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Q32 Bio Inc.

For the period ended Jun 13, 2025. Filed Apr 29, 2025.

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About this filing

What shareholders are asked to vote on at a company's meeting. It is where to find what directors and top executives are paid, and who owns the most shares.

Jun 13, 2025 · Filed Apr 29, 2025

QTTB$9.25+4.5%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Director Nomination Process

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is primarily responsible for searching for qualified director candidates for election to the Board of Directors and filling vacancies on the Board of Directors. To facilitate the search process, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may solicit current directors and executives of the Company for the names of potentially qualified candidates or ask directors and executives to pursue their own business contacts for the names of potentially qualified candidates. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also consult with outside advisors or retain search firms to assist in the search for qualified candidates, or consider director candidates recommended by our stockholders. Once potential candidates are identified, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews the backgrounds of those candidates, evaluates candidates’ independence from the Company and potential conflicts of interest and determines if candidates meet the qualifications desired by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee for candidates for election as a director.

In evaluating the suitability of individual candidates (both new candidates and current Board members), the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, in recommending candidates for election, and the Board of Directors, in approving (and, in the case of vacancies, appointing) such candidates, may take into account many factors, including: personal and professional integrity, ethics and values; experience in corporate management, such as serving as an officer or former officer of a publicly held company; strong finance experience; experience relevant to the Company’s industry; experience as a board member or executive officer of another publicly held company; relevant academic expertise or other proficiency in an area of the Company’s operations; diversity of expertise and experience in substantive matters pertaining to the Company’s business relative to other board members; diversity of background and perspective, including, but not limited to, with respect to age, gender, race, place of residence and specialized experience; practical and mature business judgment, including, but not limited to, the ability to make independent analytical inquiries; and any other relevant qualifications, attributes or skills. The Board of Directors evaluates each individual in the context of the Board of Directors as a whole, with the objective of assembling a group that can best perpetuate the success of the business and represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment using its diversity of experience in these various areas. In determining whether to recommend a director for re-election, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also consider the director’s past attendance at meetings and participation in and contributions to the activities of the Board of Directors.

Stockholders may recommend individuals to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee for consideration as potential director candidates by submitting the names of the recommended individuals, together with appropriate biographical information and background materials, to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, c/o Secretary, Q32 Bio Inc., 830 Winter Street, Waltham, MA. In the event there is a vacancy, and assuming that appropriate biographical and background material has been provided on a timely basis, the Committee will evaluate stockholder-recommended candidates by following substantially the same process, and applying substantially the same criteria, as it follows for candidates submitted by others.

Director Independence

Applicable Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), rules require a majority of a listed company’s Board of Directors to be comprised of independent directors within one year of listing. In addition, the Nasdaq rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees be independent and that audit committee members also satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act and that compensation committee members satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act. Under applicable Nasdaq rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of the listed company’s Board of Directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the Board of Directors, or any other board committee, accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or otherwise be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries. In addition, in affirmatively determining the independence of any director who will serve on a company’s compensation committee, Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act requires that a company’s Board of Directors must consider all factors specifically relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship to such company which is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, including: the source of compensation to the director, including any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee paid by such company to the director, and whether the director is affiliated with the company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.

In April 2025, our Board of Directors undertook a review of the composition of our Board of Directors and its committees and the independence of each director. Based upon that review, our Board of Directors determined that Mark Iwicki, David Grayzel, Bill Lundberg, Kathleen LaPorte, Isaac Manke, Mary Thistle and Diyong Xu each qualify as “independent” in accordance with the listing requirements of Nasdaq. The Nasdaq independence definition includes a series of objective tests, including that the director is not, and has not been for at least three years, one of our employees and that neither the director nor any of his family members has engaged in various types of business dealings with us. In addition, as required by Nasdaq rules, our Board of Directors has made a subjective determination as to each independent director that no relationships exist, which, in the opinion of our Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In making these determinations, our Board reviewed and discussed information provided by the directors and us with regard to each director’s business and personal activities and relationships as they may relate to us and our management, including that each of Mr. Xu and Mr. Grayzel is affiliated with a separate significant stockholder. Jodie Morrison is not an “independent director” as defined by the Nasdaq rules as a result of her position as our Chief Executive Officer and Arthur Tzianabos is not an “independent director” as defined by the Nasdaq rules as a result of his position as our previous Chief Executive Officer from April 2016 to September 2022. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Board Committees

