Companies Verastem
Verastem (VSTM): executive pay, fiscal 2025
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CEO pay, last three years
- $3,626,857FY2023
- $2,536,767FY2024
- $2,349,975FY2025
CEO total pay was $2,349,975 in fiscal 2025, down from $2,536,767 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $674,000 · bonus $0 · stock awards $1,161,661 · option awards $0
Executives and directors
Frequently asked questions
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 officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Paterson | $674,000 | $0 | $1,161,661 | $0 | $489,324 | $0 | $24,990 | $2,349,975 |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Matthew Ros | 455,154 | 0 | 585,330 | 0 | 196,425 | 0 | 388,254 | 1,625,163 |
| Former Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Daniel Calkins | 350,000 | 0 | 450,721 | 0 | 151,200 | 0 | 24,950 | 976,871 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Michael Kauffman | 30,000 | 0 | 62,331 | 75,662 | 0 | 0 | 105,000 | 272,993 |
| President of Development | ||||||||
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 officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Paterson | $2,349,975 | $2,536,767 | $3,626,857 | ↓ −186,792 |
| Matthew Ros | 1,625,163 | — | — | — |
| Daniel Calkins | 976,871 | 741,010 | 622,564 | ↑ +235,861 |
| Michael Kauffman | 272,993 | — | — | — |
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
The Board of Directors believes that equity awards have been, and will continue to be, a critical part of our total compensation program and allow us to attract and retain the key talent needed to effectively compete in our industry, incentivize superior results and long-term value creation, and align the interests of our employees with those of our stockholders.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Pearl Meyer |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Calkins | RSU | 2025-01-10 | — | — | 38,880 | — | — |
| Matthew Ros | PSU | 2025-04-01 | — | — | 33,333 | — | — |
| Matthew Ros | RSU | 2025-04-01 | — | — | 50,000 | — | — |
| Daniel Calkins | PSU | 2025-01-10 | — | — | 25,866 | — | — |
| Daniel Paterson | RSU | 2025-01-10 | — | — | 100,000 | — | — |
| Daniel Paterson | PSU | 2025-01-10 | — | — | 66,666 | — | — |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
Grant-level vehicle detail not disclosed.
% 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
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Calkins | RSU | 546 | — | $4,215 |
| Daniel Calkins | Option | 663 | 11.44 | — |
| Daniel Calkins | Option | 820 | 10.5 | — |
| Daniel Calkins | Option | 2,709 | 11.44 | — |
| Michael Kauffman | RSU | 3,473 | — | 26,812 |
| Daniel Calkins | Option | 4,295 | 7.97 | — |
| Michael Kauffman | Option | 5,209 | 7.48 | — |
| Daniel Paterson | Option | 6,250 | 42.12 | — |
| Michael Kauffman | Option | 8,043 | 11.44 | — |
| Daniel Calkins | Option | 12,500 | 6.89 | — |
| Daniel Paterson | Option | 13,413 | 11.44 | — |
| Daniel Paterson | RSU | 21,875 | — | 168,875 |
| Daniel Calkins | PSU | 25,866 | — | 199,686 |
| Daniel Calkins | RSU | 25,900 | — | 199,948 |
| Daniel Calkins | RSU | 38,800 | — | 299,536 |
| Daniel Paterson | Option | 43,750 | 10.44 | — |
| Daniel Paterson | Option | 58,420 | 7.97 | — |
| Daniel Paterson | PSU | 66,666 | — | 514,662 |
| Daniel Paterson | Option | 72,071 | 11.44 | — |
| Daniel Paterson | RSU | 100,000 | — | 772,000 |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Kauffman, M.D., Ph.DEmployee director · Research & Development | $105,000 | $62,331 | $75,662 | — | $0 | $242,993 |
| Eric Rowinsky, M.DIndependent · Nominating and Corporate Governance · Research and Development (Chair) | 70,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 7,000 | 214,993 |
| Anil KapurIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Commercialization | 72,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 0 | 209,993 |
| Michelle RobertsonIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Compensation | 65,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 0 | 202,993 |
| Brian StuglikNot independent · Audit · Commercialization | 65,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 0 | 202,993 |
| John JohnsonIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chair) | 62,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 0 | 199,993 |
| Karin TollefsonIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Corporate Governance · Commercialization | 60,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 0 | 197,993 |
| Paul Bunn, M.DIndependent · Research & Development | 55,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 0 | 192,993 |
| Robert GagnonIndependent · Not standing for re-election · Departed during FY | 45,000 | 62,331 | 75,662 | — | 0 | 182,993 |
| Daniel PatersonEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Michael P. BaileyIndependent · Newly elected | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 20,000 / 15,000 / 10,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $599,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $560,979 |
| All other compensation | $7,000 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,166,979 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names Verastem as a peer
Companies that benchmark against VSTM
5 companies name VSTM as a compensation peer
- Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.AMLXFY2025
- Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc.LCTXFY2025
- Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.MRSNFY2024
- Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc.OLMAFY2025
- SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc.SLSFY2025
Each company listed discloses VSTM in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named VSTM in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
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 Verastem 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.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scholar Rock Holding Corporation | 2025 | David Hallal | $637,500 | $22,518,500 | $7,624,988 | $452,293 | $33,300,927 |
| 2 | Cogent Biosciences, Inc. | 2025 | Andrew Robbins | 724,554 | 12,993,250 | 13,447,680 | 561,600 | 27,762,684 |
| 3 | Celcuity Inc. | 2025 | Brian Sullivan | 577,096 | 0 | 15,428,650 | 368,122 | 16,373,868 |
| 4 | Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2024 | Amy Burroughs | 563,701 | 807,750 | 6,476,968 | 375,000 | 8,240,502 |
| 5 | iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. | 2024 | Michel Detheux | 628,684 | 0 | 4,965,264 | 421,014 | 6,085,657 |
| 6 | Cullinan Oncology, Inc. | 2025 | Nadim Ahmed | 698,476 | 1,697,400 | 2,234,340 | 419,086 | 5,100,006 |
| 7 | Compass Therapeutics, Inc. | 2025 | Thomas Schuetz | 630,000 | 0 | 4,065,000 | 0 | 5,097,150 |
| 8 | Kura Oncology, Inc. | 2025 | Troy Wilson | 700,000 | 0 | 3,297,250 | 630,000 | 4,735,016 |
| 9 | Aura Biosciences, Inc. | 2025 | Elisabet de los Pinos | 645,483 | 1,492,378 | 1,513,293 | 284,013 | 3,956,167 |
| 10 | Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2025 | Sean Bohen | 699,920 | 0 | 2,002,000 | 461,900 | 3,178,990 |
| 11 | Cardiff Oncology, Inc. | 2025 | Mark Erlander | 635,000 | 0 | 2,266,106 | 122,238 | 3,023,344 |
| 12 | Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc. | 2025 | Peter Blume-Jensen | 709,893 | 0 | 1,592,245 | 410,400 | 2,718,538 |
| 13 | Verastem | 2025 | Daniel Paterson | 674,000 | 1,161,661 | 0 | 489,324 | 2,349,975 |
| 14 | Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2025 | Sandesh Seth | 762,320 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,187,320 |
| 15 | Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2023 | Conley Chee | 479,092 | 369,460 | 0 | 192,455 | 1,041,697 |
| — | MEI Pharma, Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Leap Therapeutics, Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
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
