Amy Parison
Editas MedicineAbout Amy Parison
Amy Parison, age 39, is Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Editas Medicine, effective March 28, 2025, after serving as SVP, Finance (Jan 2025–Mar 2025) and VP Finance & Corporate Controller (Aug 2022–Jan 2025) . She holds a Master’s in Accounting and a BS in Business Administration (Accounting) from Babson College . Prior roles include leadership positions at Rubius Therapeutics (post-IPO controller) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (finance and accounting), with early career at PwC; at Editas, she worked on equity financings, licensing transactions and a royalty monetization transaction prior to becoming CFO . The company’s 2024 corporate bonus goals were assessed at 110% achievement, informing bonus payouts for named executive officers and illustrating the current pay-for-performance framework in place as she assumed the CFO role .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editas Medicine | SVP, Finance; previously VP Finance & Corporate Controller | 2022–2025 | Worked on equity financings, licensing transactions and a royalty monetization transaction prior to CFO appointment |
| Rubius Therapeutics | Senior Director, Corporate Controller; Director, Financial Operations | 2018–2022 | Led accounting post-IPO and built business/financial processes |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals | Finance and accounting roles (increasing responsibility) | 2011–2018 | Supported forecasting, budgeting, and business development |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) | Started career | Not disclosed | Early-career audit/finance foundation |
External Roles
- No public company directorships or external governance roles were disclosed for Ms. Parison in the company’s filings .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $415,000 | Approved in connection with CFO appointment effective March 28, 2025 |
| Target annual bonus | 40% of base salary | Approved with CFO appointment |
| Corporate bonus achievement (2024 performance assessed Feb 2025) | 110% of target | Corporate objectives achieved at 110% of target; used to determine NEO payouts |
| Average NEO payout for 2024 bonuses | 110% of target | As approved by Board for named executive officers |
Performance Compensation
| Incentive type | Metric(s) | Weighting | Target | Actual/Payout | Vesting/terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash bonus (officers other than CEO) | Corporate and individual objectives | 80% corporate / 20% individual | 100% of target | Corporate achievement assessed at 110% for 2024; average NEO payout 110% | Paid after year-end based on committee/Board assessment |
| Equity – Promotion Option (CFO) | Time-based stock option (34,672 shares) | N/A | Grant date 4/8/2025; strike = Nasdaq closing price on grant date | N/A | Vests 1/48 monthly over 4 years from grant date |
| Equity program design (2025 change) | Time-based stock options (no RSUs/PSUs) | N/A | Transition announced Feb 2025 | Eliminated PSUs; all options to “create momentum” and simplify program | Applies to officers and employees (including CFO) |
Notable program features and governance:
- CEO bonus is 100% corporate (context for design) .
- In 2022, corporate goals included pipeline milestones; committee applies discretion but targets are set to be challenging (context for metric design evolution) .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (proxy table) | The April 1, 2025 beneficial ownership table lists then-CFO Erick Lucera and other executives/directors; Ms. Parison’s individual holdings were not separately listed (CFO appointed Mar 28, 2025) . |
| Stock ownership guidelines | CEO: 3x base salary; Other executive officers: 1x base salary; directors: 3x cash retainer; measured each June 30; newly appointed executives have five years to achieve compliance; earliest group compliance date June 30, 2026 . |
| Anti-hedging/anti-pledging | Hedging (e.g., puts/calls, derivatives) and pledging/margin accounts prohibited for employees and directors . |
| Excise tax gross-ups | Company does not provide excise tax gross-ups to named executive officers . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| Appointment effective date | CFO effective as of close of business March 28, 2025 |
| Base pay and bonus target | $415,000 base; 40% target bonus |
| Equity grant (promotion) | Option to purchase 34,672 shares; grant date 4/8/2025; strike = Nasdaq closing price on grant date; vests 1/48 monthly over 4 years |
| Severance (non-CIC) | If terminated without cause or for good reason more than 3 months before or more than 12 months after a change-in-control: 12 months base salary, company-paid COBRA during severance period, and any approved unpaid bonus for completed period . |
| Severance (CIC window; double trigger) | If terminated without cause or for good reason in the period beginning 3 months prior to and ending 12 months after a change-in-control: 12 months base salary (C-level), company-paid COBRA during severance period, any unpaid approved bonus, plus a lump sum equal to (months in severance period/12) × target annual bonus; all unvested equity vests in full upon such termination . |
| Restrictive covenants | Severance conditioned on release; includes non-disparagement/cooperation; reaffirmation of restrictive covenants; agreement not to compete for 12 months post-termination to extent permitted by law (per severance plan framework) . |
| Clawback | Company will use reasonable efforts to recover incentive-based compensation during the 3-year period preceding a required financial restatement . |
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback
| Year | Say-on-Pay approval |
|---|---|
| 2024 | ~93% approval |
| 2023 | ~90% approval |
| 2022 | ~86% approval |
| 2020 | ~94% approval (reported in 2021 proxy) |
- Governance policies emphasize stockholder engagement and annual advisory votes; the company highlights responsiveness and alignment with long-term value creation .
Performance & Track Record
- Leadership/transactions: At Editas prior to becoming CFO, Parison worked on equity financings, licensing transactions, and a royalty monetization transaction, indicating transactional breadth relevant to capital strategy .
- Cash position/runway context: As of March 31, 2025, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $221.0 million (vs. $269.9 million at Dec 31, 2024); management expects runway into Q2 2027, framing financial stewardship priorities during her early CFO tenure .
Compensation Committee & Program Design Touchpoints
- For 2024 performance (assessed Feb 2025), corporate objectives were achieved at 110% of target, supporting above-target bonus payouts for NEOs and demonstrating pay-for-performance calibration .
- 2025 equity program shifted to all time-based options and eliminated PSUs for officers, increasing leverage to stock price performance and simplifying awards for an earlier-stage company .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and leverage: The CFO’s promotion option vests monthly over four years and the company shifted to all-options in 2025, increasing alignment with long-term stock appreciation while potentially creating a steady cadence of vesting that could facilitate periodic Rule 10b5-1 sales in open windows (mitigated by anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies) .
- Retention/M&A dynamics: Double-trigger CIC protections (12 months salary, pro-rated target bonus, COBRA, and full equity acceleration) reduce forced turnover risk in strategic transactions but can modestly increase acquisition costs; outside CIC, severance is limited to salary and benefits for 12 months, balancing retention with pay discipline .
- Governance and shareholder support: Strong say‑on‑pay outcomes (~93% in 2024; ~90% in 2023) suggest broad investor support for compensation philosophy, including the 2025 shift to options, which should align well with capital-markets driven value inflections typical in gene editing .
- Risk controls: Prohibitions on hedging/pledging and the existence of a clawback policy lower governance risk; absence of excise tax gross-ups is shareholder‑friendly .
Overall, Parison’s compensation emphasizes at‑risk equity (time‑vested options) and market-driven outcomes, while severance terms and ownership policies are standard for small/mid-cap biotech, balancing retention with alignment to shareholders in a high-volatility, milestone‑driven business model .