Our Board of Directors has established an audit committee, a compensation committee, a nominating and corporate governance committee and a research and development committee. Each of these committees operates under a charter that satisfies the applicable standards of the SEC and Nasdaq. Each such committee reviews its respective charter annually. A current copy of the charter for each of the audit committee, compensation committee, nominating and corporate governance committee, and research and development committee is posted on the corporate governance section of our website, www.q32bio.com.

The members of each of the Board committees and committee Chairpersons are set forth in the following table:

NameAuditCompensationNominating andCorporateGovernanceResearch andDevelopment
Kathleen LaPorteChairpersonX
Mark IwickiXChairperson
Bill Lundberg, M.D.XChairperson
Isaac Manke, Ph.D.X
Diyong XuX
Mary ThistleXChairperson
Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D.X
David Grayzel, M.D.X

Audit Committee

Mark Iwicki, Kathleen LaPorte, and Mary Thistle serve on the audit committee, which is chaired by Ms. LaPorte. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of our current audit committee is “independent” for audit committee purposes as that term is defined in the rules of the SEC and the applicable Nasdaq rules, and each has sufficient knowledge in financial and auditing matters to serve on the audit committee. Our Board of Directors has designated Ms. LaPorte as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under the applicable rules of the SEC. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, following the Closing Date of the Merger, the audit committee met four times. The report of the audit committee is included in this proxy statement under “Report of the Audit Committee.” The audit committee’s responsibilities include:

appointing, approving the compensation of, and assessing the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;

overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting firm, including through the receipt and consideration of reports from such firm;

reviewing and discussing with management and the independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures;

monitoring our internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures and code of business conduct and ethics;

discussing our risk management policies;

establishing policies regarding hiring employees from the independent registered public accounting firm and procedures for the receipt and retention of accounting-related complaints and concerns;

meeting independently with our internal auditing staff, if any, independent registered public accounting firm and management;

reviewing and approving or ratifying any related person transactions; and

preparing the audit committee report required by the SEC rules.

All audit and non-audit services, other thande minimis non-audit services, to be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm must be approved in advance by our audit committee.

Compensation Committee

Mark Iwicki, Bill Lundberg, M.D., and Isaac Manke, Ph.D. serve on the compensation committee, which is chaired by Mr. Iwicki. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of the compensation committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq rules. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, following the Closing Date of the Merger, the compensation committee met two times. The compensation committee’s responsibilities include:

reviewing and approving, or recommending for approval by the Board, the compensation of our CEO and our other executive officers;

overseeing and administering our cash and equity incentive plans;

reviewing and making recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to director compensation;

periodically evaluating the Company’s succession plans for the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers;

overseeing and periodically reviewing matters related to the Company’s human capital management as well as the Company’s key human capital policies and practices, including with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion, workplace culture, and equitable pay practices;

reviewing and discussing annually with management our “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” to the extent required; and

preparing the annual compensation committee report, to the extent required by SEC rules.

The compensation committee generally considers the Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations when making decisions regarding the compensation of non-employee directors and executive officers (other than the Chief Executive Officer). Pursuant to the compensation committee’s charter, the compensation committee has the authority to retain or obtain the advice of compensation consultants, legal counsel and other advisors to assist in carrying out its responsibilities.

