CompBrief BY VELARION

Companies Geron Corp

Geron (GERN): executive pay, fiscal 2025

Free brief. Every figure links to the company’s own filing.

Velarion Intel: free for 3 days, no card →

Email me Geron Corp’s executive pay brief as a PDF

You get it on this page the moment you ask, and a copy by email. Every figure is cited to its filing.

After the PDF, up to three short notes on the deeper reports for this company. Reply “unsubscribe” to any of them, any time.

Also free: The Pay Desk, the weekly executive pay briefing.
CEO total pay$10,221,755CEO Harout Semerjian · source
Say-on-pay support94.64%Latest vote · source
CEO vs. named peers71st pct.Of 7 peer CEOs
CEO pay ratio35:1To the median employee · source

CEO pay, last three years

  • $10,221,755FY2025

CEO total pay was $10,221,755 in fiscal 2025; the brief holds no earlier figure for this CEO.

FY2025: salary $321,538 · bonus $0 · stock awards $0 · option awards $9,695,400

Executives and directors

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at Geron Corp in fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Harout Semerjian (President and Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at Geron Corp in fiscal 2025, with total compensation of $10,221,755.
How does Geron Corp's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, Harout Semerjian's total compensation ranked at the 71st percentile of Geron Corp's disclosed peer group.
What is Geron Corp's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, Geron Corp's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 35:1.
How did shareholders vote on Geron Corp's executive compensation?
As disclosed, 94.64% of shareholders supported Geron Corp's executive compensation in the latest say-on-pay vote.
How much does Geron Corp spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Geron Corp reported total board compensation of $444,857 for fiscal 2025.

Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.

Full detail

Every table from the filing. Open any section.

Summary compensation table
Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
Harout Semerjian$321,538$0$0$9,695,400$203,000$0$1,817$10,221,755
President and Chief Executive Officer
John Scarlett309,78101,078,3004,308,104001,726,5697,422,754
Former Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Grethlein563,2760368,2001,474,25300910,7153,316,444
Former Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
Ahmed ElNawawi107,692200,00002,573,400002422,881,334
Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer
James Ziegler470,0280234,070927,54900761,0622,392,709
Former Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer
Michelle Robertson559,8000289,3001,150,230239,300011,4522,250,082
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Interim Secretary
Joseph Eid650,000000339,600011,4521,001,052
Executive Vice President, Research and Development, Chief Medical Officer
Dawn Bir318,19000163,6740040,258522,122
Former Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.

Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive

Named executive officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
Harout Semerjian$10,221,755———
John Scarlett7,422,7546,125,2384,924,092↑ +1,297,516
Andrew Grethlein3,316,4442,813,9562,415,091↑ +502,488
Ahmed ElNawawi2,881,334———
James Ziegler2,392,709———
Michelle Robertson2,250,0822,147,2162,469,659↑ +102,866
Joseph Eid1,001,052———
Dawn Bir522,122———

Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

We believe that the leadership of our current executive management team is critical as we execute on our U.S. RYTELO commercial strategy and pursue paths to make RYTELO available to eligible LR-MDS patients outside of the U.S., including in the EU. Our industry is highly scientific, clinical, regulated and dynamic, which requires an executive management team that is exceptionally educated, dedicated and experienced. We also believe that the work of our executive officers, including our continuing Named Executive Officers, toward accomplishing our corporate goals is highly collaborative and team-oriented, and we strive to ensure that the total compensation levels for our executives are competitive with those of other companies in our industry that compete with us for executive talent.

CEO STI target (% of salary)70%
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantAon
Clawback policyTrue
Anti-hedgingTrue
Anti-pledgingTrue
Equity grants and outstanding awards

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
John ScarlettRSU2025-02-18——410,000—$1,078,300
Harout SemerjianOPTION2025-08-07——11,000,000—9,695,400
Andrew GrethleinRSU2025-02-18——140,000—368,200
James ZieglerRSU2025-02-18——89,000—234,070
Michelle RobertsonRSU2025-02-18——110,000—289,300
Ahmed ElNawawiOPTION2025-10-20——3,000,000—2,573,400
Andrew GrethleinOPTION2025-10-16——78,125—3,150
Dawn BirOPTION2025-05-21——180,000—163,674
James ZieglerOPTION2025-02-18——529,000—927,549
Andrew GrethleinOPTION2025-02-18——839,000—1,471,103
Michelle RobertsonOPTION2025-02-18——656,000—1,150,230
John ScarlettOPTION2025-02-18——2,457,000—4,308,104

Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type

Named executive officerTime-vested (RSU)Performance-vested (PSU)Options / SARs% performance-vested
John Scarlett$1,078,300$0$4,308,1040.0%
Harout Semerjian009,695,4000.0%
Andrew Grethlein368,20001,474,2530.0%
James Ziegler234,0700927,5490.0%
Michelle Robertson289,30001,150,2300.0%
Ahmed ElNawawi002,573,4000.0%
Dawn Bir00163,6740.0%

% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Dawn BirOption180,0001.34$280,800
Andrew GrethleinOption529,0002.63—
John ScarlettOption966,0002—
Joseph EidOption2,220,0001.8—
Joseph EidOption3,000,0001.27—
Michelle RobertsonOption3,166,0002.18—
Andrew GrethleinOption3,483,0002.24—
Andrew GrethleinOption5,070,8441.84—
Andrew GrethleinOption9,352,0001.99—
John ScarlettOption13,039,7501.84—
Director compensation
DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Elizabeth G. O'FarrellIndependent$118,736$0$163,674$0$0$282,410
Susan M. MolineauxIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Compensation70,0000163,67400233,674
V. Bryan LawlisIndependent · Compensation · Not standing for re-election69,5580163,67400233,232
John F. McDonaldIndependent · Audit68,1250163,67400231,799
Robert J. SpiegelIndependent · Audit · Compensation62,5000163,67400226,174
Gaurav AggarwalIndependent55,9380163,67400219,612
Dawn C. BirIndependent · Compensation · Nominating/Governance (Chair)000000
Patricia S. AndrewsIndependent · Audit · Nominating/Governance · Newly elected000000
Harout SemerjianEmployee director000—00
Constantine ChinoporosIndependent · Newly elected000000
John A. ScarlettEmployee director · Departed during FY000—00

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$50,000
Annual equity retainer$163,674
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)25,000 / 15,000 / 10,000
Stock ownership guideline—

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2025
Cash retainers and fees$444,857
Equity awards (grant-date value)$0
All other compensation$0
Total cost of the board$444,857

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

Peer group, and who names Geron as a peer

Companies that benchmark against GERN

8 companies name GERN as a compensation peer

The list of companies that name GERN as a peer is temporarily unavailable — recheck shortly.

Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025

The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.

Peer reciprocity

The companies Geron Corp names as compensation peers that name it back in their own disclosed peer groups.

Chief executive pay against the peer group

Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1Madrigal Pharmaceuticals2025Bill Sibold$918,531$12,297,850$4,537,146$1,438,814$19,206,341
2Axsome Therapeutics2025Herriot Tabuteau835,0005,533,5542,833,237876,75010,283,492
3Geron Corp2025Harout Semerjian321,53809,695,400203,00010,221,755
4Revance Therapeutics, Inc.2023Mark Foley720,0008,810,7310522,72010,068,915
5Dynavax Technologies2024Ryan Spencer835,0014,902,1501,824,299641,9078,210,775
6Syndax Pharmaceuticals2025Michael Metzger754,3002,021,9653,454,360848,5887,089,213
7Coherus Oncology, Inc.2025Dennis Lanfear1,026,5450828,130869,2952,736,874
8Seres Therapeutics, Inc.2025Eric Shaff408,33301,338,87001,775,549

Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.

Incentive design against the same peers

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
Geron Corp90%Options 75 · RSU 25not disclosedAon
Axsome Therapeutics150%RSU 33 · Options 33 · PSU 33NoFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
Coherus Oncology, Inc.not disclosedOption 100not disclosedAon
Dynavax Technologies102.5%Options 34 · RSU 33 · PSU 33Yes — Relative Total Stockholder Return (rTSR) ranking vs. Nasdaq Biotechnology IndexAlpine
Madrigal Pharmaceuticalsnot disclosedPSU 33.33 · RSU 33.33 · Option 33.33Yes — Relative TSR vs Nasdaq Biotechnology IndexCompensia, Inc.
Revance Therapeutics, Inc.96.8%PSU 100NoFW Cook
Seres Therapeutics, Inc.not disclosedOptions 100not disclosedAlpine Rewards, LLC
Syndax Pharmaceuticals150%Options 34 · PSU 33 · RSU 33Yes — Company's three-year total shareholder return (TSR) as measured against the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index components TSRsAon

Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.

Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-05-20372,129,13219,673,4601,400,38794.64%Passed
20252025-05-21361,788,62833,922,6661,009,54491.43%Passed
20242024-05-09272,059,0718,999,1451,941,72096.13%Passed
20232023-05-31288,241,91522,529,8012,231,51192.09%Passed
20222022-05-1096,686,5639,405,184747,70790.5%Passed
20212021-05-11101,688,28723,676,7421,577,40880.11%Passed

Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.

Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation

Meeting yearMeeting dateApproval — company’s computation
20262026-05-2094.64%a
20252025-05-2191.43%b
20242024-05-0996.13%c

a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions are considered voting power present and therefore will have the same effect as a vote against Proposals 2, 3 and 4.”.

b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions will have the same effect as a vote against this proposal, and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.”.

Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)35 : 1
CEO total compensation$11,008,126
Median employee compensation$314,826
Insider trades since the proxy

Every insider equity transaction reported on Form 4 after the 2025 proxy statement — acquisitions, dispositions, exercises, and withholdings — and therefore not reflected in any table in that document.

