CONDUIT PHARMACEUTICALS INC
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Apr 16, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Apr 16, 2024
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Item 11. Executive Compensation
Fiscal 2023 Summary Compensation Table
The following table summarizes the compensation earned by or paid to our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, who constitute all of our executive officers, for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022. We have no defined benefit or actuarial pension plan, and no deferred compensation plan.
| NAME AND PRINCIPAL POSITION · FISCAL YEAR · SALARY ($) · STOCK AWARDS (1) ($) · OPTION AWARDS (1) ($) · NONEQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN COMPENSATIONS ($) · ALL OTHER COMPENSATION · TOTAL ($) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Tapolczay Chief Executive Officer and Director | 2023 | $139,933 | $ | - | $1,203,239 | $ | - | $ | - | $1,343,172 | |
| 2022 · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - | |||||||||||
| Adam Sragovicz, Chief Financial Officer | 2023 | $116,667 | $410,743 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $527,410 | |
| 2022 · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - · $ · - | |||||||||||
| (1) | Amounts in these columns represent the aggregate grant date fair value, as determined in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation (“FASB ASC Topic 718”) for stock awards and option awards granted in 2023. On December 1, 2023, David Tapolczay received a stock option to purchase 298,179 shares of Common Stock ; and Adam Sragovicz received a restricted stock unit award covering 74,545 shares of Common Stock. The closing price of our common stock on the grant date was $5.51 per share. |
Employment Agreements
We entered into employment agreements with our named executive officers on September 22, 2023, which was the closing date of the Business Combination. These agreements are summarized below.
Dr. Tapolczay
On September 22, 2023, we entered into an employment agreement (the “Tapolczay Employment Agreement”) with Dr. Tapolczay, pursuant to which he serves as our Chief Executive Officer of and a member of our board of directors.
Under the Tapolczay Employment Agreement, Dr. Tapolczay is entitled to (i) an annual base salary of $550,000, and (ii) a target annual bonus opportunity equal to 50% of his base salary, payable based on the achievement of performance objectives as determined by our board of directors. In addition, the Tapolczay Employment Agreement provides that Dr. Tapolczay is entitled to receive a sign-on stock option award to purchase 0.40% of the shares of our Common Stock pursuant to the terms of the 2023 Stock Incentive Plan, which shall vest in equal annual installments on the first four anniversaries of the Business Combination.
The Tapolczay Employment Agreement provides that if we terminate Dr. Tapolczay’s employment other than for cause or disability, or if he terminates his employment for good reason, in either case other than the change in control protection period (described below), he would be entitled to receive (i) continued payment of his annual base salary for 12 months following the date of termination, (ii) a lump sum payment of his annual cash performance bonus that had been earned by him for a completed fiscal year or other measuring period but that had not yet been paid to him as of the date of termination, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to his then target annual bonus opportunity, pro-rated based on the total number of days elapsed in the calendar year through the date of termination, (iv) payment or reimbursement of the COBRA premiums for him and his eligible dependents, or if COBRA is not available under our group health plan, a cash amount equal to such payments or reimbursements (in either case, less the premiums he was paying for such coverage while employed), until the earliest of (x) the last day of the applicable salary continuation period specified above, or (y) the date he becomes eligible for comparable health insurance coverage under a subsequent employer’s group health plan; and (v) accelerated vesting of such number of his unvested equity awards as would have vested had he remained employed during the 12-month period following his date of termination (provided, however, that, any equity awards that vest in whole or in part based on the attainment of performance-vesting conditions shall be governed by the terms of the applicable award agreement).
