Companies Lightwave Logic
Lightwave Logic (LWLG): executive pay, fiscal 2025
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CEO pay, last three years
- $626,873FY2024
- $8,614,697FY2025
CEO total pay was $8,614,697 in fiscal 2025, up from $626,873 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $443,939 · bonus $300,000 · stock awards $7,866,451 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yves LeMaitre | $443,939 | $300,000 | $7,866,451 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $4,307 | $8,614,697 |
| CEO | ||||||||
| James Marcelli | 385,875 | 0 | 284,878 | 48,068 | 0 | 0 | 3,623 | 722,444 |
| CFO, COO | ||||||||
| Thomas Zelibor | 360,000 | 75,000 | 218,406 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,375 | 656,781 |
| President | ||||||||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yves LeMaitre | $8,614,697 | $626,873 | — | ↑ +7,987,824 |
| James Marcelli | 722,444 | 814,509 | 1,108,385 | ↓ −92,065 |
| Thomas Zelibor | 656,781 | 286,895 | — | ↑ +369,886 |
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 compensation program is performance-based and designed to attract, retain, and motivate talented executives critical to the advancement of the Company's commercialization roadmap, while aligning the interests of management with those of stockholders through long-term equity incentives. The program aims to be market-based, focus on measurable technical and commercial milestones, and remain affordable within the context of the Company's operating expense model.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC and Aon plc |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Marcelli | RSU | 2025-02-06 | — | — | 307,113 | — | $299,871 |
| Yves LeMaitre | RSU | 2025-09-12 | — | — | 826,617 | — | 2,661,707 |
| Thomas Zelibor | RSU | 2025-04-18 | — | — | 235,453 | — | 229,901 |
| Yves LeMaitre | RSU | 2025-09-12 | — | — | 1,616,380 | — | 5,204,744 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Marcelli | $299,871 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% |
| Yves LeMaitre | 7,866,451 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thomas Zelibor | 229,901 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
% 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
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yves LeMaitre | PSU | 4,308 | — | $13,958 |
| Yves LeMaitre | RSU | 85,000 | — | 0 |
| James Marcelli | RSU | 250,000 | — | 810,000 |
| Yves LeMaitre | PSU | 2,442,997 | — | 7,915,310 |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siraj Nour El-AhmadiNot independent | $30,000 | $100,000 | $0 | $0 | $240,000 | $370,000 |
| Ronald A. BucchiIndependent · Board Chair · Audit (Chair) · Nominating and Corporate Governance | 70,750 | 100,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170,750 |
| Laila S. PartridgeIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating and Corporate Governance | 42,250 | 100,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 142,250 |
| Thomas Connelly JrIndependent · Compensation · Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chair) | 38,625 | 100,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 138,625 |
| Craig CieslaIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Nominating and Corporate Governance | 33,375 | 100,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 133,375 |
| Yves LeMaitreEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $100,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 15,000 / 12,500 / 7,500 |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $215,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $500,000 |
| All other compensation | $240,000 |
| Total cost of the board | $955,000 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names Lightwave Logic as a peer
Companies that benchmark against LWLG
2 companies name LWLG as a compensation peer
- Archer Aviation Inc.ACHRFY2025
- Atomera IncATOMFY2025
Each company listed discloses LWLG 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 LWLG 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.