InsiderRoleTransaction dateCodeSharesPriceValueSecuritySource
Timothy WilliamsEVP and Chief Legal Officer2026-04-13A2,500,000$0$0Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Dawn Carter BirDirector2026-05-20A220,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
John F. McDonaldDirector2026-05-20A220,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Susan M. MolineauxDirector2026-05-20A220,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Elizabeth G. O'FarrellDirector2026-05-20A220,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Robert J. SpiegelDirector2026-05-20A220,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Robert J. SpiegelDirector2026-06-30A6,10317,812CommonForm 4 ↗
Robert J. SpiegelDirector2026-09-30A6,35117,812CommonForm 4 ↗

Transaction codes per Form 4: A acquisition · S open-market sale · F tax withholding · M option exercise · G gift. Value = shares × price as reported. Dividend-equivalent and fractional-share accrual rows (derivative Class A, under $10,000 and under 2,000 shares) are aggregated per date; every row appears in full below.

Sources (55 citations)

Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

  • Section 01, Harout Semerjian. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 10,221,755. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, John Scarlett. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Executive Compensation Tables and Related Narrative Disclosure” · page 72. As printed: 7,422,754. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Andrew Grethlein. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Executive Compensation Tables and Related Narrative Disclosure” · page 72. As printed: 3,316,444. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Ahmed ElNawawi. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Executive Compensation Tables and Related Narrative Disclosure” · page 72. As printed: 2,881,334. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, James Ziegler. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Executive Compensation Tables and Related Narrative Disclosure” · page 72. As printed: 2,392,709. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Michelle Robertson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Executive Compensation Tables and Related Narrative Disclosure” · page 72. As printed: 2,250,082. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Joseph Eid. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Executive Compensation Tables and Related Narrative Disclosure” · page 72. As printed: 1,001,052. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Dawn Bir. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Executive Compensation Tables and Related Narrative Disclosure” · page 72. As printed: 522,122. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, John Scarlett RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Harout Semerjian OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Andrew Grethlein RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, James Ziegler RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Michelle Robertson RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Ahmed ElNawawi OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Andrew Grethlein OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Dawn Bir OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, James Ziegler OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Andrew Grethlein OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Michelle Robertson OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, John Scarlett OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 35 : 1. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Elizabeth G. O'Farrell. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 282,410. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Susan M. Molineaux. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 233,674. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, V. Bryan Lawlis. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 233,232. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, John F. McDonald. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 231,799. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Robert J. Spiegel. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 226,174. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Gaurav Aggarwal. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 219,612. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Dawn C. Bir. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Patricia S. Andrews. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Harout Semerjian. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Constantine Chinoporos. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, John A. Scarlett. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, Timothy Williams 2026-04-13. Form 4, filed 2026-04-14. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, Dawn Carter Bir 2026-05-20. Form 4, filed 2026-05-26. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, John F. McDonald 2026-05-20. Form 4, filed 2026-05-26. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, Susan M. Molineaux 2026-05-20. Form 4, filed 2026-05-26. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, Elizabeth G. O'Farrell 2026-05-20. Form 4, filed 2026-05-26. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, Robert J. Spiegel 2026-05-20. Form 4, filed 2026-05-26. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, Robert J. Spiegel 2026-06-30. Form 4, filed 2026-07-01. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 02, Robert J. Spiegel 2026-09-30. Form 4, filed 2026-10-01. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-05-27. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 94.64% (votes for as printed: 372,129,132). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-05-27. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 91.43% (votes for as printed: 361,788,628). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-05-13. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 96.13% (votes for as printed: 272,059,071). View filing ↗
  • Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
  • Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
  • Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 444,857 + equity 0 + all other 0 = 444,857, summed across the director compensation table rows.
  • Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-28. CEO total compensation as printed in Madrigal Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 19,206,341. View filing ↗
  • Axsome Therapeutics, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-24. CEO total compensation as printed in Axsome Therapeutics's own proxy. As printed: 10,283,492. View filing ↗
  • Geron Corp (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. CEO total compensation as printed in Geron Corp's own proxy. As printed: 10,221,755. View filing ↗
  • Revance Therapeutics, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2024-03-21. CEO total compensation as printed in Revance Therapeutics, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 10,068,915. View filing ↗
  • Dynavax Technologies, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-17. CEO total compensation as printed in Dynavax Technologies's own proxy. As printed: 8,210,775. View filing ↗
  • Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Syndax Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 7,089,213. View filing ↗
  • Coherus Oncology, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-20. CEO total compensation as printed in Coherus Oncology, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,736,874. View filing ↗
  • Seres Therapeutics, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-27. CEO total compensation as printed in Seres Therapeutics, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,775,549. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Syndax Pharmaceuticals reciprocity. DEF 14A. Syndax Pharmaceuticals names Geron Corp in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
Get the full report — $500