Cryoport (Nasdaq: CYRX) details 2025 results, equity plan share increase in 2026 proxy
Cryoport, Inc. is asking stockholders to approve six director nominees, ratify Deloitte & Touche as auditor, approve executive pay on an advisory basis, and amend its 2018 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan to add 4,275,000 shares and extend the plan to the tenth anniversary of the 2026 meeting.
In 2025, Cryoport generated $176.2 million in revenue, up 12% year over year. Commercial Cell & Gene Therapy revenue rose to $33.4 million and clinical trial revenue to $47.1 million, while Life Sciences Services reached $96.5 million, about 55% of total revenue. Management forecasts 2026 revenue of $190–$194 million and highlights a growing pipeline of expected therapy approvals and regulatory filings.
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Key Figures
Key Terms
Cell & Gene Therapy financial
2018 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan financial
Series C Preferred Stock financial
beneficial ownership financial
Broker non-votes regulatory
Compensation Summary
- Election of six directors
- Ratification of Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for 2026
- Advisory vote to approve compensation of named executive officers
- Approval of Fourth Amendment to 2018 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan to increase authorized shares and extend plan term
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☐ | Preliminary Proxy Statement |
☐ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
☒ | Definitive Proxy Statement |
☐ | Definitive Additional Materials |
☐ | Soliciting Material Under §240.14a-12 |
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) |
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant) |
☒ | No fee required |
☐ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials |
☐ | Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11 |
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2026 Proxy Statement |
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CHAIR LETTER | Dear Fellow Stockholders, | ||
2025 was a year of strong progress for Cryoport. We advanced our mission of supporting life and health by delivering reliable, comprehensive temperature-controlled supply chain solutions for the life sciences. Through continued innovation, investment in advanced technologies, expansion of our global supply chain network, and the dedication of our highly skilled team, we broadened our service offerings, introduced new products, expanded our geographic footprint, and onboarded new clients – all while moving our company further along our “pathway to profitability.” | |||
Financial Performance We delivered full-year revenue of $176.2 million, exceeding the high end of our guidance and marking 12% year-over-year growth, reflecting continued momentum across our core markets. | |||
Growth was largely fueled by both clinical and commercial Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT) activity. Commercial CGT revenue increased 29% year-over-year to a record $33.4 million and clinical trial revenue grew 14% to $47.1 million. These results reflect the acceleration of CGT patients being treated on a global basis and the life sciences industry’s reliance on Cryoport’s capabilities. | |||
At the end of the year Cryoport supported a record 760 clinical trials and 20 commercial therapies globally, representing approximately 70% of all CGT - industry clinical trials. | |||
Life Sciences Services Our Life Sciences Services business continued to expand in 2025, and represented approximately 55% of total revenue, compared to approximately 52% in 2024. Our Life Sciences Services revenue was $96.5 million, up 18% year-over-year. It included BioStorage/BioServices revenue of $18.4 million as clients increasingly turned to Cryoport for integrated, end-to-end support. We believe our leadership position across both clinical and commercial CGT programs, and the breadth of the CGT development pipeline we support, provide a substantial foundation for sustained long-term growth as we move forward. | |||
We also increased our investments the Life Sciences Services segment by strategically investing to support the traction that we are seeing across our broad portfolio of CGT clients. These targeted investments include the launch of our Global Supply Chain Center in Paris, France, the continued buildout of our Global Supply Chain Center in Santa Ana, California (consolidating three existing facilities), and the expansion of our BioServices operation on our campus near Liege, Belgium. | |||
Cryoport Inc | 2026 Proxy Statement | |||||
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Life Sciences Products Our Life Sciences Products business grew revenue by 7% during 2025, ending the year at $79.7 million. MVE Biological Solutions (MVE) makes up most of this revenue and continues to play a leading role in the cryogenic systems market globally. In addition to supporting our Services businesses, with its focus on innovation, MVE continues to further enhance its position as the global leader in the production of high-quality cryogenic systems. | |||
Partnerships and Collaborations In 2025, we formed a strategic partnership with the DHL Group, which included DHL’s acquisition of CRYOPDP. This strategic partnership will support DHL’s 2030 strategy in healthcare and, over time, we believe it will enhance our positioning in the APAC and EMEA regions and strengthen our competitive industry profile. In addition, as part of our continuing strategic initiative to embed our market leading solutions into the CGT ecosystem and improve our growth trajectory, we expanded our global partnerships by entering into strategic collaborations with Cardinal Health and Parexel. | |||
Innovation In 2025, we undertook another transformative step by establishing our Enterprise Technology Group (“ETG”). ETG is designed to transform Cryoport into a stronger technology powered life sciences platform by embedding advanced digital capabilities across all our global temperature-controlled supply chain services and products. In the future, rather than operating as a series of discrete services, ETG will enable Cryoport to deliver integrated, end to end supply chain management solutions that connect data, operations, and decision making across every touchpoint. | |||
ETG’s mission is to lower operational costs, improve efficiency, and unlock new products, services, and provide data driven insights for our customers by automating processes and improving visibility. This approach enhances reliability, reduces risk, and helps simplify supply chain complexity for clients operating in the highly regulated, temperature-controlled environments within the life sciences. | |||
By leveraging generative artificial intelligence (“AI”), advanced analytics, and other emerging technologies, ETG will enable Cryoport to scale faster, differentiate more effectively, and build the future of intelligent temperature-controlled supply chain management for the life sciences. | |||
Outlook for 2026: Positioned for Another Year of Growth We believe we enter 2026 with a strong balance sheet and a clear pathway to future profitability. We are currently forecasting 2026 revenue of $190 million to $194 million. Additionally, as of December 31, 2025 and based on internal and external data, we are anticipating nine (9) new therapy approvals, two (2) additional approvals for label or geographic expansion, | |||
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and thirteen (13) BLA/MAA filings in 2026. This growing pipeline, paired with our expanding global supply chain center network and operational investments, support a highly encouraging outlook. | |||
Closing Thoughts I am proud of the tireless efforts of the entire Cryoport team of employees as each day each of them strives to improve the conditions of lives for many thousands of patients around the world through our efforts to: help cure conditions that threaten life; support the sustaining of life through protein production from animal husbandry; and assist in helping create life for those needing medical assistance through our unparalleled support of reproductive medicine. | |||
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our employees, clients, and long-term shareholders for their unwavering support and dedication. The fulfillment of our vision is important as it is to the benefit of mankind. Together, we are making a meaningful impact on the development of the Cell & Gene Therapy industry and the broader evolution of the Life Sciences industry. Daily, we are helping improve the health of lives around the world. | |||
Sincerely yours, | |||
/s/Jerrell Shelton | |||
Jerrell Shelton Chairman, President and CEO | |||
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NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS To Be Held June 5, 2026 | Dear Fellow Stockholders: | |||||
We cordially invite you to virtually attend the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Cryoport, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), which will be held on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CDT. The Annual Meeting will be hosted online. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, vote and submit your questions during the meeting via a live webcast by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CYRX2026. There will not be a physical meeting location, and stockholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. | ||||||
The Annual Meeting will be held for the following purposes: | ||||||
1. | To elect six directors; | |||||
2. | To ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ending December 31, 2026; | |||||
3. | To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers, as disclosed in our proxy statement for the Annual Meeting; | |||||
4. | To approve an amendment to the Cryoport, Inc. 2018 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan to, among other things, increase the number of authorized shares under the plan; and | |||||
5. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. | |||||
The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on Monday, April 6, 2026 as the record date for the determination of stockholders who are entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting, or any adjournments thereof. | ||||||
On or about April 22, 2026, we began mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to holders of our common stock and holders of our Series C Convertible Preferred Stock as of the record date instead of a printed copy of the proxy materials. The Notice provides instructions on how to access our proxy materials on the Internet and how to obtain printed copies. We urge you to read the information contained in the proxy materials carefully. | ||||||
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IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 5, 2026. | ||||||
The proxy statement for the Annual Meeting and accompanying Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 are available via the Internet at www.proxyvote.com. | ||||||
Whether or not you plan to virtually attend the Annual Meeting, it is important that your shares be represented and voted. You may vote before the meeting by Internet, by phone, or by mail by following the instructions on the Notice. | ||||||
You may also vote during the live webcast of the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CYRX2026 and entering the 16-digit control number included in your Notice, on your proxy card or in the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. | ||||||
Sincerely, | ||||||
/s/Jerrell Shelton | ||||||
Jerrell Shelton Chairman, President and CEO | ||||||
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. YOU ARE URGED TO VOTE YOUR PROXY PROMPTLY BY MAIL, BY TELEPHONE OR VIA THE INTERNET, WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO VIRTUALLY ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING. | ||||||
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1 | General Information | ||||
2 | Company Overview | ||||
6 | Stockholder Engagement | ||||
7 | Frequently Asked Questions | ||||
14 | Forward-Looking Statements | ||||
16 | Proposal 1 Election of Directors | ||||
24 | Corporate Governance and Board Matters | ||||
30 | Ownership of Securities | ||||
33 | Proposal 2 To ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP | ||||
34 | Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees | ||||
36 | Audit Committee Report | ||||
37 | Proposal 3 To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers | ||||
38 | Proposal 4 To approve, on an advisory basis, the preferred frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the named executive officers | ||||
49 | Compensation Discussion and Analysis | ||||
64 | Compensation Committee Report | ||||
65 | Executive Compensation | ||||
81 | Director Compensation | ||||
83 | Equity Compensation Plan Information | ||||
84 | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions | ||||
86 | Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports | ||||
87 | Stockholder Proposals for Next Annual Meeting | ||||
88 | Other Matters |
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General Information | ![]() |
INTRODUCTION | Cryoport, Inc., a Nevada corporation (referred to as “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company” or “Cryoport”), is furnishing this proxy statement (this “Proxy Statement”) to you in connection with the Company’s solicitation of proxies on behalf of the board of directors (the “Board” or “Board of Directors”) of the Company with respect to the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company and any adjournment thereof (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held as a virtual meeting via live webcast on the Internet on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CDT. There will not be a physical meeting location, and stockholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. On or about April 22, 2026, we began mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to the record holders of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and the record holders of our Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Series C Preferred Stock”). This Proxy Statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “2025 Annual Report”) are available at www.proxyvote.com. Throughout this Proxy Statement, holders of our common stock and our Series C Preferred Stock are referred to collectively as “stockholders.” Holders of our common stock and our Series C Preferred Stock will vote together as a single class on all matters at the Annual Meeting. | ||
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Company Overview | ![]() |
OUR COMPANY | Cryoport, Inc. (Nasdaq: CYRX) is a leading global provider of integrated, temperature-controlled supply chain solutions for the life sciences, with an emphasis on regenerative medicine. We support biopharmaceutical companies, contract manufacturers (CDMOs), contract research organizations (CROs), developers, and researchers with a comprehensive suite of services and products designed to minimize risk and maximize reliability across the temperature-controlled supply chain for the life sciences. Our integrated supply chain platform includes the Cryoportal® Logistics Management Platform, Smart Pak® Condition Monitoring, advanced temperature-controlled packaging, informatics, specialized biologistics, biostorage, bioservices, cryopreservation services, and cryogenic systems, which in varying combinations deliver end-to-end solutions that meet the rigorous demands of the life sciences. With innovation, regulatory compliance, and agility at our core, we are “Enabling the Future of Medicine™.” Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, our company maintains a strong global presence with operations across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. | |||||
