Mark Daniel - Chief Financial Officer | ATOSSA THERAPEUTICS (ATOS) Executive Profile & Compensation

About Mark Daniel

Mark J. Daniel, age 49, was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer of Atossa Therapeutics effective October 14, 2025; he holds a B.S. in Business Administration (Accounting emphasis) from Washington State University and is a CPA (WA; inactive) . He is a 25+ year life-sciences finance leader with experience in weekly revenue forecasting, managing operating budgets >$200M, implementing SOX controls, delivering >$50M in cost savings, and managing $400M cash/investments while helping execute nearly $1B in equity, convertibles, and credit transactions . For company performance context prior to his tenure, Atossa reported a 2024 net loss of $25.5M and a total shareholder return measure showing the value of a fixed $100 investment at $2 for 2024 under the SEC Pay vs Performance table . Mr. Daniel certified Atossa’s Q3 2025 10-Q under SOX Sections 302 and 906 in November 2025 .

Past Roles

Organization	Role	Years	Strategic Impact
Bruker Spatial Biology, Inc.	Senior Vice President, Finance	2017–2025	Led weekly revenue forecasting with commercial teams; managed budgets >$200M; implemented and certified SOX controls; programs delivering >$50M in cost savings; managed $400M cash/investments; contributed to nearly $1B in capital transactions
Newyu, Inc. (formerly Numera, Inc.)	Chief Financial Officer	2014–2016	Public-company finance leadership preparing systems/controls to support scale and commercial readiness

Fixed Compensation

Component	Terms	Effective Date
Base Salary	$415,900 annualized	Oct 14, 2025
Target Bonus %	Up to 40% of base salary; first eligible beginning FY2026; payout contingent on annual performance goals set by Compensation Committee	Oct 14, 2025
Benefits	Eligible to participate in employee benefit plans on same basis as other senior executives, subject to plan eligibility	Oct 14, 2025

Performance Compensation

Annual Bonus Terms

Element	Detail
Target Opportunity	Up to 40% of base salary; begins FY2026
Performance Metrics	To be established annually by the Compensation Committee
Payout Mechanics	Paid upon achievement of annual goals; pro rata treatment provided under certain termination scenarios (see Employment Terms)

Equity Awards – Stock Options (2020 Stock Incentive Plan)

Grant Type	Shares	Exercise Price	Vesting	Grant Reference
Non-qualified stock options	578,000	Equal to closing price on date of grant	25% on first anniversary of Oct 14, 2025; remaining 75% in equal quarterly installments over the following three years (through Oct 14, 2029), subject to continued employment

Vesting schedule detail:

Oct 14, 2026: 25% of underlying shares vests
Quarterly thereafter (12 quarters) through Oct 14, 2029: remaining 75% vests in equal quarterly installments

Equity Ownership & Alignment

Hedging and pledging: Officers are prohibited from short sales; buying/selling puts, calls, or derivative securities; using Company securities as margin; pledging Company securities unless approved by the Audit Committee; short-term trading (generally selling within six months of purchase) is prohibited .
Clawback policy: Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy compliant with Nasdaq Listing Standard 5608 and Rule 10D-1; company will recover excess incentive-based compensation received by covered executives during the prior three fiscal years if a restatement is required due to material non-compliance with financial reporting requirements .
Indemnification: Standard indemnification agreement to be executed with the Company (form previously filed as Exhibit 10.3 to 2022 10-K) .

Employment Terms

Scenario	Cash Severance	Equity Treatment	COBRA	Bonus Treatment
Death or Disability	Pro rata portion of actual bonus for year of termination, based on days employed; paid when Company bonuses are otherwise paid	Not specified	Not specified	Pro rata bonus as above
Termination by Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, outside change-in-control window (not within 30 days before or 12 months after a Change in Control)	50% of base salary paid over six months	Not specified	Up to six months employer-paid COBRA	No additional bonus entitlement beyond accrued benefits disclosed
Termination without Cause or for Good Reason within 30 days before or 12 months after a Change in Control	Lump sum equal to 1.0x base salary plus target annual bonus	Full acceleration of vesting of all outstanding equity awards	Up to 12 months employer-paid COBRA	Pro rata portion of actual bonus for year of termination, based on days employed; paid when Company bonuses are otherwise paid

Additional terms:

Employment is at-will; Agreement term continues until terminated per Agreement Section 7 .
Mr. Daniel serves as CFO and Principal Accounting Officer; reports to the CEO .

Investment Implications

Alignment and upside: Compensation is equity-heavy with a large initial option grant and quarterly vesting from late 2026–2029, aligning incentives to share price appreciation and creating potential future Form 4 activity cadence as tranches vest; hedging/short-term trading restrictions and clawback reduce misalignment risk .
Retention and change-in-control economics: Double-trigger change-in-control protection (1x base + target bonus, full acceleration, 12 months COBRA) balances retention needs with shareholder sensitivity; outside CI, severance is modest (50% base, 6 months COBRA), limiting guaranteed cash outlays .
Execution capability: Background in revenue forecasting, SOX remediation, cost savings, and capital markets (managed $400M cash/investments; participated in nearly $1B transactions) should support Atossa’s commercialization financing and controls; near-term focus likely on building revenue-ready systems and disciplined capital allocation .
Trading signals: Quarterly option vesting beginning Oct 2026 introduces potential insider selling pressure windows; monitor Form 4s and blackout periods alongside clinical/commercial milestones to anticipate liquidity events and sentiment shifts .