and executive officers are encouraged to increase their ownership interest in the Company in order to, among other things, better align their interests with those of Shareholders. See “Executive Compensation — Elements of Compensation”. The Company does not currently have a pension plan.
Compensation Principles
The Company’s overall approach to compensation is to provide senior executives with total compensation that is generally competitive with compensation provided to individuals working in similar positions in the biopharmaceutical industry in Canada and the U.S. To best define what a ‘competitive compensation package’ would be, the Company undertook a comprehensive analysis of its compensation practices during 2020. At the behest of the Board of Directors, the Compensation Committee engaged an external consulting agency, AON/Radford, to advise on its approach to compensation for executives and the Board of Directors. The results of this exercise are detailed in the sections below.
In determining all aspects of executive compensation, the Compensation Committee / Board engages in discussion with the CEO and CFO to align compensation with the skill set, experience, and performance of the executive team members. The Compensation Committee / Board also rely on input from third party assessments in determining compensation ranges for each executive. Current compensation targets have been established utilizing the AON/Radford compensation assessment undertaken by the Company in 2020. The assessment included several variables across comparable companies in the pharmaceutical industry to determine a proper compensation range for each executive. Variables included (but were not limited to): size of the company (as measured by number of employees), stage of company pipeline development (bio/pharma pre-commercial), market capitalization of the company, amount of invested capital, private vs. public entities, etc. Once a range was determined for each position, the employee’s specific compensation level was set based on variables such as experience and importance to the overall corporate success.
The AON/Radford compensation assessment determined the most similar industry comparables to arrive at a competitive compensation level. The assessment included data from a total of 48 public, pre-commercial biopharmaceutical companies with under 50 employees and market capitalization less than $300 million.
This assessment benchmarked the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of salary levels, cash bonus levels (% of base salary), and equity levels. The Compensation Committee is currently aiming to target cash compensation (salaries plus bonus) somewhat below the 25th percentile and equity-based compensation at the 50th percentile of this benchmark data set. The net effect is to conserve cash for R&D programs based on lower cash compensation of this benchmark while strongly aligning executive interests with those of shareholders by establishing significant equity-based compensation levels.
Compensation Components
There are three main elements of InMed’s executive compensation program: base salary, annual performance-based cash bonus, and equity-based awards in the form of stock options that reflect the Company’s operating results as well as achievement of significant strategic initiatives. Equity-based awards enable the Company to attract and retain executive talent by aligning the executives’ interests with the Company’s long-term corporate objectives. Additionally, the Company offers to all employees extended health insurance. In certain instances, employee expenses for other minor business-related expenses are reimbursed (cell phones, parking, etc.).
17
Base Salary
The Company’s executives are currently compensated based on fixed, or ‘base’, salary paid semi-monthly in arrears. In establishing salaries for the Company’s CEO and other executive officers, consideration is given to salary ranges for comparable positions in similar size and stage biotechnology companies. Data for such comparisons is obtained from the evaluation of compensation against industry peers including those with a similar market capitalization and in the business of biotechnology. In setting salaries within competitive ranges, the Company considers performance related factors including the Company’s overall results during the past year and its performance relative to a budgeted plan or stated objectives. Consideration also is given to an individual’s contribution to the Company and the accomplishments of departments for which that officer has management responsibility, and the potential for future contributions to the Company. Overall, salaries are currently targeted somewhat below the 25th percentile. Over time, the Company intends to move towards the 25th percentile.
Cash Bonus
A cash bonus system has been developed by the Company to encourage the achievement of critical success factors, or goals, of the Company. The target bonus level is determined by position and typically ranges from 30%-40% of base salary for the Company’s executives with the CEO having a target bonus of 50%. Goals are determined by the direct supervisor of each employee, in discussion with the CEO and, ultimately, the Compensation Committee and Board of Directors.
The goals for each position are split into two segments: Task Achievement and Personal Effectiveness. The Task portion is heavily weighted (75%) and aligns with the overall corporate objectives. The Personal Effectiveness (25%) portion analyzes several criteria for each employee such as Initiative, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Integrity, and Leadership, among other criteria. Scoring for both sections are combined to determine what percentage of the employee’s target bonus will be paid, if any.
An example:
Task Achievement (50/75) + Personal Effectiveness (23/25) = Goal Achievement Score (73%);
Goal Achievement Score (73%) x Target Bonus (30%) x Base Salary ($100,000) = Cash Bonus ($21,900)
The payment of cash bonuses to employees, if any, is based on several factors as determined by the Board of Directors. Key elements include:
• The Company’s financial position. As determined solely by the Board of Directors, the Company’s current cash position relative to anticipated R&D expenditures, ability to raise additional capital and other factors play a large role in the payment of any bonuses to any employees.
• Achievement of critical goals. Should the company fail to reach its key corporate strategic goals, as defined by the Board, then the payment of any cash bonuses to any employee, regardless of their specific role within the company, may be negatively impacted such that the Board may determine that no bonuses be paid to anyone.
• As outlined above, Task Achievement and Personal Effectiveness.
Additionally, the Board has the sole discretion to award a bonus to any individual employee beyond the target bonus amount based on significantly exceeding their goals, or through accomplishment of objectives well beyond the scope of their role.
Share-based and option-based awards
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of InMed believes that equity-based compensation is an important component of InMed’s overall compensation structure. Based on the data from the recent compensation assessment, the Compensation Committee has determined that in order to present executives with a competitive package, the equity positions (via stock option grants) needed to target company ownership levels at the 50th percentile to offset the lower range of salaries. The Compensation Committee believes this approach will better align executives with the long-term prospects of the Company.
18
In accordance with the Compensation Committee’s charter, any equity award to employees is recommended by the Compensation Committee and submitted for approval by the full Board of Directors. In addition to regularly scheduled grants, the CEO may make a recommendation for other grants (referred to herein as “off-cycle grants”) in situations where InMed is seeking to attract a senior level hire, recognize employees for certain achievements or in other special circumstances.
Annual and Off-Cycle Stock Option Grants
The Committee believes that establishing fixed grant dates for the award of equity grants as we move forward is an important practice to ensure the consistency of the award granting process. Accordingly, each annual grant and off-cycle grant of equity-based compensation shall be awarded as follows:
• Annual Grant. A grant of equity-based compensation awards for employees shall be approved annually by the Compensation Committee / Board.
• Off-Cycle Grants. Off-cycle grants shall be recommended in writing by the Chief Executive Officer to the Compensation Committee / Board and shall be granted on an as-needed basis throughout the year.
• Other Awards. With respect to awards other than the annual grant or off-cycle grants, the date the Compensation Committee acts to approve an award, or such later specified date as the Compensation Committee shall designate in the approval, shall be used as the grant date of the award for purposes of InMed’s equity compensation plans. If action is taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting, the date of the Compensation Committee action shall be the date that the last Compensation Committee member has executed the consent.
Director Compensation
Director compensation is limited strictly to non-management directors. InMed’s director compensation philosophy is as follows:
• To provide a compensation level that will attract exceptionally experienced and skilled candidates and encourage them to play an active role in the strategic development of the Company;
• To compensate for Board work and work on Board committees; and
• To provide stock-based compensation to align director compensation with increases in long-term shareholder value.
Stock-Based Compensation
In addition to any stock options granted to new directors upon becoming a member of the board, on an annual basis and immediately after election of directors at each Annual General Meeting (“AGM”), each non-management director shall be granted stock options to purchase 7,000 Common Shares, priced as of the close of market on the date of the Company’s AGM, vesting 100% on the one year anniversary of the grant date or immediately prior the following year’s AGM, whichever is sooner, and expiring five years after date of grant.
Annual Cash Retainers
Prior to March 1, 2021, each non-employee director received an annual retainer of $25,000 per year paid quarterly in arrears. Additionally, the Chair of the Board received an additional $25,000 per year paid quarterly in arrears. Effective March 1, 2021, each non-employee director’s annual retainer was increased to $35,000 per year and the Chair of the Board’s additional retainer remained unchanged at $25,000 per year.
For committee participation, directors are eligible to receive up to an additional $15,000 per year paid quarterly in arrears, assuming a minimum of two committee memberships. There are no incremental fees for chairing a committee.
There are no other compensation elements for directors such as meeting fees and per diems. If a Director traveled on behalf of our Company, they are reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
19
The following table summarizes Director compensation as at June 30, 2021:
InMed Directors
(all figures in US$)
|
|
Annual
Director Fee
|
|
Annual
Chairman Fee
|
|
Committee(1)
|
|
Annual
Committee
Memberships
Fee
|
|
Total Annual
Fees
|
William Garner, MD
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
C,G
|
|
$
|
15,000
|
|
$
|
75,000
|
Catherine Sazdanoff
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
—
|
|
A,C,G
|
|
$
|
15,000
|
|
$
|
50,000
|
Andrew Hull
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
—
|
|
A,C,G
|
|
$
|
15,000
|
|
$
|
50,000
|
Adam Cutler
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
—
|
|
A,G
|
|
$
|
15,000
|
|
$
|
50,000
|
Eric A. Adams
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
0
|
InMed Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee acts on behalf of the Board of Directors of InMed to determine and approve the compensation of executive officers of the Company and to provide oversight of the Company’s global compensation philosophy. The committee oversees the Company’s compensation plans, including equity compensation plans and plans applicable to Directors and senior management. The purpose of the Compensation Committee is also to establish a plan of continuity for executives and other key employees, and to ensure a broad plan of executive compensation is established that is competitive and incentivizing in order to attract and retain the executive management and other key employees of InMed and to oversee compliance by Executive Management with the Company’s Code of Conduct.
The Compensation Committee is currently comprised of three members, all of whom are “independent” under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq and applicable Canadian securities laws. These members currently include Andrew Hull (Chair), Catherine Sazdanoff and William Garner, MD. Each of these individuals has extensive executive experience in biotech and pharmaceuticals companies, has been involved in establishing compensation for executive level employees, and has direct experience in negotiating executive employment agreements. Additionally, they have been entrusted on behalf of their respective organizations to make important strategic decisions as they pertain to proper resource allocation to maximize the likelihood of corporate success.
Any Compensation Committee member may be removed or replaced at any time by the Board and shall cease to be a member upon ceasing to be a Director of the Company. Each member shall hold office until the close of the next annual meeting of shareholders of the Company or until the member resigns or is replaced, whichever first occurs.