The Tapolczay Employment Agreement provides that if we terminate Dr. Tapolczay’s employment other than for cause or disability, or if he terminates his employment for good reason, in either case within three months prior to or 12 months after a change in control (such period, the change in control period), he would be entitled to receive (i) continued payment of his annual base salary for 18 months following the date of termination, (ii) a lump sum payment of his annual cash performance bonus that had been earned by him for a completed fiscal year or other measuring period but that had not yet been paid to him as of the date of termination, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to 150% of his then target annual bonus opportunity (without pro-ration), (iv) payment or reimbursement of the COBRA premiums for him and his eligible dependents, or if COBRA is not available under our group health plan, a cash amount equal to such payments or reimbursements (in either case, less the premiums he was paying for such coverage while employed), until the earliest of (x) the last day of the applicable salary continuation period specified above, or (y) the date he becomes eligible for comparable health insurance coverage under a subsequent employer’s group health plan; and (v) accelerated vesting of 100% of his unvested equity awards (provided, however, that, any equity awards that vest in whole or in part based on the attainment of performance-vesting conditions shall be governed by the terms of the applicable award agreement).
Additionally, to the extent that any payment or benefit received in connection with a change in control would be subject to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code, such payments and/or benefits will be subject to a “best pay cap” reduction if such reduction would result in a greater net after-tax benefit to the executive than receiving the full amount of such payments.
In exchange for the severance benefits described above, Dr. Tapolczay must (i) sign and not revoke a release of claims in favor of the Company, (ii) comply with his proprietary information and inventions assignment agreement, (iii) refrain from soliciting employees of the Company for a period of one year after his termination of employment, and (iv) comply with the other provisions of the Tapolczay Employment Agreement.
Mr. Sragovicz
On September 22, 2023, we entered into an employment agreement (the “Sragovicz Employment Agreement”) with Adam Sragovicz, pursuant to which he serves as our Chief Financial Officer.
Under the Sragovicz Employment Agreement, Mr. Sragovicz is entitled to (i) an annual base salary of $400,000, and (ii) a target annual bonus opportunity equal to 40% of his base salary, payable based on the achievement of performance objectives as determined by our board of directors. In addition, the Sragovicz Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Sragovicz is entitled to receive a sign-on restricted stock unit award covering 0.10% of the shares of our Common Stock pursuant to the terms of the 2023 Stock Incentive Plan, which shall vest in equal annual installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the Business Combination.
The Sragovicz Employment Agreement provides that if we terminate Mr. Sragovicz’s employment other than for cause or disability, or if he terminates his employment for good reason, in either case other than the change in control protection period (described below), he would be entitled to receive (i) continued payment of his annual base salary for nine months following the date of termination, (ii) a lump sum payment of his annual cash performance bonus that had been earned by him for a completed fiscal year or other measuring period but that had not yet been paid to him as of the date of termination, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to his then target annual bonus opportunity, pro-rated based on the total number of days elapsed in the calendar year through the date of termination, (iv) payment or reimbursement of the COBRA premiums for him and his eligible dependents, or if COBRA is not available under our group health plan, a cash amount equal to such payments or reimbursements (in either case, less the premiums he was paying for such coverage while employed), until the earliest of (x) the last day of the applicable salary continuation period specified above, or (y) the date he becomes eligible for comparable health insurance coverage under a subsequent employer’s group health plan; and (v) accelerated vesting of such number of his unvested equity awards as would have vested had he remained employed during the nine-month period following his date of termination (provided, however, that, any equity awards that vest in whole or in part based on the attainment of performance-vesting conditions shall be governed by the terms of the applicable award agreement).
The Sragovicz Employment Agreement provides that if we terminate Mr. Sragovicz’s employment other than for cause or disability, or if he terminates his employment for good reason, in either case within three months prior to or 12 months after a change in control (such period, the change in control period), he would be entitled to receive (i) continued payment of his annual base salary for 12 months following the date of termination, (ii) a lump sum payment of his annual cash performance bonus that had been earned by him for a completed fiscal year or other measuring period but that had not yet been paid to him as of the date of termination, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to 100% of his then target annual bonus opportunity (without pro-ration), (iv) payment or reimbursement of the COBRA premiums for him and his eligible dependents, or if COBRA is not available under our group health plan, a cash amount equal to such payments or reimbursements (in either case, less the premiums he was paying for such coverage while employed), until the earliest of (x) the last day of the applicable salary continuation period specified above, or (y) the date he becomes eligible for comparable health insurance coverage under a subsequent employer’s group health plan; and (v) accelerated vesting of 100% of his unvested equity awards (provided, however, that, any equity awards that vest in whole or in part based on the attainment of performance-vesting conditions shall be governed by the terms of the applicable award agreement).
