Quan Vu
About Quan Vu
Quan A. Vu, age 53, has served as Chief Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, and Principal Financial Officer of Monopar Therapeutics since March 3, 2025, bringing 20+ years in corporate and financial strategy, investment banking, and public company leadership (including Ocugen and 180 Life Sciences) . He holds an MS in Legal Studies from Cornell University Law School and a BA in Economics from UCLA (summa cum laude) and is a Certified Treasury Professional (inactive) . Company performance context: Monopar’s 2024 total shareholder return (TSR) was $185.65 on a fixed $100 investment, with a 2024 net loss of $15.6 million, and 2023 TSR of $14.35 with a 2023 net loss of $8.4 million .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZhongMei Capital | Venture Partner | Oct 2024 – Feb 2025 | Early-stage biopharma investing; strategic/BD perspective . |
| Ocugen (NASDAQ: OCGN) | CFO & Chief Business Officer | 2023 | Public-company finance and BD leadership . |
| 180 Life Sciences (NASDAQ: ATNF) | COO & Chief Business Officer | Nov 2021 – Jan 2023 | Operations and BD for clinical-stage company . |
| Melius BioPharma Consulting | Consultant/independent contractor | 2019 – (various engagements) | Advisory roles across finance/strategy . |
| LS Associates (LifeSci Partners member) | Interim C-suite consultant | Since Jul 2020 | Executive-level consulting . |
| Baleena Bioscience | Chief Executive Officer | Apr 2021 – Oct 2021 | Early-stage biomedical company leadership . |
| Solganick & Co. | Managing Director & Co-Head, Healthcare IT | Sep 2019 – Oct 2021; Aug 2024 – Feb 2025 | Tech/healthcare IB coverage and execution . |
| Opiant Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Indivior) | VP & Head of Strategy/Corp & BD | Sep 2016 – Aug 2019 | Corporate strategy and BD in specialty pharma . |
| Impax Laboratories; Elevance Health (formerly Anthem); Amgen | Leadership roles | (not specified) | Increasing responsibility in large-cap healthcare . |
| Morgan Stanley; Goldman Sachs | Healthcare corporate finance & M&A | Early career | Bulge-bracket transaction experience . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public company directorships | None disclosed | — | No current public board roles disclosed for Mr. Vu in company filings . |
Fixed Compensation
| Element | Amount/Terms | Effective date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $350,000 | Mar 3, 2025 | |
| Target annual bonus | Up to 35% of base salary | Mar 3, 2025 |
Performance Compensation
- Annual cash incentive plan
- Structure: Annual non‑equity incentive plan based on pre‑set, written corporate goals, recommended by management, reviewed by the Compensation Committee and Executive Chair, and approved by the Board (company-wide framework) .
- For CFO: Target bonus opportunity up to 35% of base salary; specific metric weightings/targets not disclosed .
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting/Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company annual goals (NEIP) | Not disclosed | 35% of base (target opportunity) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Annual, subject to Committee/Board approval |
- Equity awards (time-based stock options)
| Grant date | Award type | Shares | Exercise price | Vesting schedule | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2025 | Stock options | 25,000 | Not disclosed | 6/48th vests on Sep 3, 2025; 1/48th monthly thereafter | 10 years from grant (Mar 3, 2025) |
Notes:
- No performance stock units (PSUs) or RSUs were disclosed for Mr. Vu at appointment .
