Companies Verona Pharma plc
Verona Pharma (VRNA): executive pay, fiscal 2024
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CEO vs. named peers93rd pct.Of 15 peer CEOs
CEO pay, last three years
- $5,183,140FY2022
- $6,597,473FY2023
- $19,456,473FY2024
CEO total pay was $19,456,473 in fiscal 2024, up from $6,597,473 in fiscal 2023.
FY2024: salary $873,015 · bonus $0 · stock awards $18,089,500 · option awards $0
Frequently asked questions
Who was the highest-paid executive at Verona Pharma plc in fiscal 2024?
As disclosed, David Zaccardelli (President and Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at Verona Pharma plc in fiscal 2024, with total compensation of $19,456,473.
How does Verona Pharma plc's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, David Zaccardelli's total compensation ranked at the 93rd percentile of Verona Pharma plc's disclosed peer group.
What is Verona Pharma plc's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, Verona Pharma plc's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 44:1.
How much does Verona Pharma plc spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2024?
As disclosed, Verona Pharma plc reported total board compensation of $729,498 for fiscal 2024.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Zaccardelli | $873,015 | $0 | $18,089,500 | $0 | $480,158 | $0 | $13,800 | $19,456,473 |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Mark Hahn | 582,010 | 0 | 18,089,500 | 0 | 320,105 | 0 | 13,800 | 19,005,415 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Andrew Fisher | 352,557 | 0 | 6,783,563 | 3,516,179 | 155,833 | 0 | 13,800 | 10,821,932 |
| General Counsel | ||||||||
| Kathleen Rickard | 504,167 | 0 | 6,783,563 | 0 | 221,833 | 0 | 0 | 7,509,563 |
| Chief Medical Officer | ||||||||
| Claire Poll | 326,023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 326,023 |
| Former General Counsel | ||||||||
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 | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | FY2022 total | Δ FY2023→2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Zaccardelli | $19,456,473 | $6,597,473 | $5,183,140 | ↑ +12,859,000 |
| Mark Hahn | 19,005,415 | 6,182,294 | 4,767,880 | ↑ +12,823,121 |
| Andrew Fisher | 10,821,932 | — | — | — |
| Kathleen Rickard | 7,509,563 | 1,981,833 | 1,518,001 | ↑ +5,527,730 |
| Claire Poll | 326,023 | — | — | — |
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 key objective is to attract, motivate, and reward leaders who have the skills and experience necessary to successfully execute on the strategic plan to maximize shareholder value. The program is designed to align the long-term interests of NEOs with those of shareholders by emphasizing performance-based, at-risk compensation and weighting the pay mix towards incentive compensation.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Aon |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2024
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Fisher | RSU | 2024-10-30 | — | — | 37,500 | — | $1,262,625 |
| Andrew Fisher | PSU | 2024-12-13 | 56,250 | 112,500 | — | 140,625 | 5,520,938 |
| Andrew Fisher | OPTION | 2024-04-01 | — | — | 300,000 | — | 3,516,179 |
| Mark Hahn | RSU | 2024-10-30 | — | — | 100,000 | — | 3,367,000 |
| Mark Hahn | PSU | 2024-12-13 | 150,000 | 300,000 | — | 375,000 | 14,722,500 |
| Kathleen Rickard | RSU | 2024-10-30 | — | — | 37,500 | — | 1,262,625 |
| Kathleen Rickard | PSU | 2024-12-13 | 56,250 | 112,500 | — | 140,625 | 5,520,938 |
| David Zaccardelli | RSU | 2024-10-30 | — | — | 100,000 | — | 3,367,000 |
| David Zaccardelli | PSU | 2024-12-13 | 150,000 | 300,000 | — | 375,000 | 14,722,500 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Fisher | $1,262,625 | $5,520,938 | $3,516,179 | 53.6% |
| Mark Hahn | 3,367,000 | 14,722,500 | 0 | 81.4% |
| Kathleen Rickard | 1,262,625 | 5,520,938 | 0 | 81.4% |
| David Zaccardelli | 3,367,000 | 14,722,500 | 0 | 81.4% |
% 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 2024
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathleen Rickard | RSU | 18,749 | — | $870,704 |
| Andrew Fisher | RSU | 37,500 | — | 1,741,500 |
| Kathleen Rickard | RSU | 37,500 | — | 1,741,500 |
| Kathleen Rickard | RSU | 43,750 | — | 2,031,750 |
| Kathleen Rickard | RSU | 50,000 | — | 2,322,000 |
| David Zaccardelli | RSU | 75,000 | — | 3,483,000 |
| Mark Hahn | RSU | 75,000 | — | 3,483,000 |
| David Zaccardelli | RSU | 100,000 | — | 4,644,000 |
| Mark Hahn | RSU | 100,000 | — | 4,644,000 |
| Andrew Fisher | PSU | 112,500 | — | 5,224,500 |
| Kathleen Rickard | PSU | 112,500 | — | 5,224,500 |
| David Zaccardelli | RSU | 175,000 | — | 8,127,000 |
| Mark Hahn | RSU | 175,000 | — | 8,127,000 |
| David Zaccardelli | RSU | 225,000 | — | 10,449,000 |
| Mark Hahn | RSU | 225,000 | — | 10,449,000 |
| David Zaccardelli | PSU | 300,000 | — | 13,932,000 |
| Mark Hahn | PSU | 300,000 | — | 13,932,000 |
| Andrew Fisher | Option | 300,000 | 16.09 | — |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Ebsworth, Ph.DIndependent · Board Chair · Remuneration · Nomination and Corporate Governance (Chair) · Commercial Committee | $180,739 | — | $328,117 | — | — | $508,856 |
| Vikas SinhaIndependent · Audit and Risk (Chair) · Nomination and Corporate Governance | 77,818 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 405,935 |
| Christina AckermannIndependent · Audit and Risk · Commerical Committee | 66,161 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 394,279 |
| Kenneth Cunningham, M.DIndependent · Remuneration (Chair) | 65,267 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 393,384 |