Additionally, to the extent that any payment or benefit received in connection with a change in control would be subject to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code, such payments and/or benefits will be subject to a “best pay cap” reduction if such reduction would result in a greater net after-tax benefit to the executive than receiving the full amount of such payments.
In exchange for the severance benefits described above, Mr. Sragovicz must (i) sign and not revoke a release of claims in favor of the Company, (ii) comply with his proprietary information and inventions assignment agreement, (iii) refrain from soliciting employees of the Company for a period of one year after his termination of employment, and (iv) comply with the other provisions of the Sragovicz Employment Agreement.
Outstanding Equity Awards at 2023 Fiscal Year-End
The following table summarizes all of the outstanding equity-based awards held by our named executive officers as of December 31, 2023, the end of our fiscal year.
| OPTION AWARDS (1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME · OPTION OR STOCK AWARD GRANT DATE · NUMBER OF SECURITIES UNDERLYING UNEXERCISED OPTIONS (#) EXERCISABLE · NUMBER OF SECURITIES UNDERLYING UNEXERCISED OPTIONS (#) UNEXERCISABLE · EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN AWARD: NUMBER OF SECURITIES UNDERLYING UNEXERCISED UNEARNED OPTIONS (#) · OPTION EXERCISE PRICE ($) · OPTION EXPIRATION DATE · NUMBER OF SHARES OR UNITS OF STOCK THAT HAVE NOT VESTED (2) (#) · MARKET VALUE OF SHARES OR UNITS OF STOCK THAT HAVE NOT VESTED ($) (3) | |||||||||
| David Tapolczay | 12/1/2023 | - | - | 298,179 | $5.51 | 11/30/2033 | 298,179 | 1,356,714 | |
| Adam Sragovicz | 12/1/2023 | - | - | - | $ | - | N/A | 74,545 | 339,180 |
| (1) | The stock option vests as to 1/4 of the underlying shares on each of the first four anniversaries of the vesting commencement date, which is September 22, 2023. |
| (2) | The restricted stock unit award vests as to 1/3 of the underlying shares on each of the first three anniversaries of the vesting commencement date, which is September 22, 2023. |
| (3) | Calculated by multiplying the number of restricted stock units by $4.55, the closing market price of our common stock on December 29, 2023, the last trading day of our most recently completed fiscal year. |
2023 Stock Incentive Plan
On September 20, 2023, MURF stockholders approved the Conduit Pharmaceuticals Inc. 2023 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”). The 2023 Plan permits our board of directors or compensation committee to grant may grant or issue stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance stock units, other stock- or cash-based awards and dividend equivalents, or any combination thereof, to officers, employees, directors or consultants of the Company.
Subject to adjustment for stock splits or similar events, the 2023 Plan initially reserved 11,497,622 shares of Common Stock for issuance pursuant to awards, plus an annual increase on the first day of each calendar year beginning in 2024 and ending in 2033 equal to the lesser of (i) 5% of the shares of Common Stock outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (ii) such smaller number of shares of Common Stock as determined by our board of directors.
The Company filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-8 covering all of the shares of Common Stock issuable under the 2023 Plan. On January 10, 2024, the Company filed a registration statement on Form S-8 that increased the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the 2023 Plan by 3,691,476 shares.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table provides a summary of the securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2023.
