Christopher Roberts
About Christopher Roberts
Christopher Roberts is QUBT’s Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel as of June 20, 2025; he previously served as CFO from 2018 to June 2023 and as a consultant/outside counsel from July 2023 to June 2025. He is 70 years old, holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and both a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.B.A. (Finance/Management of Technology) from MIT. His career spans public and private corporate finance and government contracting across aerospace, defense, and IT sectors, with prior CFO and leadership roles at Secure Point Technologies, Systems Made Simple (Leidos subsidiary), Integral Systems (now part of Kratos), and Pearson Analytic Solutions (now part of General Dynamics). The filings reviewed do not disclose TSR, revenue growth, or EBITDA growth attribution to his tenure.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raytheon Co. | Early career; engineering/finance track | Not disclosed | Foundation in Fortune 500 engineering/technology operations |
| Two large NYC law firms | Attorney | Not disclosed | Legal training in antitrust/patent, corporate finance |
| Secure Point Technologies | Chief Financial Officer | Not disclosed | Financial leadership at technology/security firm |
| Systems Made Simple (Leidos subsidiary) | CFO → President | 2012–Nov 2016 | Led finance; later operational leadership at a Leidos subsidiary |
| Integral Systems (NASDAQ: ISYS; now Kratos) | Chief Financial Officer | Not disclosed | Public company CFO experience in aerospace/defense |
| Pearson Analytic Solutions (now General Dynamics) | Chief Financial Officer | Not disclosed | Financial leadership in defense analytics |
| Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) | Chief Financial Officer | 2018–Jun 2023 | Led finance through listing, option/stock programs; resigned for Good Reason |
| Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) | Consultant/Outside Counsel | Jul 2023–Jun 2025 | Continued advisory support post-separation |
| Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) | CFO & General Counsel | Jun 20, 2025–present | Returned to CFO role; expanded remit to General Counsel |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed in reviewed filings | — | — | No current external public company directorships disclosed in biographies and ownership sections |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2023 (Separation terms) | FY 2025 (New agreement) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | $202,750 | $214,170 | $300,000 severance equals 12 months of base salary | $370,000 annual base salary |
| Target Bonus (% of base) | Not disclosed | Up to 50% (≤$150,000) | Up to 50% (per agreement) | Not disclosed in exhibit excerpt |
| Actual Bonus Paid ($) | $0 | $0 | Prorated bonus for FY 2023, not to exceed $75,000 (paid per separation) | Not disclosed |
Performance Compensation
- Annual cash bonus eligibility exists but specific performance metrics (e.g., revenue, EBITDA, TSR) and weightings are not disclosed; bonuses are “subject to achieving certain performance-based milestones established by the Board.”
| Incentive Type | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Vesting/Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Bonus | Board-set performance milestones (specific KPIs not disclosed) | Not disclosed | Up to 50% of base | FY 2023 prorated ≤$75,000 | Paid per fiscal-year plan/separation terms |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial Ownership (multi-year):
| Record Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | Percent of Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 (as of proxy record date) | 725,000 | 2.49% | Common stock only (no options counted in this line item); separate option holdings disclosed elsewhere |
| 2022 (as of July 29, 2022) | 1,003,333 | 2.94% | Includes 725,000 shares + 278,333 vested options deemed exercisable within 60 days |
- Outstanding Options (as of Dec 31, 2022):
| Grant | Exercisable (#) | Unexercisable (#) | Exercise Price ($) | Expiration | Vesting Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2020 | 30,000 | 15,000 | $1.00 | May 22, 2025 | 15,000 vested each on Apr 8, 2021, Apr 8, 2022, Apr 8, 2023 |
| Apr 26, 2021 | 233,333 | 166,667 | $6.85 | Apr 26, 2026 | 150,000 vested at grant; 83,333 vested Apr 26, 2022; 83,333 vested Apr 26, 2023; 83,334 scheduled Apr 26, 2024 |
| Oct 17, 2022 | 500,000 | 0 | $2.37 | Oct 17, 2027 | 350,000 vested at grant; 150,000 vested Dec 31, 2023 |
-
RSU/Restricted Stock Clawback and Lock-up:
- On July 24, 2020, restricted stock grants were 100% vested at grant but subject to clawback (100% until May 31, 2021; 50% from Jun 1, 2021–May 31, 2022), and subject to 3-year Lock-Up agreements prohibiting selling, lending, pledging, or disposing; grants at $2.45/share. Grantees included Roberts (400,000) per the filing’s table.
