Mark Plavsic
About Mark Plavsic
Mark Plavsic, Ph.D., D.V.M., is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Aura Biosciences, serving since September 2023. He has ~30 years of global biopharma technical operations experience across the U.S., Europe, and Australasia, with deep credentials in biologics scale-up through commercial launch, and is board certified in Microbiology (Virology) and RAC-credentialed; he holds a Ph.D. in Virology and Immunology and a D.V.M. from the University of Belgrade . Age: 64 (as of March 31, 2025) . Aura is a clinical-stage biotech developing virus-like drug conjugates; traditional operating metrics like revenue/EBITDA growth and TSR linkage to his pay were not disclosed in the filings reviewed .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura Biosciences | Chief Technology Officer | 2023–present | Leads end-to-end technical operations supporting late-stage development of bel-sar; leverages biologics scale-up expertise . |
| Fate Therapeutics | Chief Technology Officer | Not disclosed | Led CMC/tech ops for iPSC-derived cell therapies; scaling complex biologics to clinic . |
| Lysogene | Chief Technical Officer | Not disclosed | Late-stage gene therapy CMC leadership in CNS orphan diseases . |
| Sanofi Genzyme | Head, Product Bio-safety & Global Manufacturing Process Improvement; Head, Gene Therapy Development | Not disclosed | Drove manufacturing process improvement and gene therapy development capabilities . |
| AstraZeneca; Q‑One Biotech; Life Technologies | Technical leadership roles | Not disclosed | Multiple technical leadership positions across development and manufacturing . |
External Roles
No public company board roles or external directorships for Dr. Plavsic were disclosed in the filings reviewed .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary (CTO) | Not disclosed | Company states executive base salaries are reviewed annually based on role, market, and performance . |
| Target annual bonus % (CTO) | Not disclosed | 2024 target bonus rates disclosed only for CEO (55%), CMO (50%), CLO (40%), former CFO (40%) . |
| Actual annual bonus (CTO) | Not disclosed | Company achieved 90% of 2024 corporate goals; NEO bonuses were based solely on corporate goal achievement . |
Program features (company-level):
- Pay governance: Compensation Committee uses external advisor (Pay Governance); targets competitive mix of base, bonus, and long-term incentives .
- Clawback: SEC/Nasdaq-compliant policy to recover incentive pay tied to financial metrics if restatements occur (3-year lookback) .
Performance Compensation
Equity and cash incentive design (company-level):
- Annual cash bonus: Determined against corporate performance goals; 2024 payout level determined at 90% of target for NEOs based solely on corporate goal achievement (individual metrics not disclosed) .
- Equity cadence and timing policy: New-hire/promotion grants on the first trading day of the month following approval; annual grants in Q1 with effectiveness the first trading day of the following month; awards not timed around MNPI .
- Typical vesting mechanics (illustrative from NEO awards): Options commonly vest 25% at 1-year anniversary then monthly over 36 months; RSUs commonly vest in four equal annual installments .
Because Aura did not disclose CTO-specific targets/metrics, weighting, target vs. actual, or payout factors for Dr. Plavsic, no CTO-specific performance table is available in the reviewed filings –.
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Individual beneficial ownership (CTO) | Not itemized in the 2025 proxy; CTO not listed among individually quantified holders –. |
| Group ownership | All current executive officers and directors as a group (11 persons) beneficially owned 3,312,631 shares (6.3%) as of March 31, 2025 –. |
| Hedging/derivatives | Insider Trading Policy expressly prohibits derivative transactions and securities providing economic equivalent of ownership by executives, directors, employees, consultants, and designated contractors . |
| Pledging | Policy notes the risks of margin/pledged shares being sold without consent in a margin call; explicit prohibition on pledging not stated; derivative transactions prohibited . |
| Clawback | Compensation recovery policy adopted in line with SEC/Nasdaq—recoup incentive pay tied to financial reporting measures in event of restatement (3-year lookback) . |
| Lock-up (recent financing) | Dr. Plavsic signed a 90-day lock-up in connection with Aura’s May 16, 2025 offering; agreement restricts sales, pledges, and hedging/short transactions during the lock-up period – . |
Employment Terms
Executive Severance Plan (company-level; applies to “participating executives,” including NEOs; CTO participation not specifically enumerated in the proxy):
- Qualifying Termination outside Change of Control Period (CoC Period = 3 months before through 12 months after a CoC):
- Base salary continuation: 9 months (12 months for CEO) .
- COBRA: Company portion of premiums up to 9 months (12 months for CEO) .
- Qualifying Termination within CoC Period:
- Lump-sum base salary: 12 months (18 months for CEO; 9 months for SVP Finance) .
- Lump-sum bonus: 1× Target Bonus (1.5× for CEO; 0.75× for SVP Finance) plus pro‑rated Target Bonus for year of termination .
- COBRA: Employer portion up to 12 months (18 months for CEO; 9 months for SVP Finance) .
- Equity: Time-based awards become fully vested; for equity held as of Nov 10, 2024, awards fully vest upon a Change of Control (single-trigger for those legacy awards) .
- Conditions: Separation agreement/release required; ongoing restrictive covenants apply .
Other governance/process points:
- Equity award timing policy designed to avoid MNPI timing; annual grants in Q1 .
- No executive perquisite programs beyond standard 401(k) matching and de minimis items .
Performance & Track Record
- Experience: Extensive end-to-end technical operations leadership across cell/gene therapy and biologics; successful translation/scale-up from preclinical through commercial noted by company .
- Aura context: Clinical-stage biotech advancing bel-sar in ocular oncology and other indications; CTO role is central to CMC, manufacturing, and scale-up execution .
Compensation Committee Analysis
- 2024 composition/activity: Compensation Committee met seven times; members are independent directors; uses Pay Governance as independent advisor; responsible for CEO goals, exec comp, and equity grants .
- Policies: Formal director compensation policy; separate non-employee director cash/equity retainer structure (not directly applicable to CTO) .
Investment Implications
- Alignment/retention: Anti-hedging and derivative prohibitions plus a clawback policy support alignment; the Executive Severance Plan offers standard biotech protections with double-trigger acceleration post-CoC while legacy pre‑Nov 10, 2024 awards have single-trigger CoC vesting—watch for potential retention vs. turnover dynamics around strategic events .
- Near-term selling pressure: The May 2025 financing imposed a 90-day lock-up on executives including Dr. Plavsic, reducing near-term insider selling/hedging risk; monitor trading post lock-up expiry for signals – .
- Data gaps: CTO-specific cash comp, bonus targets, and individual equity holdings were not itemized in the 2025 proxy; lack of granularity limits precise pay-for-performance assessment at the individual level – –.
Key watch items: post-lock-up insider activity; any Form 4 filings detailing CTO equity grants/ownership; updates to Executive Severance Plan participation lists; manufacturing/CMC milestones that evidence execution under Dr. Plavsic’s remit.
Citations:
- Executive roster, background, age:
- Compensation program, 2024 bonuses/goals, policies:
- Clawback, insider trading/derivative restrictions:
- Executive Severance Plan terms:
- Beneficial ownership (group): –
- Appointment/experience context:
- May 2025 financing lock-up and signers: –