UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
___________________________________
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
___________________________________
Filed by the Registrant
ý
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant
¨
Check the appropriate box:
|
|
|
|
|
|
¨ |
Preliminary Proxy Statement |
¨ |
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2)) |
ý |
Definitive Proxy Statement |
¨ |
Definitive Additional Materials |
¨ |
Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
EVOLUS, INC.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the
Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ý
|
|
No fee required.
|
¨
|
|
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
|
¨
|
|
Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per
Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11
|
Evolus, Inc.
520 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200
Newport Beach, CA 92660
May 8, 2023
Dear Stockholder:
It is my pleasure to invite you to attend the Annual Meeting of
Stockholders of Evolus, Inc. which will be held on June 9, 2023, at
8:00 a.m., Pacific time. This year’s Annual Meeting will be a
virtual meeting via live webcast on the Internet. You will be able
to attend the Annual Meeting, vote and submit your questions during
the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023
and entering the control number included in the accompanying proxy
card.
You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in
person.
During the Annual Meeting, stockholders will be asked to (i) elect
two Class II directors, (ii) approve an amendment to our Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of
shares of our common stock Evolus is authorized to issue from
100,000,000 to 200,000,000, and (iii) ratify the appointment of
Ernst & Young LLP as our independent auditor for
2023. Each of these matters is important, and we urge you to vote
in favor of the election of each of the director nominees, the
increase in the authorized number of shares of our common stock and
the ratification of the appointment of our independent
auditor.
Today, we are sending to each of our stockholders our Proxy
Statement for the Annual Meeting, a corresponding proxy card and
our 2022 Annual Report to Stockholders, as well as instructions on
how to vote via proxy either by telephone or over the
Internet.
It is important that you vote your shares of common stock at the
Annual Meeting or by proxy, regardless of the number of shares you
own. You will find the instructions for voting on the proxy card
received. We appreciate your prompt attention.
The board of directors invites you to attend the Annual Meeting
virtually via live webcast so that management can answer your
questions and comment on business developments and trends. Thank
you for your support, and we look forward to the Annual
Meeting.
Sincerely,
David Moatazedi
President and Chief Executive Officer
Evolus, Inc.
520 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Evolus, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Evolus”), will hold its
Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) on
June 9, 2023, at 8:00 a.m., Pacific time. This year’s
Annual Meeting will be a virtual meeting via live webcast on the
Internet. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, vote and
submit your questions during the meeting by visiting
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023 and entering the control
number included in the proxy card that you receive.
You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in
person.
The purposes for the Annual Meeting are to consider and vote
upon:
1. Election of Simone Blank and Brady
Stewart as Class II directors to serve until Evolus’ 2026 annual
meeting of stockholders and until their respective successors are
duly elected and qualified.
2. Approval of an Amendment to our Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of
shares of common stock that Evolus is authorized to issue from
100,000,000 to 200,000,000.
3. Ratification of the appointment of
Ernst & Young LLP as Evolus’ independent registered public
accounting firm for the year ending December 31,
2023.
4. Such other matters as properly come
before the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment
thereof.
The accompanying Proxy Statement more fully describes these matters
and we urge you to read the information contained in the Proxy
Statement carefully. The board of directors recommends a vote “FOR
ALL” of Simone Blank and Brady Stewart to Evolus’ board of
directors, “FOR” the approval of an amendment to our Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized
shares of Common Stock, and “FOR” the ratification of the
appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as Evolus’ independent
registered public accounting firm for the year ending
December 31, 2023.
The board of directors has fixed the close of business on April 11,
2023 as the record date for the determination of stockholders
entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any
adjournment or postponement thereof.
Whether or not you expect to attend the Annual Meeting via live
webcast, please submit a proxy as soon as possible to instruct how
your shares are to be voted at the Annual Meeting. A stockholder
may submit a proxy by following the instructions set forth on the
proxy card. If you participate in and vote your shares at the
Annual Meeting, your proxy will not be used. If you are a
beneficial owner of your shares, you should have received a voting
instruction form from the broker, bank or other nominee holding
your shares. You should follow the instructions in the voting
instruction form provided by your broker, bank or other nominee in
order to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote
your shares.
A list of all stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting
will be available for examination at our principal executive
offices at 520 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200, Newport Beach,
California 92660, for ten days before the Annual Meeting, and
during the Annual Meeting such list will be available for
examination at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023 by using
the control number on your proxy card or voting instruction
form.
On behalf of the board of directors,
David Moatazedi
President and Chief Executive Officer
Newport Beach, California
May 8, 2023
|
|
|
Important Notice Regarding Availability of Proxy Materials for
Annual Meeting on June 9, 2023:
Evolus’ Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Proxy Statement
and
2022 Annual Report to Stockholders are available at
www.proxyvote.com.
|
Evolus, Inc.
520 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Proxy Statement dated May 8, 2023
2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Evolus, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is furnishing this Proxy
Statement and related proxy materials in connection with the
solicitation by its board of directors of proxies to be voted at
its 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and any postponement or
adjournment thereof. Evolus, Inc. is providing these materials to
the holders of record of its common stock, $0.00001 par value per
share, as of the close of business on the record date of
April 11, 2023 and is first mailing the materials on or about
May 8, 2023.
The Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date
|
|
June 9, 2023
|
Time
|
|
8:00 a.m., Pacific Time
|
Webcast Address
|
|
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023
|
You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in
person.
Your vote is important.
Please see the detailed information that follows in the Proxy
Statement.
2023 Proxy Summary
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this
Proxy Statement. This summary does not contain all of the
information that you should consider, and you should read the
entire Proxy Statement carefully before voting. References in this
Proxy Statement to “Evolus,” and to “we,” “us,” “our” and similar
terms, refer to Evolus, Inc.
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
|
|
|
|
|
|
Time and Date
|
8:00 a.m., Pacific time, on June 9, 2023
|
Live Webcast Address
|
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023
|
Record Date
|
Close of business on April 11, 2023
|
Voting
|
Stockholders will be entitled to one vote for each outstanding
share of common stock they hold of record as of the record
date.
|
Total Votes Per Proposal
|
56,885,691 votes, based on 56,885,691 shares of common stock
outstanding as of the record date.
|
Annual Meeting Agenda
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proposal |
Board
Recommendation |
Election of Simone Blank and Brady Stewart
|
FOR ALL
|
Approval of an Amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation to increase the number of shares of our common stock
we are authorized to issue from 100,000,000 to
200,000,000
|
FOR |
Ratification of appointment of independent auditor for
2023
|
FOR
|
How to Cast Your Vote
You can vote by any of the following methods:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Submit a prxy or voting instructions until 11:59 p.m., EDT, on
June 8, 2023
|
|
Vote At the Annual Meeting on June 9, 2023
|
Internet:
From any web-enabled device: www.proxyvote.com
Telephone:
1-800-690-6903
Mail:
Completed, signed and returned proxy card or voting instruction
form
|
|
Online:
Vote during the Annual Meeting via the Internet at
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023
|
Proposal 1 - Election of Directors
As the first proposal, we are asking stockholders to elect Simone
Blank and Brady Stewart, each of whom currently serve as members of
the board of directors, as Class II directors to serve until
Evolus’ 2026 annual meeting of stockholders and until their
respective successors are duly elected and qualified. The following
information pertains to each director nominee as of April 21,
2023.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Director Since
|
|
Experience/ |
Independent |
Committee |
Other Current Public |
Name |
Age |
Occupation |
Qualifications |
Yes |
No |
Memberships |
Company Boards |
Simone Blank |
60 |
2018 |
Private Investor
Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of
Sirona Dental Systems, Inc.
|
● Industry
● Finance
● Leadership
|
þ |
|
None |
● APM Human Services International Pty. LTD (APX: APM)
|
Brady Stewart |
47 |
2018 |
Chief Commercial Officer of Forma Brands, LLC
|
● Marketing
● Innovation
● Leadership
|
☑ |
|
None |
None |
Board Representation
Board Diversity
We consider diversity, including gender, racial and ethnic
diversity, in identifying director nominees and view diversity
characteristics as meaningful factors to consider, but do not have
a formal diversity policy. The following table shows an overview of
the current composition of our Board:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Evolus Board Diversity Matrix as of May 8, 2023 |
Total
Number of Directors |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Female |
Male |
Non- Binary |
Did Not Disclose Gender |
Part I: Gender Identity |
Directors |
3 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
Part II: Demographic Background |
African American or Black |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Alaskan Native or Native American |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Asian |
— |
1 |
— |
— |
Hispanic or Latinx |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander |
— |
— |
— |
— |
White |
3 |
4 |
— |
— |
Two or More Races or Ethnicities |
— |
— |
— |
— |
LGBTQ+ |
— |
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background |
— |
Directors who identify as Middle Eastern: 1 |
Proposal 2 - Approval of an Amendment to our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of
our common stock that we are authorized to issue from 100,000,000
to 200,000,000.
We are asking stockholders to approve an amendment to our Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of
shares of our common stock we are authorized to issue from
100,000,000 to 200,000,000.
Proposal 3 - Ratification of Appointment of Independent Auditor for
2023
We are asking stockholders to ratify the audit committee’s
appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as Evolus’ independent
registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31,
2023.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Explanatory Note
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart
Our Business Startups Act, or the JOBS Act. As an
emerging growth company, we provide in this Proxy Statement the
scaled disclosure permitted under the JOBS Act. In
addition, as an emerging growth company, we are not required to
conduct votes seeking approval, on an advisory basis, of the
compensation of our named executive officers or the frequency with
which such votes must be conducted.
Under the JOBS Act, we will remain an “emerging growth company”
until the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year during
which we have total annual gross revenue of $1.235 billion or more;
(ii) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth
anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering on
February 12, 2018, or the IPO; (iii) the date on which we have,
during the previous three-year period, issued more than
$1 billion in non-convertible debt; and (iv) the date on which
we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act
(we will qualify as a large accelerated filer as of the first day
of the first fiscal year after we (1) have more than $700
million in outstanding common equity held by our non-affiliates,
(2) have been public for at least 12 months and (3) are no
longer eligible to use the requirements for smaller reporting
companies under the revenue test under the Exchange Act; the value
of our outstanding common equity will be measured each year on the
last day of our second fiscal quarter).
Website References
Throughout this Proxy Statement, we make references to additional
information available on our corporate website at
investors.evolus.com. All references to our website are provided
for convenience only and the content on our website does not
constitute a part of this Proxy Statement and is not deemed
incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement or any other
public filing made with the SEC.
Virtual Annual Meeting
This year the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Evolus, Inc., which
we refer to as the Annual Meeting, will be held on June 9,
2023 via live audio webcast. You will not be able to attend the
Annual Meeting in person. Any stockholder will be able to attend
the Annual Meeting, vote and submit questions during the meeting by
visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023 and entering
the control number included in the proxy card or voting instruction
form that you receive. The Annual Meeting webcast will begin
promptly at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time. We encourage you to
access the Annual Meeting webcast prior to the start
time.
Benefits of a Virtual Annual Meeting
•We
believe a virtual-only meeting format facilitates stockholder
attendance and participation by enabling all stockholders to
participate fully, equally and without cost, using an
Internet-connected device from any location around the
world.
•Our
board of directors annually considers the appropriate format of our
annual meeting of stockholders. Our board of directors believes
that hosting a virtual Annual Meeting is in our best interest and
the best interest of our stockholders and enables increased
stockholder attendance and participation. Furthermore, our board of
directors has determined that hosting a virtual annual meeting of
stockholders will provide expanded access, improved communication,
and cost savings.
•Stockholders
of record and beneficial owners as of the close of business on
April 11, 2023 (the “Record Date”), will have the ability to
submit questions directly to our management and board of directors
and vote electronically at the Annual Meeting via the virtual-only
meeting platform, with procedures designed to ensure the
authenticity and correctness of your voting
instructions.
•We
believe that the virtual-only meeting format will give stockholders
the opportunity to exercise the same rights as if they had attended
an in-person meeting and believe that these measures will enhance
stockholder access and encourage participation and communication
with our board of directors and management.
Attendance at the Virtual Annual Meeting
•All
stockholders of our common stock as of the Record Date will be able
to attend the Annual Meeting, vote and submit questions during the
meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023 and
entering the control number included in the proxy card that you
receive. Members of the public will also be permitted to attend the
meeting, but will not be permitted to ask questions during the
meeting.
•If
you were a stockholder as of the Record Date, you may vote shares
held in your name as the stockholder of record or shares for which
you are the beneficial owner but not the stockholder of record
electronically during the Annual Meeting through the online virtual
annual meeting platform by following the instructions provided when
you log in to the online virtual annual meeting
platform.
•We
encourage you to access the Annual Meeting webcast prior to the
start time. Online check-in will begin, and stockholders may begin
submitting written questions, at 7:45 a.m., Pacific Time, and you
should allow ample time for the check-in procedures.
•We
will have technicians ready to assist with any technical
difficulties you may have accessing the Annual Meeting, voting at
the Annual Meeting or submitting questions at the Annual Meeting.
If you encounter any difficulties accessing the virtual-only Annual
Meeting platform, including any difficulties with your 16-digit
control number or submitting questions, please call 1-800-586-1548
(toll free) or 303-562-9288 (international) or the technical
support number that will be posted on the Annual Meeting log-in
page.
If we experience technical difficulties at the Annual Meeting and
are not able to resolve them within a reasonable amount of time, we
will adjourn the Annual Meeting to a later date and will provide
notice of the date and time of such adjourned meeting at
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023 and on a Current Report
on Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC. For additional
information on how you can attend any postponement or adjournment
of the Annual Meeting, see “Questions and Answers About the Annual
Meeting—-What happens if the Annual Meeting is postponed or
adjourned” below.
Please be aware that you must bear any costs associated with your
Internet access, such as usage charges from Internet access
providers and telephone companies.
Questions at the Virtual Annual Meeting
•Stockholders
will have the opportunity to submit questions to our board of
directors and management beginning at 7:45 a.m., Pacific Time, on
the date of the Annual Meeting by following the instructions on the
virtual-only Annual Meeting platform.
•Following
the presentation of all proposals at the Annual Meeting, we will
spend up to 15 minutes answering as many stockholder-submitted
questions that comply with the meeting rules of conduct, which will
be posted on the online virtual annual meeting platform. If we
receive substantially similar questions, we will group such
questions together and provide a single response to avoid
repetition.
YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN
PERSON
Questions and Answers about the Annual Meeting
Q: When
and where will the Annual Meeting be held?
A: The
Annual Meeting will be held on June 9, 2023 via live audio
webcast. You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in
person. The Annual Meeting webcast will begin promptly at
8:00 a.m., Pacific Time. See “Virtual Annual Meeting” above
for further information about our virtual Annual Meeting. The use
of cameras, recording devices, cell phones, and other electronic
devices is strictly prohibited during the Annual
Meeting.
Q: What
materials have been prepared for stockholders in connection with
the Annual Meeting?
A: We
are furnishing you and other stockholders of record with the
following proxy materials, which we refer to as the proxy
materials:
•our
Annual Report on Form 10‑K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2022 (including our audited consolidated
financial statements), which we refer to as the Annual
Report;
•this
Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting, which we refer to as
this Proxy Statement and which also includes a letter from our
President and Chief Executive Officer to stockholders, and a Notice
of 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders; and
•a
proxy card, each of which includes a control number for use in
submitting proxies.
These materials were first mailed to stockholders on or about May
8, 2023.
Q: Are
the proxy materials available via the Internet?
A: Yes.
You can access and review the proxy materials for the Annual
Meeting at www.proxyvote.com. In order to submit your proxy or
voting instructions, however, you will need to rthe proxy card or
voting instruction form mailed to you to obtain your control number
and other personal information needed to vote your
shares.
Q: What
is a proxy?
A: The
term “proxy,” when used with respect to stockholder, refers to
either a person or persons legally authorized to act on the
stockholder’s behalf or a format that allows the stockholder to
vote without being physically present at the Annual Meeting. We are
soliciting proxies from each stockholder of record as of the Record
Date for the Annual Meeting to allow their shares to be voted at
the Annual Meeting if they are not able to attend and vote at the
Annual Meeting. For stockholders whose shares are held in street
name, meaning those shares are registered in the name of the
stockholders’ broker, bank or other nominee, those stockholders
will instead receive a request for voting instructions, which will
authorize the broker, bank or other nominee holding the
stockholders’ shares to submit a proxy in accordance with the
stockholders’ voting instructions to authorize the voting of the
shares at the Annual Meeting.