OUR MISSION | Cryoport’s mission is to support life and health by providing reliable and comprehensive temperature-controlled supply chain solutions for the life sciences through our advanced technologies and dedicated personnel. Cryoport strives to develop mutually rewarding relationships with its employees, clients, partners, and suppliers and to conduct its business to the highest ethical and professional standards. | |||||
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OUR GOALS | Our goals are: • Create superior long-term stockholder value. • Continuous revenue growth in our core markets: biopharma, reproductive medicine and animal health markets. • Global growth through organic performance and acquisitions. • Continually increase in market share by providing our clients with advanced temperature-controlled supply chain solutions in keeping with the advances in our clients’ science. • Achieve gross margin and operating margin commensurate with the value provided to clients. • Continually add supply chain services to enhance the desirability and differentiation of Cryoport’s solutions. • Develop new competencies, services and alliances, consistent with client demand, to better serve our market. | |||||
OUR CORE VALUES | Passion. We are driven to advance our supply chain solutions for the Life Sciences industry—we never lose sight of the value we bring to science. Our enthusiasm and dedication fosters strong, long-lasting partnerships with our clients. Integrity. We operate with honesty, truthfulness, and transparency in accordance with the highest ethical and corporate governance standards. We strive to develop mutually rewarding relationships with our employees, partners, and suppliers. Mutual respect, integrity, and trust are our foundation. Teamwork. None of us is as smart as all of us—we believe all ideas and outcomes are improved through collaboration. We challenge conventional thinking and insist on rigorous problem solving, resulting in superior solutions. We encourage harmonious collaboration among our employees across the entirety of our operations. Value Creation. We strive to build value for our stakeholders through our client-centric focus. We exceed competitive benchmarks, and we provide the highest level of performance with the goal of achieving consistent growth in revenue and profitability. | |||||
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OUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY | We developed our Sustainability Strategy to establish focus and a consistent approach to sustainability across our company. Our Sustainability Strategy is grounded in our mission and is built on four pillars—delivering sustainable operations, supporting our people, innovating responsibly, and governing ethically. | |||||
PILLAR | FOCUS AREAS | ||||
Delivering Sustainable Operations | • Greenhouse Gas Emissions • Resource Efficiency | ||||
Supporting Our People | • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion • Employee Health & Safety | ||||
Innovating Responsibly | • Product & Service Quality • Product Lifecycle Management & Innovation | ||||
Governing Ethically | • Business Ethics • Supplier Management • Data Privacy & Security | ||||
OUR 2025 PERFORMANCE | 2025 marked a year of meaningful progress toward our long-term goals. We advanced our capabilities through product innovation and global expansion, while focused on delivering long-term value to our clients and stockholders. Key accomplishments for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, included: • Increased total revenue by $19.4 million, or 12.4%, to $176.2 million • Increased revenue from the support of commercial cell and gene therapies by $7.4 million, or 28.6%, to $33.4 million, supporting 20 commercial cell and gene therapies as of December 31, 2025 • Supporting 760 clinical trials, of which 86 were in Phase III as of December 31, 2025 • Established strategic relationship with DHL Group, which included divestiture of our CRYOPDP specialty courier business • Established the Enterprise Technology Group (ETG) to drive digital initiatives, integrated software, technology, and AI implementations across the Company • Launched the Cryoport Express Cryogenic HV3 Shipping System, enhancing payload protection, optimizing storage efficiency and expanded usability • First organization globally to be certified to ISO 21973:2020 Biotechnology - transportation of cells for therapeutic use certification • Globally Certified all locations to ISO 9001:2015 standard • Opened Global Supply Chain Center in Paris, France with BioLogistics services in November 2025; with BioServices operations expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026 | |||||
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• Continued global industry recognition of Cryoport’s leadership in delivering innovative solutions that support the safe, efficient, and effective delivery of CGT worldwide: - Best Cell & Gene Therapy Supplier – Cell Processing Systems at the Asia-Pacific Cell & Gene Therapy Excellence Awards (APCGTEA) 2025, voted by professionals across the CGT community - Supply Chain Excellence Award at the 2025 CPHI Pharma Awards, recognizing leadership and innovation in pharmaceutical supply chain management - Simon Ellison Supply Chain Innovation Award at the Advanced Therapies Awards 2025, honoring exceptional contributions to advancing supply chain solutions for advanced therapies - BioTech Breakthrough Award – “BioServices Innovation of the Year” for the Safepak® Soft System 1800, highlighting innovation in bioservices packaging and protection technologies • Launched MVE’s integrated Condition Monitoring Services powered by Tec4med and the MVECloud™, a secure web- and mobile-based platform • Launched MVE’s next generation dry vapor shippers • Expanded MVE’s manufacturing line in Chengdu, China to support cryogenic freezer manufacturing with production expected to commence during the first quarter of 2026 • MVE’s three global manufacturing facilities are the first cryogenic systems manufacturing facilities to be registered with the FDA; all applicable MVE-manufactured cryogenic freezers and dewars are listed with the FDA • Developed a strategic collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida; awarded exclusive BioStorage services rights As we look ahead, we remain committed to driving growth through innovation, operational excellence, and a steadfast focus on our mission. We believe Cryoport is well-positioned to deliver value to all stakeholders. | ||||||
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Stockholder Engagement | ![]() | ||
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Frequently Asked Questions | ![]() |
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING? | The purpose of the Annual Meeting is to vote on the following matters: | |||
1. | To elect six directors; | |||
2. | To ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ending December 31, 2026; | |||
3. | To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers, as disclosed in this Proxy Statement; | |||
4. | To approve an amendment to the Cryoport, Inc. 2018 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (as amended to date, the “2018 Plan”) to, among other things, increase the number of authorized shares under the plan, referred to herein as the “Fourth Amendment”; and | |||
5. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. | |||
WHY AM I BEING PROVIDED WITH THESE MATERIALS? | Owners of record of the Company’s common stock and the Series C Preferred Stock as of the close of business on April 6, 2026 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to vote in connection with the Annual Meeting. As a stockholder, you are requested to vote on the proposals described in this Proxy Statement. This Proxy Statement describes the proposals presented for stockholder action at our Annual Meeting and includes information required to be disclosed to stockholders. | |||||
WHY DID I RECEIVE A ONE-PAGE NOTICE IN THE MAIL REGARDING THE INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS INSTEAD OF A FULL SET OF PROXY MATERIALS? | Pursuant to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials, including this Proxy Statement, the 2025 Annual Report and the proxy card, over the Internet instead of a printed copy of the proxy materials. Accordingly, on or about April 22, 2026, we began mailing the Notice to stockholders of record as of the Record Date. The Notice contains instructions on how stockholders will be able to access our proxy materials on the Internet or request to receive, at no cost, a printed or electronic copy of our proxy materials and indicate such delivery preference for future proxy solicitations. We believe this electronic process will expedite your receipt of our proxy materials and reduce the cost and environmental impact of the Annual Meeting. | |||||
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WHAT WILL I NEED IN ORDER TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING? | You are entitled to attend the virtual Annual Meeting only if you were a stockholder of record as of the Record Date, or you hold a valid proxy for the Annual Meeting. You may attend the Annual Meeting, vote, and submit a question during the Annual Meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CYRX2026 and using your 16-digit control number included on your Notice, on your proxy card or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials, to enter the meeting. If you are a beneficial owner, you will need to follow the voting instructions provided to you by the organization holding your account (for instance, your brokerage firm). To request documents or if you have any questions about voting, you will need to contact your broker. If you do not comply with the procedures outlined above, you will not be admitted to the virtual Annual Meeting. | |||||
WHO PAYS THE COST OF PROXY SOLICITATION? | Our Board is soliciting the proxies for the Annual Meeting and we will bear the cost of this solicitation. Proxies may be solicited in person or by mail, telephone, or electronic transmission on our behalf by our directors, officers or employees. However, we do not reimburse or pay additional compensation to our own directors, officers or other employees for soliciting proxies. We will request that banks, brokerage houses, nominees and other fiduciaries nominally holding shares of our common stock forward the proxy soliciting materials to the beneficial owners of such common stock and obtain authorization for the execution of proxies. We will, upon request, reimburse such parties for their reasonable expenses in forwarding proxy materials to the beneficial owners. We have engaged Laurel Hill Advisory Group, LLC to solicit proxies on our behalf. We have agreed to pay $10,000, plus reasonable and approved out-of-pocket expenses for their services. | |||||
WHO CAN VOTE IN CONNECTION WITH THE ANNUAL MEETING? | You may vote if you owned shares of (i) the Company’s common stock or (ii) the Series C Preferred Stock, as of the close of business on the Record Date. | |||||
HOW MANY VOTES DO I HAVE? | As of the Record Date, there were 50,197,906 shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each holder of the Company’s common stock is entitled to cast one vote per share of common stock held by such holder on each matter to be presented at the Annual Meeting. As of the Record Date, there were 200,000 shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each holder of the Series C Preferred Stock is entitled to vote on each matter to be presented at the Annual Meeting on an as converted basis equal to the number of shares of the Company’s common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock held by such holder. As of the Record Date, the 200,000 shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding were convertible into 6,451,022 shares of the Company’s common stock. Holders of shares of the Company’s common stock and the Series C Preferred Stock will vote together as a single class on all matters at the Annual Meeting. | |||||
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ARE THERE ANY REQUIREMENTS ON HOW THE HOLDERS OF SERIES C PREFERRED STOCK MUST VOTE? | Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement (as defined elsewhere in this Proxy Statement) entered into in connection with the issuance and sale of our Series C Preferred Stock, for so long as certain holders of Series C Preferred Stock have the right to nominate a director for election to the Board, the holders of Series C Preferred Stock have agreed to vote all of the shares of Series C Preferred Stock and shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock purchased in the Private Placement (as defined elsewhere in this Proxy Statement) or any other shares of our common stock owned by such holders (i) in favor of each director nominated or recommended by the Board for election at any such meeting, (ii) against any stockholder nomination for director that is not approved and recommended by the Board for election at any such meeting, (iii) in favor of the Company’s “say-on-pay” proposal and any proposal by the Company relating to equity compensation that has been approved by the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board (or any successor committee, however denominated), (iv) in favor of the Company’s proposal for ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and (v) amendments to organizational documents in a manner that does not have an adverse effect on the holders of Series C Preferred Stock to increase the authorized shares of capital stock. For additional information, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” in this Proxy Statement. | |||||
HOW DO I VOTE? | There are several ways to cast your vote: • You may vote over the Internet or by telephone by following the instructions in the Notice. • If you requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by signing and submitting your proxy card and returning it by mail, if you are the stockholder of record, or by signing the voter instruction form provided by your bank or broker and returning it by mail, if you are the beneficial owner but not the stockholder of record. You may vote your shares at the Annual Meeting by visiting the following website: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CYRX2026. To participate in the Annual Meeting, you will need the 16-digit control number included on your Notice, on your proxy card, or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. Shares held in your name as the stockholder of record may be voted electronically during the Annual Meeting. Shares for which you are the beneficial owner but not the stockholder of record also may be voted electronically during the Annual Meeting. However, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting virtually, the Company recommends that you vote your shares in advance, so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting. | |||||
