Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On October 23, 2023 (“Effective Date”), the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Fathom Digital Manufacturing Corporation (the “Company”) appointed Carey Chen as the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the Company, effective immediately. Mr. Chen will also remain a member of the Board. Mr. Chen will succeed Ryan Martin, who is no longer serving as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer or as a member of the Board as of the Effective Date. Mr. Martin’s last day of employment shall be October 31, 2023. The Company issued a press release on October 23, 2023 announcing Mr. Chen’s appointment, a copy of which is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.
Mr. Chen, age 50, has served as a member of the Board since the Company became publicly-listed in 2021. He served as a director of the company’s predecessor companies dating back to 2019. Mr. Chen has also served as President of Altix Corporation, a management consulting firm serving a broad array of industrial manufacturing companies, since January 2023, and previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions and Chief Executive Officer of Incodema Holdings LLC, and as Executive Chairman and President of Cincinnati Incorporated. Mr. Chen earned an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BS in Applied Mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles.
In connection with Mr. Chen’s appointment as CEO, the Company simultaneously entered into an offer letter agreement (the “Offer Letter”) with Mr. Chen, effective as of the Effective Date. The Offer Letter and the compensation package contained therein were approved by the Board, which worked with the Company’s compensation consultant to design a competitive compensation framework to align Mr. Chen’s compensation with the creation of shareholder value and the achievement of the Company’s next stage of growth. The key terms of the Offer Letter are set forth below.
Mr. Chen will receive an initial base salary of $500,000 and, starting in 2024, an initial target annual bonus opportunity of 100% of base salary, the latter subject to the terms and conditions of the Company’s annual bonus plan. Mr. Chen will be eligible to participate in the Company’s 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as may be amended from time to time (the “Omnibus Plan”), starting in 2024 with an initial target award opportunity equal to 200% of base salary. The form of incentive equity awards and applicable vesting conditions will be determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Committee”) or the Board in its sole discretion, and the awards will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Omnibus Plan and any applicable award agreements.
In connection with his appointment and as an inducement material to his entering into the Offer Letter and commencing employment with the Company, Mr. Chen will be granted the following inducement incentives on the Effective Date: (i) a sign-on cash bonus of $100,000, payable in four equal quarterly installments subject to Mr. Chen’s continued service through each payment date (the “Cash Sign-On Bonus”), (ii) a sign-on award of 151,515 time-vesting restricted stock units (“RSUs”), with a value of $500,000; and (iii) a sign-on award of 104,911 performance-vesting RSUs (“PSUs”), with a value of $500,000.
The Cash Sign-On Bonus must be repaid if Mr. Chen’s employment terminates for any reason other than by a Company-initiated termination without “cause” prior to the one-year anniversary of the Effective Date. The equity-based inducement awards will be issued outside of the Omnibus Plan, in accordance with NYSE Listing Rule 303A.03, but will be subject to substantially the same terms as awards made under such plan. The number of RSUs was determined by taking the award’s $500,000 grant value and dividing it by the closing stock price of one share of the Company’s common stock as of the trading day immediately preceding the Effective Date. The RSU award will vest on the third anniversary of the Effective Date, subject to Mr. Chen’s continued service through such vesting date. The PSU award will vest in six tranches, with each tranche subject to (i) the Company attaining the stock price growth hurdle during the relevant performance period for each tranche (as illustrated below), and (ii) Mr. Chen’s continued service through the later of (x) the fourth anniversary of the Effective Date and (y) the date on which a particular tranche’s stock price growth hurdle is attained, subject to certification of the Committee.