Charles Parker
About Charles Parker
Charles Parker, 45, is Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Principal Accounting Officer) of Traws Pharma, appointed interim CFO effective July 5, 2025 and confirmed as CFO on October 1, 2025; he serves on a consulting basis through Stout . He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Lipscomb University and has over two decades of finance leadership across public biopharma and private equity-backed firms, including public accounting roles at BDO USA and Parker, Parker & Associates . As CFO, Parker executed SOX 302 and 906 certifications for TRAW’s Q3 2025 Form 10‑Q, underscoring accountability for disclosure controls and fair presentation of financials . The proxy does not disclose company TSR, revenue growth, or EBITDA growth tied to his tenure; Traws is a smaller reporting company with reduced executive compensation disclosure .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stout (global advisory firm) | Director; provides CFO services to TRAW via Stout | May 2025–present | Supports corporate finance/accounting; conduit for CFO services to TRAW |
| LS Associates | Consulting CFO/finance roles (Pristine Surgical, ROM Technologies, Cantana Bio, Zogenix) | Nov 2021–May 2025 | Interim CFO mandates; contributed to financings/M&A across multiple clients |
| Dascena, Inc. | Controller | Jan 2021–Nov 2021 | Led controllership functions at a healthcare AI company |
| BDO USA, LLP | Public Accounting | ~5 years | Assurance and advisory experience in public accounting |
| Parker, Parker and Associates, PLC | Public Accounting | ~5.5 years | Audit/tax advisory; foundational technical accounting experience |
| Multiple public/private firms | Finance leadership across IPOs, M&A, financings | Cumulative career | Worked on >$700M capital raises and multi-million debt restructurings |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stout | Director | May 2025–present | Stout provides supporting finance/accounting services to TRAW since 2024; Parker delivers CFO services via Stout |
| Client companies (e.g., Pristine Surgical; ROM Technologies; Cantana Bio; Zogenix) | Interim CFO/finance consultant | Nov 2021–May 2025 | Interim mandates across medtech/biopharma |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Terms | Effective Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consulting CFO compensation | $500/hour, capped at $50,000 per month (paid to Stout) | Oct 1, 2025 | Services provided “as a non‑employee consultant” via Stout |
Performance Compensation
| Metric/Instrument | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Strike/Target | Term | Vesting | Actual/Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Options (time-based) | Oct 12, 2025 | 32,406 options | $3.01 exercise price | 10 years | Vest 100% on first anniversary (Oct 12, 2026) contingent on continued service | Time-based; no performance metric; payout via exercisability |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | As of/Terms | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (common shares) | Record date Oct 2, 2025 | — | No shares reported under beneficial ownership table |
| Ownership % of shares outstanding | Record date Oct 2, 2025; 7,125,832 shares outstanding | — | No percent shown for Parker; table indicates “—” |
| Options held (unvested) | Granted Oct 12, 2025 | 32,406 unvested | Vest Oct 12, 2026; 10‑year term; exercise price $3.01 |
| Hedging/pledging | Policy disclosure | Not disclosed | No specific anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging policy identified in DEF 14A/10‑K |
Employment Terms
- Role and tenure: Interim CFO effective July 5, 2025; CFO title formalized Oct 1, 2025; non‑employee consultant arrangement .
- Engagement structure and pay: Services provided through Stout at $500/hour up to $50,000/month; Board eliminated “interim” status Oct 1, 2025 .
- Change-of-control and award acceleration (plan-level terms): If awards are NOT assumed/replaced in a Change in Control, all options/stock awards/units accelerate and restrictions lapse; if awards ARE assumed/replaced and the executive is terminated without Cause or resigns for Good Reason post‑CIC, awards fully vest; otherwise the Compensation Committee retains discretion to accelerate vesting upon certain terminations .
- Minimum vesting policy: Amended 2021 Plan generally requires ≥1‑year minimum vesting (committee can use up to 5% pool without this requirement) .
- Clawback: Committee may rescind/recoup awards upon breach of restrictive covenants or “cause”; policy-level clawback contemplated .
- Severance, non‑compete, garden leave: Not disclosed for Parker; July 3, 2025 8‑K noted compensation terms to be disclosed later (subsequently set via Oct 6, 2025 8‑K); no severance terms identified .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Consulting structure with capped monthly fees provides flexibility but limits guaranteed cash compensation; alignment comes primarily from the October 2025 option grant that vests in full after one year, creating a near‑term retention tether through October 2026 .
- Selling/exercise overhang: Single‑tranche, one‑year vesting on 32,406 options may concentrate exercise/sale decisions around the vest date; magnitude is modest versus shares outstanding but could be relevant in a thinly traded small‑cap context .
- CIC protection: Plan‑level provisions offer single‑trigger acceleration if awards aren’t assumed and double‑trigger vesting on termination without Cause/for Good Reason when assumed, reducing downside for Parker and potentially easing transition risk in strategic transactions .
- Governance and control: Parker is not a director and reported no beneficial ownership as of Oct 2, 2025, reducing potential conflicts but also implying limited “skin‑in‑the‑game” until options vest/exercise; he signs SOX certifications, reinforcing accountability on financial reporting .
Note: The proxy indicates smaller reporting company status with reduced executive pay disclosures; several items (base salary, target bonus %, severance multiples, ownership guidelines, hedging/pledging) are not disclosed for Parker .
Citations
- CFO certifications and role:
- Appointment, interim removal, and consulting pay terms:
- Biography, education, career financing experience:
- Option grant terms (shares, strike, vesting, term):
- Beneficial ownership table (record date, shares outstanding; Parker entry):
- Plan vesting, CIC, and clawback provisions:
- Governance disclosures (smaller reporting company; code of conduct reference):