The Compensation Committee is required to meet at least annually, but currently meets at least quarterly. Additional meetings may be held as deemed necessary by the Committee Chair or as requested by any member. A quorum for the transaction of business at all meetings of the Compensation Committee is a majority of the authorized number of members. Questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present, and in case of an equality of votes the Chair shall have a second casting vote.
The Chair of the Compensation Committee shall:
(a) Call and conduct the meetings of the Compensation Committee.
(b) Be entitled to vote to resolve any ties.
(c) Prepare and forward to members of the Compensation Committee the agenda for each meeting of the Compensation Committee, and include, in the agenda, any items proposed for inclusion in the agenda by any member of the Compensation Committee.
(d) Review with the CEO the Company’s policies and strategies in determining the compensation of its Executive Management.
(e) Engage, on behalf of the Compensation Committee and the Board, independent consultants to advise the Compensation Committee on the compensation strategies and policies of the Company.
(f) Appoint a secretary to take minutes of the meetings of the Compensation Committee.
(g) Ensure that the Compensation Committee meetings are conducted in an efficient, effective and focused manner.
20
Subject to the powers and duties of the Board, the Board has delegated to the Compensation Committee the following powers and duties to be performed by the Compensation Committee on behalf of and for the Board. The Compensation Committee shall:
(a) Review the organizational structure and report any significant organizational changes, along with the Compensation Committee’s recommendations, to the Board.
(b) Review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to CEO compensation, evaluating the CEO’s performance in light of those corporate goals and objectives, and determining (or making recommendations to the Board with respect to) the CEO’s compensation level based on this evaluation.
(c) Review the compensation philosophy and guidelines for Executive Management, for recommendation to the Board for its consideration and approval.
(d) Review and recommend the compensation of each member of Executive Management and report its broad conclusions to the Board for its consideration and approval.
(e) Recommend to the Board for consideration and approval any short-term incentive plan, long term incentive plan, stock option plan, omnibus securities-based compensation or other incentive plan, pension plan or employee benefit plan to be granted to Executive Management and guidelines with respect thereto.
(f) With respect to the granting of securities-based compensation to Executive Management:
(i) in conjunction with management, administer such incentive plans or other benefit plans as determined and established by the Board to be granted to Executive Management;
(ii) review management’s recommendations for and, subject to confirmation by the Board, approve the granting of securities-based awards under any incentive plan to Executive Management and other key employees of the Company and its direct and indirect subsidiaries; and
(iii) suggest and review any amendments which the Compensation Committee considers necessary to any incentive plan and make recommendations to the Board with respect to those amendments; provided, however, that all amendments to such plans shall be subject to the consideration and approval of the Board.
(g) Recommend the Directors’ compensation plan to the Board.
(h) Within any guidelines established by the Board:
(i) in conjunction with management, administer the matching contribution plan, if any; and
(ii) suggest and review any amendments which the Compensation Committee considers for the matching contribution plan, if any, and make recommendations to the Board for the consideration and approval of the Board; provided, however, that all amendments to such plans be subject to the consideration and approval of the Board.
(i) Subject to the approval of the Board, review and approve benefits other than those applicable to employees generally to be granted to Executive Management including levels and types of benefits.
(j) Approve and recommend to the Board any changes in the benefit provisions of any pension plan.
(k) Consider and make recommendations to the Board for its approval all matters concerning incentive awards, perquisites and other remuneration matters with respect to Executive Management.
(l) Oversee the selection of and terms of reference for outside consultants to review the Executive Management and Board compensation programs as appropriate.
21
(m) With respect to board of directors of unrelated corporations which operate for profit and which compensate members of their board and/or significant commitments with respect to non-profit organizations:
(i) review a limit on the number of such board on which individual members of senior management may participate;
(ii) receive notice of proposed membership by a member of senior management and upon consultation with the CEO have a right to object to such membership; and
(iii) confirm in writing, through the CEO, to such member of senior management that the Company shall not indemnify the employee nor be exposed to liability with respect to the employee’s participation on such board.
(n) Review and approve executive and Board compensation disclosure in the annual information circular and other disclosure documents before such information is publicly disclosed.
(o) Have such other powers and duties as delegated to it by the Board.
(p) The Compensation Committee may annually develop a calendar of activities or forward agenda to be undertaken by the Compensation Committee for each ensuing year and to submit the calendar/agenda in the appropriate format to the Board of Directors following each annual general meeting of shareholders.
The Compensation Committee shall report to the Board at its next regular meeting all such action it has taken since the previous report.
The Compensation Committee is authorized to request the presence at any meeting, but without voting rights, of a representative from the external advisors, senior management, legal counsel or anyone else it considers to be able contribute substantively to the subject of the meeting and assist in the discussion and consideration of the business of the Committee, including Directors, officers and employees of the Company. The Compensation Committee Charter, as approved by the Board on April 22, 2020, is available on the Company’s website.
Compensation Governance and Risk Assessment
The Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee have not formally considered the implications of the risks associated with the Company’s compensation policies and practices. Although the Company does not have formal policies specifically targeting risk-taking in a compensation context, the practice of management and the Board is to consider all factors relating to an executive officer’s performance, including any risk mitigation efforts or excessive risk-taking, in determining compensation. Such risks, however, are mitigated by the Board’s active involvement at the strategic level of the Company’s businesses, including:
• annual approval of the Company’s operational and capital budgets and results;
• frequent discussions between Board members and with management; and
• approval of business opportunities as they arise, including a review of the partnering process and undertaking of due diligence.
The Board of Directors’ oversight helps to ensure proper monitoring of the level of risk-taking by management. This allows the Board to be responsive to management’s potential bias towards achieving short-term goals at the expense of long-term sustainability and Shareholders’ value. Furthermore, the Compensation Committee and the Board can use their discretion when assessing both an individual Named Executive Officer’s and the Company’s overall performance.
22
InMed has developed an Employee Handbook that contains corporate policies and guidelines for professional behaviour. The Company policies and practices apply to all employees, regardless of title. These guidelines include Code of Conduct, Terms of Reference for Board of Directors and all Committees, and policies for corporate disclosure, insider trading, whistle blower.
Under the Company’s Insider Trading Policy, executive officers and Directors are not permitted to purchase financial instruments (including prepaid variable contracts, equity swaps, collars or units of exchange funds) that are designed to hedge or offset a decrease in market value of equity securities granted as compensation or held directly or indirectly by the executive officer or Director. Specifically, to the issue of hedging/speculation in the Company’s securities, the Insider Trading Policy states:
Speculating in Securities. Directors, officers, and employees of the Company shall not:
(i) short-sell securities of the Company or its affiliates (i.e., sell securities that they do not yet own), except in limited circumstances permitted by corporate and securities laws; and
(ii) buy put options, or sell call options, on securities of the Company or its affiliates.
In fiscal 2021, the Compensation Committee did not identify any significant risks arising from the Company’s executive compensation programs that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.
2021 Summary Compensation Table
Name and principal position
|
|
Fiscal
year
|
|
Salary
($)
|
|
Bonus
($)
|
|
Share-based
awards
($)
|
|
Option-based
awards(1)
($)
|
|
Total
compensation
($)
|
Eric A. Adams
|
|
2021
|
|
327,809
|
|
160,627
|
|
—
|
|
246,725
|
|
735,161
|
President and CEO Director
|
|
2020
|
|
287,257
|
|
136,500
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
423,757
|
Bruce Colwill2
|
|
2021
|
|
273,597
|
|
123,941
|
|
—
|
|
118,428
|
|
515,966
|
CFO & Secretary
|
|
2020
|
|
202,762
|
|
85,830
|
|
—
|
|
140,761
|
|
429,353
|
Alexandra Mancini
|
|
2021
|
|
252,346
|
|
84,788
|
|
—
|
|
69,083
|
|
406,217
|
Senior VP, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs
|
|
2020
|
|
230,133
|
|
78,058
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
308,191
|
The Company, during the most recently completed year ended June 30, 2021, had the following formal employment agreements with its NEOs. See “Termination and Change of Control” for further details.
23
Adams Contract
On June 15, 2016, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Eric A. Adams with an effective date of June 16, 2016 providing for compensation at an initial annual base salary of C$120,000. The employment agreement provided that Mr. Adams’ base salary would increase upon the achievement of certain capital raising initiatives. Upon achievement of these milestones, Mr. Adams’ base salary increased to C$220,000 effective November 1, 2016, and further increased to C$280,000 effective March 1, 2017. Effective January 1, 2018, the Board approved an increase in Mr. Adams’ base salary to $241, 792 per annum. After the Board completed a compensation assessment, effective April 1, 2018, Mr. Adams’ base salary was increased to $287,128 per annum and was again reviewed and increased to $283,020 effective July 1, 2019. On March 1, 2021, in conjunction with the development of an updated form of employment agreement with each then current employee of the Company, the Company entered into a new employment agreement with Mr. Adams at which time his base salary was increased to $390,912. Consistent with his previous employment agreement, his new employment agreement provides that he is eligible to be considered for an annual discretionary bonus which will be subject to the approval of the Board and the compensation committee of, in their sole discretion, on an annual basis in accordance with our annual performance and compensation review process. Additionally, other benefits included eligibility to participate in the Company’s insurance benefits plan, if any, and vacation entitlement of 30 days per calendar year.
Colwill Contract
The Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Colwill effective August 9, 2019 providing for compensation at an initial annual base salary of $227,473. On March 1, 2021, in conjunction with the development of an updated form of employment agreement with each then current employee of the Company, our Company entered into a new employment agreement with Mr. Colwill at which time his base salary was increased to $325,760. Consistent with his previous employment agreement, his new employment agreement provides that he is eligible to be considered for an annual discretionary bonus which will be subject to the approval of the Board and the compensation committee, in their sole discretion, on an annual basis in accordance with our annual performance and compensation review process. Additionally, other benefits included eligibility to participate in the Company’s insurance benefits plan, if any, and vacation entitlement of 30 days per calendar year.
