Kentaro Suzuki
About Kentaro Suzuki
Kentaro “Ken” Suzuki is Chief Marketing Officer at Nautilus Biotechnology, serving since September 2024. He is 55 years old, holds a B.S. in Biological Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from UC Berkeley, and previously spent 26 years at Agilent in senior general management and marketing roles across mass spectrometry, services, and strategic programs, and earlier worked at Takeda Pharmaceutical in sales and marketing engineering . For 2024, his offer letter set an annual base salary of $420,000 and a target bonus equal to 45% of base salary; no 2024 corporate bonuses were paid to executives after the compensation committee determined threshold performance levels were not achieved under the plan .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agilent Technologies | Vice President/General Manager, Mass Spectrometry Division | 1998–2024 | Division leadership in mass spectrometry |
| Agilent Technologies | VP/GM, Strategic Program Office and Agilent Certified Pre‑owned Instruments | 1998–2024 | Corporate programs and pre‑owned instruments leadership |
| Agilent Technologies | Vice President, Global Marketing, Agilent CrossLab Services & Support | 1998–2024 | Global marketing leadership for services & support |
| Agilent Technologies | Associate Vice President of Marketing, Spectroscopy Products Division | 1998–2024 | Marketing leadership for spectroscopy products |
| Takeda Pharmaceutical | Sales and Marketing Engineer | 1991–1996 | Sales/marketing engineering role |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No public company directorships disclosed for Mr. Suzuki in the proxy biography . |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual base salary (rate) | $420,000 | Offer letter dated July 5, 2024 |
| Salary actually paid (2024, partial year) | $123,435 | Summary Compensation Table (SCT) |
| Target bonus (% of base) | 45% | Offer letter |
| Actual non‑equity incentive cash bonus | $0 | 2024 plan paid no bonuses to NEOs |
| Sign‑on bonus | $20,000 | One‑time signing bonus |
| Total compensation (SCT) | $1,037,827 | Includes option award grant‑date fair value |
Performance Compensation
- 2024 Executive Incentive Compensation Plan: consisted of three corporate goals related to (1) certain profiling milestones, (2) certain commercial activities, and (3) financial metrics related to cash management; each goal had a specific weighting and threshold, with all thresholds required to reach 75% attainment; the compensation committee determined thresholds were not achieved, and no 2024 bonuses were paid to executives (including Suzuki) .
| Metric (2024 Bonus Plan) | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting/Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profiling milestones | Specific weighting (not disclosed) | Threshold/Target per plan | Below threshold | 0% | Annual cash payout; none for 2024 |
| Commercial activities | Specific weighting (not disclosed) | Threshold/Target per plan | Below threshold | 0% | Annual cash payout; none for 2024 |
| Cash management metrics | Specific weighting (not disclosed) | Threshold/Target per plan | Below threshold | 0% | Annual cash payout; none for 2024 |
Clawback and governance notes:
- Incentive awards are subject to the company’s clawback policy as required by applicable laws and listing standards; administrator may impose additional clawback/recoupment terms .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of Apr 22, 2025) | 0 shares; less than 1% of outstanding |
| Options exercisable within 60 days (as of Apr 22, 2025) | None (beneficial ownership includes only securities exercisable within 60 days) |
| Unvested stock options outstanding (12/31/2024) | 375,000 options, grant date 9/16/2024, exercise price $2.96, expiration 9/16/2034 |
| Vesting schedule | 25% on 9/16/2025; remaining 75% vests monthly over 36 months thereafter, subject to continued service |
| 2024 equity grant fair value (ASC 718) | $894,392 (SCT Option awards column) |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited: short sales, derivatives, hedging transactions, pledging, and margin accounts are not permitted under insider trading policy |
Equity grant detail (from Outstanding Equity Awards table):
- 9/16/2024 option: 375,000 unexercisable at 12/31/2024; $2.96 strike; expires 9/16/2034; vests 25% on 9/16/2025, remainder monthly over 36 months .
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employment status | At‑will (offer letter has no specific term); confirmed in CIC/Severance agreement |
| Offer letter date | July 5, 2024 |
| Role start | Chief Marketing Officer since September 2024 |
| Base salary and target bonus | $420,000 base; 45% target bonus (2024) |
| CIC & Severance Agreement effective term | Initial 3‑year term from 9/16/2024; auto‑renews annually; extends to 12 months post‑CIC if CIC occurs late in term |
| Severance (non‑CIC period) | Lump sum cash equal to 50% of base salary; employer‑paid portion of COBRA premiums up to 6 months (requires release) |
| Severance (during CIC Period: 3 months before to 1 year after CIC) | Lump sum cash equal to 100% of base salary + 100% of target bonus; employer‑paid COBRA premiums up to 12 months; 100% acceleration of outstanding and unvested time‑based equity awards (performance awards at target if not otherwise provided) (requires release) |
| 280G treatment | Best‑net (full benefits or cutback to avoid excise tax), no tax gross‑ups |
| Equity plan change‑in‑control mechanics | If awards are not assumed/substituted by successor, unassumed portions fully vest and become exercisable; performance goals deemed achieved at target unless otherwise provided |
| Equity granting policy | Company does not time grants around MNPI; formal grant‑timing policy with blackout alignment |
Investment Implications
- Strong retention hooks via options: 375,000 options with a one‑year cliff (first vest 9/16/2025) and 36‑month monthly vesting thereafter create multi‑year retention; no shares were beneficially owned as of 4/22/2025 (none exercisable within 60 days), indicating limited near‑term selling pressure before vesting begins .
- Pay for performance discipline: The compensation committee paid no 2024 annual bonuses after concluding corporate thresholds were not met, reinforcing variable pay linkage to operating progress (profiling, commercial, cash management) .
- Balanced, shareholder‑friendly CIC structure: During CIC, Suzuki receives 1x salary and 1x target bonus, 12 months COBRA, and full acceleration of time‑based equity; outside CIC the cash severance is 0.5x salary and 6 months COBRA—moderate economics without tax gross‑ups and with 280G best‑net cutback, limiting parachute risk .
- Alignment and governance safeguards: Insider policy bans hedging and pledging, reducing misalignment/forced‑sale risk; equity grant timing policy mitigates spring‑loading/perception risks .
- Experience fit: Deep Agilent leadership in mass spectrometry, services, and marketing aligns with Nautilus’ commercialization objectives; his offer letter base/bonus targets and equity emphasis indicate a structure geared toward execution and long‑term value creation in go‑to‑market scaling .
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