The compensation committee may delegate its authority under its charter to one or more subcommittees as it deems appropriate from time to time. The compensation committee may also delegate to an officer the authority to grant equity awards to certain employees, as further described in its charter and subject to the terms of our equity plans.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Kathleen LaPorte, Mary Thistle, and Diyong Xu serve on the nominating and corporate governance committee, which is chaired by Ms. Thistle. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of the nominating and corporate governance committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq rules. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, following the Closing Date of the Merger, the nominating and corporate governance committee met one time. The nominating and corporate governance committee’s responsibilities include:

developing and recommending to the Board of Directors, criteria for board and committee membership;

establishing procedures for identifying and evaluating board of director candidates, including nominees recommended by stockholders;

reviewing the size and composition of the Board of Directors to ensure that it is composed of members containing the appropriate skills and expertise to advise us;

identifying individuals qualified to become members of the Board of Directors;

recommending to the Board of Directors the persons to be nominated for election as directors and to each of the board’s committees;

overseeing the evaluation of our Board of Directors, and

reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors a set of corporate governance guidelines.

The nominating and corporate governance committee considers candidates for Board of Director membership suggested by its members, other members of the Board of Directors, and the Chief Executive Officer. Additionally, in selecting nominees for directors, the nominating and corporate governance committee will review candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner and using the same general criteria as candidates recruited by the committee and/or recommended by our Board of Directors. Any stockholder who wishes to recommend a candidate for consideration by the committee as a nominee for director should follow the procedures described later in this proxy statement under the heading “Stockholder Proposals.” The nominating and corporate governance committee will also consider whether to nominate any person proposed by a stockholder in accordance with the provisions of our bylaws relating to stockholder nominations as described later in this proxy statement under the heading “Stockholder Proposals.”

Research and Development Committee

David Grayzel, M.D., Bill Lundberg, M.D., and Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D. serve on the research and development committee, which is chaired by Dr. Lundberg. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, following the Closing Date of the Merger, the research and development committee met two times. The research and development committee’s responsibilities include:

reviewing, evaluating, and advising the Board of Directors and management regarding our long-term strategic goals and objectives related to our research and development programs;

monitoring and evaluating trends in research and development, and recommending to the Board and management emerging technologies for building the Company’s technological strength;

regularly reviewing the Company’s research and development pipeline; and

assisting the Board of Directors with its oversight responsibility for enterprise risk management in areas affecting the Company’s research and development.

Board and Committee Meetings Attendance

Following the Closing Date of the Merger, the full Board of Directors met seven times during 2024. During 2024, each member of the Board of Directors attended in person or participated by teleconference in 75% or more of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors (held during the period for which such person has been a director) and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of the Board of Directors on which such person served (during the periods that such person served).

Director Attendance at Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Our corporate governance guidelines provide that directors are encouraged to attend the annual meeting of stockholders and our directors are expected to participate in the virtual Annual Meeting unless they have a conflict that cannot be resolved.

Anti -Hedging Policy

Our Board hasadopted an insider trading policy, which applies to all of our directors, officers and employees. The policy prohibits our directors, officers and employees and any entities they control from engaging in the following transactions:

selling any of our securities that they do not own at the time of the sale (referred to as a “short sale”);

buying or selling puts, calls, other derivative securities of the Company or any derivative securities that provide the economic equivalent of ownership of any of our securities or an opportunity, direct or indirect, to profit from any change in the value of our securities or engaging in any other hedging transaction with respect to our securities;

using our securities as collateral in a margin account; and

pledging our securities as collateral for a loan (or modifying an existing pledge).

A copy of our insider trading policy is filed with our 2024 Annual Report as Exhibit 19.1.

It is also the policy of the Company to comply with all applicable securities laws when transacting in its own securities. We believe that our policies and procedures are reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, any applicable securities laws, rules, regulations and any exchange listing standards.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Conduct applicable to all officers, directors and other employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer and controller, and persons performing similar functions. A copy of our Code of Conduct is available at the Investors & Media section of our website, located atwww.q32bio.com, under “Investors & Media–Corporate Governance–Documents and Charters.” We intend to disclose on our website any amendments to, or waivers from, our Code of Conduct that are required to be disclosed pursuant to the rules of the SEC, as well as Nasdaq’s requirement to disclose waivers with respect to directors and executive officers. The information contained on our website is not considered part of, or incorporated by reference into, this proxy statement or any other filing that we make with the SEC.

Board Leadership Structure and Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

Our amended and restated bylaws and Corporate Governance Guidelines provide our Board of Directors with flexibility to combine or separate the positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer in accordance with its determination that utilizing one or the other structure would be in the best interests of our Company.