Mancini Contract
Effective October 28, 2016, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Mancini providing for an initial base salary of C$140,000 for a part-time commitment. Furthermore, the employment agreement provides for an initial grant of 12,121 stock options granted in accordance with our stock option plan an which vested over 18 months (granted, see details in “Outstanding Option-Based and Share-Based Awards” table). On April 1, 2018, Ms. Mancini’s base salary was increased to C$225,000 for a 75% time commitment and on January 1, 2019, her base salary was increased to C$300,000 for a 100% time commitment. Effective July 1, 2019, her salary was increased to $226,739. On March 1, 2021, in conjunction with the development of an updated form of employment agreement with each then current employee of the Company, the Company entered into a new employment agreement with Ms. Mancini at which time her base salary was increased to $280,968. Consistent with her previous employment agreement, her new employment agreement provides that she is eligible to be considered for an annual discretionary bonus which will be subject to approval of the Board and the compensation committee, in their sole discretion, on an annual basis in accordance with our annual performance and compensation review process. Additionally, other benefits included eligibility to participate in the Company’s insurance benefits plan, if any, and vacation entitlement of 30 days per calendar year.
24
Incentive Plan Awards
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table presents information regarding outstanding equity awards held by our NEOs as of June 30, 2021:
|
|
Option Awards
|
Name
|
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable
|
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable
|
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options
(#)
|
|
Option
Exercise Price
(C$)
($)
|
|
Option
Expiration
Date
($)
|
Eric A. Adams
|
|
13,636
|
(1)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
14.85
|
|
6/2/2022
|
|
|
13,636
|
(2)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
51.15
|
|
3/8/2023
|
|
|
45,455
|
(3)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
33.66
|
|
5/16/2023
|
|
|
14,242
|
(4)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
14.36
|
|
5/27/2024
|
|
|
31,250
|
(5)
|
|
93,750
|
(5)
|
|
—
|
|
3.85
|
|
12/15/2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alexander Mancini
|
|
12,121
|
(6)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
6.44
|
|
10/28/2021
|
|
|
3,030
|
(7)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
12.21
|
|
2/20/2022
|
|
|
1,515
|
(8)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
14.85
|
|
6/2/2022
|
|
|
1,515
|
(9)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
51.15
|
|
3/8/2023
|
|
|
12,121
|
(10)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
33.66
|
|
5/16/2023
|
|
|
1,515
|
(11)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
16.83
|
|
1/21/2024
|
|
|
6,060
|
(12)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
14.36
|
|
5/27/2024
|
|
|
8,750
|
(13)
|
|
28,250
|
(13)
|
|
—
|
|
3.85
|
|
12/15/2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bruce Colwill
|
|
15,152
|
(14)
|
|
15,151
|
(14)
|
|
—
|
|
8.91
|
|
8/9/2024
|
|
|
15,000
|
(15)
|
|
45,000
|
(15)
|
|
—
|
|
3.85
|
|
12/15/2025
|
25
Stock Option Plan
Pursuant to the 2017 Stock Option Plan, approved by the shareholders of the Company at the Company’s special meeting on March 24, 2017 and amended on November 20, 2020 (the “Option Plan”), the Board of Directors of the Company may, from time to time, in its discretion and in accordance with the exchange requirements, grant to Directors, officers, employees and consultants of Company (the “Optionee”), non-transferable options to acquire Common Share (the “Options”) to purchase Common Shares, provided that the number of Common Shares reserved for issuance will not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the issued and outstanding Common Shares at the date the Options are granted (on a non-diluted basis), exercisable for a period of up to ten (10) years from the date of grant.
The exercise price and the term of Options are determined by the Board of Directors and are subject to approval by the exchange. However, the exercise price cannot be lower than the greater of the closing market prices of the Common Shares on the trading day prior to the date of grant of the Options and the date of grant of the Options.
In the event an Optionee dies prior to the expiry of his option, his legal representatives may, by the earlier of:
a) one year from the date of the Optionee’s death (or such lesser period as may be specified by the Board at the time of granting the option); and
b) the expiry date of the option;
exercise any portion of such option.
If an Optionee ceases to be a Director, officer, employee or consultant for any reason other than death, his Option shall terminate as specified by the Board at the time of granting the Option, and all rights to purchase Common Shares under such Option shall cease and expire and be of no further force or effect.
Subject to exchange policies, if any Option granted under the Option Plan shall expire or terminate for any reason without having been exercised in full, such unexercised Options shall become available for future Option grants under the Option Plan.
The Board of Directors may amend the Option Plan, subject to, as the case may require, the approvals of the exchange, or the Optionees who have been granted Options.
The full text of the Option Plan is available at www.sec.gov and will be supplied free of charge to Shareholders upon written request made directly to the Company at its registered head office located at Suite 310 – 815 West Hastings St., Vancouver British Columbia, V6C 1B4, Attention: President and CEO.
26
Pension Plan Benefits
During the Company’s most recently completed financial year, the Company and its direct and indirect subsidiaries did not have a defined benefit plan, deferred contribution plan, deferred compensation plan or pension plan.
Termination and Change of Control Benefits
The Company does not have any pension or retirement plan which is applicable to the NEO’s. The Company has not provided compensation, monetary or otherwise, during the most recently completed financial year June 30, 2021, to any person who now or previously has acted as an NEO of the Company, in connection with or related to the retirement, termination or resignation of such person, and the Company has provided no compensation to any such person as a result of a change of control of the Company. In the case of resignation, retirement or termination of employment with cause, every NEO contract provides there will be no severance payment made. However, the NEO would be entitled to any vacation due.
The Company has employment agreements with its NEOs which include termination and change of control provisions as described herein below. The change of control provisions recognize the critical nature of these positions and the individuals involved and the requirement to protect the individuals from disruption to their engagement in the event of a change of control of the Company. The change of control provisions are designed to treat the individuals in a manner consistent with industry standards for executives in similar positions.
For the purposes of the employment agreements with the NEOs, “Change in Control” is defined as (i) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company to an unrelated person or entity; (ii) a merger, reorganization, or consolidation involving the Company in which the shares of the voting stock outstanding immediately prior to the transaction represent or are converted into or exchanged for securities of the surviving or resulting entity that immediately upon completion of the transaction, represents 51% or less of the outstanding voting power of the surviving or resulting entity; (iii) the acquisition of all or a majority of the outstanding voting stock of the Company in a single transaction or a series of related transactions by a person or group of persons; or (iv) any other acquisition of the business of the Company, as determined by the Board (but any public offering by the Company or another capital raising event, or a merger effected solely to change the Company’s domicile does not constitute a Change of Control).
For the purposes of the employment agreements with the NEOs and in the context of a Change of Control, “Good Reason” is defined as the occurrence of any of the following events without the NEO’s prior written consent: (i) a change in the NEO’s position which materially reduces the NEO’s responsibilities from the responsibilities in effect immediately prior to the Change of Control; (ii) a reduction by the Company of the NEO’s base salary or target bonus percentage, except for an across-the-board salary reduction affecting all senior executives of the Company; or (iii) a relocation of the NEO’s principal place of employment by more than 30 kilometres.
The employment agreements with the NEOs provide that if, following a Change of Control, the Company terminates the NEO’s employment with the Company without cause or the NEO resigns from his/her employment with the Company for Good Reason, then the NEO will be entitled to a Change in Control Severance Amount.
The actual amounts that a Named Executive Officer would receive upon termination of employment can only be determined at the time of termination and is based on the number of months of base salary at that time. The following table provides a description of the severance requirements and the estimated corresponding value that the Named Executive Officers that were employed by the Company at the end of the financial year would have received if the termination had occurred on June 30, 2021:
|
|
Termination without cause
|
|
Change of Control
|
|
|
Description(1)
|
|
Value
($)
|
|
Description(1)
|
|
Value
($)
|
Eric A. Adams
President and CEO Director
|
|
24 month’s salary plus Average Bonus Payment
|
|
912,249
|
|
24 month’s salary plus Average Bonus Payment
|
|
912,249
|
Bruce Colwill
CFO & Secretary
|
|
12 month’s salary plus Average Bonus Payment
|
|
430,646
|
|
12 month’s salary plus Average Bonus Payment
|
|
430,646
|
Alexandra Mancini
Senior VP, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs
|
|
12 months’ Base Salary plus Average Bonus Payment
|
|
354,841
|
|
12 month’s salary plus Average Bonus Payment
|
|
354,841
|
27
Director Compensation
The Company currently pays cash compensation to non-management directors as outlined in the earlier section “Director Compensation — Annual Cash Retainers”. In addition, the Directors are reimbursed for expenses occurred in carrying out their duties as Directors and are granted stock options.
The Company has a formalized Option Plan for the granting of incentive stock options to the officers, employees and Directors. The purpose of granting such options is to assist the Company in compensating, attracting, retaining and incentivizing the Directors of the Company and to closely align the personal interests of such persons to that of the shareholders. The granting of incentive options allows the Company to reward Directors’ efforts to increase value for shareholders without requiring the Company to use cash from its treasury.
