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Companies Verastem

Verastem (VSTM): executive pay, fiscal 2025

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CEO total pay$2,349,975CEO Daniel Paterson · source
Say-on-pay support95.32%Latest vote · source
CEO vs. named peers14th pct.Of 16 peer CEOs

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

Who was the highest-paid executive at Verastem in fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Daniel Paterson (President and Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at Verastem in fiscal 2025, with total compensation of $2,349,975.
How does Verastem's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, Daniel Paterson's total compensation ranked at the 14th percentile of Verastem's disclosed peer group.
How did shareholders vote on Verastem's executive compensation?
As disclosed, 95.32% of shareholders supported Verastem's executive compensation in the latest say-on-pay vote.
How much does Verastem spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Verastem reported total board compensation of $1,166,979 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
Daniel Paterson$674,000$0$1,161,661$0$489,324$0$24,990$2,349,975
President and Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Ros455,1540585,3300196,4250388,2541,625,163
Former Chief Operating Officer
Daniel Calkins350,0000450,7210151,200024,950976,871
Chief Financial Officer
Michael Kauffman30,000062,33175,66200105,000272,993
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 officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
Daniel Paterson$2,349,975$2,536,767$3,626,857↓ −186,792
Matthew Ros1,625,163———
Daniel Calkins976,871741,010622,564↑ +235,861
Michael Kauffman272,993———

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 consultantPearl Meyer
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
Equity grants and outstanding awards

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
Daniel CalkinsRSU2025-01-10——38,880——
Matthew RosPSU2025-04-01——33,333——
Matthew RosRSU2025-04-01——50,000——
Daniel CalkinsPSU2025-01-10——25,866——
Daniel PatersonRSU2025-01-10——100,000——
Daniel PatersonPSU2025-01-10——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

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Daniel CalkinsRSU546—$4,215
Daniel CalkinsOption66311.44—
Daniel CalkinsOption82010.5—
Daniel CalkinsOption2,70911.44—
Michael KauffmanRSU3,473—26,812
Daniel CalkinsOption4,2957.97—
Michael KauffmanOption5,2097.48—
Daniel PatersonOption6,25042.12—
Michael KauffmanOption8,04311.44—
Daniel CalkinsOption12,5006.89—
Daniel PatersonOption13,41311.44—
Daniel PatersonRSU21,875—168,875
Daniel CalkinsPSU25,866—199,686
Daniel CalkinsRSU25,900—199,948
Daniel CalkinsRSU38,800—299,536
Daniel PatersonOption43,75010.44—
Daniel PatersonOption58,4207.97—
Daniel PatersonPSU66,666—514,662
Daniel PatersonOption72,07111.44—
Daniel PatersonRSU100,000—772,000
Director compensation
DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
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)70,00062,33175,662—7,000214,993
Anil KapurIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Commercialization72,00062,33175,662—0209,993
Michelle RobertsonIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Compensation65,00062,33175,662—0202,993
Brian StuglikNot independent · Audit · Commercialization65,00062,33175,662—0202,993
John JohnsonIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chair)62,00062,33175,662—0199,993
Karin TollefsonIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Corporate Governance · Commercialization60,00062,33175,662—0197,993
Paul Bunn, M.DIndependent · Research & Development55,00062,33175,662—0192,993
Robert GagnonIndependent · Not standing for re-election · Departed during FY45,00062,33175,662—0182,993
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

ComponentFY2025
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

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.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1Scholar Rock Holding Corporation2025David Hallal$637,500$22,518,500$7,624,988$452,293$33,300,927
2Cogent Biosciences, Inc.2025Andrew Robbins724,55412,993,25013,447,680561,60027,762,684
3Celcuity Inc.2025Brian Sullivan577,096015,428,650368,12216,373,868
4Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc.2024Amy Burroughs563,701807,7506,476,968375,0008,240,502
5iTeos Therapeutics, Inc.2024Michel Detheux628,68404,965,264421,0146,085,657
6Cullinan Oncology, Inc.2025Nadim Ahmed698,4761,697,4002,234,340419,0865,100,006
7Compass Therapeutics, Inc.2025Thomas Schuetz630,00004,065,00005,097,150
8Kura Oncology, Inc.2025Troy Wilson700,00003,297,250630,0004,735,016
9Aura Biosciences, Inc.2025Elisabet de los Pinos645,4831,492,3781,513,293284,0133,956,167
10Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc.2025Sean Bohen699,92002,002,000461,9003,178,990
11Cardiff Oncology, Inc.2025Mark Erlander635,00002,266,106122,2383,023,344
12Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc.2025Peter Blume-Jensen709,89301,592,245410,4002,718,538
13Verastem2025Daniel Paterson674,0001,161,6610489,3242,349,975
14Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.2025Sandesh Seth762,3200001,187,320
15Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.2023Conley Chee479,092369,4600192,4551,041,697
—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

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
Verastemnot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedPearl Meyer
Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc.not disclosedOption 100not disclosednot disclosed
Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedStreeterWyatt Analytics LLC
Aura Biosciences, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedPay Governance
Cardiff Oncology, Inc.35%Options 100not disclosedAon
Celcuity Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Cogent Biosciences, Inc.135%not disclosedNoCompensia
Compass Therapeutics, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedAlpine Rewards
Cullinan Oncology, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedCompensia (through June 2025); Pay Governance (since June 2025)
iTeos Therapeutics, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedRadford
Kura Oncology, Inc.150%not disclosedNoAlpine Rewards
Leap Therapeutics, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
MEI Pharma, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedF. W. Cook
Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc.110%Options 100not disclosedAon
Scholar Rock Holding Corporationnot disclosednot disclosedNoPay Governance
Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedCompensia Inc.
Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc.120%not disclosedNoAlpine 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 yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-05-2151,696,3182,536,847955,01395.32%Passed
20252025-05-2225,736,1815,317,283156,22982.88%Passed
20242024-05-2312,866,5222,133,1221,759,57585.78%Passed
20232023-05-1561,337,96024,528,314726,12170.84%Passed
20222022-05-1289,933,5545,125,119376,28294.61%Passed
20212021-05-1876,777,9394,322,711451,68894.67%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 yearMeeting dateApproval — company’s computation
20262026-05-2195.32%a
20252025-05-2282.88%b
20242024-05-2385.78%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 ↗
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