Because it is important that as many stockholders as possible be
represented at the Annual Meeting, the board of directors is asking
that you review this Proxy Statement carefully and then vote by
following the instructions set forth on the accompanying proxy card
or voting instruction form. We recommend that you submit a proxy or
voting instructions in advance to authorize the voting of your
shares at the Annual Meeting so that your vote will be counted if
you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting. David Moatazedi
and Jeffrey Plumer have each been designated as proxy holders and
will be authorized to vote the shares represented by all properly
submitted proxies. All shares represented by valid proxies will be
voted in accordance with the stockholder’s specific instructions
or, if no instructions are provided, in accordance with
“What
happens if I do not give specific voting
instructions?”
below.
Q: What
matters will the stockholders vote on at the Annual
Meeting?
A: Proposal
1 - Election of Simone Blank and Brady Stewart to serve until
Evolus’ 2026 annual meeting of stockholders and until their
respective successors are duly elected and qualified.
Proposal 2 - Approval of an Amendment to our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of
our common stock that we are authorized to issue from 100,000,000
to 200,000,000.
Proposal 3 - Ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young
LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the
year ending December 31, 2023.
Proposal 3 to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP
as our independent registered public accounting firm is advisory
only and is not binding on us. Our board of directors will
consider the outcome of the vote on this item in considering what
action, if any, should be taken in response to the vote by
stockholders.
Q: Who
can vote at the Annual Meeting?
A: Stockholders
of record of common stock at the close of business on
April 11, 2023, the Record Date, will be entitled to vote at
the Annual Meeting. As of the Record Date, there were a total of
56,885,691 shares of common stock outstanding, each of which will
be entitled to one vote on each proposal. As a result, up to a
total of 56,885,691 votes can be cast on each
proposal.
Q: Who
counts the votes?
A: Votes
at the Annual Meeting will be tabulated by a representative of
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., who will serve as the
Inspector of Elections.
Q: What
is a stockholder of record?
A: A
stockholder of record is a stockholder whose ownership of our
common stock is reflected directly on the books and records of our
transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
Q: What
does it mean for a broker or other nominee to hold shares in
“street name”?
A: Most
of our stockholders hold their shares through a broker, bank or
other nominee (that is, in “street name”) rather than directly in
their own name with our transfer agent. If your shares are held in
street name, you are considered the “beneficial stockholder” of
such shares and the proxy materials were made available to you by
the organization holding your shares.
An organization that holds your beneficially owned shares in street
name will generally vote in accordance with the instructions you
provide. If your shares are held in a brokerage account and you do
not provide the broker with voting instructions with respect to a
proposal, the broker’s authority to vote your shares will depend
upon whether the proposal is considered a “routine” or a
non-routine matter.
•The
broker generally has discretionary authority to vote your
beneficially owned shares on routine items for which you have not
provided voting instructions to the broker. At the Annual Meeting,
we expect the proposal to approve an amendment to our Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized
number of shares of our common stock (Proposal 2) and the proposal
to ratify the appointment of our independent auditor for 2023
(Proposal 3) will each be routine matters for which brokers may
exercise discretionary voting authority.
•The
broker generally may not vote on non-routine matters, such as the
election of directors (Proposal 1). If the broker exercises its
discretionary authority to vote your shares on any routine matter
at the meeting (e.g. Proposal 2 or Proposal 3), your shares will
constitute “broker non-votes” on Proposal 1.
For the purpose of determining a quorum, we will treat as present
at the Annual Meeting any proxies that are voted on any of the two
proposals to be acted upon by the stockholders, including withhold
votes, abstentions or broker non-votes.
Q: How
do I vote my shares if I do not attend the Annual
Meeting?
A: If
you are a stockholder of record,
you may vote prior to the Annual Meeting as follows:
•Via
the Internet: You may vote via the Internet by going to
www.proxyvote.com, in accordance with the voting instructions on
the accompanying proxy card. Internet voting is available 24 hours
a day until 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on June 8, 2023. You will be
given the opportunity to confirm that your instructions have been
recorded properly.
•By
Telephone: You may vote by calling 1-800-690-6903 and following the
instructions provided on the telephone line. Telephone voting is
available 24 hours a day until 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on
June 8, 2023. Easy-to-follow voice prompts will allow you to
vote your shares and confirm that your instructions have been
recorded properly.
•By
Mail: You may vote by returning the completed and signed proxy card
in the postage-paid return envelope provided with the proxy
card.
For your information, voting via the Internet is the least
expensive to Evolus, followed by telephone voting, with voting by
mail being the most expensive.
If you hold shares in street name,
meaning you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name
of your broker, bank or other nominee, you should have received a
notice containing voting instructions from that organization rather
than from us. Please follow the voting instructions in the notice
to ensure that your vote is counted.
Q: Can
I vote during the Annual Meeting?
A: Both
stockholders of record and beneficial owners of shares of our
common stock as of the Record Date may vote personally during the
Annual Meeting. Instructions on how to vote while participating in
the Annual Meeting live via the Internet will be posted at
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EOLS2023. You will need the
16-digit control number included on your proxy card or voting
instruction form or included in the email to you if you
received the proxy materials by email in order to be able to vote
your shares or submit questions during the Annual
Meeting.
Our common stock is the only class of our securities authorized to
vote at the Annual Meeting; stockholders are not entitled to
cumulative voting rights in the election of
directors.
Q: May
I change my vote or revoke my proxy?
A: Yes.
If you are a stockholder of record and previously delivered a
proxy, you may subsequently change or revoke your proxy at any time
before it is exercised by:
•filing
a written notice of revocation with a later date than the proxy
with our Secretary before the Annual Meeting;
•voting
via the Internet or telephone at a later time;
•submitting
a completed and signed proxy card with a later date;
or
•voting
via the Internet during the Annual Meeting.
If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, you
should contact your bank, broker or other nominee for instructions
as to whether, and how, you can change or revoke your voting
instructions.
Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not by itself constitute a
revocation of a proxy or voting instructions.
Q: What
happens if I do not give specific voting instructions?
A: If
you are a stockholder of record and you return a proxy card without
giving specific voting instructions, the proxy holders will vote
your shares in the manner recommended by the board of directors on
both proposals presented in this Proxy Statement and as they may
determine in their discretion on any other matters properly
presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting.
Q: Who
is paying for this proxy solicitation?
A: We will pay for the entire cost of
preparing, assembling, printing and mailing this Proxy Statement
and the materials used in the solicitation of proxies. The Company
has engaged Morrow Sodali LLC (“Morrow Sodali”) to assist in the
solicitation of proxies for the special meeting. The Company has
agreed to pay Morrow Sodali a fee of $15,000. The Company will also
reimburse Morrow Sodali for reasonable and customary out-of-pocket
expenses. In addition to these mailed proxy materials, our
directors and executive officers may also solicit proxies in
person, by telephone or by other means of communication. These
parties will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting
proxies. The Company may also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and
other agents for the cost of forwarding proxy materials to
beneficial owners.
Q: What
does it mean if I receive more than one proxy card?
A: If you receive more than one proxy card
or voting instruction form, your shares may be registered in more
than one name or in different accounts. Please follow the voting
instructions on each proxy card or voting instruction form you
receive to ensure that all of your shares are voted.
Q: What
if other matters are presented at the Annual Meeting?
A: If
a stockholder of record provides a proxy by voting in any manner
described in this Proxy Statement, the proxy holders will have the
discretion to vote on any matters, other than the three proposals
presented in this Proxy Statement, that are properly presented for
consideration at the Annual Meeting. We do not know of any other
matters to be presented for consideration at the Annual
Meeting.
Q:
What
happens if the Annual Meeting is postponed or
adjourned?
A: Except
as noted below, your proxy may be voted at the postponed or
adjourned Annual Meeting and you will still be able to change your
proxy until it is voted. In that event, we expect that any
adjournment of the Annual Meeting will be accessible at the same
website listed above and you may vote at any postponement or
adjournment using your same control number.
If the adjourned meeting is more than 30 days after the date of the
Annual Meeting, which we do not expect, we will be required to fix
a new record date for the adjourned meeting and, in that case, we
will furnish new proxy materials for the adjourned Annual
Meeting.
Q: Where
can I find the voting results of the Annual Meeting?
A: Our
intention is to announce the preliminary voting results at the
Annual Meeting and to publish the final results within four
business days after the Annual Meeting on a Current Report on Form
8-K to be filed with the SEC.
Q: Who
can help answer my questions?
A: If
you have questions about the proposals or if you need additional
copies of the proxy statement or the enclosed proxy card you should
contact our proxy solicitor at:
Morrow Sodali LLC
333 Ludlow Street, 5th Floor, South Tower
Stamford, CT 06902
Tel: (800) 662-5200 (toll-free) or
(203) 658-9400 (banks and brokers can call collect)
Email: EOLS.info@investor.morrowsodali.com
Vote Required for Election or Approval
Introduction
Evolus’ only voting securities are the outstanding shares of common
stock. As of the Record Date, which is the close of business on
April 11, 2023, there were 56,885,691
shares of common stock outstanding, each of which will be entitled
to one vote on each proposal.
Only stockholders of record as of the Record Date will be entitled
to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. A majority of the
outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote at the Annual
Meeting will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at
the Annual Meeting. For the purpose of determining a quorum, we
will treat as present at the Annual Meeting any proxies that are
voted on any matter to be acted upon by the stockholders, as well
as withheld votes, abstentions or any broker
non-votes.
Stockholders who have questions or need assistance in completing or
submitting their proxy cards should contact our proxy solicitor,
Morrow Sodali, at (203) 658-9400 (call collect), (800) 662-5200
(call toll-free), or by sending an email to
EOLS.info@investor.morrowsodali.com
Proposal 1 - Election of Directors
Each director will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast with
respect to that director. Under this voting standard, the two
director nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative votes
will be elected as Class II directors to serve until the 2026
annual meeting of stockholders and until their respective
successors are duly elected and qualified. Shares voted “withhold”
and broker non-votes will not be counted in determining the outcome
of a director nominee’s election.
Proposal 2 - Approval of Amendment to our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized shares of
Common Stock.
The approval of an amendment to our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized shares of
our common stock (Proposal 2) must be approved by the affirmative
vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the issued and
outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote on the
proposal at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions will have the same
effect as a vote against Proposal 2. Because Proposal 2 is expected
to be a “routine” matter for which your shares may be voted in the
discretion of your broker if voting instructions have not been
received, we do not expect any broker non-votes on Proposal
2.
Proposal 3 - Ratification of Appointment of Independent Auditor for
2023
The ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our
independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending
December 31,
2023
must be approved by affirmative votes constituting a majority of
the shares of common stock that are present or represented by proxy
at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon. Abstentions
will count as votes against this proposal, since shares with
respect to which the stockholder abstains will be deemed present
and entitled to vote. Because this proposal is expected to be a
“routine” matter for which your shares may be voted in the
discretion of your broker if voting instructions have not been
received, we do not expect any broker non-votes on Proposal
3.
Corporate Governance
Board of Directors Overview
Under our organizational documents and the Delaware General
Corporation Law, our business and affairs are managed by or under
the direction of our board of directors, which selectively
delegates responsibilities to its standing committees.
The board of directors maintains an audit committee, a compensation
committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. The
board of directors has adopted written charters for each of the
committees, which are reviewed annually by the respective committee
and the board of directors. Each of the audit, compensation and
nominating and corporate governance committee charters is available
to our stockholders at www.evolus.com.
Independence of Directors
Under the rules of the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, independent
directors must comprise a majority of a listed company’s board. In
addition, Nasdaq rules require that, subject to specified
exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation,
and nominating and corporate governance committees be
independent.
Audit committee members must also satisfy additional independence
criteria, including those set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act,
and compensation committee members must also satisfy additional
independence criteria, including those set forth in Rule 10C-1 of
the Exchange Act.
The board of directors undertook a review of the independence of
each director and considered whether each director has a material
relationship with Evolus that could compromise his or her ability
to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or her
responsibilities as a director. Based upon information requested
from and provided by each director regarding each director’s
business and personal activities and relationships as they may
relate to us and our management, including the beneficial ownership
of our capital stock by each non-employee director and the
transactions involving them described in the section entitled
“Certain Relationships and Related-Person Transactions,” the board
of directors has determined that each of Vikram Malik, Peter
Farrell, David Gill, Robert Hayman, Karah Parschauer, Simone Blank,
and Brady Stewart qualify as independent directors in accordance
with the rules of Nasdaq. In making this determination, the board
of directors considered previous relationships that each of Mr.
Malik and Ms. Blank had with Alphaeon Corporation and certain of
its subsidiaries. After considering the nature of each of Mr.
Malik’s and Ms. Blank’s relationship with Alphaeon Corporation,
including the fact that (i) each of them resigned from the board of
directors of Alphaeon 1, LLC in August 2022 and (ii) Evolus has not
had any monetary transactions with Alphaeon Corporation or its
subsidiaries since the day of Evolus’ initial public offering in
2018, the board of directors determined that neither Mr. Malik’s
and Ms. Blank’s affiliation with Alphaeon could compromise his or
her ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or
her responsibilities as a director. David Moatazedi does not
qualify as an independent director due to his employment at the
Company.
Code of Conduct
We have a Code of Conduct applicable to all directors, officers and
employees of Evolus and its subsidiaries. We have posted the Code
of Conduct on our website www.evolus.com. We will post any
amendments to the Code of Conduct on our website. In accordance
with the requirements of the SEC and Nasdaq, we will also post
waivers applicable to any of our officers or directors from
provisions of the Code of Conduct on our website. We have not
granted any such waivers to date.
We have implemented whistleblower procedures, which establish
formal protocols for receiving and handling complaints from
employees. Employees should communicate any concerns regarding
accounting or auditing matters promptly to their supervisor or
Evolus’ Compliance Officer.
Policy on Pledging and Hedging of Company Shares
As part of our Insider Trading Policy adopted by our Board of
Directors and applicable to our directors, officers and employees,
their immediate family members sharing the same household and any
family members who do not live in their household but whose
transactions in the our securities are directed by employees,
officers and directors or are subject to the control or influence
by such persons, such as parents or children who consult with such
persons before they trade in our securities (collectively,
“Insiders”), Insiders are not permitted to engage in any short sale
of our securities, transact in any publicly traded options, pledge
shares as collateral for a loan or margin Evolus securities in a
margin account or purchase financial instruments (including
zero-cost collars and forward sale contracts), or otherwise engage
in transactions, that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or
offset, any decrease in the market value of our
securities.
Board Oversight of Risk
The board of directors has responsibility for the oversight of our
risk management processes and, either as a whole or through its
committees, regularly discusses with management our major risk
exposures, their potential impact on our business and the steps we
take to manage them. The risk oversight process includes receiving
regular reports from committees of the board of directors and
members of senior management to enable the board of directors to
understand our risk identification, risk management and risk
mitigation strategies with respect to areas of potential material
risk, including operations, finance, legal, regulatory, strategic,
cybersecurity and reputational risk.
The board of directors is responsible for monitoring and assessing
strategic risk exposure, while the audit committee considers and
discusses our major financial risk exposures and the steps our
management has taken to monitor and control these exposures,
including guidelines and policies to govern the process by which
risk assessment and management is undertaken.
Our audit committee, nominating and corporate governance committee
and compensation committee support our board of directors in
discharging its oversight duties and address risks inherent in
their respective areas. We believe this division of
responsibilities is an effective approach for addressing the risks
we face and that our board leadership structure supports this
approach.
Board Leadership Structure
The board of directors recognizes that it is important to determine
an optimal board leadership structure to ensure the independent
oversight of management as the company continues to grow. As a
general policy, we believe that separation of the positions of
Chairman of our board of directors and our Chief Executive Officer
reinforces the independence of our board of directors from
management, creates an environment that encourages objective
oversight of management’s performance and enhances the
effectiveness of our board of directors as a whole. As such, Mr.
Moatazedi, our Chief Executive Officer, does not serve as the
Chairman of the board of directors.
The board of directors has concluded that our current leadership
structure is appropriate at this time and allows the board of
directors to fulfill its role with appropriate independence and is
in the best interest of our stockholders. However, the board will
continue to periodically review our leadership structure and may
make such changes in the future as it deems
appropriate.
Audit Committee
The principal responsibilities of the audit committee
include:
•evaluating
the performance, independence and qualifications of our independent
registered public accounting firm and determining whether to retain
our existing independent registered public accounting firm or
engage a new independent registered public accounting
firm;
•reviewing
and approving the engagement of our independent registered public
accounting firm to perform audit services and any permissible
non-audit services;
•reviewing
our annual and quarterly financial statements and reports and
discussing the statements and reports with our independent
registered public accounting firm and management;
•furnishing
the audit committee report required by SEC rules to be included in
the proxy statement;
•reviewing
with our independent registered public accounting firm and
management significant issues that arise regarding accounting
principles and financial statement presentation and matters
concerning the scope, adequacy and effectiveness of our financial
controls;
•reviewing
and approving related party transactions and administering our Code
of Conduct;
•reviewing
our major financial risk exposures, including the guidelines and
policies to govern the process by which risk assessment and risk
management is implemented;
•reviewing
our internal audit function, our disclosure controls and procedures
and our accounting and financial reporting processes, including the
purpose, authority, budget and staffing of each; and
•reviewing
and evaluating on an annual basis the performance of the audit
committee, including compliance of the audit committee with its
charter.
Our independent auditor is ultimately accountable to the audit
committee. The audit committee has the sole authority and
responsibility to select, evaluate, approve terms of retention and
compensation of, and, where appropriate, replace the independent
auditor.
Both our independent registered public accounting firm and
management periodically meet privately with our audit committee, at
least annually.
The current members of the audit committee are David Gill, who
serves as chair, Karah Parschauer and Peter Farrell. The board has
determined that each of the audit committee members is financially
literate. The board of directors also determined that each of the
current members of the audit committee is independent, as defined
in the listing standards of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 under the
Exchange Act. The board of directors has also determined that Mr.
Gill is an audit committee financial expert in accordance with the
standards of the SEC. The audit committee held four meetings in
2022.
Compensation Committee
The principal responsibilities of the compensation committee
include:
•reviewing,
modifying and approving (or if it deems appropriate, making
recommendations to the full board of directors regarding) our
overall compensation strategy and policies;
•reviewing
and approving the compensation, the performance goals and
objectives relevant to the compensation, and other terms of
employment of our executive officers;
•reviewing
and approving (or if it deems appropriate, making recommendations
to the full board of directors regarding) the equity incentive
plans, compensation plans and similar programs advisable for us, as
well as administering, modifying, amending or terminating existing
plans and programs;
•reviewing
incentive-based compensation arrangements and determining whether
they encourage excessive risk-taking, reviewing and discussing the
relationship between risk management policies and practices and
compensation, and evaluating compensation policies and practices
that could mitigate any such risk;
•reviewing
and approving the terms of any employment agreements, severance
arrangements, change in control protections and any other
compensatory arrangements for our executive officers;
•making
recommendations to the board regarding director compensation;
and
•preparing
the annual compensation committee report to the extent required by
SEC rules.
The current members of the compensation committee are Robert
Hayman, who serves as chair, David Gill and Karah Parschauer. The
board of directors also determined that each of the current members
of the compensation committee is independent, as defined in the
listing standards of Nasdaq applicable to compensation committee
members.
The compensation committee may form subcommittees and delegate to
its subcommittees such power and authority as it deems appropriate
from time to time under the circumstances. The compensation
committee has no current intention to delegate any of its
responsibilities to a subcommittee. The board of directors has
formed a stock awards committee, with Mr. Moatazedi as its sole
member, and has delegated the stock awards committee limited
authority to approve and establish the terms of equity awards
granted to eligible persons (who are not executive officers or
members of the board of directors) under our equity incentive
plan.
The compensation committee may confer with the board of directors
in determining the compensation for the Chief Executive Officer. In
determining compensation for executive officers other than the
President and Chief Executive Officer, the compensation committee
considers, among other things, the recommendations of the President
and Chief Executive Officer.
The compensation committee held five meetings in 2022. The
compensation committee has the sole authority to retain, oversee
and terminate any compensation consultant to be used to assist in
the evaluation of executive compensation and to approve the
consultant’s fees and retention terms.
During our fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, our
compensation committee engaged the services of compensation
consulting firm Radford, an Aon Hewitt Consulting Company,
(“Radford”) to advise the compensation committee regarding the
amount and types of compensation that we provide to our executives
and directors and how our compensation practices compared to the
compensation practices of other companies. Radford reports directly
to the compensation committee. The compensation committee believes
that Radford does not have any conflicts of interest in advising
the compensation committee under applicable SEC and Nasdaq
rules.
For 2022, the compensation committee engaged Radford specifically
to:
•participate
in discussions with the compensation committee and selected members
of senior management regarding our historical pay practices,
incumbent roles and responsibilities, compensation philosophy and
equity grant alternatives;
•develop
a peer group of publicly traded and comparable life science and
aesthetics companies that we compete with for business, executive
talent and investor capital;
•review
and assess the executive compensation practices disclosed by
companies in the peer group;
•review
and assess our executive compensation program;
•review
equity grant practices for us and our industry peers, including
topics such as equity plan dilution, annual share usage, prevalence
of long-term incentive award vehicles and mix, and equity stakes
for named executive officers;
•recommend
an equity grant strategy to assist us in providing ongoing
long-term incentive awards to executives and assist with equity
grand modeling; and
•review
and assess our non-employee director compensation
program.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
The principal responsibilities of the nominating and corporate
governance committee include:
•identifying,
reviewing and evaluating candidates to serve on our board of
directors consistent with criteria approved by our board of
directors;
•evaluating
director performance on the board and applicable committees of the
board and determining whether continued service on our board is
appropriate;
•reviewing
communications from stockholders directed to the board, including
evaluating nominations by stockholders of candidates for election
to our board of directors;
•overseeing
evaluations of the board of directors, individual directors and the
committees of the board of directors;
•monitoring
and recommending modifications to our Insider Trading Policy, as
necessary and advisable; and
•reviewing
and evaluating on an annual basis the performance of the nominating
and corporate governance committee, including compliance of the
audit committee with its charter.
The current members of the nominating and corporate governance
committee are Karah Parschauer, who serves as chair, and Peter
Farrell. The board of directors also determined that each of the
current members of the nominating and corporate governance
committee is independent, as defined in the listing standards of
Nasdaq.
The nominating and corporate governance committee has the sole
authority to elect, retain, terminate and approve the fees and
other retention terms of consultants or search firms used to
identify director candidates and to assist in the evaluation of
director performance. The nominating and corporate governance
committee held two meetings in 2022.
Consideration of Director Candidates
Stockholder Recommendations
The nominating and corporate governance committee will consider
candidates for director recommended by stockholders. If a
stockholder wishes to recommend a director candidate, he or she
should submit such recommendation in writing to the Chair,
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, care of the
Corporate Secretary at Evolus, Inc., 520 Newport Center Drive,
Suite 1200, Newport Beach, CA 92660. The nominating and corporate
governance committee may request additional information concerning
the director candidate as it deems reasonably required to determine
the eligibility and qualification of the director candidate to
serve as a member of the board of directors.
Stockholders recommending candidates for consideration by our
nominating and corporate governance committee in connection with
the next annual meeting of stockholders should submit their written
recommendation no later than January 1 of the year of that
meeting. All recommendations will be brought to the attention of
the nominating and corporate governance
committee, and the nominating and corporate governance committee
shall evaluate such director nominees in accordance with the same
criteria applicable to the evaluation of all director
nominees.
Stockholder Nominations
Stockholders who wish to nominate a person for election as a
director in connection with an annual meeting of stockholders (as
opposed to making a recommendation to the nominating and corporate
governance committee as described above) must mail notice in proper
written form, including all required information as specified in
the bylaws, to the Corporate Secretary at Evolus, Inc., 520
Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
For more information, and for more detailed requirements
including the time periods in which to send such nominations,
please refer to our Amended and Restated Bylaws, filed as
Exhibit 3.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K (File
No. 001-38381), filed with the SEC on February 12, 2018
and see the section “Stockholder Proposals for 2023 Annual Meeting”
below.
Meetings and Attendance
We expect directors to regularly attend meetings of the board of
directors and of all committees on which they serve and to review
the materials sent to them in advance of those meetings. The board
of directors generally expects to hold four regular meetings per
year and to meet on other occasions when circumstances require. As
part of the board of directors’ regularly scheduled meetings, the
non-employee directors meet in executive session. Directors spend
additional time preparing for board of directors and committee
meetings, and we may call upon directors for advice between
meetings. The board of directors held seven meetings in 2022. Each
director attended 75% or more of the aggregate number of meetings
of the board of directors and of the committees on which he or she
served that were held during the portion of the last fiscal year
for which he or she was a director or committee
member.
In addition, although we have no formal policy requiring
attendance, directors are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting
and we expect nominees for election at each annual meeting of
stockholders to participate in the Annual Meeting. All incumbent
directors attended our annual meeting in May 2022.
Certain Relationships and Related-Person Transactions
Procedures for Approval of Related Person Transactions
Pursuant to the charter of the audit committee, the audit committee
is responsible for reviewing, approving and ratifying in advance
any “related person transactions.” For purposes of the charter of
the audit committee only, a “related person transaction” is a
transaction, arrangement or relationship (or any series of similar
transactions, arrangements or relationships) in which we and any
“related person” are participants and had or will have a direct or
indirect material interest, involving an amount that exceeds
$120,000. A “related person” is any executive officer, director or
a holder of more than 5% of any class of our equity, including any
of their immediate family members and any entity owned or
controlled by such persons.
Our audit committee will review, on an annual basis, the previously
approved related person transactions that are continuous in nature
to determine whether such transactions should
continue.
Related Party Transactions
The following is a description of transactions since January 1,
2021 to which we have been a party, in which the amount involved
exceeded or will exceed the lesser of $120,000 and 1% of the
average of our total assets at year end for the last two completed
fiscal years, and in which any of our directors, executive officers
or beneficial owners of more than 5% of our capital stock, or an
affiliate or immediate family member thereof, had or will have a
direct or indirect material interest, other than compensation,
termination and change-in-control arrangements. The transactions
set forth below were approved by the audit committee. We believe we
have executed all of the transactions set forth below on terms no
less favorable to us than we could have obtained from unaffiliated
third parties. It is our intention to ensure that all future
transactions between us and our officers, directors and principal
stockholders and their affiliates are approved by the audit
committee.
Employment of David Moatazedi’s Brother-In-Law
Since September 2018, we have employed Mr. Moatazedi’s
brother-in-law as a Senior Manager, Marketing. He receives
compensation commensurate with his level of experience and other
employees having similar responsibilities. The total salary paid to
Mr. Moatazedi’s brother-in-law for each of 2022 and 2021 was
approximately $148,000 and $138,000, respectively. He received
12,214 restricted stock units in 2022, and 3,000 restricted stock
units in 2021, and bonuses for 2022 and 2021 performance of
approximately $25,100 and $25,500, respectively. He is not
considered an officer under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and
does not report directly to Mr. Moatazedi.
Medytox Settlement Agreements
As of March 3, 2023, Medytox, Inc., or Medytox, owned 5,071,989
shares of our common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, or
approximately 9.0% of our outstanding shares of common stock. These
shares were issued to Medytox in connection with the
Medytox/Allergan Settlement Agreements.
In February 2021, we entered into a Settlement and License
Agreement with Medytox, and Allergan, Inc. and Allergan Limited, or
collectively Allergan, which we refer to as the U.S. Settlement
Agreement and another Settlement and License Agreement with Medytox
which we refer to as the ROW Settlement Agreement. We refer to the
U.S. Settlement Agreement and the ROW Settlement Agreement
collectively as the Medytox Settlement Agreements.
Under the Medytox Settlement Agreements, we obtained (i) a license
to commercialize, manufacture and to have manufactured for us
certain products identified in the Medytox Settlement Agreements,
including Jeuveau®
(the “Licensed Products”), in the United States and other
territories where we license Jeuveau®,
(ii) the dismissal of outstanding litigation against us, including
an action before the International Trade Commission brought by
Medytox, which we refer to as the ITC Action, a rescission of
related remedial orders that resulted from the ITC Action, and the
dismissal of a civil case in the Superior Court of California
against us, which we refer to together with any claims (including
claims brought in Korean courts) with a common nexus of fact as the
Medytox Actions, and (iii) releases of claims against us for the
Medytox Actions. In exchange, we agreed to (i) make cash payments
of $35.0 million in multiple payments over two years to Allergan
and Medytox, (ii) pay to Allergan and Medytox certain royalties on
the sale of Jeuveau®,
based on a certain dollar amount per vial sold of Licensed Product
by us or on our behalf in the United States, from December 16, 2020
to September 16, 2022, (iii) from December 16, 2020 to September
16, 2022, pay to Medytox a low-double digit royalty on net sales of
Jeuveau®
sold by us or on our behalf in territories we have licensed outside
the United States; (iv) from September 17, 2022 to September 16,
2032, pay to Medytox a mid-single digit royalty percentage on net
sales of Jeuveau®
in the United States and all territories we have licensed outside
the United States, (v) issue to Medytox 6,762,652 shares of our
common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, which we issued in
February 2021, and (vi) enter into a Registration Rights Agreement
pursuant to which we granted certain registration rights to Medytox
with respect to such shares of common stock beginning as of March
31, 2022. During 2021, in addition to the shares issued
to
Medytox under the Medytox Settlement Agreements, we made milestone
and royalty payments totaling approximately $14.8 million to
Medytox under the Medytox/Allergan Settlement Agreements. During
2022, we made milestone and royalty payments totaling approximately
$11.4 million to Medytox under the Medytox/Allergan Settlement
Agreements.
Daewoong Agreements
As of March 3, 2023, Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or
Daewoong, owned 3,136,869 shares of our common stock, par value
$0.00001 per share, or approximately 5.6% of our outstanding shares
of common stock. These shares were issued to Daewoong on May 23,
2021 upon the conversion of a $40 million Convertible Promissory
Note we previously issued to Daewoong on July 6, 2020 pursuant to a
Convertible Promissory Note Conversion Agreement we entered into
with Daewoong on March 23, 2021 as part of the 2021 Daewoong
Arrangement described below.
Daewoong License and Supply Agreement
In 2013, we and Daewoong entered into a license and supply
agreement, as amended, which we refer to as the Daewoong Agreement,
pursuant to which we have an exclusive distribution license to
Jeuveau®
from Daewoong for aesthetic indications in the United States, EU,
Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Russia, C.I.S., and South Africa,
as well as co-exclusive distribution rights with Daewoong in Japan.
Under the Daewoong Agreement, we are required to make certain
minimum annual purchases in order to maintain the exclusivity of
the license. These minimum purchase obligations are contingent upon
the occurrence of future events, including receipt of governmental
approvals and our future market share in various jurisdictions.
Under the Daewoong Agreement, Daewoong is responsible for all costs
related to the manufacturing of Jeuveau®,
including costs related to the operation and upkeep of its
manufacturing facility, and we are responsible for all costs
related to obtaining regulatory approval, including clinical
expenses, and commercialization of Jeuveau®.
On March 23, 2021, as part of the 2021 Daewoong Arrangement, we
entered into a Third Amendment to the Supply Agreement, which
amends the Daewoong Agreement and which we refer to as the
“Daewoong Agreement Amendment.” Under the Daewoong Agreement
Amendment, the Daewoong Agreement was amended to: (i) expand the
territory within which we may distribute Jeuveau®
to certain countries in Europe; (ii) reduce the period of time with
respect to which we are required to deliver binding forecasts to
Daewoong; (iii) introduce certain limitations on Daewoong’s ability
to convert our exclusive license for certain territories to a
non-exclusive license in the event we fail to meet certain minimum
purchase requirements for such territory; (iv) adjust the minimum
purchase requirements and reduce the transfer price per vial of
Jeuveau®
applicable to various territories; (v) require that any
Jeuveau®
supplied by Daewoong match certain shelf-life thresholds; and (vi)
prohibit us from sharing certain confidential information regarding
Daewoong with Medytox or its affiliates or representatives. In
2021, we made payments to Daewoong of $33.3 million. In 2022, we
made payments to Daewoong of $50.7 million.
Daewoong Arrangement
On March 23, 2021, we also entered into a Confidential Settlement
and Release Agreement with Daewoong, which we refer to as the
Daewoong Settlement Agreement. We refer to the Daewoong Settlement
Agreement, the Convertible Promissory Note Conversion Agreement and
the Daewoong Agreement Amendment described above collectively as
the Daewoong Arrangement.
Under the Daewoong Arrangement, (i) Daewoong agreed to (a) pay us
an amount equal to $25.5 million, which we received on April 6,
2021, (b) pay certain reasonable legal fees incurred by our
litigation counsel in connection with its defense of the ITC Action
(including any appeal of the resulting remedial orders), (c) cancel
all remaining milestone payments of up to $10.5 million in the
aggregate under the Daewoong Agreement, and (d) reimburse us
certain amounts (calculated on a dollar amount per vials sold basis
in the United States) for sales of Licensed Products, partially
offsetting the royalty payments we are required to pay Medytox and
Allergan pursuant to the U.S. Settlement Agreement; and (ii) we
agreed to (y) release certain claims we may have against Daewoong
or certain of its affiliates and representatives related to the
allegations made in or the subject matter of the Medytox/Allergan
Actions, or any orders, remedies and losses resulting from the
Medytox/Allergan Actions, and (z) coordinate with Daewoong on
certain matters related to the Medytox/Allergan
Actions.