The following table summarizes the compensation of the Directors for the financial year ended June 30, 2021:
Name
|
|
Fees
earned
($)
|
|
Share-based
awards
($)
|
|
Option-
based
awards
($)
|
|
Non-equity incentive
plan compensation
($)
|
|
Pension
value
($)
|
|
All other
compensation
($)
|
|
Total
compensation
($)
|
Annual
incentive
plans
|
|
Long-term
incentive
plans
|
|
William J. Garner
|
|
68,333
|
|
—
|
|
12,790
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
81,123
|
Adam Cutler
|
|
43,333
|
|
—
|
|
12,790
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
56,123
|
Andrew Hull
|
|
43,333
|
|
—
|
|
12,790
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
56,123
|
Catherine Sazdanoff
|
|
43,333
|
|
—
|
|
35,025
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
78,358
|
Outstanding Option-Based and Share-Based Awards
The following table sets out the option-based and Share-based awards outstanding as at June 30, 2021 for the Directors:
Name
|
|
|
|
Option-based awards
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share-based awards
|
Number of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options
(#)
|
|
Option
exercise
price
($)
|
|
Option
expiration
date
|
|
Value of
unexercised
in-the-money
options(1)
($)
|
|
Number of
Shares that
have not
vested
(#)
|
|
Market or
payout
value of
Share-based
awards that
have not
vested
($)
|
|
Market or
payout value
of vested
Share-based
awards not
paid out or
distributed
($)
|
William J. Garner
|
|
24,242
|
|
4.290
|
|
June10,2021
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
16.500
|
|
Jan.14,2024
|
|
103,998
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
8.250
|
|
Jan.11,2025
|
|
—
|
|
1,061
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
7,000
|
|
3.85
|
|
December15,2025
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adam Cutler
|
|
6,061
|
|
4.785
|
|
Nov.23,2020
|
|
23,001
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,515
|
|
4.620
|
|
Nov.27,2020
|
|
5,999
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
22,727
|
|
3.630
|
|
July26,2021
|
|
112,499
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
16.500
|
|
Jan.14,2024
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
8.250
|
|
Jan.11,2025
|
|
350
|
|
1,061
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
7,000
|
|
3.85
|
|
December15,2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Andrew Hull
|
|
30,303
|
|
3.630
|
|
Sept.12,2021
|
|
150,000
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
16.500
|
|
Jan.14,2024
|
|
—
|
|
1,061
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
8.250
|
|
Jan.11,2025
|
|
350
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
7,000
|
|
3.85
|
|
December15,2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Catherine Sazdanoff
|
|
3,030
|
|
10.890
|
|
July1,2019
|
|
—
|
|
2,104
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
8.250
|
|
Jan.11,2025
|
|
350
|
|
1,061
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
|
11,000
|
|
3.85
|
|
December15,2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,000
|
|
3.85
|
|
December15,2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
The following table sets forth as at the year ended June 30, 2021, the number of securities authorized for issuance under the Company’s Option Plan:
Option Plan Category
|
|
Number of
securities to
be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding
options
|
|
Weighted-
average
exercise price
of outstanding
options
|
|
Number of
securities
remaining
available for
future issuance
under equity
compensation
plans(1)
|
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
|
|
912,006
|
|
$
|
8.61
|
|
132,137
|
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
Total
|
|
912,006
|
|
$
|
8.61
|
|
132,137
|
The following table provides the annual burn rate associated with the Company’s Option Plan for each of the Company’s three most recent fiscal years:
Fiscal year
|
|
Number of
stock options
granted under
the Option
Plan(1)
|
|
Weighted-average number
of Shares
outstanding(2)
|
|
Annual
burn rate(3)
|
2021
|
|
361,250
|
|
6,719,830
|
|
5.38
|
%
|
2020
|
|
52,728
|
|
5,220,707
|
|
1.01
|
%
|
2019
|
|
145,454
|
|
5,220,707
|
|
2.79
|
%
|
29
INDEBTEDNESS OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
As of the date of this Circular, no current or former Director, executive officer or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is indebted to the Company or any of its subsidiaries in relation to a purchase of securities or otherwise, or to another entity where the indebtedness is the subject of a guarantee, support agreement, letter of credit or other similar arrangement or understanding provided by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
INTEREST OF INFORMED PERSONS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
To the knowledge of management of the Company, no informed person (as defined in National Instrument 51-102) or any associate or affiliate of any such informed person had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction or proposed transaction which has materially affected or would materially affect the Company or any of its subsidiaries since the beginning of the most recently completed financial year, other than as set out herein or in the notes to the Company’s most recent audited annual and interim financial statements, which have been filed on SEDAR and are available at www.sedar.com.
Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance
Our Directors and officers are covered by directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. Under this insurance coverage, we will be reimbursed for insured claims where payments have been made under indemnity provisions on behalf of our Directors and officers, subject to a deductible for each loss, which will be paid by us. Individual Directors and officers of our Company will also be reimbursed for insured claims arising during the performance of their duties for which they are not indemnified by our Company. Excluded from insurance coverage are illegal acts, acts which result in personal profit and certain other acts.
STATEMENT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to National Instrument 58-101 — Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices, disclosure of the Company’s governance system is attached to this Information Circular as Schedule A.
30
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD
The following Report of the Audit Committee does not constitute soliciting material and should not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference into any other filing by InMed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent InMed specifically incorporates this Report by reference therein.
The Audit Committee of the Board, which consists entirely of directors who meet the independence and experience requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market and Canadian securities regulations, has furnished the following report:
The Audit Committee assists the Board in overseeing and monitoring the Company’s financial reporting process, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the Company’s internal and external audit processes. This committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in our charter adopted by the Board, which is available on our website at https://investors.inmedpharma.com/corporate-governance. This committee reviews and reassesses our charter annually and recommends any changes to the Board for approval. The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing our overall financial reporting process, and for the appointment, compensation, retention, and oversight of the work of KPMG LLP. In fulfilling its responsibilities for the financial statements for fiscal year 2021, the Audit Committee took the following actions:
• Reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended 2021 with management and KPMG LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm;
• Discussed with KPMG LLP the matters required to be discussed in accordance with Auditing Standard No. 1301-Communications with Audit Committees; and
• Received written disclosures and the letter from KPMG LLP regarding its independence as required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding KPMG LLP communications with the Audit Committee. In addition, the Audit Committee discussed with KPMG LLP their independence. The Audit Committee also considered areas of oversight relating to the financial reporting and audit process that the committee determined appropriate.
Based on the Audit Committee’s review of the audited financial statements and discussions with management and KPMG LLP, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board, and the Board approved, that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 for filing with the SEC.
Audit Committee of the Board
Adam Cutler
Catherine Sazdanoff
Andrew Hull
31
PROPOSAL 3: APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR
At the Meeting, the shareholders will be called upon to re-appoint KPMG LLP (“KPMG”), as the auditor and independent registered public accounting firm of the Company, to hold office until the next annual general meeting of shareholders at remuneration to be fixed by the Board. KPMG has been the auditor of the Company since 2017 and audited the financial statements of the Company for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017 to 2021.
In deciding to appoint KPMG LLP, the Audit Committee reviewed auditor independence issues and existing commercial relationships with KPMG LLP and concluded that KPMG LLP has no commercial relationship with the Company that would impair its independence for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.
The following tables set forth the aggregate fees billed to the Company by KPMG for professional services in fiscal years 2020 and 2021:
|
|
2020
|
|
2021
|
Audit Fees
|
|
239,907
|
|
234,942
|
Tax Fees
|
|
11,627
|
|
11,069
|
Audit Related Fees
|
|
23,907
|
|
—
|
All Other Fees
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
Total
|
|
275,441
|
|
246,011
|
Audit Committee Policy on Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Pursuant to its charter, the Audit Committee must review and approve, in advance, the scope and plans for the audits and the audit fees and approve in advance (or, where permitted under the rules and regulations of the SEC and applicable Canadian securities laws, subsequently) all non-audit and tax services to be performed by the independent auditor that are not otherwise prohibited by law or regulation and any associated fees. The Audit Committee may delegate to one or more members of the Audit Committee the authority to pre-approve permissible non-audit and tax services, as long as the preapproved services are presented to the full Audit Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The Audit Committee may, in accordance with applicable law, adopt specific policies and procedures for the engagement of the independent auditor for non-audit services, provided that the pre-approval policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular service, the Audit Committee is informed of each non-audit service, and the procedures do not include delegation of the Audit Committee’s responsibilities to management. In considering whether to pre-approve any non-audit services, the Audit Committee or its delegates shall consider whether the provision of such services is compatible with maintaining the independence of the auditor. During fiscal years 2021 and 2020 all services billed by KPMG LLP were pre-approved by the Audit Committee in accordance with this policy.
The Board of Directors recommends that the shareholders of the Company appoint KPMG as auditor and independent registered public accounting firm for the Company and that their remuneration be fixed by the Board.
32
Unless instructions are given to abstain from voting with regard to the appointment of the Auditor, it is the intention of management nominees to vote “FOR” the appointment of KPMG as auditor of the Company for the current fiscal year.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS
There are no management functions of the Company which are to any substantial degree performed by an individual or company other than the Directors or executive officers of the Company or a subsidiary.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires that the Company’s directors, certain officers and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of Common Shares and other equity securities of the Company. Directors, certain officers and greater than 10% stockholders are required by the SEC’s regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on a review of the copies of the Section 16(a) reports and all amendment thereto furnished to the Company during and with respect to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, and written representation that no other reports were required, the Company believes that all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to its directors, certain officers and greater than 10% beneficial owners were timely complied with.
OTHER MATTERS
The Directors know of no matters to come before the Meeting other than those referred to in the Notice of Annual Meeting accompanying this Information Circular. However, if any other matters properly come before the Meeting, it is the intention of the Director representatives named in the Form of Proxy accompanying this Information Circular to vote the same in accordance with their best judgment of such matters.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Information contained herein is given as of October 28, 2021, except as otherwise noted. If any matters which are not now known should properly come before the Meeting, the accompanying form of proxy will be voted on such matters in accordance with the best judgment of the person voting it.
Additional financial information is provided in the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for the Company’s most recently completed financial year. A copy of the Company’s financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis is available, free of charge, upon written request to the Chief Financial Officer of InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., Suite 310 – 815 West Hastings St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 1B4. Additional information relating to the Company is also available on http://www.sedar.com under the Company’s profile, through our website at https://investors.inmedpharma.com/investor-relations and through the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Our website and information contained therein or incorporated therein is not intended to be incorporated into this Circular.
Householding of Proxy Materials
The SEC permits a single set of notices, annual reports, and proxy statements to be sent to any household at which two or more shareholders reside if they appear to be members of the same family. Each shareholder continues to receive a separate proxy card. This procedure, referred to as householding, reduces the volume of duplicate information shareholders receive and reduces mailing and printing expenses. A number of brokerage firms have instituted householding.
As a result, if you hold your shares through a broker and you reside at an address at which two or more shareholders reside, you will likely be receiving only one notice, annual report, and proxy statement unless any shareholder at that address has given the broker contrary instructions. However, if any beneficial stockholder residing at an address of which two or more shareholders reside wishes to receive a separate notice, annual report, or proxy statement in the future, or if any beneficial stockholder that elected to continue to receive separate notice, annual reports, or proxy
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statements wishes to receive a single notice, annual report, or proxy statement in the future, that shareholder should contact his or her broker or send a request to our Secretary at our principal executive offices, Suite 310 – 815 West Hastings St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 1B4, Canada. We will deliver, promptly upon written or oral request to our Secretary, a separate copy of the notice, the annual report, and this proxy statement to a beneficial shareholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.
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APPROVAL OF INFORMATION CIRCULAR
The contents and mailing to Shareholders of this Information Circular have been approved by the Board.
(signed) Eric A. Adams
President & CEO
Vancouver, British Columbia
October 28, 2021
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Schedule A
Statement of Corporate Governance Practices
Unless the context otherwise requires, references to the Company in this Schedule A include the Company and its direct and indirect subsidiaries. Four of the five current Directors are “independent” as defined under National Instrument 58-101 — Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices. The Directors have established an audit committee (“Audit Committee”) and a compensation committee (the “Compensation Committee”) consisting of independent directors and a nominating and governance committee (“Nominating and Governance Committee”) consisting of all five of the Directors including the CEO who is not independent.