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HOW DOES THE BOARD RECOMMEND THAT I VOTE MY SHARES? | Unless you give other instructions through your proxy vote, the person(s) named as proxy holders on the proxy card will vote in accordance with the recommendations of the Board. For the reasons set forth in more detail later in this Proxy Statement, the Board recommends the following: | |||||
Proposal 1: | The Board recommends a vote “FOR” all the nominees to the Board. | |||||
Proposal 2: | The Board recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ending December 31, 2026. | |||||
Proposal 3: | The Board recommends a vote “FOR” the advisory vote to approve the compensation of the named executive officers, as disclosed in this Proxy Statement. | |||||
Proposal 4: | The Board recommends a vote “FOR” the Fourth Amendment to the 2018 Plan to, among other things, increase the number of authorized shares under the 2018 Plan. | |||||
WHAT TYPES OF VOTES ARE PERMITTED ON EACH PROPOSAL? | ||||||
Proposal 1: | You may either vote “FOR ALL” nominees, “WITHHOLD ALL” nominees, or “FOR ALL EXCEPT” as to specific nominees. | |||||
Proposal 2: | You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN”. | |||||
Proposal 3: | You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN”. | |||||
Proposal 4: | You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN”. | |||||
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HOW MANY VOTES ARE NEEDED TO APPROVE EACH PROPOSAL? | ||||||
Proposal 1: | Election of a director requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the shares for which votes are cast. The six nominees receiving the most “FOR” votes will be elected. Since only affirmative votes count for this purpose, votes withheld with respect to the election of one or more directors will not be voted with respect to the director or directors indicated, although it will be counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum. Accordingly, votes withheld and broker non-votes (as described below) as to the election of directors will not be counted in determining which nominees received the largest number of votes cast. Stockholders may not cumulate votes in the election of directors. | |||||
Proposal 2: | There must be a “FOR” vote from the majority of votes cast. Abstentions will not be treated as votes cast for or against the proposal and therefore will have no effect on the outcome of the proposal. As discussed further below, brokers, banks, and other holders of record may generally vote in their discretion on routine matters, and therefore no broker non-votes are expected in connection with this proposal to ratify the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm. | |||||
Proposal 3: | There must be a “FOR” vote from the majority of votes cast. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be treated as votes cast for or against the proposal and therefore will have no effect on the outcome of the proposal. | |||||
Proposal 4: | There must be a “FOR” vote from the majority of votes cast. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be treated as votes cast for or against the proposal and therefore will have no effect on the outcome of the proposal. | |||||
WHAT CONSTITUTES A QUORUM? | To carry on the business of the meeting, we must have a quorum. A quorum is present when a majority of the voting power of all of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote, as of the Record Date, are represented in person virtually or by proxy. Shares owned by the Company are not considered outstanding or present at the meeting. Shares that are entitled to vote but that are not voted at the direction of the beneficial owner (called votes withheld or abstentions) and votes withheld by brokers in the absence of instructions from beneficial owners (called broker non-votes) will be counted for the purpose of determining whether there is a quorum for the transaction of business at the meeting. | |||||
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WHAT ARE BROKER NON-VOTES? | Broker non-votes occur with respect to shares held in “street name,” in cases where the record owner (for instance, the brokerage firm or bank) does not receive voting instructions from the beneficial owner and the record owner does not have the authority to vote those shares. The rules of various national and regional securities exchanges, including the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, applicable to brokers, banks, and other holders of record determine whether the record owner (for instance, the brokerage firm or bank) is able to vote on a proposal if the record owner does not receive voting instructions from the beneficial owner. The record owner may vote on proposals that are determined to be routine under these rules and may not vote on proposals that are determined to be non-routine under these rules. If a proposal is determined to be routine, your broker, bank, or other holder of record is permitted to vote on the proposal without receiving voting instructions from you. The proposal to ratify the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 2) is a routine matter and the record owner may vote your shares on this proposal if it does not get instructions from you. The proposal to elect directors (Proposal 1), the proposal to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers (Proposal 3), and the proposal to approve the Fourth Amendment to the 2018 Plan (Proposal 4) are non-routine and the record owner may not vote your shares on any of these proposals if it does not get instructions from you. If you do not provide voting instructions on these matters, a broker non-vote will occur. Broker non-votes, as well as abstentions and votes withheld, will each be counted towards the presence of a quorum but will not be counted towards the number of votes cast for any proposal. | |||||
WHAT IF MY SHARES ARE NOT REGISTERED DIRECTLY IN MY NAME BUT ARE HELD IN “STREET NAME”? | If at the Record Date your shares were held in “street name” (for instance, through a brokerage firm or bank), then you are the beneficial owner of such shares, and such shares are not registered directly in your name. The organization holding your account is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of the Annual Meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct that organization on how to vote the shares in your account. You will receive the Notice and other proxy materials if requested, as well as voting instructions, directly from that organization. | |||||
IF I AM A BENEFICIAL OWNER OF CRYOPORT SHARES, HOW DO I VOTE? | If you are a beneficial owner, you will need to follow the voting instructions provided to you by the organization holding your account (for instance, your brokerage firm). To request documents or if you have any questions about voting, you will need to contact your broker. | |||||
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CAN I DISSENT OR EXERCISE RIGHTS OF APPRAISAL? | Neither Nevada law nor our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation or Amended and Restated Bylaws provide our stockholders with dissenters’ or appraisal rights in connection with any of the proposals to be presented at the Annual Meeting. If the proposals are approved at the Annual Meeting, stockholders voting against such proposals will not be entitled to seek appraisal for their shares. | |||||
HOW ARE THE VOTES COUNTED? | All votes will be tabulated by the inspector of elections appointed for the Annual Meeting who will separately tabulate affirmative and negative votes and withheld votes/abstentions. Any information that identifies a stockholder or the particular vote of a stockholder is kept confidential. | |||||
WILL STOCKHOLDERS BE ASKED TO VOTE ON ANY OTHER MATTERS? | The Board is not aware of any other matters that will be brought before the stockholders for a vote. If any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, the proxy holders will vote on those matters in accordance with the recommendations of the Board or, if no recommendations are given, in accordance with their own judgment. Stockholders attending the meeting may directly vote on those matters or they may vote by proxy. | |||||
WHAT IS “HOUSEHOLDING”? | If you and one or more stockholders share the same address, it is possible that only one copy of the Notice or one copy of the proxy materials, as applicable, was delivered to your address. This is known as “householding.” We will promptly deliver a separate copy of the Notice or, if you requested a printed version by mail, the proxy materials, to you if you call or write us at our principal executive offices at 112 Westwood Place, Suite 350, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027, Attn: Secretary; telephone: (949) 681-2710. If you want to receive separate copies of the Notice or the proxy materials in the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would like to receive only one copy per household, you should contact your bank, broker, or other nominee record holder, or you may contact us at the above address and telephone number. | |||||
WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF I RECEIVE MORE THAN ONE NOTICE OR MORE THAN ONE COPY OF THE PROXY MATERIALS? | If you receive more than one Notice or more than one copy of the proxy materials, your shares are owned in more than one name or in multiple accounts. To ensure that all of your shares are voted, you must follow the voting instructions included in each Notice or proxy materials you receive. Please note that if you hold both common stock and Series C Preferred Stock, you can expect to receive a separate Notice for each class of stock. | |||||
CAN I CHANGE OR REVOKE MY VOTE AFTER I SUBMIT MY PROXY? | Even after you have submitted your proxy card or voted by Internet, you may change or revoke your vote at any time before the proxy is exercised by filing with our Secretary either a notice of revocation or a signed proxy card bearing a later date. The powers of the proxy holders will be suspended with respect to your shares if you attend the meeting virtually and so request, although attendance at the meeting will not by itself revoke a previously granted proxy. | |||||
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Forward-Looking Statements | ![]() | ||
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Proposal 1 Election of Directors | ![]() | ||
• | Strategic thinking |
• | Financial literacy |
• | Integrity and business judgment |
• | Demonstrated leadership ability |
• | Expertise in their respective fields |
• | Independent Lead Director |
• | Annual elections of directors (i.e., no staggered board) |
• | Nomination and Governance Committee oversight of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) initiatives |
• | Directors may contact employees of our Company directly, and the Board or any committee may engage outside independent advisors |
• | Compensation Committee and Chief Executive Officer evaluation process conducted by independent Board members |
• | Five of the six directors are independent |
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Proposal 1: Election of Directors |
PUBLIC COMPANY GOVERNANCE | RISK MANAGEMENT | GLOBAL | FINANCIAL | AUDIT/TAX/ ACCOUNTING | LIFE SCIENCES/ HEALTH CARE | TECHNOLOGY | REGULATORY | |||||||||||||||||||
Linda Baddour | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
Daniel Hancock | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D. | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||
Ram M. Jagannath | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ramkumar Mandalam, Ph.D. | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
Jerrell W. Shelton | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||
Total | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
Board Diversity Matrix (As of April 22, 2026) | ||||||||||||||
Total Number of Directors | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Female | Male | Non- Binary | Did Not Disclose Gender | ||||||||||
Part I: Gender Identity | | | | |||||||||||
Directors | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Part II: Demographic Background | | | | |||||||||||
African American or Black | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Alaskan Native or Native American | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Asian | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Hispanic or Latinx | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
White | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Two or More Races or Ethnicities | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
LGBTQ+ | 0 | |||||||||||||
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background | 0 | |||||||||||||
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Proposal 1: Election of Directors |
Linda Baddour | Linda Baddour, age 67, became a member of our Board of Directors in March 2021 and serves as Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee, Chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors. Ms. Baddour is an experienced senior executive with over twenty years of experience across healthcare, life sciences and pharmaceuticals. Ms. Baddour has served on the board of directors of Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT), a publicly traded analytical laboratory instrument and software company, since 2018, and Signant Health, since 2020. Ms. Baddour is currently serving as the audit committee chair of Waters Corporation. Ms. Baddour has also served on the board of directors of two private companies, Zeus, Inc. and Flourish Research, since 2025. Ms. Baddour also served on the board of directors of Advarra, a Genstar Capital portfolio company, from 2019 until its sale in 2022. From 2007 to 2018, Ms. Baddour served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PRA Health Sciences, Inc., a global contract research organization and data science company. During Ms. Baddour’s tenure, PRA Health Sciences grew from approximately 3,000 employees to over 17,000. From 1995 to 2007, Ms. Baddour worked at Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc., a contract research organization, serving in various roles, including as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Chief Accounting Officer. Ms. Baddour earned both a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and is a CPA-retired. We believe Ms. Baddour’s financial and business expertise, including her background in global contract research organizations, financial leadership in mergers and acquisitions makes her well-qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors. | ||
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Proposal 1: Election of Directors |
