Amyris, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMRS) Files An 8-K Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
Item 5.02Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On January 5, 2017, Amyris, Inc. (the “Company”) announced that the Board of Directors of the Company had appointed Kathleen Valiasek to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, reporting to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective January 4, 2017, and that Raffi Asadorian had resigned as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, effective January 4, 2017, to pursue a new opportunity.

Before joining the Company, Ms. Valiasek served as Chief Executive Officer of a finance and strategic consulting firm she founded in 1994, in which capacity she provided financial and strategic consulting services to several companies. Ms. Valiasek holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Ms. Valiasek commenced employment with the Company on January 4, 2017 to an Offer Letter between the Company and Ms. Valiasek (the “Offer Letter”), which provides for an initial annual base salary for Ms. Valiasek in the amount of $350,000. Ms. Valiasek will also initially be eligible to receive an annual performance-based bonus, which is based on a bonus target of $115,500, subject to her achievement of performance objectives. In connection with Ms. Valiasek’s appointment, the Company agreed to grant Ms. Valiasek a stock option award and a restricted stock unit (“RSU”) award under the Company’s 2010 Equity Incentive Plan. The equity awards to Ms. Valiasek consist of: (i) a non-statutory stock option to purchase 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (vesting over four years, with 50,000 shares subject to the option vesting upon completion by Ms. Valiasek of her sixth month of employment, 25% of the remaining shares subject to the option vesting upon completion by Ms. Valiasek of her twelfth month of employment and the remainder vesting over the following three years in 36 equal monthly installments) at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant; and (ii) an award of 167,000 RSUs, which would vest over three years in equal annual installments.

Ms. Valiasek will be eligible to participate in the Company’s standard Executive Severance Plan, as described under “Executive Compensation—Potential Severance Payments upon Termination and upon Termination Following a Change in Control” in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 15, 2016 (the “Proxy Statement”), beginning December 1, 2017. She will also be eligible to participate in the Company’s other general executive compensation programs described in the “Executive Compensation” section of the Proxy Statement, including indemnification and other agreements described under “Executive Compensation—Agreements with Executive Officers,” and “Executive Compensation—Limitation of Liability and Indemnification.” Such descriptions are incorporated herein by reference.

About Amyris, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMRS)

Amyris, Inc. is an integrated industrial biotechnology company. The Company is engaged in research and development and sales of fuels and farnesene-derived products. It is applying its industrial synthetic biology platform to engineer, manufacture and sell products into a range of consumer and industrial markets, including cosmetics, flavors and fragrances (F&F), solvents and cleaners, polymers, lubricants, healthcare products and fuels. The Company focuses on a renewable hydrocarbon molecule called farnesene (Biofene). The Company is expanding its range of products across various categories divided into consumer and industrial applications. For consumer applications, the Company is developing and selling personal care products (which include ingredients for cosmetics and F&F), healthcare products and formulated end user products, such as Biossance brand skincare products and Muck Daddy brand hand cleaner product.

Amyris, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMRS) Recent Trading Information

Amyris, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMRS) closed its last trading session up +0.016 at 0.808 with 4,569,673 shares trading hands.