Indemnification Agreements
We enter into indemnification agreements with our directors and
executive officers upon their election to office. These
indemnification agreements may require us, among other things, to
indemnify our directors and officers for some expenses, including
attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred
by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of
his or her service as one of our directors or officers, or any of
our subsidiaries or any other company or enterprise to which the
person provides services at our request.
Director Compensation
Our director compensation program is intended to enhance our
ability to attract, retain and motivate non-employee directors of
exceptional ability and to promote the common interest of directors
and stockholders in enhancing the value of our common stock. The
board of directors reviews director compensation at least annually.
The compensation committee has the sole authority to engage a
consulting firm to evaluate director compensation.
Our non-employee directors receive equity and cash compensation for
their service as directors. In 2022, each non-employee director
received an annual retainer of $45,000. For 2023, the compensation
is unchanged for our non-employee directors. The annual retainers
are paid on a quarterly basis. Our non-executive board chairman
receives an additional annual retainer of $35,000. Additionally,
our non-employee directors receive compensation for committee
service as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Position |
Amount(1)
($)
|
Audit Committee Chair |
20,000 |
Other Audit Committee Members |
10,000 |
Compensation Committee Chair |
15,000 |
Other Compensation Committee Members |
7,500 |
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Chair |
10,000 |
Other Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Members |
5,000 |
(1) These
amounts are annualized amounts, payable quarterly.
For 2022, equity awards for qualifying non-employee directors
consisted of (a) an initial equity award with a grant date fair
value of approximately $230,000 (increasing to $255,000 for periods
after February 2022), upon initial election to the board, subject
to vesting and to continued service on the board, and (b) annual
equity awards with a grant date fair value of approximately
$170,000, subject to vesting and continued service on the board.
For 2022, these awards were in the form of restricted stock units
and stock options. In January 2022, each non-employee director,
other than Mrs. Stewart, serving on the board on that date was
granted (i) 15,568 restricted stock units and (ii) a stock option
to purchase 22,727 shares of our common stock at a per share
exercise price of $5.46. The restricted stock units were scheduled
to vest, subject to continued service, in full on the twelve month
anniversary of the date of grant. The options were scheduled to
vest, subject to continued service, in twelve monthly installments
following the date of grant. Mrs. Stewart joined our board of
directors on January 5, 2022 and was granted 36,508 restricted
stock units. Mrs. Stewart’s restricted stock units will vest over a
period of two years, with 1/2 of the shares subject to the option
vesting annually on the anniversary of January 5, 2021, subject to
continued service.
The table below summarizes the compensation paid by us to our
non-employee directors during the year ended December 31, 2022.
David Moatazedi, our President and Chief Executive Officer, served
as a member of the board during 2022, but did not receive any
additional compensation for such service as a
director.
2022 DIRECTOR COMPENSATION TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash
($)
|
Stock Awards(1)(2)
($)
|
Total
($) |
Vikram Malik (Chairman)(3)
|
82,000 |
165,698 |
247,698 |
Simone Blank |
45,000 |
165,698 |
210,698 |
Peter Farrell |
60,000 |
165,698 |
225,698 |
David Gill(3)
|
74,500 |
165,698 |
240,198 |
Robert Hayman |
60,000 |
165,698 |
225,698 |
Karah Parschauer |
72,500 |
165,698 |
238,198 |
Brady Stewart |
45,000 |
230,000 |
275,000 |
(1) Represents the aggregate grant date fair value of the
restricted stock unit awards granted to the non-employee directors
during 2022, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
See
Note 10. Stockholders’ Equity
for a discussion of the assumptions we made in determining the
grant date fair value of our restricted stock unit
awards.
(2) The restricted stock units reflected in the above table
constitute the aggregate number of restricted stock units granted
to each non-employee director in 2022. As of December 31, 2022,
each non-employee director serving as of December 31, 2022 held the
following number of outstanding and unexercised options and
outstanding restricted stock units: Mr. Malik, 77,900 options and
29,076 restricted stock units, Ms. Blank, 77,900 options and 15,568
restricted stock units, Dr. Farrell, 70,454 options and 15,568
restricted stock units, Mr. Gill, 81,486 options and 15,568
restricted stock units, Mr. Hayman, 77,900 options and 15,568
restricted stock units, Mrs. Parschauer, 70,454 options and 15,568
restricted stock units, and Mrs. Stewart, 36,508 restricted stock
units.
(3) Includes $2,000 for service on a strategic committee of the
Board of Directors.
Proposal 1 - Election of Directors
The board of directors is currently comprised of eight directors
and is divided into three classes: Class I, Class II and Class III.
Each class of directors serves for a three-year term, with one
class of directors being elected by our stockholders at each annual
meeting.
•David
Gill, Robert Hayman and Peter Farrell serve as Class I Directors,
with terms of office expiring at the 2025 annual meeting of
stockholders.
•Simone
Blank and Brady Stewart serve as Class II Directors, with terms of
office expiring at the Annual Meeting.
•David
Moatazedi, Vikram Malik, and Karah Parschauer serve as Class III
Directors, with terms of office expiring at the 2024 annual meeting
of stockholders.
Subject to any rights applicable to any then outstanding preferred
stock, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only
by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in
office.
Upon the recommendation of the nominating and corporate governance
committee, Simone Blank and Brady Stewart are the board of
directors’ nominees for election to the board of directors at the
Annual Meeting. Ms. Blank was previously elected to the Board by
our stockholders in at our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders. Ms.
Stewart, who joined our Board in January 2022 after being
recommended by a non-management director, will be standing for
election by our stockholders for the first time. The Class II
directors will be elected to hold office until the 2026 Annual
Meeting and until their successors are duly elected and qualified
or until their earlier death, resignation or removal. Unless
otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote all validly
submitted proxies “FOR ALL” to elect Simone Blank and Brady Stewart
as Class II directors. Each person nominated for election has
consented to be named in this proxy statement and has agreed to
serve if elected, and we have no reason to believe that any nominee
will be unable or unwilling for good cause to serve if elected. If
any nominee is not able or is unwilling for good cause to serve at
the time of the Annual Meeting, proxies will be voted in favor of
the other nominee, leaving a vacancy, or for a substitute nominee
as may be determined by the proxy holders, unless the board of
directors chooses to reduce the number of directors serving on the
board of directors. There are no arrangements or understandings
between any nominee and any other person pursuant to which the
nominee was selected.
Director Qualifications
The board of directors has determined that, as a whole, it must
have the right mix of characteristics, skills and diversity to
provide effective oversight of our company. In selecting directors,
the board of directors seeks to achieve a mix of directors that
enhances the diversity of background, skills and experience on the
board, including with respect to age, gender, international
background, ethnicity and specialized experience. Directors should
have relevant expertise and experience and be able to offer advice
and guidance to our management based on that expertise and
experience.
Each director is also expected to:
•possess
fundamental qualities of intelligence, honesty, perceptiveness,
maturity, integrity, fairness and responsibility;
•have
a genuine interest in Evolus and recognize that as a member of the
board of directors, each director is accountable to all of our
stockholders, not to any particular interest group;
•be
of the highest ethical character and share the values of Evolus as
reflected in its Code of Conduct;
•be
highly accomplished in his or her field, with superior credentials
and recognition;
•possess
sound business judgment, be able to work effectively with others,
have sufficient time to devote to our affairs; and be free from
conflicts of interest; and
•have
independent opinions and be willing to state them in a constructive
manner.
The board of directors periodically reviews the diversity of skills
and characteristics needed in the board of directors’ oversight of
our company, as well as the effectiveness of the mix of skills and
experience. The board of directors considers the skill areas
represented on the board of directors, those skill areas
represented by any directors who are expected to retire or leave
the board of directors in the near future, and recommendations of
directors regarding skills that could improve the ability of the
board of directors to carry out its responsibilities.
Identifying and Evaluating Nominees for Directors
Our nominating and corporate governance committee oversees the
director nomination process. This committee is responsible for
assisting the board of directors in establishing minimum
qualifications for director nominees, including the qualities and
skills that members of our directors are expected to possess. When
the board of directors or its nominating and corporate governance
committee has identified the need to add a new director with
specific qualifications or to fill a vacancy on the board, the
chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee will
initiate a search, seeking input from other directors and senior
management, review any candidates that the nominating and corporate
governance committee has previously identified, and, if necessary,
hire a search firm. The nominating and corporate governance
committee will identify the initial list of candidates who satisfy
the specific criteria and otherwise qualify for membership on the
board of directors. Our board of directors considers many factors
in evaluating the suitability of individual director candidates,
including their general understanding of our business, sales and
marketing, finance, and other disciplines relevant to the success
of a publicly traded company; understanding of our business and
technology; educational and professional background; personal
accomplishment; and national, gender, age, racial, and ethnic
diversity. While our board of directors has no formal policy for
the consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees,
the nominating and corporate governance committee seeks to identify
and elect directors that will collectively represent a diversity of
backgrounds and experience and will endeavor to include women and
individuals from minority groups in the qualified candidate pool
from which any new director candidates will be drawn. Selected
members of the board of directors will interview each qualified
candidate; other directors will also interview the candidate if
practicable. Based on a satisfactory outcome of those interviews,
the nominating and corporate governance committee will make its
recommendation on the candidate to the board of
directors.
The nominating and corporate governance committee will consider
candidates for election or appointment to the Board recommended by
stockholders on the same basis as director candidates from any
other source. See “Corporate Governance-Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee—Consideration of Director Candidates”
above.
Information Regarding Directors
The following table sets forth the name of each current director,
including each nominee for Class I Director, together with
their age (as of April 21, 2023) and the year in which they
became a director.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Director |
Age |
Director Since |
Term Expires |
Class I Directors: |
|
|
|
David Gill |
68 |
2018 |
2025 |
Robert Hayman |
64 |
2018 |
2025 |
Peter Farrell, Ph.D., D.Sc. |
80 |
2019 |
2025 |
Class II Directors: |
|
|
|
Simone Blank |
60 |
2018 |
2023 |
Brady Stewart |
47 |
2022 |
2023 |
Class III Directors: |
|
|
|
David Moatazedi |
45 |
2018 |
2024 |
Vikram Malik |
60 |
2018 |
2024 |
Karah Parschauer |
45 |
2019 |
2024 |
The information appearing in the following table sets forth, for
each director and nominee for election as a director, as of
April 21, 2023:
•The
director or nominee’s professional experience for at least the past
five years.
•The
month and year in which the director or nominee first became one of
our directors.
•Each
committee of the board of directors on which the director or
nominee currently serves.
•The
director or nominee’s age.
•The
relevant specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills
the director or nominee possesses that led the board of directors
to conclude that the individual should serve as a
director.
•Directorships
held by each director or nominee presently and at any time during
the past five years at any public company or registered investment
company.
Class I Directors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David Gill |
|
Robert Hayman |
Age: 68
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 5 years (February 2018)
● Audit Committee (Chair)
● Compensation Committee
|
|
|
Age: 64
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 5 Years (January 2018)
● Compensation Committee (Chair)
|
|
Professional Experience
Mr. Gill has served as a member of our board of directors since
February 2018. From February 2021 to October 2021, Mr. Gill has
over 30 years’ experience in the medical device and life sciences
industries and most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer
of Perspectum, Ltd, a healthcare technology company which
transforms the clinical management of metabolic disease and cancer.
Mr. Gill also currently serves as a director of Y-mAbs
Therapeutics, Inc. as well as several private companies. Previously
he served on the board of directors of Strongbridge Biopharma, PLC
from September 2019 to October 2021, Histogenics, Inc. from January
2015 to July 2019, Melinta Therapeutics, Inc (f/k/a Cempra Inc.
from April 2012 to April 2020, and Strata Skin Sciences from May
2018 to May 2020. Earlier in his career, Mr. Gill served in a
variety of senior executive leadership roles for several
publicly-traded companies, including EndoChoice, Inc., NxStage
Medical, Inc., CTI Molecular Imaging, Inc., Interland Inc. and
Novoste Corporation. Mr. Gill holds a B.S. in Accounting from Wake
Forest University and an M.B.A. from Emory University, and is a
certified public accountant (inactive).
|
|
Professional Experience Mr.
Hayman has served as a member of our board of directors since
January 2018. Since 2011, Mr. Hayman has served as the owner and
Chief Executive Officer of Hayman Properties, a real estate
investment and development business. Since 2015, Mr. Hayman has
served as Principal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Perimetrics, LLC, a dental diagnostic service company. From 1993 to
February 2008, Mr. Hayman served as the co-founder, Chief Executive
Officer and Chairman of Discus Dental, Inc. Mr. Hayman attended the
Masters Degree program in Psychology at Pepperdine University, and
received a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston
University.
|
Relevant Skills
We believe that Mr. Gill’s extensive experience as an executive in
the life sciences industry and his prior service as a senior-level
executive in mature life sciences companies qualifies him to serve
on the board of directors.
|
|
Relevant Skills
We believe Mr. Hayman’s extensive business and leadership
experience qualifies him to serve on the board of
directors.
|
Other Public Board Service
Current
● Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc.
|
December 2017-present
Former (within the past 5 years)
● Strongbridge Pharma PLC
|
September 2019-October 2021
● Strata Skin Sciences, Inc. | May 2018-May 2020
● Melinta Therapeutics, Inc. | April 2012-April 2020
● Histogenics Corporation | February 2015-July 2019
|
|
Other Public Board Service
● N/A
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter Farrell, Ph.D., D.Sc. |
|
|
Age: 80
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 3 years (July 2019)
● Audit Committee
● Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
|
|
|
|
Professional Experience
Dr. Farrell has served as a member of our board of directors since
July 2019. Dr. Farrell is the founding Chairman of ResMed Inc., a
leading developer and manufacturer of medical equipment for the
diagnosis and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing. Dr. Farrell
has been a Director and Chairman of the Board of Resmed since its
inception in June 1989. He served as Chief Executive Officer of
ResMed from 1990 to 2007 and again from February 2011 until March
2013. From March 2013 through December 2013, Dr. Farrell served as
Executive Chairman of ResMed, and, in January 2014, he became
non-executive Chairman. Since May 2018, Dr. Farrell has served as
the Chairman of the Board of Arcturus Therapeutics, Ltd. From
January 2005 to May 2018, Dr. Farrell served on the board of
directors of Nuvasive, Inc. Dr. Farrell holds bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in chemical engineering from the University of
Sydney and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. in
bioengineering from the University of Washington, Seattle and a
Doctor of Science from the University of New South Wales for
research related to dialysis and renal medicine.
|
|
|
Relevant Skills
We believe Dr. Farrell’s extensive executive experience in the life
science industry qualifies him to serve on the board of
directors.
|
|
|
Other Public Board Service
Current
● Resmed, Inc.
|
June 1989-present
● Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
|
May 2018-present
Former (within the past 5 years)
● Nuvasive, Inc.
|
January 2005-May 2018
|
|
|
Class II Directors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Simone Blank |
|
Brady Stewart |
Age: 60
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 5 years (January 2018)
|
|
|
Age: 47
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 2 Year (January 2022)
|
|
Professional Experience Ms.
Blank has served as a member of our board of directors since
January 2018. Ms. Blank is the owner of Dental Innovations Apus BV
and the co-owner of Dental Innovations BV, both private investment
companies. Since 2013, Ms. Blank has served as a member of the
board of directors of several private companies, including as the
chairwoman of the board of directors of Aeon Biopharma since July
2016 and on the board of managers of Alphaeon 1, LLC from January
2020 to August 2022. From May 2006 to October 2013, Ms. Blank
served as a member of the board of directors of Sirona Dental
Systems Inc., or Sirona, a dental technology manufacturer
previously listed on Nasdaq. From July 1999 to October 2013, Ms.
Blank served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of Sirona. Prior to July 1999, Ms. Blank was an engagement
manager in the merger and acquisition transaction group of
PricewaterhouseCoopers after having gained global financial
experience as a certified public accountant and tax advisor. Ms.
Blank received a M.Sc. in Economics from the University of
Duisburg, Germany.
|
|
Professional Experience Mrs.