Daniel M. Hancock | Daniel Hancock, age 75, became a member of our Board of Directors in January 2019 and serves as member of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Scientific and Technology Committee of our Board of Directors. Mr. Hancock is currently President of DMH Strategic Consulting LLC. He retired from General Motors (“GM”) in 2011, after 43 years of service in GM’s powertrain engineering and general management functions. His last position with GM was Vice President, Global Strategic Product Alliances. During this period, he served as Chair of GM’s DMAX and VM Motori diesel engine joint ventures with Isuzu and Fiat, respectively. Mr. Hancock’s previous appointments at GM included: Vice President, Global Powertrain Engineering; CEO, Fiat-GM Powertrain; and President, Allison Transmission Division. Mr. Hancock had full functional responsibility for the global operations of Fiat-GM Powertrain and Allison Transmission Division during his assignments there. Mr. Hancock is serving as chair of the board of SuperTurbo Technologies, Inc., a privately-held developer of advanced turbo compounding systems for engines. In addition, Mr. Hancock serves in an advisory capacity to several global suppliers to the automotive and commercial vehicle industries. Mr. Hancock previously served as Chair of the Board of Westport Fuel Systems (NASDAQ: WPRT), a Vancouver, B.C. based global supplier of clean gaseous fuel parts and systems for the transportation industry, from July 2017 until December 2025. He was President of SAE International in 2014 and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He is a Trustee of the FISITA Foundation, a professional association serving the global automotive engineering societies. He received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a bachelor’s degree also in mechanical engineering from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), Michigan. We believe Mr. Hancock’s global business experience, strong business acumen, and extensive manufacturing and engineering expertise qualifies him well to serve as a member of our Board of Directors. | ||
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Proposal 1: Election of Directors |
Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D. | Dr. Hariri, M.D., Ph.D., age 66, became a member of our Board of Directors in September 2015 and serves as Chair of the Scientific and Technology Committee and member of the Nomination and Governance Committee of our Board of Directors. Dr. Hariri is a visionary surgeon, scientist, aviator and entrepreneur and serves as the Founder, Chair and CEO of Celularity, Inc. (NASDAQ: CELU). Previously, he served as the CEO of the Cellular Therapeutics Division of Celgene Corporation from 2005 to 2013. Prior to joining Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Dr. Hariri was founder, chair and chief scientific officer at Anthrogenesis Corporation, a privately held biomedical technology and service corporation involved in the area of human stem cell therapeutics, which was acquired by Celgene in 2002. Dr. Hariri also co-founded the genomic-based health intelligence company, Human Longevity, Inc. Dr. Hariri is an Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery and member of the Board of Overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and is a former member of the Board of Visitors of the Columbia University School of Engineering & Applied Sciences and the Science & Technology Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also a member of the X Prize Foundation scientific advisory board for the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics. Dr. Hariri is also a Trustee and vice-chair of the Liberty Science Center. In addition to Cryoport, Dr. Hariri has served as a member of the board of directors of various companies, including Myos Corporation from July 2011 to November 2020, where he served as Chair of the board from April 2012 to November 2020, Bionik Laboratories Corp. from March 2015 to October 2017, and Bio Vie Inc. from June 2020 to March 2025. He has pioneered the use of stem cells to treat a range of life-threatening diseases and has over 170 issued and pending patents, has authored over 150 published chapters, articles and abstracts and is most recognized for his discovery of pluripotent stem cells from the placenta as a member of the team which discovered TNF (tumor necrosis factor). A jet-rated commercial pilot with thousands of hours of flight time in over 60 different military and civilian aircraft, Dr. Hariri is a founder of Jet-A Aviation, a heavy-jet charter airline. | ||
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Dr. Hariri received his undergraduate training at Columbia College and Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and was awarded his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University Medical College. Dr. Hariri received his surgical training at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center where he also co-directed the Aitken Laboratory in Neurosurgery. We believe Dr. Hariri’s training as a scientist, his knowledge and experience with respect to the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries and his extensive research and experience makes him well-qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors. | |||
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Proposal 1: Election of Directors |
Ram M. Jagannath | Ram Jagannath, age 49, became a member of our Board of Directors in October 2020. Mr. Jagannath is the Global Head of Healthcare at Blackstone, based in New York. Since joining Blackstone in 2019, Mr. Jagannath has led Blackstone’s investments in Hologic, Chartis, DNAnexus, Life Science Logistics, Medable, Hydrogen Health, Ginger, ZO Skin Health, Cryoport, and HealthEdge, and was involved in Blackstone’s investments in Advarra, Precision Medicine Group, and Alnylam/inclisiran royalty. He is also a member of the Blackstone Growth Investment Committee. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Jagannath was a founding Partner of Navab Capital Partners (NCP), where he was Head of Healthcare and a member of NCP’s Management and Investment Committees. Prior to NCP, he was a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, focused on healthcare investments in Carlyle’s flagship US Buyout private equity fund. Previously, he worked at Genstar Capital and Thomas Weisel Capital Partners. Mr. Jagannath currently serves on the Board of Directors of Hologic, Chartis, Life Science Logistics and Headspace Health, and previously served as Board Chairman or Director of HealthEdge and ZO Skin Health. He also serves on the Healthcare Leadership Council, the Board of Visitors of the Duke Pratt School of Engineering, the Board of Directors of the Navy SEAL Foundation, and the Kellogg School of Management Private Equity Advisory Council. Mr. Jagannath was previously a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has been recognized as one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare and GrowthCap’s Top 25 Healthcare Investors. Mr. Jagannath received a BSE in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering with a minor in Economics from Duke University, and a J.D./MBA from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law and Kellogg School of Management. After Duke, he was a Fulbright Scholar in Economic Development at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. We believe Mr. Jagannath’s experience in the healthcare industry, in mergers and acquisitions, and his background in engineering make him well-qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors. For additional information regarding Mr. Jagannath’s nomination, see “—Corporate Governance Structure and Function—What are the nominating procedures and criteria?—Blackstone Nominee.” | ||
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Proposal 1: Election of Directors |
Ramkumar Mandalam, Ph.D. | Dr. Mandalam, age 61, became a member of our Board of Directors in June 2014 and serves as Lead Director, Chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the Nomination and Governance Committee, Audit Committee and the Science and Technology Committee of our Board of Directors. Dr. Mandalam is currently the Founder and CEO of Citra BioConsulting Inc., a consulting firm providing services to the cell and gene therapy industry. Prior to founding Citra BioConsulting in 2021, he was the CEO, President and board member of Cellerant Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel cell-based and antibody therapies for cancer treatment and blood-related disorders. Under his leadership, Cellerant developed a pipeline of candidates for treatment of hematological malignancies and rapidly expanded from an early-stage to an advanced clinical-stage company. Prior to joining Cellerant in 2005, he was the Executive Director of Product Development at Geron Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company where he managed the development and manufacturing of cell-based therapies for treatment of degenerative diseases and cancer. From 1994 to 2000, he held various positions in research and development at Aastrom Biosciences, where he was responsible for programs involving ex vivo expansion of human bone marrow stem cells and dendritic cells. In addition to serving on the Board, Dr. Mandalam serves on the Commercial advisory board of NSF center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT). Dr. Mandalam received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Mandalam is the author or co-author of several publications, patent applications, and abstracts. We believe Dr. Mandalam’s training as a scientist, extensive background in biotechnology and management expertise makes him well-qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors and Lead Director. | ||
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Jerrell W. Shelton | Jerrell W. Shelton, age 80, became a member of our Board of Directors in October 2012 and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company in November 2012. He was appointed Chair of the Board in October 2015. He served on the board of directors and standing committees of Solera Holdings, Inc. from April 2007 through November 2011. From June 2004 to May 2006, Mr. Shelton was the Chair and CEO of Wellness, Inc., a provider of advanced, integrated hospital and clinical environments. Prior to that, he served as Visiting Executive to IBM Research and Head of IBM’s WebFountain. From October 1998 to October 1999, Mr. Shelton was Chair, President and CEO of NDC Holdings II, Inc. Between October 1996 and July 1998, he was President and CEO of Continental Graphics Holdings, Inc. And, from October 1991 to July 1996, Mr. Shelton served as President and CEO of Thomson Business Information Group. Mr. Shelton has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. We believe Mr. Shelton’s extensive leadership, management, strategic planning and financial expertise through his various leadership and directorship roles in public, private and global companies, makes him well-qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors. | ||
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Proposal 1: Election of Directors |
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Corporate Governance and Board Matters | ![]() | ||
How Often Did The Board Meet During 2025? | During 2025, there were five meetings of the Board, as well as several actions taken with the unanimous written consent of the Board with informal discussions and communication prior to the execution of such consents, but without a meeting. In 2025, each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board and committees on which such director served (during the periods for which the director served on the Board and such committees). The Company does not have a written policy requiring directors to attend its annual meeting of stockholders. Last year, one director, Mr. Shelton, attended our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. | ||
Do We Have Independent Directors? | Our Board is responsible for determining the independence of our directors. For purposes of determining director independence, our Board has applied the definitions set forth in NASDAQ Rule 5605(a)(2) and the related rules of the SEC. Based upon its evaluation, our Board has affirmatively determined that the following directors meet the standards of independence: Mr. Hancock, Dr. Hariri, Dr. Mandalam, Mr. Jagannath and Ms. Baddour. Mr. Richard Berman, who passed away in February 2025, was previously determined to be independent by the Board as well. | ||
What Committees has the Board established? | Our Board has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nomination and Governance Committee and a Science and Technology Committee. Charters for each of these committees are available on the Company’s website at www.cryoportinc.com on the “Governance: Governance Documents” page under the heading “Investor Relations.” Information on the website does not constitute a part of this Proxy Statement. | ||
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Corporate Governance |
![]() | Chairperson | ![]() | Member | ||||||
NAME | AUDIT COMMITTEE | COMPENSATION COMMITTEE | NOMINATION AND GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE | SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE | ||||||||||
Linda Baddour | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||
Daniel M. Hancock | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||
Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D. | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||
Ram Jagannath | ||||||||||||||
Ramkumar Mandalam, Ph.D. | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||
Jerrell Shelton | ||||||||||||||
Audit Committee | The functions of the Audit Committee are to (i) review the qualifications of the independent auditors, our annual and interim financial statements, the independent auditor’s report, significant reporting or operating issues and corporate policies and procedures as they relate to accounting and financial controls; and (ii) consider and review other matters relating to our financial and accounting affairs. The current members of the Audit Committee are Ms. Baddour, who is the Audit Committee Chair, Mr. Hancock and Dr. Mandalam. The Company has determined that Ms. Baddour qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined under the rules of the SEC. Additionally, the Company has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is “independent” under SEC and NASDAQ rules applicable to audit committee members, as well as meets NASDAQ’s financial literacy and financial sophistication requirements. During 2025, the Audit Committee held seven meetings. In addition, the Audit Committee regularly held discussions regarding the consolidated financial statements of the Company during Board meetings. | ||
Compensation Committee | The purpose of the Compensation Committee is to discharge the Board’s responsibilities relating to compensation of the Company’s directors and executive officers, to produce an annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in the Company’s Proxy Statement, as necessary, and to oversee and advise the Board on the adoption of policies that govern the Company’s compensation programs including stock incentive and benefit plans. The current members of the Compensation Committee are Dr. Mandalam, who is the Compensation Committee Chair, Mr. Hancock and Ms. Baddour, each of whom is “independent” under SEC and NASDAQ rules applicable to compensation committee members. Each of the current members of the Compensation Committee is a “non-employee director” under Section 16 of the Exchange Act. During 2025, the Compensation Committee held six meetings. | ||