Currently, the role of chairman of the board is separated from the role of chief executive officer, and Mark Iwicki serves as chairman of the Board of Directors. We currently believe that separating these positions allows our chief executive officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing the chairman of the board to lead the Board of Directors in its fundamental role of providing advice to, and independent oversight, of management. Our Board of Directors recognizes the time, effort, and energy that the chief executive officer is required to devote to his position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as our chairman, particularly as the Board of Directors’ oversight responsibilities continue to grow. While our bylaws and our corporate governance guidelines do not require that our chairman and chief executive officer positions be separate, our Board of Directors believes that having separate positions is the appropriate leadership structure for us at this time and demonstrates our commitment to good corporate governance.

If the Chairman of the Board of Directors is a member of management or does not otherwise qualify as independent, our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide for the appointment by the independent directors of a Lead Director. The Lead Director’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, presiding over all meetings of the Board at which the Chairman of the Board of Directors is not present, including any executive sessions of the independent directors, approving the Board of Directors’ meeting schedules and agendas, and acting as liaison between the independent directors and the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors is comprised of individuals with extensive experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and, with the exception of Ms. Morrison and Dr. Tzianabos, our Board of Directors is comprised of directors who meet the independence standards of Nasdaq. For these reasons and because of the strong leadership of Ms. Morrison as our Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Iwicki as Chairman of the Board of Directors, our Board of Directors has concluded that our current leadership structure is appropriate at this time. However, our Board of Directors will continue to periodically review our leadership structure and may make changes in the future as it deems appropriate.

Risk is inherent to every business, and how well a business manages risk can ultimately determine its success. We face a number of risks, including risks relating to our financial condition, development and commercialization activities, operations, strategic direction, and intellectual property. Risk assessment and oversight are an integral part of our governance and management processes. Our Board of Directors encourages management to promote a culture that incorporates risk management into our corporate strategy and day-to-day business operations. Management discusses strategic and operational risks at regular management meetings and conducts specific strategic planning and review sessions during the year that include a focused discussion and analysis of the risks facing us. Throughout the year, senior management reviews these risks with the Board of Directors at regular Board of Directors meetings as part of management presentations that focus on particular business functions, operations or strategies, and presents the steps taken by management to mitigate or eliminate such risks. Our Board of Directors does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through the Board of Directors as a whole, as well as through various standing committees of the Board of Directors that address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight. In particular, our Board is responsible for monitoring and assessing strategic risk exposure, including business continuity risks, and our Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing our major financial and cyber-security risk exposures and the steps our management has taken to monitor and control these exposures. The Audit Committee also monitors compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and considers and approves or disapproves any related person transactions. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees risks associated with our corporate governance framework and monitors the effectiveness of the Corporate Governance Guidelines. Our Compensation Committee assesses and monitors whether any of our compensation policies and programs has the potential to encourage excessive risk-taking. The Board of Directors does not believe that its role in the oversight of our risks affects the Board of Directors’ leadership structure.

Communication with our Directors

Any interested party with concerns about our company may report such concerns to the Board of Directors or any member of the Board of Directors, by submitting a written communication to the attention of such director at the following address:

c/o Q32 Bio Inc.

You may submit your concern anonymously or confidentially by postal mail. You may also indicate whether you are a stockholder, customer, supplier, or other interested party.

A copy of any such written communication may also be forwarded to our legal counsel and a copy of such communication may be retained for a reasonable period of time. The director may discuss the matter with our legal counsel, with independent advisors, with non-management directors, or with our management, or may take other action or no action as the director determines in good faith is necessary, using reasonable judgment, and applying his or her own discretion.

Communications may be forwarded to other directors if they relate to important substantive matters and include suggestions or comments that may be important for other directors to know. In general, communications relating to corporate governance and long-term corporate strategy are more likely to be forwarded than communications relating to ordinary business affairs, personal grievances, and matters as to which we tend to receive repetitive or duplicative communications.

The audit committee oversees the procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or audit matters, and the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters. The Company has also established a toll-free telephone number for the reporting of such activity, which is 1-866-241-4955.

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