- April 3, 2023 restricted stock grant of 76,300 shares to Roberts fully vested upon separation per negotiated terms.
-
Pledging/Hedging:
- Lock-Up agreements for the 2020 restricted stock explicitly precluded pledging and transfers for three years from employment date. No hedging provisions are disclosed in the documents reviewed.
Employment Terms
| Provision | 2021 Employment Agreement | 2023 Resignation/Separation | 2025 Employment Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | CFO | Resigned CFO; consultant thereafter | CFO & General Counsel |
| Term | Indefinite (or three-year term described across proxies; at-will provisions and reviews) | Separation effective Jun 30, 2023 | At-will employment; effective Jun 20, 2025 |
| Base Salary | $300,000 per year | Severance equal to 12 months base ($300,000) | $370,000 per year |
| Bonus | Eligible up to 50% of base; milestones set by Board | Prorated FY23 bonus, capped at $75,000 | Not disclosed in excerpt |
| Equity Awards | 400,000 options granted in 2021; vesting schedule outlined | Full vesting of May 24, 2021 400,000 options; full vesting of Apr 3, 2023 76,300 RSUs | Not disclosed in exhibit excerpt |
| Severance | 12 months base salary + 6 months benefits if terminated without Cause or resigns for Good Reason; option acceleration upon such termination | As above; implemented via separation terms (cash, benefits, equity vesting) | Not disclosed beyond base salary in the excerpt |
| Benefits Continuation | 6 months healthcare, dental, life insurance on termination without Cause/Good Reason | 6 months coverage per separation | Not disclosed in excerpt |
| Cause/Good Reason | Cause includes felony, dishonesty/gross misconduct, failure to perform, illegal substance abuse; Good Reason resignation eligible for severance | Resigned for Good Reason | Not detailed in excerpt |
| Change-in-Control | Not specifically disclosed for Roberts; Morris’s agreement contained separate CoC terms (reference for comparison) | — | — |
| Clawback/Lock-Up | Restricted stock clawback and 3-year lock-up (2020 grants) | — | — |
Investment Implications
- Alignment and ownership: Roberts historically held a meaningful stake and options (1,003,333 beneficially owned as of mid-2022, including vested options), with lock-up and clawback provisions on earlier restricted stock reducing near-term selling/pledging risk; current 2025 ownership is not disclosed in the May 2025 proxy as he was not then an officer. Option packages from 2020–2022 had favorable vesting and full acceleration on a Good Reason separation, aligning incentives but enabling liquidity at departure.
- Retention and severance economics: Standard single-trigger severance for termination without Cause or Good Reason (12 months base + 6 months benefits) and full option acceleration are executive-friendly; his 2023 separation confirmed implementation of these terms, and the 2025 re-appointment with a higher base ($370k) suggests Board confidence and renewed retention, albeit absent disclosed performance KPIs in bonus design.
- Compensation structure vs performance: Cash compensation increased (base to $370k), while bonus remains milestone-based without disclosed metrics/weights, limiting pay-for-performance transparency and making external benchmarking difficult; equity incentives historically were substantial and front-loaded with partial immediate vesting, indicating retention focus over strictly performance-conditioned awards.
- Insider selling pressure: Accelerated vesting in 2023 increased potential supply; however, earlier restricted stock was lock-up constrained and pledging was barred, mitigating collateralization risk. Current grant details in 2025 are not disclosed in the available exhibit excerpt, so near-term selling pressure analysis for new awards is limited.