| James BradyIndependent · Audit and Risk | 62,757 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 390,874 |
| Lisa DeschampsIndependent · Nomination and Corporate Governance · Commerical Committee | 58,991 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 387,109 |
| Mahendra Shah, Ph.DIndependent · Audit and Risk | 57,736 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 385,853 |
| Martin Edwards, M.DIndependent | 50,205 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 378,323 |
| Anders Ullman, M.D., Ph.DIndependent | 50,205 | — | 328,117 | — | — | 378,323 |
| Michael AustwickIndependent · Commerical Committee (Chair) | 55,435 | — | 237,392 | — | — | 292,827 |
| Rishi GuptaIndependent · Departed during FY | 4,184 | — | 0 | — | — | 4,184 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 18,000 / 12,000 / 10,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2024 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $729,498 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $0 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $729,498 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names Verona Pharma as a peer
Companies that benchmark against VRNA
2 companies name VRNA as a compensation peer
- Innoviva, Inc.INVAFY2025
- Liquidia CorpLQDAFY2025
Each company listed discloses VRNA 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 VRNA 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 2024
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
RYTM Rhythm PharmaceuticalsAGIO Agios PharmaceuticalsHRTX Heron TherapeuticsAKRO Akero TherapeuticsIMCR Immunocore HoldingsAUPH Aurinia PharmaceuticalsTGTX TG TherapeuticsVRDN Viridian TherapeuticsSWTX SpringWorks TherapeuticsTARS Tarsus PharmaceuticalsAXSM Axsome TherapeuticsMDGL Madrigal PharmaceuticalsBCRX BioCryst PharmaceuticalsPHAT Phathom PharmaceuticalsXENE Xenon Pharmaceuticals
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 | TG Therapeutics | 2025 | Michael Weiss | $875,000 | $23,550,000 | $0 | $1,146,250 | $25,571,250 |
| 2 | Verona Pharma plc | 2024 | David Zaccardelli | 873,015 | 18,089,500 | 0 | 480,158 | 19,456,473 |
| 3 | Madrigal Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | Bill Sibold | 918,531 | 12,297,850 | 4,537,146 | 1,438,814 | 19,206,341 |
| 4 | Rhythm Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | David Meeker | 807,692 | 8,274,785 | 7,688,560 | 759,488 | 17,544,525 |
| 5 | SpringWorks Therapeutics | 2024 | Saqib Islam | 760,000 | 7,899,760 | 6,689,100 | 798,000 | 16,153,317 |
| 6 | BioCryst Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | Jon Stonehouse | 728,466 | 0 | 11,132,458 | 1,052,633 | 12,951,082 |
| 7 | Immunocore Holdings | 2025 | Bahija Jallal | 765,000 | 2,819,992 | 6,579,990 | 688,500 | 10,885,268 |
| 8 | Akero Therapeutics | 2024 | Andrew Cheng | 686,000 | 2,879,155 | 6,489,100 | 411,600 | 10,465,855 |
| 9 | Axsome Therapeutics | 2025 | Herriot Tabuteau | 835,000 | 5,533,554 | 2,833,237 | 876,750 | 10,283,492 |
| 10 | Xenon Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | Ian Mortimer | 786,000 | 1,774,000 | 6,065,255 | 550,200 | 9,221,712 |
| 11 | Phathom Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | Steven Basta | 525,000 | 1,986,600 | 3,983,144 | 455,701 | 6,968,070 |
| 12 | Viridian Therapeutics | 2025 | Stephen Mahoney | 700,000 | 1,058,098 | 4,381,713 | 630,000 | 6,776,249 |
| 13 | Tarsus Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | Bobak Azamian | 726,333 | 2,648,284 | 2,651,487 | 555,700 | 6,617,979 |
| 14 | Aurinia Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | Peter Greenleaf | 822,877 | 1,965,321 | 2,193,189 | 864,021 | 5,858,590 |
| 15 | Agios Pharmaceuticals | 2025 | Brian Goff | 846,864 | 1,291,680 | 2,627,252 | 592,804 | 5,370,389 |
| 16 | Heron Therapeutics | 2025 | Craig Collard | 689,431 | 946,254 | 1,352,917 | 517,189 | 3,516,291 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verona Pharma plc | not disclosed | PRSU 75 · RSU 25 | not disclosed | Aon |
| Agios Pharmaceuticals | 100% | Option 40 · PSU 40 · RSU 20 | No | Aon |
| Akero Therapeutics | 100% | not disclosed | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC |
| Aurinia Pharmaceuticals | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | WTW |
| Axsome Therapeutics | 150% | RSU 33 · Options 33 · PSU 33 | No | Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. |
| BioCryst Pharmaceuticals | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Aon |
| Heron Therapeutics | not disclosed | Option 66.67 · RSU 33.33 | not disclosed | Compensia, Inc. |
| Immunocore Holdings | 120% | Option 70 · RSU 30 | not disclosed | Aon Human Capital Solutions practice, a division of Aon plc |
| Madrigal Pharmaceuticals | not disclosed | PSU 33.33 · RSU 33.33 · Option 33.33 | Yes — Relative TSR vs Nasdaq Biotechnology Index | Compensia, Inc. |
| Phathom Pharmaceuticals | 124% | not disclosed | No | Pay Governance LLC |
| Rhythm Pharmaceuticals | 120% | Options 50 · RSU 50 | No | Pay Governance |
| SpringWorks Therapeutics | 140% | not disclosed | Yes — Relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR) | Aon |
| Tarsus Pharmaceuticals | 108% | Options 50 · RSU 50 | No | Pay Governance |
| TG Therapeutics | 131% | RSU 100 | No | Compensia, Inc. |
| Viridian Therapeutics | 150% | Options 75 · RSU 25 | not disclosed | Compensia |
| Xenon Pharmaceuticals | 100% | not disclosed | No | Aon |
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
No say-on-pay vote is on file for this company.
CEO pay ratio
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 44 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $19,456,473 |