Stewart has served as a member of our board of directors since
January 2022. Mrs. Stewart has served as the Chief Commercial
Officer of Forma Brands, LLC since April 2021. From May 2007 to
April 2021, Mrs. Stewart held multiple roles at Levi Strauss &
Co., culminating in the position of Senior Vice President and
Managing Director, U.S. Direct to Consumer. Mrs. Stewart holds an
M.B.A in Strategy and Operations from Harvard Business School and
received a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from
Princeton University..
|
Relevant Skills
We believe Ms. Blank’s extensive business, finance, and leadership
experience qualifies her to serve on the board of
directors.
|
|
Relevant Skills
We believe Mrs. Stewarts’s extensive business, digital marketing
and leadership experience qualifies her to serve on the board of
directors.
|
Other Public Board Service
International Public Company
● APM Human Services International Pty. LTD (APX:
APM)|
November 2021 (initial public offering)-Present
|
|
Other Public Board Service
● N/A
|
Class III Directors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David Moatazedi |
|
Vikram Malik |
Age: 45
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 4 years (May 2018)
|
|
|
Age: 60
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 5 years (January 2018)
● Chairman of the Board of Directors
|
|
Professional Experience
Mr. Moatazedi has served as our President, Chief Executive Officer
and as a member of our board of directors, since May 2018. Prior to
that time, Mr. Moatazedi was the Senior Vice President at Allergan,
Inc., or Allergan, and division head of the U.S. Medical Aesthetics
division, which includes facial aesthetics, plastic surgery,
regenerative medicine, body contouring, and skin care products from
March 2016 to May 2018. From March 2017 to June 2020, Mr. Moatazedi
served as a member of the board of directors of Obalon
Therapeutics, Inc., a public medical device company focused on
developing and commercializing medical devices to treat obese and
overweight people by facilitating weight loss. Mr. Moatazedi worked
in various leadership capacities within Allergan since March 2005,
including as Vice President, Sales and Marketing of the U.S. Facial
Aesthetics division from August 2014 to March 2016 and Vice
President, Sales and Market of the U.S. Plastic Surgery division
from February 2013 to August 2014. Prior to Allergan, Mr. Moatazedi
was a district manager at Novartis Pharmaceuticals for the
Dermatology division. Mr. Moatazedi holds an M.B.A. from Pepperdine
University and a B.A. from California State University, Long
Beach.
|
|
Professional Experience Mr.
Malik has served as a member and the Chairman of our board of
directors since January 2018. Since December 2020, Mr. Malik has
served as President and a director of Priveterra Acquisition Corp.
a blank-check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger,
capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
reorganization or similar business combination with one or more
businesses. Mr. Malik previously served as a member of Aeon
Biopharma’s board of directors since April 2014. From January 2020
to August 2022 Mr. Malik served on the board of managers of
Alphaeon 1, LLC. From May 2013 to June 2022, Mr. Malik has served
as the Managing Partner of Strathspey Crown Holdings Group, LLC.
From August 2011 to May 2013, Mr. Malik served as Vice Chairman,
Investment Banking for Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. From November
2010 to August 2011, Mr. Malik served as a Managing Director in the
Healthcare Corporate and Investment Banking Group of Merrill Lynch,
Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. From June 2000 to November
2010, Mr. Malik served as the Managing Director of Banc of America
Securities, LLC. Mr. Malik received a B.A. in Economics from Delhi
University and an M.B.A. from Boston University Graduate School of
Management.
|
Relevant Skills
We believe that Mr. Moatazedi’s extensive leadership experience,
his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of Evolus,
knowledge of the Company and industry knowledge qualify him to
serve on the board of directors.
|
|
Relevant Skills
We believe Mr. Malik’s extensive experience in the investment
banking and financial services industry qualifies him to serve on
the board of directors.
|
Other Public Board Service
Current
None
Former (within the past 5 years)
● Obalon Therapeutics, Inc. | March 2017-June 2020
|
|
Other Public Board Service
Current
● Priveterra Acquisition Corp.
|
December 2020 - present
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Karah Parschauer |
|
|
|
Age: 45
Evolus Board Service
● Tenure: 3 years (July 2019)
● Audit Committee
● Compensation Committee
● Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
(Chair)
|
|
|
|
|
Professional Experience
Karah Parschauer has served as a member of our board of directors
since July 2019. Since June 2016, Mrs. Parschauer has served as
Chief Legal Officer of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc, or
Ultragenyx. Prior to Ultragenyx, Mrs. Parschauer served in various
executive capacities, and most recently as Vice President,
Associate General Counsel, at Allergan plc, a pharmaceutical
company, from June 2005 until June 2016. Prior to Allergan, Mrs.
Parschauer was an attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP, where she
practiced in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities
offerings, and corporate governance. Mrs. Parschauer holds a B.A.
in Biology from Miami University and a J.D. from Harvard Law
School
|
|
|
|
Relevant Skills
We believe Mrs. Parschauer’s extensive experience within the
aesthetics industry and as an attorney qualifies her to serve on
the board of directors.
|
|
|
|
Other Public Board Service
Current
● Tenaya Therapeutics, Inc.
|
December 2021-Present
● Anebulo Pharamaceuticals, Inc..
|
May 2021 (initial public offering) -Present
Former
● Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
|
June 2019-August 2021
|
|
|
|
The board of directors recommends a vote
FOR ALL
to elect Simone Blank and Brady Stewart
as Class II directors to serve until Evolus’ 2026 annual meeting of
stockholders and until their respective successors are duly elected
and qualified.
Security Ownership of
Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The following table sets forth the number of outstanding shares of
common stock beneficially owned and the percentage of common stock
beneficially owned, as of April 21, 2023, by:
•each
person known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than five
percent of our then-outstanding common stock;
•each
director and named executive officer; and
•all
of our directors and executive officers as a group.
The number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by each
person is determined under the rules of the SEC. Under these rules,
beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the individual
has sole or shared voting power or investment power and also any
shares that the individual has the right to acquire by June 16,
2023 (sixty days after April 21, 2023) through the exercise or
conversion of a security or other right. Unless otherwise indicated
or pursuant to applicable community property laws, each person has
sole investment and voting power, or shares such power with a
family member, with respect to the shares set forth in the
following table. The inclusion in this table of any shares deemed
beneficially owned does not constitute an admission of beneficial
ownership of those shares for any other purpose.
The percentage of beneficial ownership in the table below is based
on 56,900,917 shares of common stock deemed to be
outstanding as of April 21,
2023.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beneficial owner |
|
Shares Beneficially Owned |
|
% of Total Voting Power |
Named Executive Officers and Directors |
|
|
|
|
David Moatazedi(1)
|
|
1,573,738 |
|
|
2.7 |
|
% |
Lauren Silvernail |
|
20,420 |
|
|
* |
|
Rui Avelar, M.D.(2)
|
|
449,446 |
|
|
* |
|
Sandra Beaver |
|
— |
|
|
* |
|
Vikram Malik(3)
|
|
144,010 |
|
|
* |
|
Simone Blank(3)(4)
|
|
506,181 |
|
|
* |
|
Robert Hayman(3)
|
|
133,604 |
|
|
* |
|
David Gill(5)
|
|
116,877 |
|
|
* |
|
Peter Farrell, Ph.D., D.Sc.(6)
|
|
121,158 |
|
|
* |
|
Karah Parschauer(6)
|
|
111,158 |
|
|
* |
|
Brady Stewart(7)
|
|
22,183 |
|
|
* |
|
All executive officers and directors as a group
(11 persons) |
|
3,176,592 |
|
|
5.4 |
|
% |
Greater than 5% Holders |
|
|
|
|
Alphaeon 1, LLC(8)
|
|
4,214,871 |
|
|
7.4 |
|
% |
Medytox, Inc.(9)
|
|
5,071,989 |
|
|
8.9 |
|
% |
Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.(10)
|
|
3,136,869 |
|
|
5.5 |
|
% |
First Manhattan Co. LLC(11)
|
|
4,330,738 |
|
|
7.6 |
|
% |
Deerfield Mgmt, L.P.(12)
|
|
3,319,000 |
|
|
5.8 |
|
% |
Millennium Management LLC(13)
|
|
3,328,597 |
|
|
5.8 |
|
% |
Tang Capital Partners, LP(14)
|
|
3,038,732 |
|
|
5.3 |
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Less
than 1%
(1) Includes options to purchase 1,491,090 shares of common stock
exercisable within 60 days of April 21, 2023.
(2) Includes options to purchase 302,842 shares of common stock
exercisable within 60 days of April 21,
2023.
(3) Includes options to purchase 83,723 shares of common stock
exercisable within 60 days of April 21,
2023.
(4) Includes 367,577
shares of common stock held by Dental Innovations Apus Investment
BV (“DIAI”). As the sole beneficial holder of DIAI, Ms. Blank may
be deemed to share voting and dispositive power over the shares
held by DIAI.
(5) Includes options to purchase 87,309 shares of common stock
exercisable within 60 days of April 21,
2023.
(6) Includes options to purchase 76,277 shares of common stock
exercisable within 60 days of April 21,
2023.
(7) Includes options to purchase 3,929 shares of common stock
exercisable within 60 days of April 21, 2023.
(8) Based on information set forth in a Form 4 filed by ALPHAEON 1,
LLC with the SEC on February 22, 2023. Alphaeon 1, LLC has sole
voting and investment power over the shares. The address of
Alphaeon 1, LLC is 4040 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 310, Newport Beach,
California 92660. Alphaeon 1, LLC’s voting and investment decisions
are made by its board of managers which, as of the date of this
annual report, consists of Jost Fischer, Darren O’Brien, Robert
Grant, and Richard Taketa. These members of Alphaeon 1, LLC’s board
of directors may be deemed to share voting, investment or
dispositive power over the shares held by Alphaeon 1,
LLC.
(9) Based on information set forth in a Form 4 filed by Medytox
with the SEC on February 7, 2023. Medytox has sole voting and
investment power of the shares. The address of Medytox is 78 Gangni
1-gil Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do
28126, Republic of Korea.
(10) Based on information set forth in a Schedule 13G filed by
Daewoong with the SEC on April 1, 2021, Daewoong has sole voting
and investment power of the shares. The address of Daewoong is
35-14, Jeyakgongdan 4-gil, Hyangnam-eup, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do,
Republic of Korea.
(11) Based on information set forth in a Schedule 13G/A filed by
First Manhattan Co. LLC with the SEC on February 14, 2023, First
Manhattan Co. has sole voting and investment power of the shares.
The address of First Manhattan Co. is 399 Park Avenue, New York,
New York 10022.
(12) Based on information set forth in a Schedule 13G filed by
Deerfield Mgmt, L.P. and its affiliates with the SEC on February
10, 2023, Deerfield Mgmt, L.P. and its affiliates have shared
voting and investment power of the shares. The address of Deerfield
Mgmt, L.P. is 345 Park Avenue South, 12th Floor, New York, New York
10010.
(13) Based on information set forth in a Schedule 13G filed by
Millennium Management LLC with the SEC on February 15, 2023,
Millennium Management LLC has shared voting and investment power of
the shares. The address of Millennium Management LLC is 399 Park
Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
(14) Based on information set forth in a Schedule 13G filed by Tang
Capital Partners, LP with the SEC on February 10, 2023, Tang
Capital Partners, LP has shared voting and investment power of the
shares. The address of Tang Capital Partners, LP is 4747 Executive
Drive, Suite 510, San Diego, CA 92121.
Executive Officers
The following table sets forth, as of April 21, 2023, the
names of our executive officers, their ages, their positions and
business experience, and the year of their first election as
officers. Each executive officer serves at the discretion of the
board of directors and holds office until his or her successor is
duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death,
resignation or removal.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
|
Age |
|
Positions and Business Experience |
|
Year First Elected Officer |
David Moatazedi |
|
45 |
|
Please see “Proposal 1. Election of Directors-Information
Concerning Directors and Nominees for Election as
Directors.” |
|
2018 |
Sandra Beaver |
|
45 |
|
Mrs. Beaver has served as our Chief Financial Officer since
September 2022. From October 2019 to September 2022, Mrs. Beaver
served as Senior Vice President of Finance at Experian, a global
information services company, where she was responsible for half of
company’s North America B2B business units. From November 2002 to
September 2019, Mrs. Beaver held roles with increasing levels of
responsibility and scope including Vice President of Consolidated
Financial Planning & Analysis, and Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer at Game Technology PLC. Mrs. Beaver holds a B.A.
from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst. |
|
2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rui Avelar, M.D. |
|
61 |
|
Dr. Avelar has served as our Chief Medical Officer since January
2014 and was appointed to the additional position of Head of
Research and Development in August 2018. From January 2014 to
February 2018, Dr. Avelar also served as the Chief Medical Officer
of Alphaeon. From March 2011 to December 2013, he served as Chief
Medical Officer of Allergan Medical, where he was responsible for
clinical development, clinical operations, safety, medical writing,
biostatistics and regulatory matters. Dr. Avelar holds a M.D. from
the University of Toronto and has received training accreditation
in Sports Medicine from the Canadian Academy of Sports
Medicine. |
|
2014 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are no family relationships among any of our directors or
executive officers.
Executive Compensation
Summary Compensation Table
The following table provides information concerning the
compensation paid for 2022 and 2021 to our “named executive
officers,” who consist of our President and Chief Executive Officer
and our two next most highly compensated executive officers during
the year ended December 31, 2022.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name and Principal Position |
Year |
Salary |
|
Bonus |
|
Stock Awards(1)
|
|
Option Awards(1)
|
|
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation(2)
|
|
All Other Compensation(3)
|
|
Total |
David Moatazedi |
2022 |
$ |
596,875 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
1,170,002 |
|
$ |
1,161,522 |
|
$ |
643,200 |
|
$ |
27,991 |
|
$ |
3,599,590 |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
2021 |
$ |
571,875 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
2,300,335 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
632,500 |
|
$ |
25,168 |
|
$ |
3,529,878 |
Sandra Beaver |
2022 |
$ |
136,818 |
(5) |
$ |
100,000 |
(6) |
$ |
330,174 |
|
$ |
1,125,002 |
|
$ |
135,100 |
|
$ |
313 |
|
$ |
1,827,407 |
Chief Financial Officer |
2021 |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
Rui Avelar, M.D. |
2022 |
$ |
469,000 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
292,498 |
|
$ |
290,381 |
|
$ |
202,400 |
|
$ |
10,633 |
|
$ |
1,264,912 |
Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and
Development |
2021 |
$ |
445,000 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
582,300 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
207,390 |
|
$ |
7,687 |
|
$ |
1,242,377 |
Lauren Silvernail(4)
|
2022 |
$ |
184,167 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
582,300 |
|
$ |
290,381 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
375,650 |
|
$ |
1,432,498 |
Former Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President,
Corporate Development |
2021 |
$ |
439,875 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
582,300 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
176,800 |
|
$ |
13,212 |
|
$ |
1,212,187 |
(1) Represents
the aggregate grant date fair value of stock and option awards
granted during 2022, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic
718. See
Note 10. Stockholders’ Equity.
(2) Represents annual performance-based cash
bonuses paid by us, which were based on achievement of
pre-determined key performance indicators by our board of directors
for the 2022 and 2021 fiscal years. In accordance with her
employment agreement, Mrs. Beaver’s cash bonus was pro-rated to
75%.
(3) The table below shows the components of
“All Other Compensation” for each of our named executive
officers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year |
|
Company 401(k) Matching Contribution (A) |
|
Insurance Premiums (B) |
|
President's Club Sales Incentive Trip (C) |
|
Severance (D) |
David Moatazedi |
2022 |
$ |
7,000 |
$ |
4,704 |
$ |
16,287 |
$ |
— |
|
2021 |
$ |
7,000 |
$ |
4,089 |
$ |
14,079 |
$ |
— |
Sandra Beaver |
2022 |
$ |
— |
$ |
313 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
|
2021 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
Rui Avelar, M.D. |
2022 |
$ |
4,625 |
$ |
6,008 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
|
2021 |
$ |
2,308 |
$ |
5,379 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
Lauren Silvernail |
2022 |
$ |
7,000 |
$ |
2,849 |
$ |
— |
$ |
365,801 |
|
2021 |
$ |
7,000 |
$ |
6,212 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
(A) Represents Company matching contributions under the Company’s
401(k) plan.
(B) Represents premiums paid on behalf of named executive officer’s
under the Company’s life insurance plan and, beginning in 2021, the
Company’s supplemental disability insurance plan.
(C) Represents the incremental cost for Mr. Moatazedi’s spouse to
attend, and certain personal expenses paid for by the Company in
connection with Mr. Moatazedi’s attendance at, the Company’s
President’s Club event to recognize the Company’s highest
performing sales employees.
(D) Represents amounts paid pursuant to the Separation Agreement,
as defined below, as a result of which Mrs. Silvernail received (i)
a lump sum payment equal to 9 months of base salary, (ii) a lump
sum payment representing Mrs. Silvernail’s pro-rated 2022 bonus
potential, (iii) Company–paid COBRA
premiums for continued health insurance through September 30, 2023,
and (iv) reimbursement of any business expenses submitted in
accordance with our expense reimbursement policy. The terms of the
Separation Agreement are described in more detail below under
“-Agreements with Our Named Executive Officers.”
(4) Mrs. Silvernail retired from her
position as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President,
Corporate Development, effective May 31, 2022.
(5) Mrs. Beaver joined the company as Chief Financial Officer in
September 2022.
(6) As consideration for entering into her employment agreement,
Mrs. Beaver received a $100,000 signing bonus in September
2022.
Narrative Explanation of the Summary Compensation
Table
Compensation Philosophy
|
|
|
|
|
|
What We Do
☑ |
What We Don’t Do
☒ |
Independent Compensation Committee.