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Corporate Governance |
Nomination & Governance Committee | The functions of the Nomination and Governance Committee are to (i) make recommendations to the Board regarding the size of the Board, (ii) make recommendations to the Board regarding criteria for the selection of director nominees, (iii) identify and recommend to the Board for selection as director nominees individuals qualified to become members of the Board, (iv) recommend committee assignments to the Board, (v) recommend to the Board corporate governance principles and practices appropriate to the Company, (vi) provide oversight over the Company’s sustainability efforts as formalized in its ESG Program, and (vii) lead the Board in an annual review of its performance. The current members of the Nomination and Governance Committee are Ms. Baddour, who is the Nomination and Governance Committee Chair, Dr. Hariri and Dr. Mandalam. During 2025, the Nomination and Governance Committee held two meetings. | ||
Science & Technology Committee | The functions of the Science and Technology Committee are to oversee matters pertaining to the Company’s strategic direction as related to products, systems and services serving the Company’s client businesses and investments in research and development and technology relating to the same. The current members of the Science and Technology Committee are Dr. Hariri, who is the Science and Technology Committee Chair, Mr. Hancock and Dr. Mandalam. During 2025, the Science and Technology Committee held two meetings. | ||
What are the nominating procedures and criteria? | Director Qualifications. The Nomination and Governance Committee believes that persons nominated to the Board should have personal integrity and high ethical character. Candidates should not have any interests that would materially impair his or her ability to exercise independent judgment or otherwise discharge the fiduciary duties owed by a director to the Company and its stockholders. Candidates must be able to represent fairly and equally all stockholders of the Company without favoring any particular stockholder group or other constituency of the Company and must be prepared to devote adequate time to the Board and its committees. Identifying Director Candidates. The Nomination and Governance Committee utilizes a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating nominees to serve as directors when vacancies occur. The Nomination and Governance Committee has a policy of re-nominating incumbent directors who continue to satisfy the committee’s criteria for membership and whom the Nomination and Governance Committee believes continue to make important contributions to the Board and who consent to continue their service on the Board. | ||
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Corporate Governance |
In filling vacancies of the Board, the Nomination and Governance Committee will solicit recommendations for nominees from the persons the committee believes are likely to be familiar with (i) the needs of the Company and (ii) qualified candidates. These persons may include members of the Board and management of the Company. The Nomination and Governance Committee may also engage a professional search firm to assist in identifying qualified candidates. In evaluating potential nominees, the Nomination and Governance Committee will oversee the collection of information concerning the background and qualifications of the candidate and determine whether the candidate satisfies the qualifications required by the committee for election as director and whether the candidate possesses any of the specific skills or qualities that under the Board’s policies must be possessed by one or more members of the Board. The Nomination and Governance Committee’s written policy on Board diversity provides that, when evaluating potential candidates for nomination, it will consider all aspects of each candidate’s qualifications and skills in the context of the needs of the Company at that point in time with a view to creating a Board with diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, education, cultural background, viewpoints, skills, perspectives, professional experiences and other differentiating characteristics. The Nomination and Governance Committee also considers the results of the vote of the stockholders on the election of directors and stockholder engagement on diversity issues. While there can be no assurance such candidates will emerge, it is in the best interest of the Company, as a global provider of logistics services to the life sciences industry, to embrace the richness of diversity whenever possible. The Nomination and Governance Committee will make its selections based on all the available information and relevant considerations. The Nomination and Governance Committee’s selection will be based on who, in the view of the committee, will be best suited for membership on the Board. Stockholder Nominees. The Nomination and Governance Committee will consider director nominee recommendations by stockholders, provided the names of such nominees, accompanied by relevant biographical information, are properly submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Company in accordance with the manner described for stockholder nominations under the heading “Stockholder Proposals for Next Annual Meeting.” In making its selection, the Nomination and Governance Committee will evaluate candidates proposed by stockholders under criteria similar to other candidates, except that the committee may consider, as one of the factors in its evaluation, the size and duration of the interest of the recommending stockholder in the stock of the Company. The Nomination and Governance Committee may also consider the extent to which the recommending stockholder intends to continue to hold its interest in the Company, including whether the recommending stockholder intends to continue holding its interest at least through the time of the meeting at which the candidate is to be elected. The Secretary will forward all validly submitted recommendations to the Nomination and Governance Committee. The acceptance of a recommendation from a stockholder does not imply that the Nomination and Governance Committee will recommend to the Board the nomination of the stockholder recommended candidate. | |||
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Corporate Governance |
Blackstone Nominee. Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into in connection with the issuance and sale of our Series C Preferred Stock, for so long as the Purchaser Parties (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) hold 66.67% of the Series C Preferred Stock issued to them under the Securities Purchase Agreement, Blackstone Freeze Parent (as defined elsewhere in this Proxy Statement) has the right to nominate for election one member to the Board. Blackstone Freeze Parent has designated Mr. Jagannath as its nominee. For additional information, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” in this Proxy Statement. | |||
How is the Board structured? | Pursuant to our Amended and Restated Bylaws, the Chair of the Board presides at meetings of the Board. The Chair of the Board is currently the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Shelton. | ||
CHAIR | The Board has determined that its current structure, with a combined Chair and Chief Executive Officer, is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Board believes that combining the Chair and Chief Executive Officer positions is currently the most effective leadership structure for the Company given Mr. Shelton’s in-depth knowledge of the Company’s technology, business and industry, and his ability to formulate and implement strategic initiatives. Further, Mr. Shelton is intimately involved in the day-to-day operations of the Company and is thus in a position to elevate the most critical business issues for consideration by the independent directors of the Board. | ||
LEAD DIRECTOR | The Board appointed Dr. Mandalam as the Lead Director in February 2025. Dr. Mandalam’s appointment follows the passing of Mr. Berman, who served as our Lead Director for ten years. Among other responsibilities, the Lead Director presides over regularly scheduled meetings at which only our independent directors are present, serves as a liaison between the Chair and Chief Executive Officer and the independent directors, and performs such additional duties as our Board may otherwise determine and delegate. We believe the appointment of a Lead Director, the independent nature of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Nomination and Governance Committee, as well as the practice of the independent directors regularly meeting in executive session without Mr. Shelton and the other members of the Company’s management present, ensures that the Board maintains a level of independent oversight of management that is appropriate for the Company. | ||
Are there any family relationships among the directors and the executive officers? | There are no family relationships among any of our directors and executive officers. | ||
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Corporate Governance |
What is the Board’s role in risk oversight? | The Board oversees an enterprise-wide approach to risk management that is designed to support the achievement of organizational objectives to improve long-term performance and enhance stockholder value. A fundamental part of risk management is not only understanding the risks a company faces and what steps management is taking to manage those risks, but also understanding what level of risk is appropriate for the Company. In setting the Company’s business strategy, the Board assesses the various risks being mitigated by management and determines what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for the Company. While the Board has the ultimate oversight responsibility for the risk management process, various committees of the Board also have responsibility for risk management. In particular, the Audit Committee focuses on financial risk, which includes internal controls and cybersecurity risks, and receives financial risk assessment reports from management. Risks related to the compensation programs are reviewed by the Compensation Committee. The Nomination and Governance Committee is responsible for governance risk, including oversight of the Company’s policies on avoidance of conflicts of interest, insider trading, and management succession. The Board is advised by these committees of significant risks and management’s response via periodic updates. | ||
DOES THE COMPANY HAVE AN INSIDER TRADING POLICY? | Yes, the Board has adopted an | ||
DOES THE COMPANY HAVE A POLICY LIMITING THE NUMBER OF other BOARDs that A DIRECTOR may serve on? | Yes, the Board has adopted a policy on other directorships and significant activities, commonly referred to as an overboarding policy, to help ensure that each director has sufficient time to devote to serving on the Board. In accordance with this policy, without specific approval from the Board, (i) a director may not serve on more than three public company boards of directors (including the Board); and (ii) no director that also serves as an executive officer or equivalent position of a public company may serve on more than two public company boards of directors (including the Board). | ||
How can stockholders communicate with the Board? | The Board encourages stockholders to send communications about bona fide issues concerning the Company to the Board or specified members through its Nomination and Governance Committee. All such communications, except those related to stockholder proposals discussed under the heading “Stockholder Proposals for Next Annual Meeting,” must be sent to the Nomination and Governance Committee Chair at the Company’s offices at 112 Westwood Place, Suite 350, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027. Any such communication will be promptly distributed to the director or directors named therein unless such communication is considered, either presumptively or in the reasonable judgment of the Nomination and Governance Committee Chair, to be improper for submission to the intended recipient or recipients. | ||
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Ownership of Securities | ![]() | ||
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT |
Beneficial Owner | Number of Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned | Percentage of Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned | Number of Shares of Series C Preferred Stock Beneficially Owned | Percentage of Shares of Series C Preferred Stock Beneficially Owned | ||||||||||
Named Executive Officers and Directors: | ||||||||||||||
Jerrell W. Shelton | 2,672,044(1) | 5.2% | — | — | ||||||||||
Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D. | 287,300(1) | * | — | — | ||||||||||
Ramkumar Mandalam, Ph.D. | 316,783(1) | * | — | — | ||||||||||
Daniel Hancock | 219,727(1) | * | — | — | ||||||||||
Ram M. Jagannath | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Linda Baddour | 161,124(1) | * | — | — | ||||||||||
Robert S. Stefanovich | 692,322(1) | 1.4% | — | — | ||||||||||
Mark W. Sawicki, Ph.D. | 417,661(1) | * | — | — | ||||||||||
Edward J. Zecchini | 284,757(1) | * | ||||||||||||
All directors and executive officers as a group (9 persons) | 5,051,718(1) | 9.5% | — | — | ||||||||||
Other Stockholders: | ||||||||||||||
Entities affiliated with The Blackstone Group Inc. | 6,904,418 (2) | 12.2% | 200,000(3) | 100% | ||||||||||
Entities Affiliated with Morgan Stanley | 4,141,522(3) | 8.3% | | |||||||||||
BlackRock, Inc. | 3,568,644(4) | 7.1% | — | — | ||||||||||
Entities Affiliated with Cadian Capital Management, LP | 4,927,027(5) | 9.8% | — | — | ||||||||||
Entities Affiliated with Integrated Core Strategies (US) LLC | 3,244,802(6) | 6.5% | — | — | ||||||||||
* | Represents less than 1% |
(1) | Includes shares which individuals shown above have the right to acquire as of the Record Date, or within 60 days thereafter, pursuant to outstanding stock options and unvested RSR’s as follows: Mr. Shelton — 1,545,437 shares; Dr. Hariri — 236,025 shares; Dr. Mandalam — 236,025 shares; Mr. Hancock — 161,025 shares; Ms. Baddour — 103,375 shares; Mr. Stefanovich — 413,045 shares; Dr. Sawicki — 315,305 shares and Mr. Zecchini — 194,346 shares. With respect to Mr. Stefanovich, also includes 165,000 shares held by the Jerrell W. Shelton 2021 GST Exempt Trust, over which Mr. Stefanovich has sole voting and dispositive power. |
(2) | Represents (x) 443,057 shares of common stock and 195,439 shares of Series C Preferred Stock, which are convertible into 6,303,906 shares of common stock, directly held by Blackstone Freeze Parent L.P. and (y) 10,339 shares of common stock and 4,561 shares of Series C Preferred Stock, which are convertible into 147,116 shares of common stock, directly held by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund—FD L.P. |
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT |
(3) | According to the Schedule 13G filed by Morgan Stanley on February 8, 2024, the shares reported are beneficially owned by Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Capital Services LLC. Morgan Stanley has the sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 4,088,185 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 4,141,522 shares. Morgan Stanley Capital Services LLC has the sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 4,005,390 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 4,005,390 shares. The address for these entities is 1585 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. |
(4) | According to the Schedule 13G/A filed by BlackRock, Inc. on January 26, 2024, the shares reported are beneficially owned by BlackRock, Inc., which has the sole voting power with respect to 3,493,288 shares, shared voting power with respect to 0 shares, and sole dispositive power with respect to 3,568,644 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 0 shares. The shares are owned, directly or indirectly, by BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries BlackRock Life Limited, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, Aperio Group, LLC, BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V., BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association, BlackRock Asset Management Ireland Limited, BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., BlackRock Asset Management Schweiz AG, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited, BlackRock Fund Advisors, and BlackRock Fund Managers Ltd. The address for BlackRock, Inc. is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001. |
(5) | According to the Schedule 13G/A filed by Cadian Capital Management, LP on February 13, 2025, the shares reported are beneficially owned by Cadian Capital Management LP, Cadian Capital Management GP, LLC, and Eric Bannasch, which each has the sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 4,927,027 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 4,927,027 shares. The address for these entities is 535 Madison Avenue, 36th Floor, New York, NY 10022. |
(6) | According to the Schedule 13G/A filed by Integrated Core Strategies (US) LLC on February 5, 2026, the shares reported are beneficially owned by Integrated Core Strategies (US) LLC, Millennium Management LLC, Millennium Group Management LLC, and Israel A. Englander. Integrated Core Strategies (US) LLC has the sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 3,231,470 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 3,231,470 shares. Millennium Management LLC has the sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 3,244,802 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 3,244,802 shares. Millennium Group Management LLC has the sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 3,244,802 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 3,244,802 shares. Israel A. Englander has the sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 3,244,802 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 3,244,802 shares. The address for these entities is 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022. |
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Proposal 2 To ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ending December 31, 2026 | ![]() | ||
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees | ![]() | ||
Year Ended December 31, 2024 | Year Ended December 31, 2025 | |||||||
Audit Fees | $1,930,365 | $1,770,000 | ||||||
Audit-Related Fees | — | — | ||||||
Tax Fees | — | 27,000 | ||||||
All Other Fees | 1,895 | 1,895 | ||||||
Total Fees | $1,932,260 | $1,798,895 | ||||||
The fees billed to us by Deloitte during or related to the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2025, respectively, consist of audit fees, tax fees and all other fees, as applicable, as follows: | |||
Audit Fees | |||
Audit fees consist of the fees for professional services rendered for the audit of our financial statements, audit of our internal control over financial reporting, review of our quarterly financial statements, accounting consultations, and those services that are normally provided by an independent auditor in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for the fiscal year, such as consents and other services related to SEC matters. | |||
Tax Fees | |||
Tax fees consist of the fees for other permissible professional services rendered in connection with tax compliance, tax advisory and tax planning. There were no tax fees in 2024. | |||
All Other Fees | |||
All other fees consist of fees for services other than the services reported in audit fees and tax fees, including subscriptions to Deloitte’s accounting reference library. | |||
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees |
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Fees | |||
The Audit Committee must pre-approve all services to be performed for us by our independent auditors. Pre-approval is granted usually at regularly scheduled meetings of the Audit Committee. If unanticipated items arise between regularly scheduled meetings of the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee has delegated authority to the Chair of the Audit Committee to pre-approve services, in which case the Chair communicates such pre-approval to the full Audit Committee at its next meeting. The Audit Committee also may approve the additional unanticipated services by either convening a special meeting or acting by unanimous written consent. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2025, all services billed by Deloitte were pre-approved by the Audit Committee in accordance with this policy. | |||
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Audit Committee Report | ![]() | ||
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Proposal 3 To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers | ![]() | ||
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Proposal 4 To approve an amendment to the Cryoport, Inc. 2018 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan to, among other things, increase the number of authorized shares under the plan | ![]() | ||
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Proposal 4 |
• | Outstanding full-value awards (RSRs): 1,083,194 (1.8% of our fully-diluted shares outstanding); |
• | Outstanding stock options: 5,699,444 shares (9.6% of our fully-diluted shares outstanding) (outstanding stock options have a weighted average exercise price of $16.73 and a weighted average remaining term of 3.4 years); |
• | The total number of shares of common stock subject to outstanding awards: 6,782,638 shares (11.5% of our fully-diluted shares outstanding); |
• | Total shares of common stock available for future awards under the 2018 Plan: 2,437,831 shares (4.1% of our fully-diluted shares outstanding); |
• | The total number of shares of common stock subject to outstanding awards (6,782,638 shares), plus the total number of shares available for future awards under the 2018 Plan (2,437,831 shares), represents a current fully-diluted overhang percentage of 15.6% (in other words, the potential dilution of our stockholders represented by the 2018 Plan); and |
• | If the Fourth Amendment is approved by the Company’s stockholders, the total shares of common stock subject to outstanding awards as of December 31, 2025 (6,782,638 shares), plus the shares remaining available for future awards under the 2018 Plan (2,437,831 shares), plus the proposed new shares available for issuance under the 2018 Plan as amended by the Fourth Amendment (4,275,000 shares), represent a total fully-diluted overhang of 13,495,469 shares (21.3% of our fully-diluted shares outstanding) under the 2018 Plan. |
| Equity Compensation Usage | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 3-Year Avg. | ||||||||||
Options | 432,990 | 342,531 | 523,684 | 433,068 | ||||||||||
RSRs | 667,319 | 460,599 | 689,893 | 605,937 | ||||||||||
Total Awards | 1,100,309 | 803,130 | 1,213,577 | 1,039,005 | ||||||||||
Gross Usage (% Outstanding) | 2.26% | 1.63% | 2.42% | 2.10% | ||||||||||
Adjusted Gross Usage (% Outstanding)[1] | 1.88% | 1.32% | 2.01% | 1.73% | ||||||||||
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding | 48,737,377 | 49,349,624 | 50,071,665 | 49,386,222 | ||||||||||
Number of people eligible to participate in the 2018 Plan | 895 | 922 | 568 | 795 | ||||||||||
[1] | Adjusted Gross Usage normalizes for the difference in grant date fair value between options and RSRs. Adjusted usage rate reflects grant date fair value of awards granted as a percent of company market capitalization at the time of grant. |
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Proposal 4 |
1. | Disciplined equity usage rate: We have maintained a disciplined approach to equity usage amidst significant stock price volatility. This is illustrated by the Company maintaining a gross usage rate in the range of 1.63% - 2.42% over the past three years (and a net usage rate, which offsets gross usage with awards forfeited or expired during the period, of 0.45% to 1.78% during the same period), which required reducing grant value from $18.3 million in 2023 to $6.7 million in 2025 (based on the number of awards granted multiplied by the weighted average fair value of such awards, in each case). The Company works with its compensation consultant to regularly evaluate how the Company’s equity usage compares to market practice. |
2. | Principled use of stock options: We have provided the majority of executives’ long-term incentives tied to stock performance in the form of premium-priced stock options, where value cannot be realized unless share price increases by more than 10% from the stock price on the date of grant, thereby directly aligning participants’ interests with those of stockholders. |
3. | Managing dilution: |
• | The Company’s outstanding dilution (outstanding equity awards as a percentage of fully-diluted shares outstanding) has decreased from 14.3% as of December 31, 2023 to 11.5% as of December 31, 2025. |
• | Starting in 2021, the Company switched from granting options that expire 10 years after issuance to granting options that expire 7 years after issuance as one means of managing dilution and is expected to further reduce dilution over time; notably, as of December 31, 2025, there were 1,446,270 options outstanding that were issued more than seven years ago, which represents 2.4% of our fully-diluted shares outstanding as of December 31, 2025. Such awards will expire by December 31, 2028. |
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Proposal 4 |
4. | Stockholder proposal is reasonably sized: We believe that the additional shares from the Fourth Amendment will be sufficient to cover the Company’s equity compensation needs for two or three years and will allow the Company sufficient flexibility to execute its long-term strategy while ensuring stockholders have an opportunity to regularly indicate their support. |
5. | Elimination of Liberal Share Recycling Provision: As we continue to evaluate and implement improvements to our equity compensation program, and the Fourth Amendment eliminates the “liberal share recycling” provisions from the 2018 Plan to provide maximum transparency to stockholders of the Company’s share usage. If the Fourth Amendment is approved, the following shares will be counted against the number of shares available under the 2018 Plan (and will not be added back to the shares available for grant under the share counting provisions): (i) shares tendered by a participant in payment of the grant or exercise price of an option or other award, (ii) shares tendered by a participant or withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to an award, (iii) shares not issued or delivered as a result of the net settlement of an outstanding option or stock appreciation right, or (iv) shares purchased on the open market with the cash proceeds from the exercise of options. |
6. | Continued Incorporation of Best Pay Governance Practices: The 2018 Plan includes a number of features that are widely considered to be best practices in compensation or corporate governance. The 2018 Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee, which is comprised solely of directors who are “independent” based on the standards set forth by NASDAQ. The 2018 Plan includes limits on awards to non-employee directors. All options or stock appreciation rights must have an exercise price that is at least 100% of the fair market value of the common shares on the date of grant. The 2018 Plan prohibits the Company from repricing stock options or stock appreciation rights without shareholder approval. The 2018 Plan prohibits the payment of current dividends or dividend equivalents on unvested awards. The 2018 Plan also does not contain an evergreen feature (evergreen features provide for automatic replenishment of authorized shares available under an equity plan) and does not provide for any tax gross-ups or tax reimbursement in connection with any type of equity award that may be granted under its terms. |
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Proposal 4 |
• | The number of shares of available for grant under the 2018 Plan shall be reduced by one share for each share subject to awards granted under the 2018 Plan. |
• | If any award granted under the 2018 Plan, or any award outstanding under any Prior Plan (as defined in the 2018 Plan) after the effective date terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason, or is settled in cash (in whole or in part) or otherwise does not result in the issuance of all or a portion of the shares subject to such award, then in each such case, the number of shares subject to such award shall again be available or added to the shares available for grant under the 2018 Plan on a one-for-one basis. |
• | If the Fourth Amendment is approved by the Company’s stockholders, the following shares shall be counted against the number of shares available under the 2018 Plan and shall not be added back to the shares available for grant under 2018 Plan: (i) shares tendered in payment of the grant or exercise price of an option or other award; (ii) shares tendered or withheld to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to an award; (iii) shares not issued or delivered as a result of the net settlement of an outstanding option or SAR; or (iv) shares purchased on the open market with the cash proceeds from the exercise of options. |
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Proposal 4 |
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Proposal 4 |
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Proposal 4 |
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Proposal 4 |
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Proposal 4 |
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Proposal 4 |
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Compensation Discussion and Analysis | ![]() | ||
Executive Compensation Philosophy | The Compensation Committee’s compensation philosophy is to provide compensation that will attract and maintain high-performing talent in our industry, motivate the Company’s executive officers to create long-term value and enhance stockholder value, provide a fair reward for their accomplishments, and stimulate our executive officers’ professional and personal growth. The Compensation Committee believes that the compensation of its executive officers should align the executive officers’ interests with those of the stockholders and focus executive officer behavior not only on the achievement of near-term corporate goals, but also on the achievement of long-term business objectives and strategies. | ||