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 | American Battery Technology Company | 2026 | Ryan Melsert | $425,000 | $5,213,916 | $15,260,540 | — | $21,546,331 |
| 2 | LightPath Technologies, Inc. | 2026 | Shmuel Rubin | 421,734 | 4,038,007 | 11,050,936 | 15,000 | 15,824,493 |
| 3 | Aeva Technologies, Inc. | 2025 | Soroush Salehian Dardashti | 600,600 | 7,180,000 | 0 | 0 | 8,792,350 |
| 4 | Lightwave Logic | 2025 | Yves LeMaitre | 443,939 | 7,866,451 | 0 | 0 | 8,614,697 |
| 5 | Amprius Technologies, Inc. | 2025 | Thomas Stepien | 319,712 | 2,746,000 | 0 | 0 | 3,354,715 |
| 6 | Frequency Electronics, Inc. | 2026 | Thomas McClelland | 366,833 | 2,629,000 | 0 | 0 | 3,259,827 |
| 7 | Kopin Corporation | 2025 | Michael Murray | 506,191 | 600,692 | 575,990 | 463,374 | 2,257,423 |
| 8 | SES AI Corporation | 2025 | Qichao Hu | 530,000 | 1,140,930 | 0 | 0 | 1,921,424 |
| 9 | AEye, Inc. | 2025 | Matthew Fisch | 500,000 | 344,470 | 0 | 930,000 | 1,864,345 |
| 10 | ASP Isotopes Inc. | 2024 | Robert Ainscow | 310,000 | 658,500 | 0 | 0 | 1,148,500 |
| 11 | LanzaTech Global, Inc. | 2025 | Jennifer Holmgren | 630,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 642,559 |
| 12 | NVE Corporation | 2026 | Daniel Baker | 449,918 | 0 | 41,026 | 80,353 | 585,775 |
| 13 | Interlink Electronics, Inc. | 2025 | Steven Bronson | 278,100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 340,674 |
| — | Dyadic International, Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Neonode Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Optical Cable Corporation | — | — | — | — | — | — | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightwave Logic | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC and Aon plc |
| Aeva Technologies, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | No | Semler Brossy Consulting Group |
| AEye, Inc. | 186% | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | No | Compensia, Inc. |
| American Battery Technology Company | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Amprius Technologies, Inc. | 108% of target for Mr. Stepien and Dr. Sun% | RSUs 100 | not disclosed | Compensia |
| ASP Isotopes Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Dyadic International, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Frequency Electronics, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Grant Thornton |
| Interlink Electronics, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Kopin Corporation | not disclosed | not disclosed | No | Aon plc (Human Capital Solutions practice) |
| LanzaTech Global, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Willis Towers Watson |
| LightPath Technologies, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 50 · TSR Award 50 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Neonode Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| NVE Corporation | not disclosed | Option 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Optical Cable Corporation | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| SES AI Corporation | 0% | RSU 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024-05-22 | 25,303,745 | 5,455,175 | 1,387,244 | 78.71% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-05-27 | 19,016,662 | 1,747,759 | 1,033,474 | 87.24% | Passed |
| 2018 | 2018-05-17 | 20,611,182 | 246,065 | 575,545 | 98.82% | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024-05-22 | 78.71%a |
| 2021 | 2021-05-27 | 87.24%b |
| 2018 | 2018-05-17 | 98.82%c |
a. 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 vote for this proposal .”.
b. 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 vote for this proposal .”.
c. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
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) | 6 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $1,346,381 |
| Median employee compensation | $212,019 |
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (33 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, Yves LeMaitre. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 22. As printed: 8,614,697. View filing ↗
- Section 01, James Marcelli. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 722,444. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Thomas Zelibor. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 656,781. View filing ↗
- Section 03, James Marcelli RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Yves LeMaitre RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Thomas Zelibor RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Yves LeMaitre RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2024-04-11. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 6 : 1. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Siraj Nour El-Ahmadi. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 370,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Ronald A. Bucchi. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 170,750. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Laila S. Partridge. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 142,250. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Thomas Connelly Jr. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 138,625. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Craig Ciesla. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 133,375. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Yves LeMaitre. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-05-24. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 78.71% (votes for as printed: 25,303,745). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2021 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2021-06-01. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 87.24% (votes for as printed: 19,016,662). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2018 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2018-05-22. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.82% (votes for as printed: 20,611,182). 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 215,000 + equity 500,000 + all other 240,000 = 955,000, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- American Battery Technology Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-09-22. CEO total compensation as printed in American Battery Technology Company's own proxy. As printed: 21,546,331. View filing ↗
- LightPath Technologies, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-10-26. CEO total compensation as printed in LightPath Technologies, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 15,824,493. View filing ↗
- Aeva Technologies, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Aeva Technologies, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 8,792,350. View filing ↗
- Lightwave Logic (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Lightwave Logic's own proxy. As printed: 8,614,697. View filing ↗
- Amprius Technologies, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Amprius Technologies, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,354,715. View filing ↗
- Frequency Electronics, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-08-28. CEO total compensation as printed in Frequency Electronics, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,259,827. View filing ↗
- Kopin Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-22. CEO total compensation as printed in Kopin Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 2,257,423. View filing ↗
- SES AI Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-10-27. CEO total compensation as printed in SES AI Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 1,921,424. View filing ↗
- AEye, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-30. CEO total compensation as printed in AEye, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,864,345. View filing ↗
- ASP Isotopes Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-11-25. CEO total compensation as printed in ASP Isotopes Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,148,500. View filing ↗
- LanzaTech Global, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in LanzaTech Global, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 642,559. View filing ↗
- NVE Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-06-22. CEO total compensation as printed in NVE Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 585,775. View filing ↗
- Interlink Electronics, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. CEO total compensation as printed in Interlink Electronics, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 340,674. View filing ↗