Daniel Tardiff

About Daniel Tardiff

Daniel Tardiff, Ph.D., is Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of CAMP4 Therapeutics, elevated to the role effective October 1, 2025, after joining the company in 2023 to lead drug discovery across regulatory RNA-targeting therapeutics . Prior to CAMP4, he was a team leader in Pfizer’s Rare Disease Research Unit focused on genetic medicines for rare neurological disorders and a scientific co-founder at Yumanity, where he led discovery that produced a clinical-stage small molecule for Parkinson’s disease . As CSO he is responsible for translating CAMP4’s regRNA platform into clinic-ready assets, including advancing GLP toxicology for CMP‑SYNGAP‑01 toward first-in-human Phase 1/2 initiation targeted for 2H 2026 . CAMP4 is an emerging growth company and has not yet disclosed executive pay linkages to TSR, revenue, or EBITDA for Tardiff; say‑on‑pay votes are not required while EGC status persists .

Past Roles

External Roles

Fixed Compensation

• No base salary, target bonus %, or actual bonus figures for Tardiff are disclosed to date in the company’s 2025 proxy or appointment filings; named executive disclosures cover the CEO, CFO, and CMO for FY2024, not the CSO transition effective October 2025 .

Performance Compensation

Option Awards

Notes

• Section 16 Form 3 enumerates derivative holdings and vesting details; grant dates are not explicitly listed. The 2033 options reflect time-based vesting schedules; the 2025-2029 schedule for the 25,000-share option commences April 1, 2025 .

Equity Ownership & Alignment

• Pledging/Hedging: Company insider trading policy prohibits hedging and, subject to limited exceptions, pledging or holding shares in margin accounts for employees and directors, supporting alignment; no pledging by Tardiff is disclosed in available filings .
• Section 16 Compliance: Tardiff granted Power of Attorney to company officers to execute Forms 3/4/5; indicates orderly reporting of insider holdings and transactions .
• Insider selling pressure: No Form 4 transactions by Tardiff were found to date; initial Form 3 filed October 10, 2025 upon elevation to CSO .

Employment Terms

• Role change: Elevated to CSO effective October 1, 2025; previously SVP, Head of Discovery .
• Restrictive covenants: Company applies executive Employee Confidentiality and Assignment Agreements including non-compete and non-solicit obligations during employment and for 12 months post-termination (described for executive officers generally in the proxy) .
• Change-in-Control (CiC): CAMP4 maintains a CiC Plan for vice president level and above (other than the CEO) providing 12 months base salary, COBRA contribution, target annual bonus, and full acceleration of unvested time-based equity upon qualifying termination within 3 months pre-/12 months post-CiC; plan participants cited include CFO and CMO. Eligibility for CSO-level roles is consistent with plan scope but Tardiff-specific participation is not disclosed .
• Clawback: Incentive compensation recoupment policy for Section 16 officers upon financial restatements, covering cash and equity incentive comp for the prior three fiscal years .

Performance & Track Record

• Pipeline execution: Led advancement of CMP‑SYNGAP‑01 into GLP toxicology supporting planned first-in-human Phase 1/2 initiation as early as 2H 2026; preclinical data demonstrate dose-dependent SYNGAP mRNA/protein increase and phenotype improvements in animal models .
• Organizational impact: Elevation to CSO accompanied an oversubscribed private placement (up to $100M) to fund SYNGAP1 clinical entry; signals investor support and expanded R&D governance (Board R&D committee chaired by Murray Stewart) .

Compensation Structure Analysis

• Mix and metrics: Tardiff’s disclosed compensation is primarily option-based with multi-year, time-based vesting. No RSUs/PSUs or cash bonus metrics disclosed to date; broader company bonuses are tied to company and individual performance but NEO specifics provided for CEO/CFO/CMO only in FY2024 .
• Risk/retention: Four-year monthly vesting across 2025–2029/2035 supports retention. CiC terms (if applicable) would provide full acceleration of time-based awards, which can mitigate retention risk during strategic events but reduce post‑deal vesting lock‑in .

Investment Implications

• Alignment: Direct share ownership plus multi-tranche options with time-based vesting and prohibition on hedging/pledging indicate alignment with long-term equity value creation and controlled trading behavior .
• Retention and cadence: Monthly vesting schedules through 2035 create ongoing retention hooks; absence of Form 4 activity to date suggests low immediate selling pressure, though standard vesting may lead to periodic reporting once options begin to vest and/or be exercised .
• Event sensitivity: Presence of a CiC plan for VP+ roles implies potential full acceleration in a transaction scenario, moderating retention risk but increasing near-term liquidity for time-based equity; monitor for any Tardiff-specific CiC eligibility disclosures and future Form 4 filings as milestones approach .
• Execution risk: Milestone-driven program leadership (GLP tox, CTA filing, 1H/2H 2026 trial initiation) places compensation realization indirectly on program progression; financing and board/R&D governance refresh in 2025 bolster resources but clinical translation in rare neuro indications remains the primary execution vector .