The Committee consists solely of independent directors who
establish our compensation policies and practices.
|
No Guaranteed Compensation.
No guaranteed cash incentives, equity compensation or salary
increases for executive officers.
|
Independent Compensation Consultant.
During 2021, the Committee engaged the services of Compensia, Inc.
and Radford, an AON Company, to provide information, analysis, and
other advice to assist with its responsibilities.
|
No Excise Tax Payments. We do not provide any excise
tax reimbursement payments for any severance or change-in-control
payments (including “gross-ups”).
|
Annual Executive Compensation Review.
The Committee conducts an annual review and approval of our
compensation strategy, including a review and determination of our
compensation peer group used for comparative purposes.
|
No Excessive Perquisites.
We provide minimal perquisites and other personal benefits to our
NEOs.
|
Emphasize Long-Term Equity Compensation.
The Committee uses equity awards to deliver long-term incentive
compensation opportunities to our executives, including our NEOs.
These equity awards vest over multi-year periods, which serves our
long-term value creation goals and retention
objectives.
|
No stock options granted below fair market value.
We do not grant any stock options with an exercise price below fair
market value.
|
Prohibition on Hedging and Pledging.
Under our Insider Trading Policy, we prohibit our employees from
hedging any Evolus securities and from pledging any Evolus
securities as collateral for a loan.
|
No stock options re-pricing.
We have never re-priced any stock option issued to our executive
officers.
|
Components of Executive Compensation
The compensation paid to our named executive officers consists of
the following components:
•base
salary;
•performance-based
cash bonuses;
•long-term
incentive compensation in the form of stock options and restricted
stock units; and
•benefits
consisting principally of health and welfare and 401(k) plan
contributions.
Base Salary
We have entered into employment agreements with each of our named
executive officers that establish annual base salaries, which are
generally determined, approved and reviewed periodically by our
compensation committee in order to compensate our named executive
officers for the satisfactory performance of duties to the company.
The following table presents the annual base salaries for each of
our named executive officers for the years indicated, as further
described under "—Agreements with our Named Executive Officers"
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Base Salary
($) |
Name |
|
|
2022 |
|
2023 |
David Moatazedi |
|
|
600,000 |
|
700,000 |
Sandra Beaver |
|
|
420,000 |
|
440,000 |
Rui Avelar, M.D. |
|
|
472,000 |
|
490,000 |
Lauren Silvernail |
|
|
442,000 |
|
— |
Performance-Based Cash Bonuses
Each of our named executive officers serving at the end of 2022,
was eligible to receive an annual incentive (bonus) with a target
amount equal to a percentage of his or her salary (100% for Mr.
Moatazedi, 40% for Mrs. Beaver and 40% for Dr. Avelar) based on the
achievement of corporate key performance indicators determined by
our board of directors. The corporate key performance indicators
for 2022 consisted primarily of (i) financial metrics, specifically
achieving net revenue, non-GAAP operating expense and gross margin
targets; (ii) commercial objectives, including consumer and
customer metrics; (iii) international expansion strategic
milestones; (iv) specified research and development goals,
including the “Extra-Strength” study; (v) digital innovation
milestones and (vi) employee engagement metrics, including
diversity initiatives. For 2022, the Compensation Committee
determined that the corporate key performance indicators had been
achieved at 110% of the target level.
For 2022, Mr. Moatazedi’s performance-based annual cash incentive
was based 100% on his achievement of the corporate key performance
indicators. Accordingly, his actual annual cash incentive for 2022
was 110% of his target annual incentive.
For 2022, Mr. Avelar and Mrs. Beaver were additionally evaluated
based upon individual performance criteria. Applying this
evaluation, the compensation committed determined that Mrs. Beaver
and Dr. Avelar’s actual annual incentive for 2022 was 110% of their
target annual incentive.
For 2023, Mrs. Beaver and Dr. Avelar’s bonus target percentage will
increase from 40% to 45%.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
Our equity-based incentive awards are designed to align our
interests and the interests of our current and future stockholders
with those of our employees, non-employee directors and
consultants, including our named executive officers. Our board of
directors, on the recommendation of our compensation committee, is
responsible for approving equity grants for our executive officers.
All equity compensation awards for our executive officers in
2022
were granted pursuant to our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan
as further described under "-2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan"
below.
2022 Equity Awards
In January
2022,
each named executive officer,
other than Sandra Beaver
was granted a restricted stock unit award
and a stock option award.
In September 2022, upon her appointment to Chief Financial Officer,
Mrs. Beaver received a grant of a restricted stock unit award and
stock option award as inducement grants.
Each named executive officer’s
restricted stock units and stock options granted in 2022 vest over
a period of four years, with 1/4th of the shares subject to award
vesting annually on each anniversary of the grant date, provided
such executive remains in continuous service through the applicable
vesting date.
Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control
Our named executive officers will be entitled to receive certain
payments and benefits upon termination of their respective
employment with our company, as described below under the section
entitled “-Agreements with Our Named Executive
Officers.”
Agreements with Our Named Executive Officers
Below is a description of our employment agreements with Mr.
Moatazedi, Mrs. Silvernail, Dr. Avelar, and Mrs. Beaver. As of the
date hereof, each of our named executive officers’ employment is
“at will” and may be terminated at any time, subject to the
severance benefits to which our named executive officers may be
eligible for as further described below.
Employment Agreement with Mr. Moatazedi
We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Moatazedi in
May 2018, as amended in August 2022, or the Moatazedi
employment agreement, under which Mr. Moatazedi serves as our
President and Chief Executive Officer. The Moatazedi employment
agreement provides that Mr. Moatazedi is an at-will employee,
sets forth his initial annual base salary of $550,000 (his current
annual base salary is $700,000), and his eligibility to participate
in employee benefit plans and programs generally available to other
senior executives, as in effect from time to time.
Under the Moatazedi employment agreement, Mr. Moatazedi is
entitled to participate in our annual discretionary incentive plan,
under which Mr. Moatazedi’s target annual incentive bonus is
100% of his annual base salary, subject to achievement of key
performance indicators as determined by our board of directors in
consultation with Mr. Moatazedi.
If we terminate Mr. Moatazedi’s employment for any reason
other than for “cause” or if Mr. Moatazedi resigns from his
employment for “good reason”, then Mr. Moatazedi will be
entitled to a cash severance payment in an amount equal to eighteen
months of base salary plus one times his target annual bonus for
the year in which the termination occurred. If such termination or
resignation occurs within 3 months prior to, upon, or within 12
months after a “change in control,” then Mr. Moatazedi will be
entitled to a cash severance payment in an amount equal to 24
months of base salary plus 1.5 times his target annual bonus for
the year in which the termination occurs. All severance payments
and benefits are conditioned upon the execution and non-revocation
by Mr. Moatazedi of a general release of claims in favor of
our company. Payments or benefits payable to Mr. Moatazedi under
his employment agreement or otherwise will, to the extent
applicable, either be reduced to avoid excise taxes under Section
280G of the Code or be paid in full (with Mr. Moatazedi paying any
such excise taxes), whichever option places him in the best
after-tax position.
Former Employment Agreement with Mrs. Silvernail
We entered into an employment agreement with Mrs. Silvernail
in May 2018, or the Silvernail employment agreement, under which
Mrs. Silvernail serves as our Chief Financial Officer and
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development. The Silvernail
employment agreement provided that Mrs. Silvernail is an
at-will employee, sets forth her initial annual base salary of
$425,000 (her annual base salary was $442,000 as of her
retirement), and her eligibility to participate in employee benefit
plans and programs generally available to other senior executives,
as in effect from time to time. Mrs. Silvernail also received a
one-time payment of $25,000 for relocation expenses.
Under the Silvernail employment agreement, Mrs. Silvernail was
entitled to participate in our annual discretionary incentive plan,
under which Mrs. Silvernail’s target annual incentive bonus is
40% of her annual base salary, subject to achievement of key
performance indicators as determined by our board of
directors.
If we terminate Mrs. Silvernail’s employment for any reason
other than for “cause” (as defined in the Silvernail employment
agreement), or if Mrs. Silvernail resigns from her employment for
“good reason” (as defined in the Silvernail employment agreement),
then Mrs. Silvernail will be entitled to receive continued
base salary and health benefits for six months following such
termination, plus her pro-rata share of her target annual bonus for
the year in which the termination occurred, and accelerated vesting
of a portion of her 2018 stock options and restricted stock units
as described above. If such termination or resignation occurs
within 12 months after a “change in control,” then Mrs. Silvernail
will be entitled to a cash severance payment in an amount equal to
12 months of base salary plus her pro-rata share of her target
annual bonus for the year in which the termination occurs, and
accelerated vesting on all of her 2018 stock options and restricted
stock units as described above. All severance payments and benefits
are conditioned upon the execution and non-revocation by
Mrs. Silvernail of a general release of claims in favor of our
company. Payments or benefits payable to Mrs. Silvernail under her
employment agreement or otherwise will, to the extent applicable,
either be reduced to avoid excise taxes under Section 280G of the
Code or be paid in full (with Mrs. Silvernail paying any such
excise taxes), whichever option places her in the best after-tax
position.
Separation Agreement with Mrs. Silvernail
We entered into a separation and release agreement with Mrs.
Silvernail, dated March 3, 2022 (the “Separation Agreement”), in
connection with her retirement from her position as our Chief
Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Corporate
Development effective as of May 31, 2022 (the “Retirement Date”).
Pursuant to the Separation Agreement, we provided to Mrs.
Silvernail, less any applicable withholdings, on the Retirement
Date: (i) a lump sum payment equal to 9 months of base salary, (ii)
a lump sum payment representing Mrs. Silvernail’s pro-rated 2022
bonus potential, (iii) Company–paid COBRA premiums for continued
health insurance through September 30, 2023, and (iv) reimbursement
of any business expenses submitted in accordance with our expense
reimbursement policy. Additionally, the Separation Agreement
provides for, as of the Retirement Date, an additional one-year of
accelerated vesting for certain equity awards issued to Mrs.
Silvernail.
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement with Dr.
Avelar
We entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with
Dr. Avelar in August 2022, or the Avelar employment
agreement, under which Dr. Avelar serves as our Chief Medical
Officer and Head of Research and Development. The Avelar employment
agreement provides that Dr. Avelar is an at-will employee,
sets forth his initial annual base salary of $472,000 (his current
annual base salary is $490,000), and his eligibility to participate
in employee benefit plans and programs generally available to other
senior executives, as in effect from time to time.
Under the Avelar employment agreement, Dr. Avelar is entitled to
participate in our annual discretionary incentive plan, under which
Dr. Avelar’s target annual incentive bonus is 40% of his annual
base salary, subject to achievement of key performance indicators
as determined by our board of directors.
Under the Avelar employment agreement and subject to Dr. Avelar
executing a release of claims, upon the Company’s termination of
Dr. Avelar’s employment without cause or if Dr. Avelar resigns for
“good reason” (as defined in the Avelar employment agreement), the
Company is required to pay (i) severance to Dr. Avelar equal to
twelve months of his base salary paid in a lump sum plus a
pro-rated portion of his annual bonus payable for the calendar year
in which such termination occurs, (ii) a lump sum payment of the
amount Dr. Avelar would be expected to pay in order to continue
medical coverage pursuant to COBRA for twelve months and (iii) a
lump sum payment of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000) as
outplacement assistance. If, however, such a termination of Dr.
Avelar’s employment occurs within three months prior to, upon, or
within twelve months after a “change in control” event (as defined
in the Avelar employment agreement), Dr. Avelar is instead
entitled, subject to Dr. Avelar executing a release of claims, to
the following (i) severance equal to eighteen months of his base
salary paid in a lump sum plus 100% of his annual target bonus
payable for the calendar year in which such termination occurs,
(ii) a lump sum payment of the amount Dr. Avelar would be expected
to pay in order to continue medical coverage pursuant to COBRA for
eighteen months, (iii) a lump sum payment of Fifteen Thousand
Dollars ($15,000) as outplacement assistance and (iv) accelerated
vesting of all time and service based vesting conditions applicable
to his outstanding Company equity awards.
Employment Agreement with Mrs. Beaver
We entered into an employment agreement with Mrs. Beaver in
September 2022, or the Beaver employment agreement, under which
Mrs. Beaver serves as our Chief Financial Officer. The Beaver
employment agreement provides that Mrs. Beaver is an at-will
employee, sets forth her initial annual base salary of $420,000
(her current annual base salary is $440,000), and her eligibility
to participate in employee benefit plans and programs generally
available to other senior executives, as in effect from time to
time.
Under the Beaver employment agreement, Mrs. Beaver is entitled to
participate in our annual discretionary incentive plan, under which
Mrs. Beaver’s target annual incentive bonus is 40% of her annual
base salary, subject to achievement of key performance indicators
as determined by our board of directors.
Under the Beaver employment agreement and subject to Ms. Beaver
executing a release of claims, upon the Company’s termination of
Ms. Beaver’s employment without cause or if Ms. Beaver resigns for
“good reason” (as defined in the Beaver employment agreement), the
Company is required to pay (i) severance to Ms. Beaver equal to
twelve months of her base salary paid in a lump sum plus a
pro-rated portion of her annual bonus payable for the calendar year
in which such termination occurs, (ii) a lump sum payment of the
amount Ms. Beaver would be expected to pay in order to continue
medical coverage pursuant to COBRA for twelve months and (iii) a
lump sum payment of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000) as
outplacement assistance. If, however, such a termination of Ms.
Beaver’s employment occurs within three months prior to, upon, or
within twelve months after a “change in control” event (as defined
in the Beaver employment agreement), Ms. Beaver is instead
entitled, subject to Ms. Beaver executing a release of claims, to
the following (i) severance equal to eighteen months of her base
salary paid in a lump sum plus 100% of her annual target bonus
payable for the calendar year in which such termination occurs,
(ii) a lump sum payment of the amount Ms. Beaver would be expected
to pay in order to continue medical coverage pursuant to COBRA for
eighteen months, (iii) a lump sum payment of Fifteen Thousand
Dollars ($15,000) as outplacement assistance and (iv) accelerated
vesting of all time and service based vesting conditions applicable
to her outstanding Company equity awards.
Outstanding Equity Awards at 2022 Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth information regarding each
unexercised option held by each of our named executive officers as
of December 31, 2022:
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT DECEMBER 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option Awards(1)
|
Stock Awards(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Securities
Underlying Unexercised
Options
|
|
|
Number
of
shares
of stock
that
have
not
vested
(#)
|
Market
value of
shares
of stock
that
have
not
vested
($)
|
Name |
|
Grant
Date
|
Vesting
Commencement
Date |
Total Options Unexercised |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
Exercisable (#) |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
Unexercisable (#) |
Option
Exercise
Price
($) |
Option
Expiration
Date
|
David Moatazedi |
|
5/6/2018 |
5/6/2018 |
1,182,019 |
1,182,019 |
—(3) |
7.28 |
5/6/2028 |
– |
– |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
|
1/23/2019 |
1/23/2019 |
125,000 |
93,750 |
31,250(3) |
16.19 |
1/23/2029 |
– |
– |
|
|
1/23/2020 |
1/23/2020 |
141,910 |
70,954 |
70,956(3) |
10.19 |
1/23/2030 |
41,035(3) |
308,173 |
|
|
|
1/27/2021 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
200,001(3) |
1,502,008 |
|
|
|
3/26/2021 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
36,640(3) |
275,166 |
|
|
|
1/24/2022 |
1/24/2022 |
310,559 |
— |
310,559(3) |
5.46 |
1/24/2032 |
214,286(3) |
1,609,288 |
|
Sandra Beaver |
|
9/5/2022 |
9/5/2022 |
169,158 |
— |
169,158(3) |
9.06 |
9/5/2032 |
36,443(3) |
273,687 |
|
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rui Avelar, M.D. |
|
1/6/2018 |
1/6/2018 |
189,682 |
189,682 |
—(3) |
9.98 |
1/6/2028 |
– |
– |
Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and
Development |
|
1/23/2019 |
1/23/2019 |
60,000 |
45,000 |
15,000(3) |
16.19 |
1/23/2029 |
– |
– |
|
|
1/23/2020 |
1/23/2020 |
45,000 |
22,500 |
22,500(3) |
10.19 |
1/23/2030 |
13,000(3) |
97,630 |
|
|
|
1/27/2021 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
67,500(3) |
506,925 |
|
|
|
1/24/2022 |
1/24/2022 |
77,640 |
— |
77,640(3) |
5.46 |
1/24/2032 |
53,571(3) |
402,318 |
|
(1) All of the equity awards set forth above have been granted
under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
(2) Reflects restricted stock units, each of which represents a
contingent right to receive one share of our common stock. The
market value of such award was calculated based on the $7.51
closing price of a share of our common stock as of December 31,
2022 (which was the last trading day in our fiscal
year).
(3) 25% of the shares subject to the option or restricted stock
units will vest annually on the first four anniversaries of the
vesting commencement date, subject to continuous service through
each vesting date.
2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan
On November 21, 2017, our board of directors and sole stockholder
at that time adopted and approved the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan
(the “2017 Plan”). The following is a brief summary of the
materials terms of the 2017 Plan. This summary is qualified in its
entirety by the full text of the 2017 Plan, which is an exhibit to
the Form S-1 filed on January 9, 2018.
Purpose
The purpose of our 2017 Plan is to promote our interests and our
stockholders by strengthening our ability to attract, motivate and
retain individuals to serve as employees, directors and consultants
by providing them with additional incentives to put forth maximum
efforts to improve our business and earnings.
Stock Awards
The 2017 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, or
ISOs, nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights,
restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other
stock-based awards. ISOs may be granted only to employees. All
other awards may be granted to our and our affiliates’ employees,
non-employee directors, consultants and other service
providers.
Administration, Amendment and Termination
The 2017 Plan is administered by our board of directors or a
committee of our board of directors designated by our board of
directors to administer the 2017 Plan. Our board of directors has
retained the right to exercise the authority of any
committee
that it appoints to administer the 2017 Plan to the extent
consistent with applicable law and the applicable requirements of
any stock exchange. Our board of directors has delegated general
administrative authority with respect to the 2017 Plan to our
compensation committee, except that our board of directors
considers and approves equity award grants to our non-employee
directors.
Subject to the terms of the 2017 Plan, the plan administrator has
the authority (i) to grant and amend awards, which includes
determining the type, form, terms and conditions and number of
shares subject to any award, (ii) to interpret any provision of the
2017 Plan, any award or any award agreement and (iii) to make all
determinations and decisions necessary for the administration of
the 2017 Plan. All determinations and decisions by the plan
administrator under the 2017 Plan are in its sole discretion and
are final and binding.
Securities to be Offered
The 2017 Plan provides for awards based on shares of our common
stock. Subject to adjustment as described below, the total number
of shares authorized to be awarded under the 2017 Plan may not
exceed 2,638,889 (all of which will be available for grant as
ISOs), plus an annual increase on each anniversary of November 21,
2017 equal to 4.0% of the total issued and outstanding shares of
our common stock as of such anniversary (or such lesser number of
shares as may be determined by our board of directors). The current
share limit under the 2017 Plan, subject to adjustment as described
below, is 10,890,621 shares, which is the sum of the initial limit
of 2,638,889 shares plus the annual increases through and including
the annual increase on November 21, 2022. Shares issued under the
2017 Plan may consist in whole or in part of authorized but
unissued shares, treasury shares or shares purchased on the open
market or otherwise, all as determined by our company from time to
time.
Any award settled in cash will not be counted as issued shares for
any purpose under the 2017 Plan. If any award expires, or is
terminated, surrendered or forfeited, the unissued shares covered
by the award will again be available for the grant of awards. If
shares issued pursuant to the 2017 Plan are repurchased by, or are
surrendered or forfeited to our company, at no more than cost,
those shares will again be available for the grant of awards. If
shares issuable upon exercise, vesting or settlement of an award or
shares owned by a grantee are surrendered or tendered to our
company in payment of the purchase price of an award or any taxes
required to be withheld for an award, those surrendered or tendered
shares will again be available for the grant of awards. Substitute
awards will not be counted against the number of shares available
for the grant of awards under the 2017 Plan.
Eligibility
Eligibility to participate in the 2017 Plan is limited to such of
our and our affiliates’ employees, officers, non-employee
directors, consultants and advisors as determined from time to time
by the plan administrator.
Stock Options
The 2017 Plan provides for the grant of options to purchase shares
of our common stock at exercise prices, and subject to terms,
conditions and limitations, determined by the plan administrator
and set forth in an option agreement delivered to the
optionee.
An option that the 2017 Plan administrator intends to be an
“incentive stock option” as defined in Section 422 of the Code, or
an ISO, will be granted only to our employees and will be subject
to and be construed consistently with the requirements of Section
422 of the Code. An option that does not qualify as an ISO is
referred to as a “non-qualified stock option.”
Stock Appreciation Rights
The 2017 Plan provides for the grant of stock appreciation rights,
or SARs, which may be awarded either alone or in tandem with, or as
a component of, other awards. The applicable award agreement will
include information about the terms and conditions under which a
SAR will be exercisable, including any performance requirements. A
SAR confers on the participant a right to receive, upon exercise, a
payment of the excess of (i) the fair market value of one share of
our stock on the date of exercise over (ii) the grant price of the
SAR as determined by the plan administrator (which will be equal to
at least the fair market value on the grant date).
Restricted Stock Awards
The 2017 Plan provides for the grant of restricted stock awards. In
general, a restricted stock award is an award of actual shares of
common stock issued in the participant’s name that are subject to
certain vesting requirements and that we may hold until the
applicable vesting date, at which time the shares are released to
the participant. Alternatively, at the discretion of the plan
administrator, we may issue a restricted stock certificate bearing
the legends required by applicable securities laws.
The plan administrator will determine the terms and conditions of
any restricted stock award, which will be set forth in the
restricted stock agreement delivered to the participant. A
restricted stock award holder will have all the rights of a
stockholder with respect to such shares, including voting and
dividend rights, subject, however, to the restrictions and
conditions specified in the restricted stock
agreement.
Restricted Stock Units
The 2017 Plan provides for the grant of restricted stock units, or
RSUs. An RSU represents the right to receive one share of common
stock upon the applicable vesting date, but no share is actually
issued until vesting. An RSU may be settled in cash rather than
stock to the extent provided in the applicable award
agreement.
The plan administrator will determine the terms and conditions of
any RSUs granted under the 2017 Plan. In general, a holder of RSUs
will not have any rights of a stockholder but the plan
administrator may provide that the holder is entitled to receive
dividend equivalent rights.
Stock-Based Performance Awards
The 2017 Plan provides for the grant of awards based on various
performance conditions as may be specified by the plan
administrator. Settlement of performance awards may be in cash,
shares, other awards or other property, in the discretion of the
plan administrator. The plan administrator may reduce the amount of
a settlement otherwise to be made in connection with performance
awards.
Other Stock-Based Awards
The plan administrator may grant other stock-based awards, either
alone or in addition to or in conjunction with other awards under
the 2017 Plan, based upon the common stock, having terms and
conditions as the plan administrator may determine.
Transferability of Awards
A participant may not assign or transfer an award under the 2017
Plan, except by will or as permitted under the laws of descent and
distribution. During a participant’s lifetime, only the participant
personally (or his or her personal representative) may exercise
rights under the 2017 Plan. However, if authorized by the
applicable award agreement, a participant may transfer, not for
value, all or part of an award (other than an ISO) to certain
family members, in accordance with the terms of the 2017 Plan.
After a permitted transfer, the award will continue to be subject
to the same terms and conditions as it was before the
transfer.
Rights as Stockholder
Unless an applicable award agreement states otherwise, a 2017 Plan
participant will have no rights as a stockholder with respect to
any shares covered by an award until he or she becomes the record
holder of the shares.
Withholding for Payment of Taxes
We may deduct from payments of any kind otherwise due to a 2017
Plan participant any federal, state or local taxes of any kind
required by law to be withheld in connection with the vesting of or
other lapse of restrictions applicable to an award or upon the
issuance of any shares of stock upon the exercise of an option or
pursuant to an award.
Effect of Certain Transactions
If (i) the number of outstanding shares of our common stock is
increased or decreased or the shares are changed into or exchanged
for a different number or kind of shares or other securities of our
company on account of any recapitalization, reclassification, stock
split, reverse split, combination of shares, exchange of shares,
stock dividend or other distribution payable in capital stock, or
other increase or decrease in shares effected without receipt of
consideration by our company or (ii) there occurs any spin-off,
split-up, extraordinary cash dividend or other distribution of
assets by our company, then (a) the number and kind of shares for
which grants of 2017 Plan awards may be made, (b) the number and
kind of shares for which outstanding awards may be exercised or
settled and (c) the performance goals relating to outstanding
awards, will all be equitably adjusted by our company. In addition,
in the event of any increase or decrease in the number of
outstanding shares or other transaction described in clause (ii)
above, the number and kind of shares for which 2017 Plan awards are
outstanding and the option price per share of outstanding options
will be equitably adjusted.
Unless otherwise provided in an award agreement, in the event of a
corporate transaction (i.e., a reorganization, merger, statutory
share exchange, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of
our company’s assets, acquisition of assets or stock of another
entity by our company, or other corporate transaction involving our
company or any of our affiliates), the 2017
Plan and awards under it will continue in effect in accordance with
their terms, except that after a corporate transaction either (i)
each outstanding award will be treated as provided for in the
corporate transaction agreement or (ii) if not covered in the
corporate transaction agreement, each grantee will be entitled to
receive for each share of common stock under the grantee’s awards
(upon exercise or payment or transfer in respect of those awards),
the same consideration that each of our common stockholders was
entitled to receive in the corporate transaction for one share,
except that such consideration will remain subject to all of the
terms and conditions (including performance criteria) that were
applicable to the awards before the corporate transaction.
Treatment of 2017 Plan awards upon a corporate transaction may
include cancellation and liquidation of stock options and SARs
(including for $0 if the options or SARs are underwater at the time
of the corporate transaction).
Change in Control
In the event of a “change in control” (as defined in the 2017
Plan), either of the following provisions will apply to 2017 Plan
awards outstanding at the time, depending on whether, and the
extent to which, awards are assumed, converted or replaced by the
resulting entity in the change in control (and unless otherwise
provided in the applicable award agreement):
(1) If awards are not assumed, converted or replaced by the
resulting entity in the change in control, then those awards will
become fully exercisable and all restrictions on the awards will
lapse, except for performance awards, for which the target payout
opportunities attainable will be deemed to have been fully earned
as of the change in control based upon the greater of (a) an
assumed achievement of all relevant performance goals at the
“target” level or (b) the actual level of achievement of all
relevant performance goals against target as of our fiscal quarter
end preceding the change in control.
(2) If awards are assumed, converted or replaced by the resulting
entity in the change in control, if, within 24 months after the
change in control, the grantee is involuntarily terminated, then
the grantee’s awards will become fully exercisable and all
restrictions on the awards will lapse, except for performance
awards, for which the target payout opportunities attainable will
be deemed to have been fully earned as of the involuntary
termination based upon the greater of (a) an assumed achievement of
all relevant performance goals at the “target” level, or (b) the
actual level of achievement of all relevant performance goals
against target as of our fiscal quarter end preceding the change in
control.
Clawback
All awards, amounts or benefits received or outstanding under the
2017 Plan shall be subject to clawback, cancellation, recoupment,
rescission, payback, reduction, or other similar action in
accordance with any clawback or similar policy or any applicable
law related to such actions.
Detrimental Conduct
Except as otherwise provided by our board of directors, if a
participant engages in “detrimental conduct” (as defined in the
2017 Plan), he or she shall forfeit or pay the following: (i) any
and all outstanding awards (whether vested or unvested, exercisable
or unexercisable), and (ii) any cash or shares of our common stock,
or any profit realized from the sale or other disposition of shares
of our common stock, received by the participant in connection with
the 2017 Plan within the 36-month period immediately before the
date we determine the participant has engaged in detrimental
conduct.
Amendment and Termination
The plan administrator may amend, suspend or terminate the 2017
Plan as to any awards that have not been made. No amendment,
suspension or termination of the 2017 Plan may, without participant
consent, materially impair rights or obligations under any
outstanding award. The plan administrator may amend, modify or
supplement the terms of any outstanding award, including
modification of awards to foreign nationals or individuals who are
employed outside the United States to recognize differences in
local law, tax policy or custom.
Other Compensation Matters
Perquisites and Health and Welfare Benefits
Our named executive officers are eligible to receive employee
benefits, including medical, dental, vision, group life, disability
and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, in each case on
the same basis as all of our other employees.
Beginning in 2021, we began offering supplemental disability
insurance to our executive officers. Our board of directors may
elect to adopt qualified or non-qualified benefit plans in the
future if it determines that doing so is in our best
interests.
401(k)
In May 2018, we adopted the Evolus, Inc. Retirement Plan, a
tax‑qualified retirement plan that provides eligible employees with
an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax advantaged basis.
All participants’ interests in their deferrals are 100% vested when
contributed. We contribute a $0.50 match for every $1.00
contributed by a participating employee up to 6% of their annual
salary up to an annual maximum of $7,000 in 2021 and 2022, with
such matching contributions becoming vested as to 25% each year and
becoming fully vested when participating employees reach the
four-year anniversary from their date of hire, giving credit for
past service. Pre‑tax contributions are allocated to each
participant’s individual account and are then invested in selected
investment alternatives according to the participant’s direction.
This retirement plan is intended to qualify under
Sections 401(a) and 501(a) of the Code. As a tax‑qualified
retirement plan, contributions to this plan and earnings on those
contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed
from the plan, and all contributions are deductible by us when
made.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides information as of December 31,
2022 with respect to shares of common stock that may be issued
under our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan:
COMMON STOCK ISSUABLE UNDER EQUITY PLAN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan Category |
|
Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding
Options, Warrants and Rights
(a) |
|
Weighted Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants
and Rights (1)
(b) |
|
Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under
Equity Compensation Plans
(c) |
Equity compensation plans approved by
stockholders(2)
|
|
7,260,377 |
|
(3)
|
$9.24 |
|
3,515,904 |
|
Equity compensation plans not approved by
stockholders(4)
|
|
205,601 |
|
(5)
|
$9.06 |
|
— |
|
Totals |
|
7,465,978 |
|
|
|
|
3,515,904 |
|
(1) The weighted-average exercise price does not reflect the shares
that will be issued in connection with the settlement of Restricted
Stock Units, since Restricted Stock Units have no exercise
price.
(2) Consists of shares issuable under outstanding options under the
2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan plus an annual increase on each
anniversary of November 21, 2017 equal to 4% of the total issued
and outstanding shares of our common stock as of such anniversary
(or such lesser number of shares as may be determined by our board
of directors). Shares issuable under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive
Plan may be used for any type of award authorized under the plan,
including stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted
stock and restricted stock units.
(3) Consists of 4,600,363 shares of common stock issuable upon the
exercise of stock options and 2,660,014 shares of common stock
deliverable upon settlement of restricted stock units.
(4) Consists of the outstanding inducement grants.
(5) Consists of 169,158 shares of common stock issuable upon the
exercise of stock options and 36,443 shares of common stock
deliverable upon settlement of restricted stock units.
DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers
and directors and any persons owning ten percent or more of our
common stock to file reports with the SEC to report their
beneficial ownership of and transactions in our
securities.
Based solely upon a review of the Section 16(a) reports that have
been electronically filed with the SEC, along with written
representations from our executive officers and directors, we
believe that all required reports were timely filed during 2022,
except for a Form 4 filed late on February 6, 2023 by Medytox, Inc,
due to an administrative error, to report the purchase of shares of
common stock on August 12 and 13, 2021 and the subsequent
disposition of those shares on January 20, 2023.
Proposal 2 - Approval of an Amendment to our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of
our common stock that we are authorized to issue from 100,000,000
to 200,000,000.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation currently
authorizes the issuance of 100,000,000 shares of our common stock,
par value $0.00001 per share. Our Board is proposing for approval
by our stockholders an amendment to our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of
our common stock we are authorized to issue from 100,000,000 to
200,000,000 shares. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation also authorizes the issuance of 10,000,000 shares of
preferred stock, par value $0.00001 per share, which would remain
unchanged by the amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation contemplated by this Proposal 2.
Background: Current Capitalization
As of April 21, 2023, our capitalization was as
follows:
•56,900,917
shares of our common stock were issued and
outstanding;
•5,822,847
shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of
outstanding stock options under our Evolus, Inc. 2017 Omnibus
Incentive Plan (the "2017 Plan") at a weighted average exercise
price of $9.60 per share, and 169,158 shares of our common stock
issuable upon the exercise of outstanding inducement stock options
outside the 2017 Plan at a weighted average exercise price of $9.06
per share;
•3,225,549
shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting and settlement
of restricted stock units outstanding under the 2017 Plan and
36,443 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting and
settlement of inducement restricted stock units outside of the 2017
Plan;
•1,093,731
shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under the
2017 Plan.
•No
shares of our preferred stock were issued or outstanding. There are
currently no plans, arrangements, commitments or understandings to
issue any shares of our preferred stock.
Based on the above capitalization information, only 32,751,355
shares of our currently authorized common stock remained unissued
and unreserved and available for future issuance as of
April 21, 2023.
