Press Releases April 13, 2026 08:00 PM

Geron Corporation Reports Inducement Grant Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)

Geron Grants Stock Options to New Executive, Aligning Leadership Compensation with Long-Term Growth

By Ajmal Hussain GERN
Geron Corporation Reports Inducement Grant Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)
GERN

Geron Corporation awarded a stock option grant of 2.5 million shares to Timothy Williams, their new Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary, as an inducement for joining the company. The options have a 10-year term, an exercise price equal to the closing stock price on the grant date, and vest over four years. This grant complies with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

Key Points

  • Geron granted 2.5 million stock options to new Executive VP Timothy Williams as an inducement for his employment.
  • The exercise price is $1.73 per share, matching the closing price on grant date, with a 10-year term and scheduled vesting over four years.
  • The stock option grant was approved in line with Nasdaq listing regulations, reinforcing governance compliance.

FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN), a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company, today reported that it granted an equity award in the form of a stock option to purchase 2,500,000 shares of Geron common stock to Timothy Williams, Geron’s new Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, as an inducement material to his acceptance of employment with Geron.

The stock option was granted on April 13, 2026. The stock option has an exercise price of $1.73 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Geron’s common stock on the grant date, has a ten-year term and vests over four years, with 12.5% of the shares underlying the option vesting on the six-month anniversary of commencement of his employment and the remaining shares vesting over the following 42 months in equal installments of whole shares, subject to continued service with Geron through the applicable vesting dates.

The stock option grant was approved by the Compensation Committee of Geron’s Board of Directors in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and is subject to the terms and conditions of Geron’s 2018 Inducement Award Plan and the form of stock option agreement under that plan.

About Geron
Geron is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to change lives by changing the course of blood cancer. Our first-in-class telomerase inhibitor RYTELO® (imetelstat) is approved in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of certain adult patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes with transfusion dependent anemia. We are also conducting a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of imetelstat in JAK-inhibitor relapsed/refractory myelofibrosis, as well as studies in other hematologic malignancies. Inhibiting telomerase activity, which is increased in malignant stem and progenitor cells in the bone marrow, aims to potentially reduce proliferation and induce death of malignant cells. To learn more, visit www.geron.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

CONTACT:
Dawn Schottlandt
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs
[email protected]


Risks

  • The value of the stock options depends on the future stock price performance, which is uncertain, creating potential dilution for shareholders.
  • Successful clinical trial outcomes and approval of Geron's therapies, including RYTELO and the phase 3 trial for myelofibrosis, are critical to company valuation and thus the value of the options.
  • Continued employment of the executive is required to vest the stock options, and any change in company leadership or strategic direction could impact compensation plans and company performance.

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