Companies Nkarta, Inc.
Nkarta (NKTX): executive pay, fiscal 2025
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CEO pay, last three years
- $2,934,715FY2023
- $3,985,445FY2024
- $2,978,038FY2025
CEO total pay was $2,978,038 in fiscal 2025, down from $3,985,445 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $674,384 · bonus $0 · stock awards $236,250 · option awards $1,711,957
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Hastings | $674,384 | $0 | $236,250 | $1,711,957 | $344,947 | $0 | $10,500 | $2,978,038 |
| Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Nadir Mahmood | 543,250 | 0 | 155,000 | 434,646 | 252,611 | 0 | 10,500 | 1,396,007 |
| President | ||||||||
| Shawn Rose | 316,591 | 0 | 0 | 709,300 | 189,720 | 0 | 9,162 | 1,224,773 |
| Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Hastings | $2,978,038 | $3,985,445 | $2,934,715 | ↓ −1,007,407 |
| Nadir Mahmood | 1,396,007 | 3,336,117 | — | ↓ −1,940,110 |
| Shawn Rose | 1,224,773 | — | — | — |
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 provide our executives with an annual base salary as a fixed, stable form of compensation that reflects the scope of an executive’s role, responsibilities, experience, and sustained individual performance. We provide cash short-term incentive opportunities to incentivize the achievement of annual performance goals. In addition, we grant our executives long-term incentive compensation in the form of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and stock options to provide an additional incentive to grow our business and further link the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Aon Consulting, Inc. |
| Clawback policy | — |
| Anti-hedging | — |
| Anti-pledging | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nadir Mahmood | OPTION | 2025-06-05 | — | — | 123,500 | — | $182,311 |
| Paul Hastings | OPTION | 2025-06-05 | — | — | 377,000 | — | 556,527 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nadir Mahmood | $0 | $0 | $182,311 | 0.0% |
| Paul Hastings | 0 | 0 | 556,527 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Hastings | RSU | 4,875 | — | $9,019 |
| Paul Hastings | Option | 5,231 | 12.14 | — |
| Paul Hastings | RSU | 10,475 | — | 19,379 |
| Paul Hastings | Option | 15,000 | 12.25 | — |
| Paul Hastings | RSU | 32,250 | — | 59,663 |
| Nadir Mahmood | RSU | 62,000 | — | 114,700 |
| Paul Hastings | RSU | 63,750 | — | 117,938 |
| Paul Hastings | RSU | 94,500 | — | 174,825 |
| Nadir Mahmood | Option | 95,198 | 2.5 | — |
| Paul Hastings | Option | 104,677 | 5.57 | — |
| Nadir Mahmood | Option | 123,500 | 1.83 | — |
| Paul Hastings | Option | 265,365 | 6.01 | — |
| Nadir Mahmood | Option | 355,208 | 6.69 | — |
| Paul Hastings | Option | 377,000 | 1.83 | — |
| Paul Hastings | Option | 435,906 | 2.5 | — |
| Shawn Rose | Option | 500,000 | 1.75 | — |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali BehbahaniIndependent · Audit · Nominating/Governance (Chair) | $87,500 | $0 | $67,289 | — | $0 | $154,789 |
| Angela ThedingaIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Science & Technology | 65,500 | 0 | 67,289 | — | 0 | 132,789 |
| Michael DybbsIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating/Governance · Science & Technology | 63,000 | 0 | 67,289 | — | 0 | 130,289 |
| Leone PattersonIndependent · Audit · Compensation | 55,000 | 0 | 67,289 | — | 0 | 122,289 |
| George VratsanosIndependent · Audit · Science & Technology | 52,000 | 0 | 67,289 | — | 0 | 119,289 |
| Zachary ScheinerIndependent · Audit · Nominating/Governance · Science & Technology | 51,000 | 0 | 67,289 | — | 0 | 118,289 |
| Simeon GeorgeIndependent · Audit · Compensation | 46,000 | 0 | 67,289 | — | 0 | 113,289 |
| Paul HastingsEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $270,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 15,000 / 12,000 / 10,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $420,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $0 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $420,000 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names Nkarta as a peer
Companies that benchmark against NKTX
8 companies name NKTX as a compensation peer
- Adaptimmune Therapeutics PLCADAPFY2024
- Allogene Therapeutics, Inc.ALLOFY2025
- Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc.ATRAFY2024
- C4 Therapeutics, Inc.CCCCFY2025
- Editas Medicine, Inc.EDITFY2025
- Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc.LCTXFY2025
- Stoke Therapeutics, Inc.STOKFY2025
Each company listed discloses NKTX 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 NKTX in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
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 | Nkarta, Inc. | 2025 | Paul Hastings | $674,384 | $236,250 | $1,711,957 | $344,947 | $2,978,038 |
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.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-10 | 43,493,065 | 3,313,424 | 38,722 | 92.92% | 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 | 2026-06-10 | 92.92%a |
a. 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) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | — |
| Median employee compensation | — |
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.
| Insider | Role | Transaction date | Code | Shares | Price | Value | Security | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angela Thedinga | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | $0 | $0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Michael Dybbs | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | 0 | 0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Leone Patterson | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | 0 | 0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Zachary Scheiner | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | 0 | 0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| George Vratsanos | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | 0 | 0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Simeon George | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | 0 | 0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Ali Behbahani | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | 0 | 0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| RA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. | Director | 2026-06-10 | A | 37,000 | 0 | 0 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Paul Hastings | Director | 2026-06-18 | D | 1,776 | 3 | 4,813 | Common | Form 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 (28 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, Paul Hastings. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Summary Compensation Table - Fiscal Years 2024-2025” · page 25. As printed: 2,978,038. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Nadir Mahmood. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Summary Compensation Table - Fiscal Years 2024-2025” · page 25. As printed: 1,396,007. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Shawn Rose. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Summary Compensation Table - Fiscal Years 2024-2025” · page 25. As printed: 1,224,773. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Nadir Mahmood OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “NKARTA, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Paul Hastings OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “NKARTA, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. 10-K, filed 2026-03-25. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: —. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Ali Behbahani. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 154,789. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Angela Thedinga. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 132,789. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michael Dybbs. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 130,289. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Leone Patterson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 122,289. View filing ↗
- Section 08, George Vratsanos. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 119,289. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Zachary Scheiner. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 118,289. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Simeon George. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 113,289. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Paul Hastings. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 02, Angela Thedinga 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, Michael Dybbs 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, Leone Patterson 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, Zachary Scheiner 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, George Vratsanos 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, Simeon George 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, Ali Behbahani 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, RA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. 2026-06-10. Form 4, filed 2026-06-11. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 02, Paul Hastings 2026-06-18. Form 4, filed 2026-06-22. Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-06-11. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 92.92% (votes for as printed: 43,493,065). 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 420,000 + equity 0 + all other 0 = 420,000, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Nkarta, Inc. (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. CEO total compensation as printed in Nkarta, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,978,038. View filing ↗