The Compensation Committee evaluates the performance and compensation of executive officers annually to make sure that compensation remains competitive relative to compensation paid by companies of similar size operating in our industries, considering the Company’s relative performance and strategic goals. The Compensation Committee considers the total current and potential long-term compensation of each of our executive officers in establishing each element of compensation and views each element as related but distinct. | |||
The Compensation Committee also believes that it must maintain flexibility in establishing compensation practices to allow it to address compensation trends, competitive issues, business needs, economic environment and special situations that will be encountered in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of employees. Therefore, the compensation practices approved by the Compensation Committee will likely vary from year to year and from person to person, depending on the particular circumstances. | |||
Name | Title | ||||
Jerrell Shelton | Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Robert Stefanovich | Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Mark Sawicki, Ph.D. | Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, also CEO of Cryoport Systems, LLC | ||||
Edward Zecchini | Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer | ||||
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
• | base salary that provides a fixed level of cash compensation to attract and retain skilled senior executives; |
• | annual cash incentive compensation that motivates the executive officers to lead and manage the business to meet the Company’s short-and long-term objectives of responsibly delivering targeted Total Stockholder Return (TSR); |
• | performance-based stock options that align executives with stockholders through gains in equity value (exercise price is set 10% higher than our closing stock price on the date of grant) and encourages retention and motivates long-term thinking to respond to the Company’s business challenges through time-based vesting over four years; and |
• | restricted stock rights (RSRs) awards that align executives’ interest with stockholders’ interest through equity ownership to ensure that its executive officers are motivated over the long-term to respond to the Company’s business challenges and opportunities as owners and not just as employees through time-based vesting over a four-year period. |
• | “At-risk” compensation focuses executives on achievement of short- and long-term goals. The Company’s executive compensation program is primarily performance-based, for both short-term incentives (annual cash bonuses) and long-term incentives (equity awards). In 2025, a significant portion of the primary compensation (base salary, annual equity awards and target cash bonuses under our Management Incentive Plan, in each case as reflected in the “Salary,” “Stock Awards,” “Option Awards,” columns of the 2025 Summary Compensation Table and in the “Target Bonus” column of the “2025 Bonus Calculations”) of our Chief Executive Officer and our other NEOs was variable (approximately 60.5% and 46.4%, respectively), based on performance or stock price. |

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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
• | Short-term cash incentives should be based on objective, measurable goals to drive the achievement of strong annual performance. For 2025, under the Management Incentive Plan (the “Bonus Plan”), our Chief Executive Officer was eligible for a target cash bonus equal to 100% of base salary that could be earned at 0-150% of target based on performance against annual revenue (50% weighting) and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”) (50% weighting). The other NEOs were eligible for target cash bonuses equal to 60% of base salary that could be earned at 0-150% of target based on performance against annual revenue (40% weighting), adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”) (40% weighting), and individual (20% weighting) goals. |
• | A majority of long-term incentives should be performance-based. More than 60% of our long-term incentive value was granted in the form of performance-based stock options for 2025. In 2025, long-term incentive compensation value for our Chief Executive Officer was comprised of approximately 61.5% performance-based stock options and 38.5% RSRs and for our other NEOs was comprised of approximately 62% performance-based stock options and 38% RSRs. The performance-based stock options have an exercise price that is 10% higher than our closing stock price on the date of grant, thus requiring achievement of a 10% stock price increase before the stock options begin to have realizable value to the executives, subject to the service-based vesting conditions. |
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
What We Do | What We Don’t Do | ||||||||
✔ | Grant compensation that is primarily at-risk and variable | ✘ | Allow hedging or pledging of Company stock | ||||||
✔ | Subject short-term incentive compensation to measurable and rigorous goals | ✘ | Reprice stock options | ||||||
✔ | Use an independent compensation consultant | ✘ | Provide excessive perquisites | ||||||
✔ | Cap annual cash incentive payments at 150% of target and stock options do not provide value unless there is a stock price increase | ✘ | Provide supplemental executive retirement plans | ||||||
✔ | Award over 50% of long-term incentive compensation in performance-based option awards | ✘ | Pay tax gross-ups on a change in control | ||||||
✔ | Structure compensation to avoid excessive risk taking | ✘ | Provide “single trigger” change in control payments | ||||||
✔ | Provide compensation that is competitive with an industry peer group | ✘ | Provide excessive severance benefits | ||||||
✔ | Have rigorous stock ownership guidelines | ||||||||
✔ | Have a robust recoupment policy | ||||||||
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
Process for Determining Executive Compensation | The Compensation Committee has the sole authority and responsibility to review and determine, or recommend to the Board for determination, the compensation package of our Chief Executive Officer and other NEOs. The Compensation Committee considers a number of factors in setting compensation for its executive officers, including Company performance, the executive’s functional performance, leadership, experience and responsibilities, and the compensation of executive officers in similar positions in our peer group of companies. The Compensation Committee also considers our Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations as to the executive officers’ compensation (other than his own) based on his review of the performance of our executive officers and as to the performance goals of the Bonus Plan. Say-on-Pay and Stockholder Engagement As part of the Compensation Committee’s annual review of the executive compensation program, it considers the outcome of the annual advisory vote of stockholders. At the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, approximately 95% of the “say-on-pay” votes cast were in favor of the compensation of the Company’s NEOs in 2024. During 2025, senior management of the Company presented and participated in fifteen investor conferences. Also, after every quarterly earnings call, we arrange conference calls with our top stockholders and all of the analysts covering our Company. The Company believes these discussions help further align the Company’s interests with the best interests of its stockholders. Independent Consultant; Peer Group and Benchmarking The Compensation Committee has the authority to directly retain the services of independent consultants and other experts to assist in fulfilling its responsibilities. The Compensation Committee has engaged Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. (“FW Cook”) from time-to-time to review our executive compensation programs and to assess our executive officers’ base salaries, incentive opportunities, target and actual total cash, long-term incentive value and total direct compensation from a competitive standpoint. For each fiscal year, including 2025, the Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of FW Cook pursuant to SEC rules and the corporate governance rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market and concluded that no conflict of interest exists that would prevent FW Cook from independently advising the Compensation Committee. FW Cook has assisted the Compensation Committee in defining the appropriate market of our peer companies for executive compensation and practices and in benchmarking our executive compensation program against the peer group. In late 2022, FW Cook provided the Compensation Committee with an analysis of base salary, target bonus, target total cash, long-term incentive value and design and target total compensation for executives of comparable healthcare technology, life sciences tools and services, biotechnology, application software, data processing, and logistics companies serving the life sciences and biotechnology industries. In performing this analysis, FW Cook used a peer group of 15 companies, which was reviewed and approved by our Compensation Committee. | ||
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Manhattan Associates, Inc. | Repligen Corp | ||||
Azenta, Inc. (formerly Brooks Automation, Inc.) | Medpace Holdings, Inc. | Simulations Plus, Inc. | ||||
Biolife Solutions Inc. | Mesa Laboratories, Inc. | SPS Commerce, Inc. | ||||
Evolent Health, Inc. | Pegasystems Inc. | Veracyte, Inc. | ||||
Lantheus Holdings | Regenxbio Inc. | Verint Systems Inc | ||||
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
Elements of Executive Compensation | Compensation for executives consists of three principal components: base salary, potential annual cash incentive bonus, and long-term incentives. Base Salary Base salary represents the fixed portion of an executive officer’s compensation and is intended to provide compensation for day-to-day performance. The Compensation Committee believes that a competitive base salary is a necessary element of any compensation program that is designed to attract and retain talented and experienced executives. Each executive officer’s base salary is initially determined upon hire or promotion based on the executive officer’s responsibilities, prior experience, individual compensation history and salary levels of other executives within the Company and similarly situated executives within our peer group. Base salary is typically reviewed annually. The Compensation Committee believes that the base salaries paid to our executive officers during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 achieved the Company’s compensation objectives. Base salaries for the NEOs for 2024 and 2025 are as follows: | ||
2024 Base Salary ($) | 2025 Base Salary ($) | Base Salary Increase in 2025 vs. 2024 (%) | |||||||||
Jerrell Shelton | 937,918 | 985,802 | 5 | ||||||||
Robert Stefanovich | 579,075 | 609,187 | 5 | ||||||||
Mark Sawicki, Ph.D. | 579,075 | 609,187 | 5 | ||||||||
Edward Zecchini | 579,075 | 609,187 | 5 | ||||||||
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
1. | At the beginning of the fiscal year, the Chief Executive Officer, with assistance from senior management, proposes Base Financial Goals and other personal strategic objectives (for executives other than himself) tied to individual results, measurement criteria and weightings, subject to review and approval by the Compensation Committee. |
2. | At the beginning of the following fiscal year, the Chief Executive Officer evaluates performance levels and the achievement of the established Base Financial Goals and personal strategic objectives for all executive officers except for himself, which are subject to review and approval by the Compensation Committee. Specific bonus award recommendations for all participants (except the Chief Executive Officer) are submitted by the Chief Executive Officer to the Compensation Committee for review. |
3. | The Compensation Committee determines the bonus awards for individual participants based on the target amount payable under the Bonus Plan for such participant, the Company’s performance against the Base Financial Goals and the attainment of the participant’s personal strategic objectives, as applicable. |
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
Base Financial Goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue | Adjusted EBITDA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025 Revenue ($000) | % of Goal Achievement | Payout as % of Target | 2025 Adj. EBITDA ($000) | % of Goal Achieved | Payout as % of Target | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maximum | > | $183.7 | > | 109% | 150% | > | ($4.0) | > | 120% | 150% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| $175.2 | 104% | 125% | | ($4.3) | 110% | 125% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Target | $168.5 | 100% | 100% | ($4.8) | 100% | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $163.4 | 97% | 75% | | ($5.3) | 90% | 75% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Threshold | $158.4 | | 94% | 50% | ($6.0) | 80% | 50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
< | $158.4 | < | 94% | 0% | < | ($6.0) | < | 0% | 0% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Financial Goal | Target ($000) | Results ($000) | % of Goal Achievement | Actual Payout as a Percent of Target | ||||||||||
Revenue | $168.5 | $176.2 | 105% | 128% | ||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | ($4.8) | ($5.8) | 83% | 57% | ||||||||||
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Base Financial Goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue | Adjusted EBITDA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025 Revenue ($000) | % of Goal Achievement | Payout as % of Target | 2025 Adj. EBITDA ($000) | % of Goal Achieved | Payout as % of Target | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maximum | > | $98.8 | > | 109% | 150% | > | $1.3 | > | 200% | 150% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
$94.2 | 104% | 125% | $1.0 | 150% | 125% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Target | $90.6 | 100% | 100% | $ 0.7 | 100% | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$87.9 | 97% | 75% | $0.3 | 50% | 75% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Threshold | $85.2 | 94% | 50% | $- | 0% | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
< | $85.2 | < | 94% | 0% | < | $- | < | 0% | 0% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Financial Goal | Target ($000) | Results ($000) | % of Goal Achievement | Actual Payout as Percent of Target | ||||||||||
Revenue | $90.6 | $90.6 | 100% | 100% | ||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $0.7 | ($7.5) | N/A | 0% | ||||||||||
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Revenue Goal | Adj. EBITDA Goal | Personal Strategic Objectives | Actual Payout as % of Target Bonus | ||||||||||||||||||||
Payout as a % of Target | % of Bonus Opportunity | Payout as a % of Target | % of Bonus Opportunity | Payout as a % of Target | % of Bonus Opportunity | ||||||||||||||||||