| Plan category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a)(1) | (b)(2) | (c) | |
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | |||
| 2023 Plan | 1,146,264 | $5.51 | 10,351,358 |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | - | - | - |
| Total | 1,146,264 | $5.51 | 10,351,358 |
| (1) | This column reflects 1,071,719 shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options and 74,545 shares issuable upon the vesting and payment of time-based restricted stock units (“RSUs”). |
| (2) | Excludes the RSUs referred to in note 1 above because they have no exercise price. |
Director Compensation
The following table sets forth the compensation we paid to our non-employee directors during fiscal 2023:
| Name · Fees earned or paid in cash ($) · Stock awards ($) · Option awards ($) (1) · Non-equity incentive plan compensation · Change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings · All Other Compensation · TOTAL ($) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Bligh | $424,739 | $ | - | $902,428 | $ | - | $ | - | $108,606 | $1,435,773 | ||
| Faith L. Charles | $12,250 | $ | - | $255,180 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $208,809 | |
| Chele Chiavacci Farley | $13,750 | $ | - | $255,180 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $267,430 | |
| Freda Lewis-Hall | $20,125 | $ | - | $255,180 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $275,305 | |
| Jennifer I. McNealey | $11,875 | $ | - | $255,180 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $267,055 | |
| Andrew Regan | $599,047 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $243,034 | $842,081 | |
| (1) | Amounts in this column represents the aggregate grant date fair value, determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, of option awards granted to participating non-employee directors on December 1, 2023. For a description of the assumptions we used to calculate these amounts, see Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report. As of December 31, 2023, each non-employee director (other than Dr. Regan, who waived his right to receive equity grants) held a stock option to purchase 65,000 shares of our Common Stock, with an exercise price equal to $5.51 per share. Each stock option vests as to 1/3 of the underlying shares on each of the first three anniversaries of the vesting commencement date, which is September 22, 2023. |
Compensation Program for the Board of Directors
We adopted a compensation program for our board of directors, which became effective upon completion of the Business Combination. Under the compensation program, the non-employee directors will receive the following annual cash retainers for their service on the board of directors and its committees:
| ● | $35,000 for each non-employee director; |
|---|---|
| ● | $30,000 for the Chairperson of the board of directors; |
| ● | $15,000 for the chair of the Audit Committee and $7,500 for each of the other members of that committee; |
| ● | $10,000 for the chair of the Compensation Committee and $5,000 for each of the other members of that committee; and |
| ● | $8,000 for the chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and $4,000 for each of the other members of that committee. |
In addition, each non-employee director who is initially elected or appointed to the board of directors on or after the completion of the Business Combination will automatically be granted on the day of such first election or appointment a stock option to purchase 65,000 shares of our Common Stock (the “Initial Award”) (provided that the Initial Award with respect to each non-employee director who initially is elected or appointed to the board at the closing of the Business Combination shall be granted upon the effectiveness of the Form S-8 with respect to the our Common Stock issuable under the 2023 Stock Incentive Plan). Each Initial Award will vest and become exercisable in substantially equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, subject to the non-employee director continuing in service on the board of directors through each such vesting date.
A non-employee director who is serving on the board of directors as of the date of any annual meeting after the effective date of the new program, and who will continue to serve as a non-employee director immediately following such meeting, will automatically be granted on the date of such annual meeting a stock option to purchase 32,500 shares of our Common Stock, which amount is pro-rated for new directors to reflect their service since the last annual meeting (the “Annual Award”). Each Annual Award will vest and become exercisable on the earlier of (i) the first anniversary of the date of grant, or (ii) the date immediately prior to the next annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders following the date of grant, subject to the non-employee director continuing in service on the board of directors through such vesting date.
Upon a change in control, all outstanding equity awards that are held by a non-employee director shall become fully vested and exercisable. Board members who are also employees of the Company, such as Dr. Tapolczay and Mr. Bligh, are not eligible to participate in the non-employee director compensation program described above and did not receive any compensation for service on the board of directors. Moreover, Dr. Regan waived his right to receive equity awards under the program.
The 2023 Plan provides that the sum of the grant date fair value of all equity-based awards and the maximum amount of cash that may become payable to any individual for services as a non-employee director during any calendar year may not exceed $750,000, increased to $1,000,000 in the calendar year of a non-employee director’s initial service as a non-employee director. The plan administrator may make exceptions to this limit for individual non-employee directors in extraordinary circumstances, as the plan administrator may determine in its discretion, provided that the non-employee director receiving such additional compensation may not participate in the decision to award such compensation or in other contemporaneous compensation decisions involving non-employee directors.
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