Alex Wilson
About Alex Wilson
Alex Wilson (age 39) is Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at AEON Biopharma, having served in similar roles as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since August 2021; he holds a B.S. in Business Management from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law . Prior to AEON, he was Associate General Counsel of Business Development & Sustainability at Glaukos, and earlier counsel at O’Melveny & Myers with a focus on M&A, capital markets, and governance across healthcare, manufacturing, and technology sectors . The proxies do not disclose TSR, revenue growth, or EBITDA growth for his tenure, and no such performance metrics tied to his personal track record were provided .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glaukos Corporation | Associate General Counsel, Business Development & Sustainability | Not disclosed | Supported acquisitions, dispositions and capital markets transactions (legal), plus governance matters . |
| O’Melveny & Myers LLP | Counsel | Not disclosed | Practice focused on M&A, capital markets, and corporate governance for public/private clients in healthcare, manufacturing, technology . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | AEON’s executive officer biographies do not list external public company directorships for Wilson . |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Base Salary ($) | Target Bonus % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 366,301 | 40% of base salary | Base increased to $400,000 effective upon Business Combination (Jul 21, 2023) . |
| 2024 | 400,000 | 40% of base salary | Annual base per employment agreement . |
Performance Compensation
| Metric Category | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate development milestones | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Assessed by Board discretion | 24,000 (2024 bonus $) | Annual bonuses based on Board’s assessment across pre-established criteria including corporate development, operational, financing/IPO milestones, budget metrics, and product development milestones; no metric weights disclosed . |
| Operational milestones | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Assessed by Board discretion | — | |
| Financing/IPO milestones | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Assessed by Board discretion | — | |
| Budget metrics (2024) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Assessed by Board discretion | — | |
| Product development milestones | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Assessed by Board discretion | — |
Additional 2023–2024 summary compensation
| Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Option Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 366,301 | 151,096 | 882,680 | — | 1,400,077 |
| 2024 | 400,000 | 24,000 | 150,212 | 1,569,644 | 2,143,856 |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial ownership snapshots and composition
- As of April 21, 2025 (post 1-for-72 reverse split effective Feb 26, 2025): 6,236 shares beneficially owned; less than 1% of outstanding .
- As of January 7, 2025 (pre-split): 307,893 options exercisable within 60 days and 20,357 shares held of record .
Outstanding equity awards (as of December 31, 2024; post-split; vesting shown per award)
| Grant Date | Award Type | Exercisable | Unexercisable | Exercise Price | Expiration | Unvested RSUs | Vesting Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/23/2021 | Stock Options | 809 | 270 | $720.00 | 8/23/2031 | — | 25% on each of first four anniversaries . |
| 10/20/2021 | Stock Options | 132 | 44 | $720.00 | 10/19/2031 | — | 25% on each of first four anniversaries . |
| 3/9/2022 | Stock Options | 740 | 741 | $720.00 | 3/8/2032 | — | 25% on each of first four anniversaries . |
| 4/26/2023 | RSUs | — | — | — | — | 849; $33,009 MV | 25% on each of first four anniversaries . |
| 3/19/2024 | Stock Options | — | 1,130 | $1,036.80 | 3/18/2034 | — | 25% on each of first four anniversaries . |
| 8/31/2024 | Stock Options | 1,483 | 5,193 | $59.76 | 8/30/2034 | — | Equal monthly over 18 months from grant . |
| 8/31/2024 | RSUs | — | — | — | — | 2,502; $97,278 MV | 100% cliff on second anniversary . |
2024 grants (awarded under 2023 Plan)
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual stock options | 3/19/2024 | 1,130 | 25% annually over 4 years | Exercise price $1,036.80; grant date FV $613,002 . |
| Retention RSUs | 8/31/2024 | 2,502 | 100% on second anniversary | One-time retention grant . |
| Retention stock options | 8/31/2024 | 6,676 | Equal monthly over 18 months | Exercise price $59.76 . |
Alignment and policies
- Clawback Policy applies to Section 16 officers (including Wilson) for erroneously paid incentive compensation, recoverable from time-vesting or performance-vesting equity and other forms, effective for compensation on/after Oct 2, 2023 per SEC/NYSE American rules .
- Anti-Hedging Policy prohibits hedging transactions (e.g., collars, swaps, exchange funds) in AEON equity for directors, officers and employees .
- No tax gross-ups provided to named executive officers .
- No pledging disclosures were identified in the cited proxy sections; beneficial ownership tables do not note pledged shares for Wilson .
Employment Terms
- Role and start: EVP, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary; served in similar roles since August 2021 .
- Employment agreement: Annual base salary $400,000; eligible for annual cash bonus targeted at 40% of base salary based on corporate and individual goals .
- Severance (non‑CIC): If terminated without cause, death/disability excluded, or resigns for good reason—six months base salary continuation, 50% of target annual bonus, and six months company‑paid health coverage, subject to release and covenants .
- Change‑in‑Control (double‑trigger): If terminated without cause or resigns for good reason within two months before or 12 months after a CIC—12 months base salary (lump sum if termination on/within 12 months post‑CIC), 100% of target annual bonus, and 12 months company‑paid health coverage .
- 280G “best pay”: Pay in full or cut back to avoid 4999 excise tax, whichever yields better after‑tax outcome for executive .
- Restrictive covenants: Two‑year post‑termination non‑solicitation and customary confidentiality; standard IP agreement required .
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Cash vs equity mix: 2024 compensation was heavily equity‑weighted (Options $1.57M; RSUs $0.15M) versus cash (salary $0.40M; bonus $0.024M), increasing at‑risk equity exposure vs 2023 (no option awards in 2023) .
- Retention design: August 2024 one‑time RSUs (2‑year cliff) and options (18‑month monthly vest) are classic retention constructs that smooth vesting and create a 2025–2026 vesting overhang, potentially moderating near‑term selling pressure relative to a single cliff but concentrating RSU liquidity around the second anniversary .
- Option orientation and strike dispersion: Multiple tranches across 2021–2024 with exercise prices at $720.00, $1,036.80, and $59.76 (post‑split), emphasizing long‑term value creation via in‑the‑money potential .
- Governance safeguards: Company has a Dodd‑Frank compliant clawback and an anti‑hedging policy; no tax gross‑ups—shareholder‑friendly features .
Investment Implications
- Incentive alignment: High equity intensity (notably 2024 options) suggests alignment with long‑term value creation; anti‑hedging and clawback provisions enhance alignment quality .
- Retention risk: The 2‑year RSU cliff (Aug 2026) and 18‑month option vest (through early 2026) create identifiable retention hooks; severance provides moderate protection (6 months base/50% target bonus standard; 12 months base/100% target bonus under CIC double‑trigger), balancing retention with shareholder protections via 280G “best pay” .
- Selling pressure signals: Key liquidity dates include monthly‑vesting option tranches through early 2026 and an RSU cliff in Aug 2026; monitoring Form 4s around these dates will be important for near‑term trading signals .
- Ownership scale: Wilson’s beneficial ownership is below 1% (6,236 shares as of Apr 21, 2025), with sizable option holdings historically (e.g., 307,893 exercisable within 60 days as of Jan 7, 2025 pre‑split), implying leverage to upside more than current voting influence; post‑split totals are lower but still option‑heavy .
Citations:
- Biography, age, role, education:
- Compensation tables, 2024 grants, bonus framework:
- Employment agreement terms (salary, target bonus, severance, CIC, covenants, 280G):
- Outstanding awards and vesting schedules; reverse split note:
- Anti‑hedging; clawback; no tax gross‑ups:
- Beneficial ownership snapshots: