Florent Heidet
About Florent Heidet
Florent Heidet, age 40, is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Head of Reactor Development at Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE), appointed March 6, 2025 . He previously led engineering at Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) and spent 12 years at Argonne National Laboratory, with work spanning the Versatile Test Reactor, Transformational Challenge Reactor, and Nuclear Thermal Propulsion programs . He holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering (UC Berkeley) and an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (ENSAM, Paris), plus business program certificates from Berkeley Haas and Chicago Booth . NNE is in a pre-revenue stage and has not generated revenue, so company-level revenue/EBITDA growth metrics are not disclosed; TSR not provided here due to the executive’s short tenure and NNE’s stage .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) | Head of Design and Engineering | Since Feb 2024 | Led global multidisciplinary team advancing KRONOS MMR and LOKI MMR technologies, bringing deep familiarity to NNE’s KRONOS program . |
| Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) | Director of Innovation (Nuclear Systems); Director of Technology & Engineering | Oct 2022–Jan 2024 | Drove reactor technology development pipelines prior to NNE’s acquisition of select USNC assets . |
| Argonne National Laboratory | Senior reactor design/engineering leadership across multiple reactor programs | 12 years | Led design of the Versatile Test Reactor; managed Transformational Challenge Reactor program; coordinated Nuclear Thermal Propulsion—contributed federal and commercial projects . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatch Ltd. | Senior Energy Consultant | Since May 2024 | Advises on metals/energy/infrastructure projects; augments NNE’s development and licensing capabilities . |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Terms / Amount |
|---|---|
| Base Salary | $300,000 per year (no decreases except broad reductions to all senior execs) . |
| Target Bonus % | Annual bonus eligible; metrics set by Board/Comp Committee; percentage not disclosed (fully discretionary) . |
| Actual Bonus Paid | Not disclosed (annual bonuses, if earned, paid by March 15; no specific amounts provided) . |
| Sign-on / Retention Bonuses | One-time sign-up bonus of $25,000 (paid within 30 days of commencement) . |
| Fringe/Benefits | Eligible for fringe benefits/perquisites and employee benefit plans consistent with similarly situated executives . |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Bonus | Discretionary | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Cash, paid by March 15 if earned . |
| Performance Metrics (Bonus) | Set by Board/Comp Committee | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | N/A (not disclosed) . |
Stock Options (Time-vested)
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Grant Date | March 6, 2025 . |
| Plan | 2023 Stock Option Plan #2 . |
| Type | Nonqualified Stock Options . |
| Shares | 338,000 . |
| Exercise Price | $26.97 per share . |
| Term | 10 years from grant date . |
| Vesting Schedule | Six annual tranches: 57,000 (Year 1), 57,000 (Year 2), 56,000 (Year 3), 56,000 (Year 4), 56,000 (Year 5), 56,000 (Year 6), contingent on continuous service . |
| Transfer/Pledge | Non-transferable; may not be sold, assigned, pledged, or encumbered, except limited family transfers per committee approval . |
| Termination Treatment | Vested options exercisable: 1 year for death/disability; 90 days for involuntary (without cause) or voluntary; for cause, all options terminate; all unvested expire upon termination . |
Vesting Timeline (chronological)
| Vesting Date | Shares Vested |
|---|---|
| First Anniversary (Mar 6, 2026) | 57,000 . |
| Second Anniversary (Mar 6, 2027) | 57,000 . |
| Third Anniversary (Mar 6, 2028) | 56,000 . |
| Fourth Anniversary (Mar 6, 2029) | 56,000 . |
| Fifth Anniversary (Mar 6, 2030) | 56,000 . |
| Sixth Anniversary (Mar 6, 2031) | 56,000 . |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- As of appointment, the option grant totals 338,000 shares; first vest in March 2026; thus all 338,000 remain unvested through November 2025 .
- Option agreement prohibits transfer/pledging of the options; any pledge/transfer would be void absent permitted family transfer mechanics .
- Company insider trading compliance policy imposes pre-clearance, prohibits short sales/derivative transactions, and sets trading windows, reducing near-term selling pressure when options vest in future .
Employment Terms
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| Start Date | Effective March 6, 2025 . |
| Initial Term | Three years ending March 6, 2028, with automatic one-year renewals unless 90 days’ notice of non-renewal . |
| Position & Duties | CTO & Head of Reactor Development; 40+ hours/week; detailed duties (Exhibit A) covering KRONOS MMR, ZEUS, ODIN, LOKI programs and cross-technology collaboration . |
| Place of Performance | Principal place is Executive’s home office; remote work permitted; travel required . |
| Severance | No severance on termination; only accrued salary/vacation, expense reimbursement, and standard benefits per plan terms; equity per plan/agreement . |
| Non-Compete & Non-Solicit | One-year “Restricted Period” post-termination; non-compete across U.S. states/Canadian provinces and relevant jurisdictions; non-solicit of employees/customers . |
| Confidentiality & IP Assignment | Extensive confidentiality and IP assignment provisions; work made for hire; assignment of IP; cooperation; power of attorney to perfect IP . |
| Arbitration & Governing Law | Binding arbitration in New York (JAMS Employment Rules); governing law New York; exclusive court jurisdiction in NYC for enforcement . |
| Indemnification | Indemnified and advanced legal fees to maximum extent permitted under bylaws . |
| Insider/SEC Status | Acknowledges status as SEC “executive officer” with compliance obligations; subject to company’s insider trading policy . |
Performance & Track Record
- Executive achievements: Led USNC’s KRONOS MMR and LOKI development prior to joining NNE; now guiding KRONOS licensing via Canadian assets and US collaboration (e.g., UIUC agreement amendments and Chalk River licensing pathway via GFPL acquisition) .
- Company stage: NNE is pre-revenue and continues to incur losses; revenue/EBITDA metrics not applicable yet .
- Program momentum: NNE advancing KRONOS MMR (UIUC collaboration), ZEUS and ODIN microreactors, and HALEU fuel/transport initiatives; the CTO role central to design oversight and strategic development .
Board Governance (Not a director)
- Florent Heidet is an executive officer and not listed as a director in the 2025 proxy record; thus board committee roles, attendance, and director compensation do not apply .
Compensation Governance & Policies
- 2025 Equity Incentive Plan (approved by Board Feb 28, 2025) includes stockholder-friendly provisions: no option/SAR repricing without shareholder approval and explicit clawback/recoupment policy; change-in-control mechanics include assumption/substitution or acceleration if not assumed .
- Heidet’s March 6, 2025 option grant was made under the 2023 Stock Option Plan #2; CIC/clawback terms applicable to that grant are defined by the 2023 plan documents; specific CIC acceleration terms were not disclosed in the proxy excerpt provided .
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- Severance/CoC economics: No severance; change-of-control economics for his 2023 plan award not disclosed—limits guaranteed payouts and reduces “golden parachute” risk .
- Hedging/short sales/blackout: Insider trading policy prohibits short sales and derivative transactions and enforces trading windows/pre-clearance, reducing governance risk .
- Pledging: Option agreement prohibits pledging/transfer of the options, mitigating collateralization risk for option awards .
- Litigation: Company has noted securities law/indemnification exposures broadly in filings; no specific proceedings tied to Heidet disclosed here .
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Mix shift: Compensation is heavily equity-linked via a six-year time-vested nonqualified option grant; annual bonus is discretionary without disclosed targets/weights, limiting explicit pay-for-performance linkage .
- Guaranteed vs at-risk: Base salary ($300k) modest; primary value is unvested options with first vest in Mar 2026, creating strong retention incentives over six years .
- Repricing protections: Company’s 2025 Plan prohibits repricing; Heidet’s award under 2023 plan—no repricing language disclosed—monitor future disclosures .
Equity Ownership & Alignment (Quantitative)
| Item | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Options Outstanding | 338,000 unvested options as of November 2025; first 57,000 tranche vests Mar 6, 2026 . |
| Exercisable vs Unexercisable | Exercisable: 0; Unexercisable: 338,000 (pre-vesting) . |
| In-the-Money Value | Not disclosed (depends on market price; not provided here) . |
| Pledging/Hedging | Pledging of options prohibited; insider policy restricts hedging/short sales . |
Investment Implications
- Alignment/retention: A large, long-dated option grant (338K shares) with six annual tranches and no severance creates meaningful multi-year retention and alignment; unvested equity would be forfeited on termination, and vested options have short post-termination windows, incentivizing continuity .
- Near-term selling pressure: No vesting until March 2026 and strict insider trading controls indicate low near-term insider selling pressure related to Heidet’s award .
- Pay-for-performance visibility: Bonus criteria are discretionary and not disclosed; the current equity is time-vested, so explicit performance linkage is limited—investors should monitor future PSU/metric-based awards under the 2025 Plan with clawbacks and CIC provisions .
- Execution risk: As CTO, Heidet’s ability to advance KRONOS/ZEUS/ODIN licensing and commercialization is pivotal; NNE’s pre-revenue status and nuclear licensing timelines underscore execution risk and capital needs .
“With being able to resume the licensing efforts in Canada where GFPL left off, we can remain focused on advancing the KRONOS MMR™ technology through the next stages of design and regulatory readiness.” — Florent Heidet (CTO), on strategic licensing pathway .