The Directors and the Board consider good governance to be central to the effective and efficient operation of the Company and are committed to reviewing and adapting their governance practices so that they meet the Company’s changing needs and to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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1. Directors/Board
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(a) Disclose the identity of directors who are independent.
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Catherine Sazdanoff, Adam Cutler, William J. Garner, and Andrew Hull are independent directors.
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(b) Disclose the identity of directors who are not independent and describe the basis for that determination.
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Eric A. Adams is not an independent director as that term is defined under National Instrument 58-101 — Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices.
Mr. Adams is not independent as he is Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the Company.
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(c) Disclose whether or not a majority of directors are independent. If a majority of directors are not independent, describe what the Board does to facilitate its exercise of independent judgement in carrying out its responsibilities.
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A majority of the Directors are independent.
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(d) If a director is presently a director of any other issuer that is a reporting issuer (or the equivalent) in a jurisdiction or a foreign jurisdiction, identify both the director and the other issuer.
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None of the Directors is presently a director of another reporting issuer except as follows:
William J. Garner is a director of TRYP Therapeutics (CSE:TRYP); and
Catherine Sazdanoff is a director of Meridian Bioscience Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO)
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(e) Disclose whether or not the independent directors hold regularly scheduled meetings at which non-independent directors and members of management are not in attendance. If the independent directors hold such meetings, disclose the number of meetings held since the beginning of the issuer’s most recently completed financial year. If the independent directors do not hold such meetings, describe what the Board does to facilitate open and candid discussion among its independent directors.
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The majority of Directors are independent. Members of management may be excluded from a portion of each regularly scheduled meeting of the Board, as required. Meetings where non-independent directors are not in attendance may be held as required by the Board. This is considered appropriate given the Company’s overall governance, and in particular, the majority of the Directors being independent. Examples of Board and Compensation Committee meetings with only Independent Board members included at holding seven in camera sessions during Board meetings, six in camera sessions during Audit Committee meetings, three in camera sessions during Compensation Committee meetings and three in camera sessions during Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee meetings.
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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(f) Disclose whether or not the chair of the Board is an independent director. If the Board has a chair or lead director who is an independent director, disclose the identity of the independent chair or lead director, and describe his or her role and responsibilities. If the Board has neither a chair that is independent nor a lead director that is independent, describe what the Board does to provide leadership for its independent directors.
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Dr. Garner is currently the Chair of the Board and is an independent director.
The Chair of the Board is responsible for, among other things, providing leadership to the Board, coordinating with the CEO to ensure that management strategy, plans and performance are appropriately represented to the Board, Shareholders, and other stakeholders as appropriate, assisting the Directors in reviewing and monitoring the aims, strategy, policy and directions of the Company and the achievement of its objectives, among other duties.
The role and responsibilities for the Chair of the Board are set forth in written position descriptions, supplemented from time to time, the current versions of which are available on the Company’s website at www.inmedpharma.com.
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(g) Disclose the attendance record of each director for all Board meetings held since the beginning of the issuer’s most recently completed financial year.
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The following attendance records relate to meetings of the Board and the committees thereof held during the most recently completed financial year of the Company.
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Meetings of the Board:
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William Garner
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8/8
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Catherine Sazdanoff
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7/8
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Adam Cutler
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8/8
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Eric A. Adams
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8/8
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Andrew Hull
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8/8
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Meetings of the Audit Committee:
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Adam Cutler
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8/8
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Catherine Sazdanoff
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7/8
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Andrew Hull
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8/8
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Meetings of the Compensation Committee:
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Andrew Hull
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5/5
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William Garner
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5/5
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Catherine Sazdanoff
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4/5
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Meetings of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee:
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Catherine Sazdanoff
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3/4
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Adam Cutler
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4/4
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William Garner
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4/4
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Andrew Hull
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4/4
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2. Board Mandate
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Disclose the text of the Board’s written mandate. If the Board does not have a written mandate, describe how the Board delineates its role and responsibilities.
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The text of the mandate of the Directors (called “Terms of Reference for the Board of Directors”) is attached as Schedule B to this Information Circular.
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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3. Position Descriptions
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(a) Disclose whether or not the Board has developed written position descriptions for the chair and the chair of each Board committee. If the Board has not developed written position descriptions for the chair and/or the chair of each Board committee, briefly describe how the Board delineates the role and responsibilities of each such position.
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The Board has developed written position descriptions for the Chair of the Board, and the mandate for each committee of the Board contains written position descriptions for the Chair of each committee.
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(b) Disclose whether or not the Board and CEO have developed a written position description for the CEO. If the Board and CEO have not developed such a position description, briefly describe how the Board delineates the role and responsibilities of the CEO.
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The Board and the CEO have developed a written position description for the CEO.
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4. Orientation and Continuing Education
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(a) Briefly describe what measures the Board takes to orient new directors regarding:
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(i) the role of the Board, its committees and its directors; and
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New directors are provided with a Director’s Reference Manual which includes the terms of reference for the Board and its various committees, corporate policies, and other relevant material regarding the affairs of the Company. In addition, new directors are oriented to the role of the Board, its committees and its directors through discussions with management and the other directors.
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(ii) the nature and operation of the issuer’s business.
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The CEO reviews with the Board at each meeting the nature and operations of the business of the Company. Other members of senior management of the Company meet with and present to the Board regularly to review each of their specific areas of responsibility.
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(b) Briefly describe what measures, if any, the Board takes to provide continuing education for its directors. If the Board does not provide continuing education, describe how the Board ensures that its directors maintain the skill and knowledge necessary to meet their obligations as directors.
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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for coordinating continuing director development programs to enable the Directors to maintain or enhance their skills and abilities as directors as well as ensuring their knowledge and understanding of the Company and its business remains current. This not only encourages directors to stay abreast of emerging corporate governance topics but also broader topics such as accounting, finance, general business and human resource management. The Company will reimburse directors for all reasonable costs of attending director education programs. At meetings of the Audit Committee, the auditors may periodically review the emerging standards for corporate governance, and the Board meets with independent counsel to the Company to review the governance practices of the directors and the obligations of the Board. The Board has also worked with a third party expert on assessing Executive and Director compensation providing valuable learning to the Board.
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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5. Ethical Business Conduct
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(a) Disclose whether or not the Board has adopted a written code for the directors, officers and employees. If the Board has adopted a written code:
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The Company has adopted a written code of corporate ethics and behaviour, the Code of Conduct (the “Code”) for the Company’s directors, officers and employees.
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(i) disclose how a person or company may obtain a copy of the code;
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The Code is available on the Company’s website at https://www.inmedpharma.com/about/corporate_
governance/.
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(ii) describe how the Board monitors compliance with its code, or if the Board does not monitor compliance, explain whether and how the Board satisfies itself regarding compliance with its code; and
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A copy of the Code is provided to each of the directors, officers and employees of the Company, and each is requested to sign a certification that they have read the Code and that, to the best of his or her knowledge, information or belief, no breach of the Code has occurred except those instances reported by him or her for remedial action.
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(iii) provide a cross-reference to any material change report(s) filed since the beginning of the issuer’s most recently completed financial year that pertains to any conduct of a director or executive officer that constitutes a departure from the code.
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No material change reports have been filed by the Company since the beginning of its most recently completed financial year that pertain to the conduct of a director, officer or senior employee that constitutes a departure from the Code.
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(b) Describe any steps the Board takes to ensure directors exercise independent judgement in considering transactions and agreements in respect of which a director or executive officer has a material interest.
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A director is required to disclose to the Board information regarding any transaction or agreement in which a director or executive officer has a material interest and to abstain from voting on any matter in respect of such transaction or agreement. The Board may request the director to recuse themselves from the portion of any meeting at which such transaction or agreement is discussed. The Board has instigated an annual related party survey of each director.
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(c) Describe any other steps the Board takes to encourage and promote a culture of ethical business conduct.
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The Board encourages and promotes a culture of ethical business conduct and requires the CEO to conduct himself in a manner that exemplifies ethical business conduct. Each director is entitled to engage an outside advisor at the Company’s expense in appropriate circumstances.
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6. Nomination of Directors
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(a) Describe the process by which the Board identifies new candidates for Board nomination.
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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is mandated to identify new candidates for Board nomination. In making its recommendations, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the competencies and skills that the Board should possess as a group. When new candidates for Board nomination are reviewed, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers criteria that include, but are not limited to, geographical representation, diversity (including gender diversity), disciplines, areas of expertise and other factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee views appropriate.
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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(b) Disclose whether or not the Board has a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors. If the Board does not have a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors, describe what steps the Board takes to encourage an objective nomination process.
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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which has the mandate of a nominating committee, is composed of all four independent directors of the Company. The terms of reference of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee set out the powers and duties with respect to the nomination process.
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(c) If the Board has a nominating committee, describe the responsibilities, powers and operation of the nominating committee.
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Under its terms of reference, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has the responsibility and power to, among other things, administer and make recommendations with respect to the overall approach for the Company and its subsidiaries on corporate governance issues. In addition, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board in identifying nominees for election and re-election to the Board, filling vacancies among the directors and periodically reviews the effectiveness of the directors as a whole and individually and oversees compliance with the Code and the Company’s disclosure policy.
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7. Compensation
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(a) Describe the process by which the Board determines the compensation for the issuer’s directors and officers.
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The Compensation Committee recommends to the Board the compensation for the directors with reference to market rates for such services. The Compensation Committee has the responsibility to review and recommend adjustments for compensation for directors as warranted in the future. Compensation for officers and other key employees is reviewed at least annually by the Compensation Committee of the Board with an assessment of the contributions of each officer to business results achieved and to market-based compensation for similar based positions.
For further details, see “Executive Compensation — Setting Executive Compensation” in this Information Circular.
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(b) Disclose whether or not the Board has a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. If the Board does not have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors, describe what steps the Board takes to ensure an objective process for determining such compensation.
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The Compensation Committee is composed entirely of independent directors. The Chair of the committee is an independent director, is responsible for, among other things, setting the agenda for Compensation Committee Meetings, engaging independent consultants to assist the Compensation Committee in formulating effective compensation strategies and policies for the Company and has a casting vote.
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(c) If the Board has a compensation committee, describe the responsibilities, powers and operation of the compensation committee.
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Under its terms of reference, the Compensation Committee has the responsibility and power to review and make recommendations to the Board respecting the compensation of officers and other key employees.
