John Townsend
About John Townsend
John Townsend, 63, has served as Chief Financial Officer of Unicycive since March 2021 (initially joining as VP Finance/Chief Accounting Officer in September 2020). He is a CPA (California) with a B.S. from San Diego State University (1993) and 25+ years of public and private company finance experience across biotech, medical devices, and high‑tech manufacturing . Company-level TSR, revenue growth, and EBITDA growth metrics tied specifically to his tenure are not disclosed in the latest proxies.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guardion Health Sciences | Finance leadership (exact title not disclosed) | 2016–2020 | Finance leadership at a medical foods company |
| Cytori Therapeutics | Finance roles | 2005–2015 | Finance leadership at a stem cell therapy company |
| Various high‑tech companies | Finance roles | 1996–2005 | Finance roles across high‑tech electronics manufacturing |
| Deloitte (formerly Deloitte & Touche) | Started career | Post‑1993 | Foundation in audit/accounting; CPA (CA) |
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed. John Townsend was not listed among Named Executive Officers (NEOs) in the 2024 or 2025 proxy Summary Compensation Tables; only the CEO and two EVPs are included, and no base salary, target bonus, or actual bonus figures are reported for Townsend .
Performance Compensation
- Stock options are the primary disclosed equity vehicle for executives. While Townsend’s specific grant dates, strike prices, and vesting schedules are not enumerated, the company’s standard option vesting for other NEOs typically follows 25% at 12 months, then monthly thereafter (or thirds annually in some 2021 grants). Townsend’s exact vesting terms are not disclosed .
Equity awards to John Townsend (cumulative, through proxy record date)
| Metric | As of record date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulative stock option shares granted under the plan | 852,053 | “Existing Plan Benefits” table of option shares granted through the record date (2024 proxy) |
Notes:
- The above reflects total option shares granted (irrespective of exercise/cancellation status) through the 2024 proxy record date; individual grant dates, exercise prices, and vesting for Townsend are not itemized in the proxies .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Anti‑hedging and pledging: Company policy prohibits hedging/derivative transactions and restricts pledging (exceptions may be granted for loan collateral with demonstrated repayment capacity) .
- Beneficial ownership: Individual beneficial ownership breakdowns (common stock, options exercisable within 60 days, and vested/unvested splits) are not provided for Townsend in the 2024 or 2025 proxies (he is not listed in the beneficial ownership tables) .
- Executive equity usage: Townsend’s cumulative option grants (852,053 shares through the 2024 record date) indicate an equity‑heavy incentive mix that aligns upside with shareholders, albeit without disclosed holding/ownership guideline requirements specific to executives .
Employment Terms
- Start/tenure: CFO since March 2021 (consulting as VP Finance/Chief Accounting Officer since September 2020) .
- Employment agreement: No individual employment agreement, severance, or change‑of‑control terms are disclosed for Townsend in the 2024 or 2025 proxies (agreements are detailed only for the CEO and two EVPs) .
- Clawback: The equity plan includes a restatement‑based clawback for executive officers in compliance with Section 10D-1 of the Exchange Act .
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- Legal/Regulatory: The company reports no material proceedings involving current directors or executive officers and notes no Item 401(f) legal proceedings for the past 10 years .
- Hedging/Pledging: Hedging is prohibited; pledging requires exception approval, which mitigates but does not eliminate alignment risk .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and incentives: Townsend’s incentive mix appears equity‑centric (852,053 cumulative option shares through the 2024 record date), aligning him with shareholder upside. However, the absence of disclosed ownership guidelines and a lack of granular vesting/holding detail for him limit precision on retention and potential selling pressure around vesting events .
- Retention/transition economics: No disclosed CFO‑specific severance or change‑of‑control protections (contrast with detailed CEO/EVP terms), suggesting fewer guaranteed cash protections for Townsend; this can be positive for pay‑for‑performance but creates uncertainty in change‑of‑control scenarios .
- Execution track record: Townsend brings deep small‑cap life sciences and public company finance experience (Guardion, Cytori, high‑tech/audit). Given Unicycive’s complex capital structure and financing cadence, this background supports capital markets execution, though company‑level performance metrics during his tenure are not disclosed in proxies .