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verastem | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer |
| Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc. | not disclosed | Option 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | StreeterWyatt Analytics LLC |
| Aura Biosciences, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Pay Governance |
| Cardiff Oncology, Inc. | 35% | Options 100 | not disclosed | Aon |
| Celcuity Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Cogent Biosciences, Inc. | 135% | not disclosed | No | Compensia |
| Compass Therapeutics, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Alpine Rewards |
| Cullinan Oncology, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Compensia (through June 2025); Pay Governance (since June 2025) |
| iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Radford |
| Kura Oncology, Inc. | 150% | not disclosed | No | Alpine Rewards |
| Leap Therapeutics, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| MEI Pharma, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | F. W. Cook |
| Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 110% | Options 100 | not disclosed | Aon |
| Scholar Rock Holding Corporation | not disclosed | not disclosed | No | Pay Governance |
| Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Compensia Inc. |
| Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 120% | not disclosed | No | Alpine Rewards |
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 year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-21 | 51,696,318 | 2,536,847 | 955,013 | 95.32% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-05-22 | 25,736,181 | 5,317,283 | 156,229 | 82.88% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-05-23 | 12,866,522 | 2,133,122 | 1,759,575 | 85.78% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-05-15 | 61,337,960 | 24,528,314 | 726,121 | 70.84% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-05-12 | 89,933,554 | 5,125,119 | 376,282 | 94.61% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-05-18 | 76,777,939 | 4,322,711 | 451,688 | 94.67% | 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 year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-21 | 95.32%a |
| 2025 | 2025-05-22 | 82.88%b |
| 2024 | 2024-05-23 | 85.78%c |
a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions 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.
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (42 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, Daniel Paterson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 2,349,975. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Matthew Ros. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,625,163. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Daniel Calkins. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 976,871. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Michael Kauffman. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 272,993. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Daniel Calkins RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Matthew Ros PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Matthew Ros RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Daniel Calkins PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Daniel Paterson RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Daniel Paterson PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michael Kauffman, M.D., Ph.D. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 242,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Eric Rowinsky, M.D. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 214,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Anil Kapur. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 209,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michelle Robertson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 202,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Brian Stuglik. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 202,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, John Johnson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 199,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Karin Tollefson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 197,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Paul Bunn, M.D. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 192,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Robert Gagnon. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 182,993. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Daniel Paterson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michael P. Bailey. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: —. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-05-26. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 95.32% (votes for as printed: 51,696,318). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-05-23. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 82.88% (votes for as printed: 25,736,181). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-05-23. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 85.78% (votes for as printed: 12,866,522). View filing ↗
- Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
- Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 599,000 + equity 560,979 + all other 7,000 = 1,166,979, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Scholar Rock Holding Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-22. CEO total compensation as printed in Scholar Rock Holding Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 33,300,927. View filing ↗
- Cogent Biosciences, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. CEO total compensation as printed in Cogent Biosciences, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 27,762,684. View filing ↗
- Celcuity Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. CEO total compensation as printed in Celcuity Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 16,373,868. View filing ↗
- Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 8,240,502. View filing ↗
- iTeos Therapeutics, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-24. CEO total compensation as printed in iTeos Therapeutics, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,085,657. View filing ↗
- Cullinan Oncology, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-28. CEO total compensation as printed in Cullinan Oncology, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,100,006. View filing ↗
- Compass Therapeutics, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Compass Therapeutics, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,097,150. View filing ↗
- Kura Oncology, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Kura Oncology, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,735,016. View filing ↗
- Aura Biosciences, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-20. CEO total compensation as printed in Aura Biosciences, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,956,167. View filing ↗
- Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,178,990. View filing ↗
- Cardiff Oncology, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. CEO total compensation as printed in Cardiff Oncology, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,023,344. View filing ↗
- Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,718,538. View filing ↗
- Verastem (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. CEO total compensation as printed in Verastem's own proxy. As printed: 2,349,975. View filing ↗
- Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-10-16. CEO total compensation as printed in Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,187,320. View filing ↗
- Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. 10-K, filed 2024-04-23. CEO total compensation as printed in Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,041,697. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. names Verastem in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