Martin Wilson
General Counsel and Chief Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President at ROCKET PHARMACEUTICALS
Executive
About Martin Wilson
Martin Wilson, J.D., is General Counsel and Chief Corporate Officer (Senior Vice President) at Rocket Pharmaceuticals (RCKT). He joined Rocket in November 2021 and was elevated to Chief Corporate Officer in March 2024; age 48 and a Villanova Law graduate . In 2024, corporate objectives were assessed at 80% of target, and Wilson’s individual performance multiplier was 90%, reflecting leadership of legal and compliance ahead of first commercial product readiness .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Pharmaceuticals | General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer → Chief Corporate Officer (SVP) | Nov 2021–present; CCO since Mar 2024 | Legal, compliance, and corporate leadership as company approaches commercialization |
| Ichnos Sciences Inc. | General Counsel & Chief Corporate Officer | Jan 2020–Nov 2021 | Executive legal and corporate oversight at R&D-focused biopharma |
| Teligent Inc. | General Counsel | Apr 2017–Dec 2019 | Legal leadership at generic pharmaceutical company |
External Roles
No public company directorships or external board roles disclosed for Martin Wilson in the 2025 proxy .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | $423,333 | $463,250 |
| Benefits and Other ($) | $13,566 | $14,790 |
Performance Compensation
Annual Cash Incentive (2024)
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Target bonus (% of base) | 40% |
| Target bonus ($) | $181,024 |
| Corporate performance factor | 80% of target |
| Individual performance multiplier | 90% |
| Actual incentive paid ($) | $146,629; 81% of target |
2024 Equity Awards (Grant date: Feb 16, 2024)
| Instrument | Shares/Units | Exercise Price | Grant Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs | 16,644 | N/A | $499,486 | 1/3 on 1st anniversary; remainder in equal quarterly installments over next 2 years |
| Stock Options | 49,091 | $30.01 | $1,000,489 | Same 3-year schedule (1/3 at 1 year; balance quarterly) |
Equity mix aligns with Rocket’s policy emphasizing options and RSUs; clawback and ownership guidelines apply companywide .
Outstanding Equity (as of Dec 31, 2024)
| Category | Quantity | Price/Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unvested RSUs | 63,764 | $801,513 (at $12.57 close) | Includes 2022–2024 grants per RSU footnotes |
| Options – Exercisable | 100,000 | $23.04 strike | Expires 12/16/2031 |
| Options – Unexercisable | 20,318 | $17.47 strike | Expires 08/12/2032 |
| Options – Exercisable/Unexercisable | 50,872 / 36,275 | $20.04 strike | Expires 02/14/2033 |
| Options – Unexercisable | 49,091 | $30.01 strike | Expires 02/16/2034 |
Given year-end price of $12.57, Wilson’s options were out-of-the-money at 12/31/2024 (strikes ≥ $17.47), while RSUs carried tangible value .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 224,773 shares; <1% of outstanding |
| Ownership guidelines | Executive officers must hold ≥ 1x base salary; CEO 3x; 5-year phase-in for officers |
| Hedging/pledging | Hedging and short sales prohibited; pledging requires full Board approval |
| Clawback | Sarbanes-Oxley and Nasdaq Rule 5608-compliant clawback adopted (cash and equity) |
Employment Terms
- Severance & change-in-control program: Wilson participates in Rocket’s Severance and Change in Control Program; “qualifying termination” includes termination without Cause or resignation for Good Reason. Enhanced benefits apply within 12 months after a Change in Control; definitions provided (Cause, Good Reason, Change in Control) .
- Equity acceleration: 100% acceleration of unvested stock options and RSUs upon termination without Cause or for Good Reason within 12 months following a Sale Event, and upon death or permanent and total disability; post-termination option exercise window of 12 months for death/disability .
- Clawback: Mandatory recovery for restatements and discretionary recovery for misconduct or incorrect financials .
- Tax gross-ups: None provided for 280G/4999 excise taxes; cutback to avoid excise tax if beneficial .
- Perquisites and pensions: Limited perquisites; no executive pension plans or SERP .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: 2024 cash incentive paid at 81% of target driven by an 80% corporate factor and strong individual performance (90%), indicating disciplined but supportive pay outcomes amid regulatory delays (LAD-I CRL) and pipeline progress; equity grants maintain long-term alignment via RSUs and options .
- Selling pressure and retention risk: RSUs with meaningful unvested value ($801K at year-end) and multi-year vesting schedules support retention; options are currently out-of-the-money, reducing near-term exercise-driven selling pressure .
- Governance safeguards: Robust clawback, ownership guidelines, and anti-hedging/pledging policies limit misalignment risk; absence of tax gross-ups and double-trigger equity acceleration on CIC are shareholder-friendly .
- Ownership skin-in-the-game: Beneficial ownership <1% is modest in absolute terms; adherence to ownership guidelines over the phase-in horizon will be a key alignment indicator .
- Contractual protections: Participation in severance/CIC program with clearly defined Cause/Good Reason and CIC criteria reduces retention risk through transactional uncertainty while preserving value discipline (no gross-ups; cutback provisions) .