Exhibit 10.14
August 28, 2023
Han-Peter Gerber, PhD
[private address]
Dear Hans-Peter:
We are pleased to offer you a position with Sutro Biopharma, Inc. (the “Company”), as Chief Scientific Officer, reporting to Bill Newell, Chief Executive Officer, effective 9/18/2023. The Company is excited to have you join our exceptional team and we look forward to a purposeful and productive relationship. You should note that the Company may modify job titles, salaries and benefits from time to time as it deems necessary.
a.
Base Pay. In this position you will earn an annual salary of $500,000, which will be paid semi-monthly in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll procedures. Your base pay will be periodically reviewed as a part of the Company’s regular reviews of compensation.
b.
Bonus Eligibility. In each calendar year during your employment with the Company, you will be eligible to receive an annual bonus dependent on performance objectives, which will be based on company objectives established by the Company’s Board of Directors in their discretion. Your target bonus will be up to 40% of your base salary, assuming the achievement of such performance objectives as determined solely by the Company’s Board of Directors. You will be eligible for bonus consideration, with the beginning of the 2023 performance year. Any bonus that you earn will be paid to you within the parameters agreed to by the Company CEO and the Company’s Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and shall be paid in cash, less any usual withholding.
c.
Sign-on Bonus. You will receive a sign-on bonus of $350,000, less applicable taxes, $250,000 will be paid on the first payroll period following your start date. The remaining $100,000 will be paid on your one-year anniversary anticipated to be on or after September 18, 2024, please provide this request in writing to People and Culture ten days prior to the date you would like to receive the second sign-on bonus payment of $100,000. This sign-on bonus will be fully repayable should you choose to leave the company prior to your second-year anniversary of employment.
a.
If you decide to join the Company, it will be recommended on the 15th of the month following your start date (or the first trading day following your start date), that the Company grant you an option to purchase 175,000 publicly traded shares (non-qualified) of the Company’s Common Stock at a price per share equal to the fair market value per share of the Common Stock on the date of grant, as approved by the Company’s Board of Directors. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the shares subject to the option shall vest 12 months after the date your vesting begins subject to your continuing employment with the Company, and no shares shall vest before such date. The remaining shares shall vest monthly over the next 36 months in equal monthly amounts subject to your continuing employment with the company.
This option grant shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the company’s Stock Option Plan and Stock Option Agreement, including vesting requirements. No right to any stock is earned or accrued until such time that vesting occurs, nor does the grant confer any right to continue vesting or employment. In addition to your option grant, you will receive a grant of 150,000 shares of Restricted Stock (RSU’s). This grant will vest annually, from your start date, over 4 years at the rate of 25% each year. No right to any stock is earned or accrued until such time that vesting occurs, nor does the grant confer any right to continue vesting or employment.
a.
Group Plans. As an employee, you will be eligible to receive certain employee benefits including health insurance, life insurance and disability insurance, with reasonable and customary coverages and deductibles or co-payments.
b.
Paid Time Off. Subject to the Company’s PTO Policy, you will be eligible for 20 days Paid Time Off (PTO), accrued on a monthly basis at the rate of 13.34 hours per month. You will also eligible for 9 paid holidays per year.
c.
401k. The Company will provide you with the opportunity to participate in the Sutro’s 401k plan. The plan will match 50% of your 401(k) contributions on the first 6% of your salary (subject to IRS maximum deferral allowed). You are eligible to enroll the first of the month after your hire date and must be an active employee on 12/31 of the plan year to be eligible for the Company contribution.
d.
Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP). Eligible employees can acquire Sutro stock through after-tax payroll deductions at a discounted purchase price. Offering periods run for a six-month period and occur twice each year on March 15th and September 15th.
4.Change of Control/Severance Eligibility
Effective with your first date of employment you will be a participant in Sutro’s Change of Control and Severance plan with the provisions provided under Tier 2 of the Plan. We have included a copy of the plan document for your reference.
5.Additional Important Information
a.
At-Will Employment. You should be aware that your employment with the Company is for no specified period and constitutes at-will employment. As a result, you are free to resign at any time, for any reason or for no reason. Similarly, the Company is free to conclude its employment relationship with you at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. We request that, in the event of resignation, you give the Company at least two weeks’ notice.
b.
Confidentiality & Arbitration Agreement. As a condition of your employment, you are also required to sign and comply with an At-Will Employment, Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement which requires, among other provisions, the assignment of patent rights to any invention made during your employment at the Company, and non-disclosure of company proprietary information. In the event of any dispute or claim relating to or arising out of our employment relationship, you and the Company agree that (i) any and all disputes between you and the Company shall be fully and finally resolved by binding arbitration, (ii) you are waiving any and all rights to a jury trial but all court remedies will be available in arbitration, (iii) all disputes shall be resolved by a neutral arbitrator who shall issue a written opinion, (iv) the arbitration shall provide for adequate discovery, and
(v) the Company shall pay all but the first $125 of the arbitration fees. Please note that we must receive your signed Agreement before your first day of employment.
c.
Verification of Information. The Company reserves the right to conduct background investigations and/or reference checks on all of its potential employees.
d.
Right to Work. For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to the Company documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States. Such documentation must be provided to us within three (3) business days of your date of hire, or our employment relationship with you may be terminated.
e.
Vaccination for COVID-19. The Company requires all new hires to be fully vaccinated prior to the first date of employment. As required by applicable law, Sutro will consider requests for reasonable accommodation.
f.