For further details, see “Executive Compensation — Setting Executive Compensation” in this Information Circular.
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8. Other Board Committees
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If the Board has standing committees other than the audit, compensation and nominating committees, identify the committees and describe their function.
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The Board has no other standing committee.
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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9. Assessments
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Disclose whether or not the Board, its committees and individual directors are regularly assessed with respect to their effectiveness and contribution. If assessments are regularly conducted, describe the process used for the assessments. If assessments are not regularly conducted, describe how the Board satisfies itself that the Board, its committees, and its individual directors are performing effectively.
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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has the responsibility to ensure that a process is in place for the annual review of the performance of individual directors, the Board as a whole and the individual committees. During the year the Board completed a review of its assessment tools resulting in an amended assessment process. An assessment of the Board and its Committee’s was in progress as at October 28, 2021 utilizing the revised process.
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10. Term Limits
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Disclose whether or not the Company has adopted term limits for the directors on the Board or other mechanisms of Board renewal and, if so, include a description of those director term limits or other mechanisms of Board renewal. If the Company Partner has not adopted director term limits or other mechanisms of Board renewal, disclose why it has not done so.
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The Company has not adopted term limits for the directors on the Board because the Board believes the imposition of arbitrary term limits may result in an effective director being disqualified and may discount the value of experience and continuity. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for assessing the effectiveness of the Board and board renewal is one of the factors the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee utilizes in its evaluation.
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11. Policies Regarding the Representation of Women on the Board
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Disclose whether the Company has adopted a written policy relating to the identification and nomination of women directors. If the Company has not adopted such a policy, disclose why it has not done so. If the Company has adopted such a policy, disclose the following in respect of the policy:
(i) a short summary of its objectives and key provisions,
(ii) the measures taken to ensure that the policy has been effectively implemented,
(iii) annual and cumulative progress by the Company in achieving the objectives of the policy, and
(iv) whether and, if so, how the Board or its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee measures the effectiveness of the policy.
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The Company has not yet adopted a written policy relating to diversity. The Company does not believe adopting set targets or a formal policy at this time would further enhance gender diversity efforts beyond the current recruitment and selection process carried out by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. However, the Board believes diversity is an important factor to help promote better corporate governance and performance and effective decision-making by having a diverse range of views and considerations represented at the Board level. In considering directors for election to the Board, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers diversity criteria, with factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, religion, education, experience, geographical representation, and disability all being considered. Other factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee takes into consideration when considering the composition of the Board include the current strengths, skills and experience on the Board, any planned retirement dates and the strategic direction of the Company.
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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12. Consideration of the Representation of Women in the Director Identification and Selection Process
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Disclose whether and, if so, how the Board or Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the level of representation of women on the Board in identifying and nominating candidates for election or re-election to the Board. If the Company does not consider the level of representation of women on the Board in identifying and nominating candidates for election or re-election to the Board, disclose the Company’s reasons for not doing so.
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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the diversity of the Board, including the level of representation of women, as one of the factors in identifying and nominating candidates for election or re-election to the Board. The other factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers include: the competencies and skills that the Board considers to be necessary for the Board, as a whole, to possess; the competencies and skills that the Board considers each existing director to possess; the competencies and skills each new nominee will bring to the Board; the time and energy of the proposed nominee to devote to the role; and, the understanding by the proposed nominee of the nature of the business and operations of the Company.
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13. Consideration Given to the Representation of Women in Executive Officer Appointments
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Disclose whether and, if so, how the Company considers the level of representation of women in executive officer positions when making executive officer appointments. If the Company does not consider the level of representation of women in executive officer positions when making executive officer appointments, disclose the Company’s reasons for not doing so.
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The Company considers diversity in its executive officer positions, including the level of representation of women, as one of the important factors in making executive officer appointments. The Company also considers the skills and experience necessary for the position.
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14. The Company’s Targets Regarding the Representation of Women on the Board and in Executive Officer Positions
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(a) Disclose whether the Company has adopted a target regarding women on the Board. If the Company has not adopted a target, disclose why it has not done so.
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The Company has not adopted a target regarding women on the Board. Diversity, including gender diversity, is one of the important factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers in identifying and nominating candidates for election or re-election to the Board. The other factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers are described in part 12 above. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believes all of these factors are relevant to ensure high functioning Board members and that establishing formal targets based solely upon gender may disqualify desirable director candidates.
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(b) Disclose whether the Company has adopted a target regarding women in executive officer positions of the Company. If the Company has not adopted a target, disclose why it has not done so.
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The Company has not adopted a target regarding women in executive officer positions of the Company. Diversity, including gender diversity, is one of the important factors that the Company considers in identifying executive officers. The other factors that the Company considers are described in part 13 above. The Company believes all of these factors are relevant to ensure that the most qualified executive officers are hired and retained, and that establishing targets based solely upon gender may disqualify desirable executive officer candidates.
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
|
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OUR CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
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15. Number of Women on the Board and in Executive Officer Positions
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(a) Disclose the number and proportion (in percentage terms) of directors on the Board who are women.
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One of the five Directors of the Company is a woman, representing 20% of the Board.
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(b) Disclose the number and proportion (in percentage terms) of executive officers of the Company, including all subsidiaries of the Company, who are women.
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One of the five executive officers of the Company is a woman, representing 20% of the Company’s executive officers.
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SCHEDULE B
INMED PHARMACEUTICALS Inc.
(“InMed” or the “Company”)
terms of reference and guidelines for directors
A. TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. Purpose
(a) These terms of reference are for the board of directors (the “Board”) of the Company.
(b) The Board has the responsibility to oversee the conduct of the business of the Company and to supervise management, which is responsible for the day-to-day conduct of business. It is the overall responsibility of the Board that the Company meets its obligations on an ongoing basis and operates in a reliable and safe manner. In performing its functions, the Board also considers the legitimate interests that other stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, customers and communities may have in the Company. In supervising the conduct of business, the Board through the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) shall set the standards of conduct for the Company.
2. Organization and Procedures
(a) The Board is to be composed of a majority of individuals who are “independent” within the meaning of National Instrument 58-101 — Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices, Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing standards, as amended, and Rule 10C of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and “non-employee” is defined in accordance with Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. A director is independent if, in the opinion of the Board, he or she has no direct or indirect material relationship with the Company. A “material relationship” is a relationship, which could, in the opinion of the Board, be reasonably expected to interfere with the exercise of the director’s independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.
(b) The Board operates by delegating certain of its authorities, including spending authorizations, to management and by reserving certain powers to itself.
(c) The Board retains the responsibility for managing its own affairs including by:
(i) selecting its Chair;
(ii) if the Chair is not independent, developing a procedure to provide leadership for its independent directors;
(iii) nominating candidates for election to the Board, after considering the recommendations of the Nominating and Governance Committee;
(iv) constituting committees of the Board;
(v) determining director compensation; and
(vi) holding regularly scheduled meetings at which members of management are not in attendance.
44
(d) Subject to the Articles of the Company and the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), the Board may constitute, seek the advice of and delegate powers, duties and responsibilities to committees of the Board.
3. Duties and Responsibilities
(a) Selection of Management. With respect to the selection of management:
(i) the independent, non-employee members of the Board have the responsibility: (i) to appoint and replace the CEO; (ii) to monitor the CEO’s performance; (iii) to approve the CEO’s compensation; (iv) to provide advice and counsel in the execution of the CEO’s duties; and (v) to the extent feasible, to satisfy itself as to the integrity of the CEO and other executive officers in order to create a culture of integrity throughout the organization;
(ii) acting upon the advice of the CEO, and the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, the independent, non-employee members of the Board have the responsibility for approving the appointment and remuneration of all corporate officers; and
(iii) the Board has the responsibility for ensuring that plans have been made for management succession for executive management, including appointing, training and monitoring senior management.
(b) Orientation and Continuing Education. With respect to orientation and continuing education:
(i) the Board shall ensure that all new directors receive a comprehensive orientation. All new directors should fully understand the role of the Board and its committees, as well as the contribution individual directors are expected to make (including, in particular, the commitment of time and energy that the Board expects from its directors); and
(ii) the Board shall provide continuing education opportunities for all directors, so that individuals may maintain or enhance their skills and abilities as directors, as well as to ensure their knowledge and understanding of the business of the Company remains current.
(c) Monitoring and Acting. The Board has the responsibility:
(i) for monitoring the progress of the Company towards its goals, and to revise and alter its direction through management in light of changing circumstances;
(ii) for approving dividends by the Company to shareholders of the Company;
(iii) for approving financing by the Company;
(iv) for the identification of the principal risks of the business of the Company and taking all reasonable steps to ensure the implementation of appropriate systems to manage these risks;
(v) for directing management to ensure systems are in place for the implementation and integrity of the internal control and management information systems of the Company; and
(vi) for directing management to ensure appropriate disclosure controls and procedures are in place to enable information to be recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods required by law.
(d) Strategy Determination. The Board has the responsibility:
(i) to adopt a strategic planning process and approve, on at least an annual basis, a strategic plan which takes into account, among other things, the opportunities and risks of the business of the Company;
(ii) to review with management the mission of the business, as well as objectives and goals, and the strategy by which it proposes to reach those goals; and
(iii) to review progress in respect to the achievement of the goals established in the strategic plans.
45
(e) Policies and Procedures. The Board has the responsibility:
(i) to approve and monitor compliance with all significant policies and procedures by which the Company is operated; and
(ii) to direct management to implement systems which are designed to ensure that the Company operates at all times within applicable laws and regulations, and to the highest ethical and moral standards.
(f) Compliance Reporting and Corporate Communications. The Board has the responsibility:
(i) to ensure that the financial performance of the Company is adequately reported to shareholders and other security holders in order that the Company can meet its responsibilities to report the financial performance to shareholders of the Company and regulators on a timely and regular basis;
(ii) to ensure that the financial results are reported fairly and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(iii) to ensure that the Company has appropriate disclosure controls and procedures that enable information to be recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods required by law;
(iv) to ensure the timely reporting of any developments that are required to be disclosed by applicable law;
(v) to provide information to enable the Company to report annually to shareholders of the Company on the stewardship of the directors of the Company for the preceding year; and
(vi) to assist the directors of the Company to enable it to communicate effectively with shareholders of the Company, stakeholders and the public generally.
(g) General Legal Obligations of the Board of Directors. With respect to the general legal obligations of the Board:
(i) The Board is responsible for directing management to ensure that legal requirements have been met, and that documents and records have been properly prepared, approved and maintained.