| Median employee compensation | $444,444 |
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (45 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, David Zaccardelli. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES” · page 35. As printed: 19,456,473. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Mark Hahn. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES”. As printed: 19,005,415. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Andrew Fisher. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES”. As printed: 10,821,932. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Kathleen Rickard. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES”. As printed: 7,509,563. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Claire Poll. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES”. As printed: 326,023. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Andrew Fisher RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Andrew Fisher PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Andrew Fisher OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Mark Hahn RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Mark Hahn PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Kathleen Rickard RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Kathleen Rickard PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, David Zaccardelli RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, David Zaccardelli PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 44 : 1. View filing ↗
- Section 08, David Ebsworth, Ph.D. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 508,856. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Vikas Sinha. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 405,935. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Christina Ackermann. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 394,279. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Kenneth Cunningham, M.D. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 393,384. View filing ↗
- Section 08, James Brady. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 390,874. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Lisa Deschamps. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 387,109. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Mahendra Shah, Ph.D. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 385,853. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Martin Edwards, M.D. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 378,323. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Anders Ullman, M.D., Ph.D. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 378,323. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michael Austwick. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 292,827. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Rishi Gupta. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 4,184. 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 729,498 + equity 0 + all other 0 = 729,498, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- TG Therapeutics, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in TG Therapeutics's own proxy. As printed: 25,571,250. View filing ↗
- Verona Pharma plc (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-18. CEO total compensation as printed in Verona Pharma plc's own proxy. As printed: 19,456,473. View filing ↗
- 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 ↗
- Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Rhythm Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 17,544,525. View filing ↗
- SpringWorks Therapeutics, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-04. CEO total compensation as printed in SpringWorks Therapeutics's own proxy. As printed: 16,153,317. View filing ↗
- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. CEO total compensation as printed in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 12,951,082. View filing ↗
- Immunocore Holdings, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-16. CEO total compensation as printed in Immunocore Holdings's own proxy. As printed: 10,885,268. View filing ↗
- Akero Therapeutics, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-28. CEO total compensation as printed in Akero Therapeutics's own proxy. As printed: 10,465,855. 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 ↗
- Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-22. CEO total compensation as printed in Xenon Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 9,221,712. View filing ↗
- Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-07. CEO total compensation as printed in Phathom Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 6,968,070. View filing ↗
- Viridian Therapeutics, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. CEO total compensation as printed in Viridian Therapeutics's own proxy. As printed: 6,776,249. View filing ↗
- Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-28. CEO total compensation as printed in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 6,617,979. View filing ↗
- Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-21. CEO total compensation as printed in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 5,858,590. View filing ↗
- Agios Pharmaceuticals, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-24. CEO total compensation as printed in Agios Pharmaceuticals's own proxy. As printed: 5,370,389. View filing ↗
- Heron Therapeutics, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Heron Therapeutics's own proxy. As printed: 3,516,291. View filing ↗