- Exercise price was not disclosed in the appointment 8‑K .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | Not disclosed for Mr. Vu (not listed among beneficial owners/NEOs in ownership table as of Apr 4, 2025) . | |
| Options outstanding | 25,000 options granted Mar 3, 2025 (unvested at grant; time-based vesting) . | |
| Vested vs unvested | Initial award unvested; vests 6/48ths on Sep 3, 2025; then 1/48th monthly . | |
| In-the-money value | Not determinable from filings (exercise price not disclosed) . | |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | Approx. 0.41% for the 25,000‑share grant relative to 6,115,214 shares outstanding as of Apr 25, 2025 (calculation: 25,000 / 6,115,214) . | |
| Pledging/hedging | Insider Trading Policy prohibits short sales and short‑swing transactions by officers and non‑employee directors; no additional hedging/pledging restrictions disclosed . | |
| Ownership guidelines | No stock ownership guidelines disclosed in the proxy . |
Monitoring item: Form 4 activity (grants/sales) could not be retrieved via the insider-trades skill due to an access error; no alternative Form 4 data is available in the provided filings. Continue to monitor SEC Form 4s for Mr. Vu to assess selling/withholding patterns (vesting begins Sep 3, 2025) .
Employment Terms
| Provision | Terms for Quan Vu | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Title/Start | CFO, PFO, PAO; effective Mar 3, 2025 | |
| Employment agreement | Appointment terms disclosed (salary, bonus target, option grant); detailed severance/CIC terms not disclosed for Mr. Vu | |
| Severance/CIC context (company examples) | CEO: 12‑month salary continuation if terminated without cause/for good reason absent CIC; 1.5x salary+target bonus, 18‑month benefits, and full vesting acceleration upon qualifying post‑CIC termination; COO: 3‑month salary continuation absent CIC; 0.75x salary+target bonus, 6‑month benefits, and full vesting acceleration upon qualifying post‑CIC termination | |
| Prior CFO separation (context) | Prior CFO received a $151,275 payment in connection with termination; an additional $53,872 cash payment is noted in SCT footnote |
Note: The company‑specific severance/CIC provisions for Mr. Vu were not described in the 8‑K appointment disclosure; investors should confirm his executed agreement once filed or summarized in a subsequent proxy .
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Composition and independence: Compensation Committee comprised of independent directors Raymond W. Anderson (Chair), Arthur J. Klausner, and Lavina Talukdar .
- Consultant/peer group: No independent third‑party compensation consultant engaged in 2024; the Committee maintained selection criteria and a peer set of ~20 companies to benchmark salary/equity/board fees from proxies .
- Process: Committee reviews and approves goals and incentive structures for executives; CEO comp recommended to Board; other executives’ comp approved/recommended per charter .
Say‑on‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback
- 2025 marks Monopar’s first Say‑on‑Pay proposal (previously EGC and exempt) .
- Board recommends Say‑on‑Pay “FOR” and frequency “Every Year” for future votes; outcomes not yet available in filings reviewed .
Related Party Transactions
- Since January 2024, the company reports no related‑party transactions involving directors, executive officers, >5% holders, or their immediate family members that are reportable under Item 404 .
Performance & Track Record (context for MNPR)
| Year | TSR (Value of $100) | Net Income (Loss) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $185.65 | $(15,586) thousand |
| 2023 | $14.35 | $(8,402) thousand |
The company states TSR and net income/loss are not primary metrics used to determine compensation levels or incentive payouts .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and at‑risk pay: Mr. Vu’s comp mix skews toward at‑risk pay via a 35% target bonus and a time‑vested option grant (25,000 shares), creating direct sensitivity to equity value and execution milestones; however, the specific annual performance metrics/weightings are not disclosed, limiting pay‑for‑performance transparency .
- Near‑term vesting milestone: The initial 6/48ths vest on Sep 3, 2025, then monthly vesting thereafter; this schedule introduces incremental liquidity windows beginning in September and warrants monitoring of Form 4s for potential tax‑withholding or discretionary sales around vest dates .
- Retention/termination economics: Mr. Vu’s severance and change‑of‑control terms were not disclosed at appointment; given company precedents (CEO/COO), investors should seek clarity on his protections to assess retention risk during strategic or financing events .
- Governance/process: An independent Compensation Committee, use of a defined peer set (without a 2024 external consultant), and the initiation of Say‑on‑Pay in 2025 are constructive; nonetheless, the lack of detailed metric disclosure and the absence of explicit pledging prohibitions (beyond short‑sale restrictions) may be viewed as moderate governance gaps to monitor .