(ii) The Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) identifies the following, among other things, as legal requirements for the Board and individual directors:
(A) to manage the affairs and business of the Company including the relationships with the direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company, their members or security holders, directors and officers;
(B) to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Company;
(C) to exercise the care, diligence and skill of a reasonably prudent person; and
(D) in particular, the following matters must be considered by the Board as a whole:
(1) to submit to the shareholders of the Company any question or matter requiring the approval of the shareholders;
(2) to fill a vacancy among the directors or in the office of the auditor of the Company;
(3) to issue securities except in the manner and on the terms authorized by the directors;
(4) to declare dividends by the Company;
(5) to purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire shares issued by the Company;
(6) to pay a commission to any person in consideration of that person purchasing or agreeing to purchase shares or other securities of the Company or procuring or agreeing to procure purchasers for any such shares or other securities of the Company;
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(7) to approve a management proxy circular;
(8) to approve a take-over bid circular or directors’ circular;
(9) to approve any financial statements; and
(10) to adopt, amend or repeal Articles of the Company.
B. TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A DIRECTOR
1. Goals and Objectives
As a member of the Board, each of the directors shall:
(a) fulfil the legal requirements and obligations of a director which includes a comprehensive understanding of the statutory and fiduciary roles;
(b) represent the interests of all shareholders of the Company in the governance of the Company ensuring that the best interests of the Company are paramount; and
(c) participate in the review and approval of the Company’s policies and strategy and in monitoring their implementation.
2. Duties and Responsibilities
(a) Board Activity. As a member of the Board, each director shall:
(i) exercise good judgment and act with integrity;
(ii) use his or her abilities, experience and influence constructively;
(iii) be an available resource to management and the Board;
(iv) respect confidentiality;
(v) advise the CEO and/or Chair when introducing significant and/or previously unknown information or material at a Board meeting;
(vi) understand the difference between governing and managing, and not encroach on management’s area of responsibility;
(vii) identify potential conflict areas — real or perceived — and ensure they are appropriately identified and reviewed;
(viii) when appropriate, communicate with the Chair and CEO between meetings;
(ix) demonstrate a willingness and availability for one on one consultation with the Chair and CEO;
(x) evaluate the performance of the CEO and the Company; and
(xi) assist the Company in meeting the long-term objectives of the Company.
(b) Preparation and Attendance. To enhance the effectiveness of Board and committee meetings, each director shall:
(i) prepare for Board and committee meetings by reading reports and background materials prepared for each meeting;
(ii) maintain an excellent Board and committee meeting attendance record;
(iii) attend the annual shareholders meeting either in-person or remotely;
(iv) have acquired adequate information necessary for decision making.
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(c) Communication. Communication is fundamental to Board effectiveness and therefore each Board member shall:
(i) participate fully and frankly in the deliberations and discussions of the Board;
(ii) encourage free and open discussion of the affairs of the Company by the Board and its members;
(iii) ask probing questions, in an appropriate manner and at proper times; and
(iv) focus inquiries on issues related to strategy, policy, implementation and results rather than issues relating to the day to day management of the Company.
(d) Independence. Recognizing that the cohesiveness of the Board is an important element in its effectiveness, each director shall:
(i) be a positive force with a demonstrated interest in the long-term success of the Company; and
(ii) speak and act independently.
(e) Board Interaction. As a member of the Board, each director shall strive to establish an effective, independent and respected presence and a collegial relationship with other Board members.
(f) Committee Work. In order to assist Board committees in being effective and productive, each director shall:
(i) participate on committees and become knowledgeable with the purpose and goals of the committee; and
(ii) understand the process of committee work, and the role of management and staff supporting the committee.
(g) Business, Corporate and Industry Knowledge. Recognizing that decisions can only be made by well-informed Board members, each director shall:
(i) become generally knowledgeable of the Company’s research and development, products, services and industry in which it operates;
(ii) develop an understanding of the unique role of the Company within its various communities;
(iii) maintain an understanding of the regulatory, legislative, business, social and political environments within which the Company operates;
(iv) become acquainted with the officers of the Company;
(v) remain knowledgeable about the Company’s facilities and visit them when appropriate; and
(vi) be an effective ambassador and representative of the Company.
C. ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. The Board assumes the responsibility for the stewardship of the business of the Company. While, in law, the Board is called upon to manage the business, this is done by proxy through the CEO who is charged with the day-to-day leadership and management of the business of the Company.
2. The Board has the authority and obligation to protect and enhance the assets of the Company in the interest of all shareholders. Although directors are elected to bring special expertise or a point of view to Board’s deliberations, the best interests of the business of the Company must be paramount at all times.
3. Terms of reference for the Board, the Chair, committees and the CEO are annually reviewed by the Nominating and Governance Committee, or other committee where applicable, and any changes are recommended to the Board for approval.
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4. Every year the Board reviews and approves a long-range strategic plan and one-year operating and capital plans for the business of the Company.
5. The Board has concluded that the appropriate size for the Board is five members.
6. All directors stand for election every year.
7. The Board does not believe that directors who retire from or otherwise change their current position responsibilities should necessarily retire from the Board. There should, however, be an opportunity for the Board, through the Nominating and Governance Committee, to review the appropriateness of continued Board membership.
8. The Board believes there should be a majority of independent directors on the Board.
9. The Board currently supports the concept of the separation of the role of Chair from that of the CEO. The Board is able to function independently of management when necessary and the Chair’s role is to effectively manage and provide leadership to the Board and to interface with the CEO.
10. The Board will evaluate the performance of the CEO at least annually. The evaluation will be based on criteria that include the performance of the business of the Company, the accomplishment of long-term strategic objectives and other non-quantitative objectives established at the beginning of each year.
11. The Chair of the Board, with the assistance of the CEO, will establish the agenda for each Board meeting. Each Board member is free to suggest the inclusion of items on the agenda.
12. The Board will meet at least four times per year and schedule meetings reasonably in advance.
13. Materials will be delivered at least three days in advance of meetings for items to be acted upon. Presentations on specific subjects at director and Board meetings will only briefly summarize the material sent to directors so that discussion can be focused on issues relevant to the material.
14. The Board encourages the CEO to bring employees into Board meetings who can provide additional insight into the items being discussed because of personal involvement in these areas, and/or employees whom represent future potential who the CEO wishes to bring to the attention of the Board.
15. The Board is responsible, in fact as well as in procedure, for selecting candidates as directors or for Board membership. The Board delegates the screening process to the Nominating and Governance Committee.
16. The Nominating and Governance Committee will annually assess the effectiveness of the Board and its committees.
17. Committees established by the Board analyze in-depth policies and strategies, usually developed by management, which are consistent with their terms of reference. They examine proposals and where appropriate make recommendations to the full Board. Committees do not take action or make decisions on behalf of the Board unless specifically mandated to do so.
18. From time to time the Board may create ad hoc committees to examine specific issues on behalf of the Board.
19. Committee members and committee chairs are appointed by the directors and the Board respectively, and where possible, consideration is given to having directors rotate their committee assignments.
20. Committees annually review their terms of reference and changes are recommended to the Board through the Nominating and Governance Committee for approval.
21. Succession and management development plans will be reviewed by the Compensation Committee and reported annually by the CEO to the Board.
22. The Board ensures new directors are appropriately introduced to the Company and the industry of the Company and that directors receive the necessary ongoing industry training and development.
23. The Board shall regularly meet in executive session without management present, as required by Rule 5605(b)(2) of the Nasdaq listing standards.
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24. The Board and committees may engage separate independent counsel and/or advisors at the expense of the Company. An individual director may engage separate independent counsel and/or advisors at the expense of the Company in appropriate circumstances with the approval of the Chair.
25. The Board may annually develop a calendar of activities or forward agenda to be undertaken by the Board for each ensuing year and review and approve same following each annual general meeting of shareholders.
26. These Administrative Guidelines are reviewed and approved annually by the Board.
These Terms were adopted by the Board on April 22, 2020.