Reasons for the Increase to Our Authorized Shares of Common
Stock
The Board has determined, in its business judgment, that an
increase to our authorized shares of common stock from 100,000,000
to 200,000,000, is in the best interests of the Company and our
stockholders, and as a result the Board has unanimously approved
such an increase, subject to stockholder approval, and has
unanimously recommended that our stockholders approve such an
increase by voting in favor of this Proposal 2. In making this
determination and approval, the Board considered, among other
things: our historical share issuance rates; anticipated future
share requirements; guidelines and potential voting recommendations
of third-party proxy advisory services; recent practices at other
public companies; and a recommendation from our
management.
The Board is requesting that our stockholders approve the increase
to the authorized shares of our common stock in part to enable us
to provide meaningful capital resources for our business plans and
strategic initiatives.
The Board is also requesting that our stockholders approve the
increase to the authorized shares of our common stock to provide us
with the flexibility to issue our common stock as needed for other
purposes. The newly authorized shares of our common stock would be
issuable for any proper corporate purpose. We plan to utilize our
common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for our common stock) for the following main
reasons:
• as consideration
for mergers, acquisitions, investments or other similar
transactions;
• in connection with
establishing collaborations or other strategic
relationships;
• as compensation to
attract and retain our personnel through grants of equity awards;
and
• in capital-raising
or financing transactions.
Possible Effects if Proposal 2 Is Approved
If this Proposal 2 is approved by our stockholders, the Board would
generally be able to issue the additional authorized shares in its
discretion from time to time without further action by or approval
of our stockholders, subject to and as limited by the rules and
listing requirements of Nasdaq or any other then applicable
securities exchange and the requirements of all applicable
law.
Approval of this Proposal 2 could have the following
effects:
•Potential
for Dilution. If approved, this Proposal 2 would result in our
Board’s ability to issue the newly authorized shares of our common
stock in the future, in its discretion and without obtaining future
stockholder approval. Because our stockholders do not have
preemptive rights with respect to our common stock, they would not
have preferential rights to purchase any additional shares we may
issue in the future. Consequently, any issuance of additional
shares of our common stock, unless such issuance is pro-rata among
existing stockholders, would increase the number of outstanding
shares of our common stock and decrease the ownership interest of
our existing stockholders, as well as their percentage interest in
the voting power, liquidation value and book value of our common
stock. Depending on the terms of any such issuance, these decreases
could be significant. It is impossible to predict the dilutive
impact of any such future share issuance, if any. Any potential
dilution would depend on several factors, including the price of
our common stock at the time of any future issuance and the number
of shares of our common stock then outstanding.
•Anti-Takeover
Effects. The availability of additional shares of our common stock
for issuance could, under certain circumstances, discourage or make
more difficult efforts to effect a change of control of our Company
or remove current management, which our stockholders might
otherwise deem favorable. For example, without further stockholder
approval, the Board could strategically sell shares of our common
stock in a private transaction to purchasers that would oppose a
change of control attempt or favor current management. The
anti-takeover effect of an increase to the authorized shares of our
common stock would be in addition to other provisions in our
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and our amended
and restated bylaws that may also have an anti-takeover effect,
such as certain advance notice requirements with respect to any
stockholder proposals and nominations of director candidates, the
lack of cumulative voting rights of our stockholders, and our
ability to issue preferred stock with such rights, preferences and
privileges as approved by our Board without obtaining stockholder
approval. The Board is not aware of any attempt, or contemplated
attempt, to acquire the Company, nor is this Proposal 2 being
presented with the design or intent that it be used to prevent or
discourage a change of control or management or an acquisition
attempt.
However, stockholders should be aware that nothing would prevent
the Board from taking any such actions that it deems consistent
with its fiduciary duties.
Possible Effects if Proposal 2 Is Not Approved
If this Proposal 2 is not approved by our stockholders, then the
number of shares of our common stock we would be authorized to
issue would remain at its current amount of 100,000,000
shares.
A failure to obtain the approval of our stockholders of this
Proposal 2 could result in a lack of necessary flexibility to use
equity for valid purposes. As described above, the Board believes
this increase to the authorized shares of our common stock would
provide us with needed flexibility to issue these shares in the
future when and as necessary and on a timely basis, which would
allow us to take advantage of market conditions, the availability
of favorable financing and opportunities for acquisitions, in each
case without the potential expense or delay incident to obtaining
stockholder approval for each separate transaction or issuance. If
this Proposal 2 is not approved by our stockholders, our Board
would have significantly limited ability to issue equity at its
discretion in the future, which could result in, among other
things, difficulties retaining and recruiting executives and other
personnel consistent with our business plans or an inability to
effect potential future strategic or capital-raising transactions
or acquisitions efficiently and when desired or otherwise believed
to be advantageous to us.
Rights of Additional Authorized Shares of Common Stock
Any authorized shares of our common stock, when issued, would be
part of our existing class of common stock and would have the same
rights and privileges as the shares of common stock that are
presently issued and outstanding.
Text and Effectiveness of the Increase to Our Authorized Shares of
Common Stock
We propose to effect the increase to the authorized shares of our
common stock by amending the first two sentences of Article IV.A of
our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to read in
their entirety as follows:
“Classes
of Stock and Authorized Shares.
The Corporation is authorized to issue two classes of stock to be
designated, respectively, Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per
share (the “Common
Stock”),
and Preferred Stock, par value $0.00001 per share (the
“Preferred
Stock”).
The total number of shares which the Corporation is authorized to
issue is Two Hundred Ten Million (210,000,000) shares, of which Two
Hundred Million (200,000,000) shares shall be Common Stock, and Ten
Million (10,000,000) shares shall be Preferred Stock.”
The only change to the language of Article IV.A being voted on in
this Proposal 2 is to increase the total number of shares of our
common stock we may issue from 100,000,000 to 200,000,000 shares,
and consequently the total number of shares of stock we may issue
by the same amount. Other than as set forth above, our Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation as currently in effect would
remain unchanged by the amendment to affect the authorized share
increase contemplated by this Proposal 2.
If this Proposal 2 is approved and adopted by our stockholders at
the Annual Meeting, the increase to our authorized shares
contemplated hereby would become effective upon our filing of a
Certificate of Amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware
reflecting the amendments to Article 4.A thereof as set forth
above, or at such other date and time as may be specified in the
Certificate of Amendment. We expect to file such an amendment with
the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as soon as
practicable following stockholder approval.
No Appraisal Rights
Under applicable Delaware law, our stockholders are not entitled to
appraisal rights with respect to the proposed amendment to our
Amended and Restated Certificate to increase the number of
authorized shares of common stock we are authorized to
issue.
Required Vote and Effect of Not Casting Your Vote
Proposal 2 must be approved by the affirmative vote of the holders
of at least 66 2/3% of the issued and outstanding shares of our
common stock entitled to vote on the proposal at the Annual
Meeting. Proposal 2 is expected to be a “routine” matter on which a
broker is entitled to vote shares held for a beneficial owner even
without receiving voting instructions from the beneficial owner. As
a result, abstentions, if any, will have the same effect as a vote
against this Proposal 2, and broker non-votes are not expected to
occur on Proposal 2.
The board of directors recommends a vote
FOR
the approval of an amendment to our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized
shares of our common stock.
Proposal 3 - Ratification of Appointment of Independent Auditor for
2023
Appointment of Independent Auditor by Audit Committee
The audit committee annually evaluates the performance of our
independent auditor and determines whether to reengage the current
independent auditor or consider other audit firms. This year the
audit committee has approved the appointment of Ernst & Young
LLP, or EY, as our independent registered public accounting firm
for the year ending December 31, 2023 to report on our
consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31,
2023. Factors considered by the audit committee in deciding whether
to appoint EY included:
•EY’s
global capabilities;
•EY’s
technical expertise and knowledge of our global operations and
industry;
•the
quality and candor of EY’s communications with the audit committee
and management;
•the
quality and efficiency of the services provided by EY, including
input from management on EY’s performance;
•EY’s
objectivity and professional skepticism;
•EY’s
use of technology to aid in audit efficiency;
•EY’s
independence, how effectively EY demonstrated its independent
judgment, and the controls and processes in place that help ensure
EY’s independence; and
•the
appropriateness of EY’s fees.
Proposed Ratification of Independent Auditor
The audit committee is responsible for the appointment, retention,
termination, compensation and oversight of the work of our
independent registered public accounting firm for the purpose of
preparing or issuing an audit report or related work. Although
ratification of the appointment of our independent auditor is not
required by our organizational documents or otherwise, the board of
directors is submitting the appointment of EY to our stockholders
for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice and because
we value the views of our stockholders.
The audit committee considers EY to be well qualified. In the
absence of contrary instructions, the proxy holders will vote
proxies received in response to this solicitation in favor of
ratification of the appointment. In the event that stockholders
fail to ratify the appointment of EY, the audit committee will
reconsider the appointment of EY. Even if the appointment is
ratified, the ratification is not binding and the audit committee
may in its discretion select a different independent auditor at any
time during the year if it determines that such a change would be
in the best interests of our company and stockholders.
Representatives of EY are expected to be present at the Annual
Meeting. They will have an opportunity to make a statement, if they
desire, and will be available to respond to appropriate
questions.
The board of directors recommends a vote
FOR
the ratification of the appointment of EY as our independent
registered public accounting firm for the year ending
December 31, 2023.
Accounting Matters
Principal Independent Auditor Fees
Fees Paid to the Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm
The following table sets forth the aggregate fees for professional
service provided by our independent registered public accounting
firm, Ernst & Young LLP, for the years ended December 31, 2022
and 2021:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2022 |
|
2021 |
Audit Fees(1)
|
$ |
830,500 |
|
|
$ |
907,000 |
|
Audit-Related Fees |
— |
|
|
— |
|
Tax Fees(2)
|
175,100 |
|
|
215,000 |
|
All Other Fees(3)
|
1,000 |
|
|
1,000 |
|
Total |
$ |
1,006,600 |
|
|
$ |
1,123,000 |
|
(1)
Audit fees consist of the fees for professional services rendered
for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of our
quarterly financial statements and in connection with the
preparation of registration statements filed with the
SEC.
(2)
Tax fees include fees for preparation of the Company’s federal
and state returns and tax consultation in connection with tax
credits.
(3)
All other fees consists of a subscription to EY’s online accounting
research tool.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The audit committee has adopted a policy that requires the audit
committee or a member of the audit committee to pre-approve all
audit and permissible non-audit services to be provided by our
independent auditor. These services include audit services,
audit-related services and tax services. Pre-approval is generally
requested annually, with any pre-approval detailed as to the
particular service, which must be classified in one of the three
categories of services listed above. Our audit committee may also,
on a case-by-case basis, pre-approve particular services that are
not contained in the annual pre-approval request. In connection
with this pre-approval policy, our audit committee also considers
whether the categories of pre-approved services are consistent with
the rules on accountant independence of the SEC and the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board.
In addition, in the event time constraints require pre-approval
prior to our audit committee’s next scheduled meeting, our audit
committee has authorized its chairperson to pre-approve services.
Engagements so pre-approved are to be reported to our audit
committee at its next scheduled meeting. Our audit committee or its
chairperson pre-approved all audit and tax services provided by EY
in the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 pursuant to the
foregoing pre-approval policies and procedures.
Report of Audit Committee
Our audit committee has reviewed our audited financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2022 and discussed them with
our management and our independent registered public accounting
firm, EY.
Our audit committee has also received from, and discussed with, EY
various communications that EY is required to provide to our audit
committee, including the matters required to be discussed pursuant
to applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board and the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
In addition, EY provided our audit committee with the written
disclosures and the letter required by applicable requirements of
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the
independent registered public accounting firm's communications with
the audit committee concerning independence, and the audit
committee has discussed with the company's independent registered
public accounting firm their independence. Our audit committee has
also reviewed non-audit services performed by EY and considered
whether EY’s provision of non-audit services was compatible with
maintaining its independence from the company.
Based on the review and discussions referred to above, our audit
committee recommended to our board of directors that Evolus’
financial statements audited by EY be included in our Annual Report
on Form 10‑K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which
was filed with the SEC on March 8, 2023. The audit committee also
appointed EY to serve as our independent registered public
accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2023 and is
seeking ratification of such appointment by the
stockholders.
Audit Committee
David Gill
Peter Farrell
Karah Parschauer
The foregoing report of the audit committee is not “soliciting
material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC and is not to be
incorporated by reference in any filing of Evolus under the
Securities Act, or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after
the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation
language in any such filing.
Communications with Directors
Interested parties may communicate with the board of directors or
with an individual director by writing to the board of directors or
to the particular director and mailing the correspondence to:
Evolus, Inc., 520 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200, Newport Beach,
CA 92660, Attention: Corporate Secretary. We suggest, but do not
require, that such submissions include the name and contact
information of the interested party. The Corporate Secretary will
promptly relay to the addressee all communications that he
determines require prompt attention and will regularly provide our
board of directors with a summary of all substantive
communications. The Corporate Secretary will not forward to the
board of directors or any individual director junk mail, job
inquiries, business solicitations, offensive or materials that he
or she otherwise deems inappropriate.
Stockholder Proposals for 2024 Annual Meeting
In order for stockholder proposals for the 2024 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders to be eligible for inclusion in the proxy statement
and form of proxy card for that meeting, we must receive the
proposals at our corporate headquarters, 520 Newport Center Drive,
Suite 1200, Newport Beach, CA 92660, directed to the attention of
our Corporate Secretary, no later than January 9, 2024. In
addition, all proposals will need to comply with Rule 14a-8 of the
Exchange Act, which sets forth the requirements for the inclusion
of stockholder proposals in our sponsored proxy
materials.
Our bylaws set forth the procedures you must follow in order to
nominate a director for election or present any other proposal at
an annual meeting of our stockholders, other than proposals
intended to be included in our sponsored proxy materials pursuant
to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act. In addition to any other
applicable requirements, for a stockholder to properly bring
business before the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the
stockholder must give us notice thereof in proper written form,
including all required information, at our corporate headquarters,
520 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200, Newport Beach, CA 92660,
directed to the attention of our Corporate Secretary, no later than
the close of business on March 11, 2024, nor earlier than the close
of business on February 10, 2024. For more information, and for
more detailed requirements, please refer to our Amended and
Restated Bylaws, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to our Current Report on Form
8-K (File No. 001-38381), filed with the SEC on February 12,
2018.
Further, any stockholder who intends to solicit proxies in support
of director nominees other than the Board’s nominees at our 2024
Annual Meeting of Stockholders must provide written notice to the
Company setting forth the information required by Rule 14a-19 under
the Exchange Act, unless the required information has been provided
in a preliminary or definitive proxy statement previously filed by
the stockholder. Such written notice must be provided in accordance
with Rule 14a-19 no later than April 10, 2024. The notice
requirement under Rule 14a-19 is in addition to the applicable
notice requirements under our Bylaws as described
above.
Delivery of Documents to Security Holders Sharing an
Address
We have adopted a procedure, approved by the SEC, called
“householding.” Under this procedure, two or more stockholders who
share an address and last name and did not receive their proxy
materials will receive only one copy of the 2022 Annual Report and
this Proxy Statement, unless we have received contrary instructions
from one or more of the stockholders. This delivery method can
reduce our expenses for printing and mailing. Any stockholder of
record at a shared address to which a single copy of the 2022
Annual Report and this Proxy Statement was delivered may request a
separate copy of the 2022 Annual Report and this Proxy Statement,
by (a) calling Investor Relations at (949) 284-4555 or
(b) sending a letter to Evolus, Inc., 520 Newport Center
Drive, Suite 1200, Newport Beach, CA 92660, to the attention of our
Corporate Secretary. Stockholders of record who wish to receive
separate copies of these documents in the future may also contact
us as stated above. Stockholders of record who share an address and
receive two or more copies of the 2022 Annual Report and this Proxy
Statement may contact us as stated above to request delivery of a
single copy. A stockholder who holds shares in “street name” and
who wishes to obtain copies of proxy materials should follow the
instructions on the stockholder’s voting instruction form or should
contact the holder of record.
Furnishing Annual Report on Form 10-K
We will furnish without charge to each person whose proxy is
solicited, upon the written request of such person, a copy of the
2022 Annual Report as filed with the SEC, including the financial
statements and financial statement schedules (upon request,
exhibits thereto will be furnished subject to payment of a
specified fee). Requests for copies of such report should be
directed to Evolus, Inc., 520 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1200,
Newport Beach, CA 92660, to the attention of our Corporate
Secretary.
Other Matters
The board of directors knows of no other matters that will be
presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other
matters are properly brought before the meeting, it is the
intention of the persons named as the proxy holders to vote on such
matters in accordance with their best judgment.
Evolus (NASDAQ:EOLS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2023 to Sep 2023
Evolus (NASDAQ:EOLS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2022 to Sep 2023