No Conflicting Obligations. We also ask that, if you have not already done so, you disclose to the Company any and all agreements relating to your prior employment that may affect your eligibility to be employed by the Company or limit the manner in which you may be employed. It is the Company’s understanding that any such agreements will not prevent you from performing the duties of your position and you represent that such is the case. Moreover, you agree that, during the term of your employment with the company, you will not engage in any other employment, occupation, consulting or other business activity directly related to the business in which the Company is now involved or becomes involved during the term of your employment, nor will you engage in any other activities that conflict with your obligations to the Company. Similarly, you agree not to bring any third party confidential information to the Company, including that of your former employer, and that in performing your duties for the Company you will not in any way utilize any such information.
g.
General Obligations. As a Company employee, you will be expected to abide by the company’s rules and standards. Specifically, you will be required to sign an acknowledgment that you have read and that you understand the Company’s rules of conduct, which are included in the Company Handbook.
To accept the Company’s offer, please sign and date this letter in the space provided below. This letter, along with any agreements relating to proprietary rights between you and the Company, set forth the terms of your employment with the Company and supersede any prior representations or agreements including, but not limited to, any representations made during your recruitment, interviews or pre-employment negotiations, whether written or oral. This letter, including, but not limited to, its at-will employment provision, may not be modified or amended except by a written agreement signed by the CEO of the Company and you. This offer of employment will terminate if it is not accepted, signed and returned by September 5, 2023.
We look forward to your favorable reply and to working with you at Sutro Biopharma.
[signature page follows]
To indicate your acceptance of the Company’s offer, please sign and date this letter in the space provided below and return it to me.
Sincerely,
William J. Newell
CEO
ACCEPTED AND AGREED:
Signature:
Printed Name:
Date:
Enclosures:
Exhibit A: General Release of All Claims
Sutro Severance and Change of Control Plan
Sutro Biopharma 2020 Benefits Guide
EXHIBIT A
GENERAL RELEASE OF ALL CLAIMS
In consideration of the severance benefits to be provided to Hans-Peter Gerber by Sutro Biopharma, Inc. (the “Company”), pursuant to the terms of the letter you entered into with the Company dated as of 8/28/2023 (the “Agreement”), you, on your own behalf and on behalf of your heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, hereby fully and forever release and discharge the Company and its directors, officers, employees, agents, successors, predecessors, subsidiaries, parent, stockholders, employee benefit plans and assigns (together called “the Releases’”), from all known and unknown claims and causes of action including, without limitation, any claims or causes of action arising out of or relating in any way to your employment with the Company, including the termination of that employment.
Eight days after you sign (and do not revoke) this General Release of All Claims (“Release”), provided that it is not signed earlier than your cessation of employment, you will be entitled to the severance benefits or change of control benefits set forth in the Agreement, subject to any other requirements set forth therein or on Exhibit B thereto, that are conditioned on this Release.
You understand and agree that this Release is a full and complete waiver of all claims, including (without limitation) claims to attorneys’ fees or costs, claims of wrongful discharge, constructive discharge, breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, harassment, retaliation, discrimination, violation of public policy, defamation, invasion of privacy, interference with a leave of absence, personal injury, fraud or emotional distress and any claims of discrimination or harassment based on sex, age, race, national origin, disability or any other basis under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Act of 1 963, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), the California Labor Code, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Family Rights Act, the Family Medical Leave Act or any other federal or state law or regulation relating to employment or employment discrimination. You further understand and agree that this waiver includes all claims, known and unknown, to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law.
You also hereby agree that nothing contained in this Release shall constitute or be treated as an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the Releasees or you.
In addition, you hereby expressly waive any and all rights and benefits conferred upon you by the provisions of Section 1542 of the Civil Code of the State of California, which states as follows:
A general release does not extend to claims which the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release, which if known by him or her must have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor.
If any provision of this Release is found to be unenforceable, it shall not affect the enforceability of the remaining provisions and the court shall enforce all remaining provisions to the full extent permitted by law.
You agree to provide, at the Company’s expense, including reimbursement of your time and/or the reasonable fees and expenses of your counsel, reasonable cooperation and complete and accurate information to the Company (voluntarily, without requiring a subpoena or other compulsion of law) in the event of litigation against the Company and/or its officers or directors. You also agree that you will not assist any person in bringing or pursuing any claim or action of any kind against the Company, unless pursuant to subpoena or other compulsion of law.
This Release constitutes the entire agreement between you and Releases’ with regard to the subject matter of this Release. It supersedes any other agreements, representations or understandings, whether oral or written and whether express or implied, which relate to the subject matter of this Release except as otherwise set forth in the Agreement. However, this Release covers only those claims that arose prior to the execution of this Release. Execution of this Release does not bar any claim that arises hereafter, including (without limitation) a claim for breach of the Agreement.
You understand that you have the right to consult with an attorney before signing this Release. You have 21 days after receipt of this Release to review and consider this Release, discuss it with an attorney of your own choosing, and decide to execute it or not execute it. You also understand that you may revoke this Release during a period of seven days after you sign it and that this Release will not become effective for seven days after you sign it (and then only if you do not revoke it). In any event, this Release is not to be signed, and will not become effective, prior to your cessation of employment. In order to revoke this Release, within seven days after you execute this Release you must deliver to William Newell, at the Company, a letter stating that you are revoking it.
You understand that if you choose to revoke this Release within seven days after you sign it, you will not receive the severance benefits set forth in the Agreement that are conditioned on this Release and the Release will have no effect.
You agree not to disclose to others the terms of this Release, except that you may disclose such information to your spouse and to your attorney or accountant in order for such attorney or accountant to render services to you related to this Release.
You state that before signing this Release, you:
•Know that you are giving up important rights,
•Are aware of your right to consult an attorney before signing it, and
•Have signed it knowingly and voluntarily.
|
|
Date:
By:
Hans-Peter Gerber
|
TO BE SIGNED UPON CESSATION OF EMPLOYMENT