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INMED PHARMACEUTICALS INC. 8th Floor, 100 University Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5J 2Y1 www.computershare.com Security Class Holder Account Number Form of Proxy - Annual General Meeting to be held on December 17, 2021 This Form of Proxy is solicited by and on behalf of Management. Notes to proxy 1. Every holder has the right to appoint some other person or company of their choice, who need not be a holder, to attend and act on their behalf at the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. If you wish to appoint a person or company other than the Management Nominees whose names are printed herein, please insert the name of your chosen proxyholder in the space provided (see reverse). 2. If the securities are registered in the name of more than one owner (for example, joint ownership, trustees, executors, etc.), then all those registered should sign this proxy. If you are voting on behalf of a corporation or another individual you may be required to provide documentation evidencing your power to sign this proxy with signing capacity stated. 3. This proxy should be signed in the exact manner as the name(s) appear(s) on the proxy. 4. If a date is not inserted in the space provided on the reverse of this proxy, it will be deemed to bear the date on which it was mailed to the holder by Management. 5. The securities represented by this proxy will be voted as directed by the holder, however, if such a direction is not made in respect of any matter, and the proxy appoints the Management Nominees listed on the reverse, this proxy will be voted as recommended by Management. 6. The securities represented by this proxy will be voted in favour, or withheld from voting, or voted against each of the matters described herein, as applicable, in accordance with the instructions of the holder, on any ballot that may be called for. If you have specified a choice with respect to any matter to be acted on, the securities will be voted accordingly. 7. This proxy confers discretionary authority in respect of amendments or variations to matters identified in the Notice of Meeting and Management Information Circular or other matters that may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, unless prohibited by law. 8. This proxy should be read in conjunction with the accompanying documentation provided by Management. Proxies submitted must be received by 2:00 pm, PST, on December 15, 2021. VOTE USING THE TELEPHONE OR INTERNET 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK! To Vote Using the Telephone To Vote Using the Internet To Receive Documents Electronically Call the number listed BELOW from a touch tone telephone. 1-866-732-VOTE (8683) Toll Free Go to the following web site: www.investorvote.com Smartphone? Scan the QR code to vote now. You can enroll to receive future securityholder communications electronically by visiting www.investorcentre.com. If you vote by telephone or the Internet, DO NOT mail back this proxy. Voting by mail may be the only method for securities held in the name of a corporation or securities being voted on behalf of another individual. Voting by mail or by Internet are the only methods by which a holder may appoint a person as proxyholder other than the Management Nominees named on the reverse of this proxy. Instead of mailing this proxy, you may choose one of the two voting methods outlined above to vote this proxy. To vote by telephone or the Internet, you will need to provide your CONTROL NUMBER listed below. CONTROL NUMBER
Appointment of Proxyholder I/We being holder(s) of securities of InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Company”) hereby appoint: Eric A. Adams, or failing this person, Bruce Colwill (the “Management Nominees”) OR Print the name of the person you are appointing if this person is someone other than the Management Nominees listed herein. as my/our proxyholder with full power of substitution and to attend, act and to vote for and on behalf of the holder in accordance with the following direction (or if no directions have been given, as the proxyholder sees fit) and on all other matters that may properly come before the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the Company that will be deemed to be held at 510 W Georgia St, Suite 1800, Vancouver, BC V6B 0M3 on December 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm, PST, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. However, the Meeting will be held in virtual only format, which will be conducted via telephone conference with no in-person attendance permitted. VOTING RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INDICATED BY OVER THE BOXES. For Against 1. Number of Directors To set the number of directors at five (5). 2. Election of Directors For Withhold Eric A. Adams Adam Cutler For Withhold William J. Garner For Withhold Andrew Hull 05. Catherine Sazdanoff For Withhold 3. Appointment of Auditors To appoint KPMG LLP as the auditor/independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the ensuing year and to authorize the directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor. Signature of Proxyholder Signature(s) Date I/We authorize you to act in accordance with my/our instructions set out above. I/We hereby revoke any proxy previously given with respect to the Meeting. If no voting instructions are indicated above, and the proxy appoints the Management Nominees, this Proxy will be voted as recommended by Management. Interim Financial Statements - Mark this box if you would like to receive Interim Financial Statements and accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis by mail. Annual Financial Statements - Mark this box if you would like to receive the Annual Financial Statements and accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis by mail. If you are not mailing back your proxy, you may register online to receive the above financial report(s) by mail at www.computershare.com/mailinglist. M E X Q 3 3 3 3 2 4 A R 1
INMED PHARMACEUTICALS INC. 8th Floor, 100 University Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5J 2Y1 www.computershare.com Security Class Holder Account Number Voting Instruction Form (“VIF”) - Annual General Meeting to be held on December 17, 2021 NON-REGISTERED (BENEFICIAL) SECURITYHOLDERS 1. We are sending to you the enclosed proxy-related materials that relate to a meeting of the holders of the series or class of securities that are held on your behalf by the intermediary identified above. Unless you attend the meeting and vote in person, your securities can be voted only by management, as proxy holder of the registered holder, in accordance with your instructions. 2. We are prohibited from voting these securities on any of the matters to be acted upon at the meeting without your specific voting instructions. In order for these securities to be voted at the meeting, it will be necessary for us to have your specific voting instructions. Please complete and return the information requested in this VIF to provide your voting instructions to us promptly. 3. If you want to attend the virtual meeting and vote in person, please write your name in the place provided for that purpose in this form. You can also write the name of someone else whom you wish to attend the virtual meeting and vote on your behalf. Unless prohibited by law, the person whose name is written in the space provided will have full authority to present matters to the virtual meeting and vote on all matters that are presented at the virtual meeting, even if those matters are not set out in this form or the information circular. Consult a legal advisor if you wish to modify the authority of that person in any way. If you require help, please contact the Registered Representative who services your account. 4. This VIF should be signed by you in the exact manner as your name appears on the VIF. If these voting instructions are given on behalf of a body corporate set out the full legal name of the body corporate, the name and position of the person giving voting instructions on behalf of the body corporate and the address for service of the body corporate. 5. If a date is not inserted in the space provided on the reverse of this VIF, it will be deemed to bear the date on which it was mailed by management to you. 6. When properly signed and delivered, securities represented by this VIF will be voted as directed by you, however, if such a direction is not made in respect of any matter, and the VIF appoints the Management Nominees, the VIF will direct the voting of the securities to be made as recommended in the documentation provided by Management for the meeting. 7. Unless prohibited by law, this VIF confers discretionary authority on the appointee to vote as the appointee sees fit in respect of amendments or variations to matters identified in the notice of meeting or other matters as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. 8. By providing voting instructions as requested, you are acknowledging that you are the beneficial owner of, and are entitled to instruct us with respect to the voting of, these securities. 9. If you have any questions regarding the enclosed documents, please contact the Registered Representative who services your account. 10. This VIF should be read in conjunction with the information circular and other proxy materials provided by Management. VIFs submitted must be received by 2:00 pm, PST, on December 15, 2021. VOTE USING THE TELEPHONE OR INTERNET 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK! To Vote Using the Telephone To Vote Using the Internet Call the number listed BELOW from a touch tone telephone. 1-866-734-VOTE (8683) Toll Free Go to the following web site: www.investorvote.com Smartphone? Scan the QR code to vote now. If you vote by telephone or the Internet, DO NOT mail back this VIF. Voting by mail may be the only method for securities held in the name of a corporation or securities being voted on behalf of another individual. Voting by mail or by Internet are the only methods by which a holder may choose an appointee other than the Management appointees named on the reverse of this VIF. Instead of mailing this VIF, you may choose one of the two voting methods outlined above to vote this VIF. To vote by telephone or the Internet, you will need to provide your CONTROL NUMBER listed below. CONTROL NUMBER
INMED PHARMACEUTICALS INC. 8th Floor, 100 University Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5J 2Y1 www.computershare.com Security Class Holder Account Number Voting Instruction Form (“VIF”) - Annual General Meeting to be held on December 17, 2021 NON-REGISTERED (BENEFICIAL) SECURITYHOLDERS 1. We are sending to you the enclosed proxy-related materials that relate to a meeting of the holders of the series or class of securities that are held on your behalf by the intermediary identified above. Unless you attend the meeting and vote in person, your securities can be voted only by management, as proxy holder of the registered holder, in accordance with your instructions. 2. We are prohibited from voting these securities on any of the matters to be acted upon at the meeting without your specific voting instructions. In order for these securities to be voted at the meeting, it will be necessary for us to have your specific voting instructions. Please complete and return the information requested in this VIF to provide your voting instructions to us promptly. 3. If you want to attend the virtual meeting and vote in person, please write your name in the place provided for that purpose in this form. You can also write the name of someone else whom you wish to attend the virtual meeting and vote on your behalf. Unless prohibited by law, the person whose name is written in the space provided will have full authority to present matters to the virtual meeting and vote on all matters that are presented at the virtual meeting, even if those matters are not set out in this form or the information circular. Consult a legal advisor if you wish to modify the authority of that person in any way. If you require help, please contact the Registered Representative who services your account. 4. This VIF should be signed by you in the exact manner as your name appears on the VIF. If these voting instructions are given on behalf of a body corporate set out the full legal name of the body corporate, the name and position of the person giving voting instructions on behalf of the body corporate and the address for service of the body corporate. 5. If a date is not inserted in the space provided on the reverse of this VIF, it will be deemed to bear the date on which it was mailed by management to you. 6. When properly signed and delivered, securities represented by this VIF will be voted as directed by you, however, if such a direction is not made in respect of any matter, and the VIF appoints the Management Nominees, the VIF will direct the voting of the securities to be made as recommended in the documentation provided by Management for the meeting. 7. Unless prohibited by law, this VIF confers discretionary authority on the appointee to vote as the appointee sees fit in respect of amendments or variations to matters identified in the notice of meeting or other matters as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. 8. By providing voting instructions as requested, you are acknowledging that you are the beneficial owner of, and are entitled to instruct us with respect to the voting of, these securities. 9. If you have any questions regarding the enclosed documents, please contact the Registered Representative who services your account. 10. This VIF should be read in conjunction with the information circular and other proxy materials provided by Management. VIFs submitted must be received by 2:00 pm, PST, on December 15, 2021. VOTE USING THE TELEPHONE OR INTERNET 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK! To Vote Using the Telephone To Vote Using the Internet Call the number listed BELOW from a touch tone telephone. 1-866-734-VOTE (8683) Toll Free Go to the following web site: www.investorvote.com Smartphone? Scan the QR code to vote now. If you vote by telephone or the Internet, DO NOT mail back this VIF. Voting by mail may be the only method for securities held in the name of a corporation or securities being voted on behalf of another individual. Voting by mail or by Internet are the only methods by which a holder may choose an appointee other than the Management appointees named on the reverse of this VIF. Instead of mailing this VIF, you may choose one of the two voting methods outlined above to vote this VIF. To vote by telephone or the Internet, you will need to provide your CONTROL NUMBER listed below. CONTROL NUMBER Appointee(s) I/We being holder(s) of securities of InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Company”) hereby appoint: Eric A. Adams, or failing this person, Bruce Colwill (the “Management Nominees”) OR If you wish to attend in person or appoint someone else to attend on your behalf, print your name or the name of your appointee in this space (see Note #3 on reverse). as my/our appointee to attend, act and to vote in accordance with the following direction (or if no directions have been given, as the appointee sees fit) and on all other matters that may properly come before the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the Company that will be deemed to be held at 510 W Georgia St, Suite 1800, Vancouver, BC V6B 0M3 on December 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm, PST, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. However, the Meeting will be held in virtual only format, which will be conducted via telephone conference with no in-person attendance permitted. VOTING RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INDICATED BY HIGHLIGHTED TEXT OVER THE BOXES. For Against 1. Number of Directors To set the number of directors at five (5). 2. Election of Directors 01. Eric A. Adams For 02. Adam Cutler For 03. William J. Garner For 04. Andrew Hull 05. Catherine Sazdanoff For Withhold 3. Appointment of Auditors To appoint KPMG LLP as the auditor/independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the ensuing year and to authorize the directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor. Authorized Signature(s) – This section must be completed for your instructions to be executed. I/We authorize you to act in accordance with my/our instructions set out above. I/We hereby revoke any VIF previously given with respect to the Meeting. If no voting instructions are indicated above, and the VIF appoints the Management Nominees, this VIF will be voted as recommended by Management. DD/MM/YY Signature(s) Date Interim Financial Statements - Mark this box if you would like to receive Interim Financial Statements and accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis by mail. Annual Financial Statements - Mark this box if you would like to receive the Annual Financial Statements and accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis by mail. If you are not mailing back your VIF, you may register online to receive the above financial report(s) by mail at www.computershare.com/mailinglist. M E X Q 3 3 3 3 2 3 A R 1