Jerrell Shelton | 127.8% | 50% | 56.6% | 50% | n/a | n/a | 92.2% | ||||||||||||||||
Robert Stefanovich | 127.8% | 40% | 56.6% | 40% | 100% | 20% | 93.7% | ||||||||||||||||
Mark Sawicki, Ph.D. | 100.0% | 40% | 0.0% | 40% | 100% | 20% | 60.0% | ||||||||||||||||
Edward Zecchini | 127.8% | 40% | 56.6% | 40% | 100% | 20% | 93.7% | ||||||||||||||||
2025 Bonus Calculations | |||||||||||||||||
Base Salary ($) | Target Bonus as % of Base Salary | Target Bonus ($) | Actual Payout as % of Target | Actual Payout ($) | |||||||||||||
Jerrell Shelton | $985,802 | 100% | $985,802 | 92.2% | $908,510 | ||||||||||||
Robert Stefanovich | $609,187 | 60% | $365,512 | 93.7% | $342,016 | ||||||||||||
Mark Sawicki, Ph.D. | $609,187 | 60% | $365,512 | 60.0% | $218,890 | ||||||||||||
Edward Zecchini | $609,187 | 60% | $365,512 | 93.7% | $342,016 | ||||||||||||
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2025 Long Term Incentives Grant Value | |||||||||||
Name | Stock Options | RSRs | Total | ||||||||
Jerrell Shelton | $306,869 | $192,300 | $499,169 | ||||||||
Robert Stefanovich | $101,604 | $64,100 | $165,704 | ||||||||
Mark Sawicki, Ph.D. | $97,584 | $57,690 | $155,274 | ||||||||
Edward Zecchini | $82,838 | $51,280 | $134,118 | ||||||||
Additional Policies and Benefits | |||
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
Position | Stock Ownership Level | ||||
Chief Executive Officer | 6x base salary | ||||
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, EVP, SVP or Subsidiary/Group CEO’s | 3x base salary | ||||
Other Executive Officers | 2x base salary | ||||
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS |
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Compensation Committee Report | ![]() | ||
Respectfully submitted by the Compensation Committee: | |||
Ramkumar Mandalam, Ph.D., Chair | |||
Linda Baddour | |||
Daniel Hancock | |||
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Executive Compensation | ![]() | ||
2025 Summary Compensation Table | The following table contains information with respect to the compensation of our NEOs for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 for each of the years during which such individuals were NEOs: | ||
Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary(1) ($) | Stock Awards(2) ($) | Option Awards(3) ($) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation(4) ($) | All Other Compensation(5) ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||||||
Jerrell W. Shelton President and Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | 967,845 | 192,300 | 306,869 | 908,510 | — | 2,375,524 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 921,169 | 226,197 | 286,376 | 441,128 | — | 1,874,870 | |||||||||||||||||
2023 | 865,597 | 585,729 | 785,432 | — | — | 2,236,758 | |||||||||||||||||
Robert S. Stefanovich Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 2025 | 597,895 | 64,100 | 101,604 | 342,016 | 14,000 | 1,119,615 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 568,734 | 87,285 | 96,603 | 200,475 | 13,800 | 966,897 | |||||||||||||||||
2023 | 534,437 | 226,037 | 269,203 | — | 13,200 | 1,042,877 | |||||||||||||||||
Mark W. Sawicki, Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer | 2025 | 597,897 | 57,690 | 97,584 | 218,890 | 14,000 | 986,061 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 568,739 | 87,285 | 96,603 | 164,341 | 13,800 | 930,768 | |||||||||||||||||
2023 | 534,437 | 226,037 | 269,203 | — | 13,200 | 1,042,877 | |||||||||||||||||
Edward Zecchini Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer | 2025 | 597,895 | 51,280 | 82,838 | 342,016 | 14,000 | 1,088,029 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 474,519 | 158,707 | 181,696 | 200,475 | 25,268 | 1,040,665 | |||||||||||||||||
(1) | The amounts in this column represent the dollar value of base salary earned during each fiscal year indicated. With respect to Mr. Zecchini, the amount in this column for 2024 represents the base salary earned by Mr. Zecchini as Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer, effective February 19, 2024. |
(2) | The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of all RSRs awards at the date of grant calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The grant date fair value for RSR awards granted was determined using the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date multiplied by the number of shares subject to the award. |
(3) | The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of all stock option awards at the date of grant calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Pursuant to SEC rules, the amount shown excludes the impact of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions. For information on the valuation assumptions with respect to the grants made during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, see Note 17 “Stock-Based Compensation” in the consolidated financial statements included in the 2025 Annual Report. |
(4) | The amounts in this column represent cash bonuses earned by the NEOs under the Bonus Plan for 2025 as discussed under the heading “Elements of Executive Compensation—Annual Cash Bonuses” in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section. |
(5) | The amounts in this column represent the match paid by the Company on behalf of such individual into the Company 401(k) plan on 100% of the first 3% of eligible compensation contributed by such individual and 50% matching on the next 2% of eligible compensation contributed by such individual. With respect to Mr. Zecchini, the amount in this column for 2024 also includes $11,468 of director fees for his service to the Company as a director prior to becoming the Chief Digital and Technology Officer of the Company in February 2024. |
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2025 Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table | The following table contains information with respect to each plan-based award granted to our NEOs in 2025 under the Bonus Plan and the 2018 Plan: | ||
Name | Grant Date | Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Awards(1) | All Other Stock Awards: Number of Stock or Units (#)(2) | All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options (#)(3) | Exercise or Base Price of Option Awards ($/Sh)(3) | Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards ($)(4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Threshold ($) | Target ($) | Maximum ($) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jerrell W. Shelton | — | 492,901 | 985,802 | 1,478,703 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | | | 30,000 | 192,300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | | | 75,000 | $7.05 | 306,869 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Robert S. Stefanovich | — | 182,756 | 365,512 | 548,268 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | | | 10,000 | 64,100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | | | 25,000 | $7.05 | 101,604 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Mark W. Sawicki, Ph.D. | — | 182,756 | 365,512 | 548,268 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | | | 9,000 | 57,690 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | | | 24,000 | $7.05 | 97,584 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Edward Zecchini | — | 182,756 | 365,512 | 548,268 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | 8,000 | 51.280 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
3/14/2025 | 20,000 | $7.05 | 82,838 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) | Represents possible payouts under the Bonus Plan for 2025 as discussed under the heading “Elements of Executive Compensation—Annual Cash Incentive Bonuses” of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section in this Proxy Statement. Actual amounts earned are reflected in the Summary Compensation Table under the “Non-Equity Incentive Compensation” column, and there are no future potential payouts related to these awards. |
(2) | Each RSR award was granted under the 2018 Plan and vests 25% on March 14, 2026, March 14, 2027, March 14, 2028 and March 14, 2029, provided that in each case, the NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(3) | Each stock option award was granted pursuant to the 2018 Plan with an exercise price equal to the closing price (fair market value) + 10% of such price and will expire seven years from the grant date. These options vest with respect to one forty-eighth the total number of shares of common shares underlying the stock options monthly from the date of grant, provided that the NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless he meets certain requirements for continued vesting. |
(4) | This column represents the aggregate grant date fair value of equity awards computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The grant date fair value for RSR awards granted in 2025 was determined using the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date multiplied by the number of shares subject to the award. The assumptions used to calculate the grant date fair value of each stock option grant are set forth in Note 17 “Stock-Based Compensation” in the consolidated financial statements included in the 2025 Annual Report. These amounts reflect our calculation of the value of these awards, and do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may ultimately be realized by the executive officer. |
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Outstanding Equity Awards at FISCAL YEAR-END TABLE | The following table contains information with respect to outstanding equity awards held by our NEOs as of December 31, 2025: | ||
Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||
Name | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable | Option Exercise Price ($) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested(9) ($) | ||||||||||||||
Jerrell W. Shelton | 179,007 | | 1.87 | 5/6/26 | | |||||||||||||||
281,219 | 3.44 | 5/23/27 | ||||||||||||||||||
278,440 | 8.65 | 3/28/28 | ||||||||||||||||||
375,000 | 12.79 | 4/1/29 | ||||||||||||||||||
375,000 | 16.93 | 3/30/30 | ||||||||||||||||||
66,000 | 58.94 | 3/9/28 | ||||||||||||||||||
57,143 | 3,809(1) | 29.69 | 3/14/29 | |||||||||||||||||
41,905 | 19,047(2) | 23.78 | 3/22/30 | |||||||||||||||||
14,667 | 18,857(3) | 16.70 | 3/15/31 | |||||||||||||||||
14,063 | 60,937(4) | 7.05 | 3/14/32 | |||||||||||||||||
6,773(5) | 65,021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| | 13,546(6) | 130,042 | |||||||||||||||||
| | 11,176 (7) | 107,290 | |||||||||||||||||
| | 30,000(8) | 288,000 | |||||||||||||||||
Robert Stefanovich | 87,188 | | 1.87 | 5/6/26 | | |||||||||||||||
81,000 | 3.21 | 5/18/27 | ||||||||||||||||||
66,300 | 8.65 | 3/28/28 | ||||||||||||||||||
90,000 | 12.79 | 4/1/29 | ||||||||||||||||||
100,000 | 16.93 | 3/30/30 | ||||||||||||||||||
21,333 | — | 58.94 | 3/9/28 | |||||||||||||||||
19,603 | 1,307(1) | 29.69 | 3/14/29 | |||||||||||||||||
14,376 | 6,534(2) | 23.78 | 3/22/30 | |||||||||||||||||
5,031 | 6,469(3) | 16.70 | 3/15/31 | |||||||||||||||||
4,687 | 20,312(4) | 7.05 | 3/14/32 | |||||||||||||||||
| | 2,614(5) | 25,094 | |||||||||||||||||
| | | 5,227(6) | 50,179 | ||||||||||||||||
| | | 4,312(7) | 41,395 | ||||||||||||||||
10,000(8) | 96,000 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||
Name | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable | Option Exercise Price ($) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested(9) ($) | ||||||||||||||
Mark W. Sawicki, Ph.D. | 51,423 | | 8.65 | 3/28/28 | | |||||||||||||||
89,000 | 12.79 | 4/1/29 | ||||||||||||||||||
100,000 | 16.93 | 3/30/30 | ||||||||||||||||||
21,333 | 58.94 | 3/9/28 | | |||||||||||||||||
19,603 | 1,307(1) | 29.69 | 3/14/29 | |||||||||||||||||
14,376 | 6,534(2) | 23.78 | 3/22/30 | |||||||||||||||||
5,031 | 6,469(3) | 16.70 | 3/15/31 | |||||||||||||||||
4,500 | 19,500(4) | 7.05 | 3/14/32 | |||||||||||||||||
| | 2,614(5) | 25,094 | |||||||||||||||||
| | 5,227(6) | 50,179 | |||||||||||||||||
| | 4,312(7) | 41,395 | |||||||||||||||||
9,000(8) | 86,400 | |||||||||||||||||||
Edward Zecchini | 35,000 | 4.80 | 6/23/27 | |||||||||||||||||
35,000 | 9.29 | 5/17/28 | ||||||||||||||||||
35,000 | 14.35 | 5/2/29 | ||||||||||||||||||
35,000 | 18.02 | 5/1/30 | ||||||||||||||||||
5,416 | 56.57 | 4/30/28 | ||||||||||||||||||
13,981 | 22.56 | 4/29/29 | ||||||||||||||||||
15,125 | 20.05 | 5/12/30 | ||||||||||||||||||
9,148 | 11,762 (3) | 16.70 | 3/15/31 | |||||||||||||||||
3,750 | 16,250(4) | 7.05 | 3/14/32 | |||||||||||||||||
7,841(7) | 75,274 | |||||||||||||||||||
8,000(8) | 76,800 | |||||||||||||||||||
(1) | The option was granted on March 14, 2022 and vests in monthly installments over a four-year period, provided that in each case, the NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(2) | The option was granted on March 22, 2023 and vests in monthly installments over a four-year period, provided that in each case, the NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(3) | The option was granted on March 15, 2024 and vests in monthly installments over a four-year period, provided that in each case, the NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(4) | The option was granted on March 14, 2025 and vests in monthly installments over a four-year period, provided that in each case, the NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(5) | The RSRs were granted on March 14, 2022 and vest in equal annual installments over a four-year period from the date of grant, provided that in each case, the NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(6) | The RSRs were granted on March 22, 2023 and vest in equal annual installments over a four-year period from the date of grant, provided that in each NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(7) | The RSRs were granted on March 15, 2024 and vest in equal annual installments over a four-year period from the date of grant, provided that in each NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(8) | The RSRs were granted on March 14, 2025 and vest in equal annual installments over a four-year period from the date of grant, provided that in each NEO is an employee of the Company as of those dates unless they meet certain requirements to be eligible for continued vesting. |
(9) | This column is based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock as of December 31, 2025 ($9.60). |
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Name | Option Awards | Stock Awards | ||||||||||||
Number of Shares Acquired on Exercise (#) | Value Realized on Exercise ($)(1) | Number of shares acquired on vesting (#) | Value Realized on Vesting ($)(2) | |||||||||||
Jerrell W. Shelton | 656,064 | 1,198,827 | 25,521 | 157,228 | ||||||||||
Robert Stefanovich | 26,164 | 146,482 | 9,332 | 57,456 | ||||||||||
Mark W. Sawicki, Ph.D. | | 9,332 | 57,456 | |||||||||||
Edward Zecchini | 75,000 | 283,125 | 2,614 | 16,756 | ||||||||||
(1) | The value realized on exercise of an option award is based on the difference between the market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of exercise and the exercise price of the option. |
(2) | The value realized on vesting of RSRs is based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the vesting date. |
Executive Employment Arrangements | Jerrell W. Shelton As of December 31, 2025, under the terms of Mr. Shelton’s employment agreement (as amended at such time, the “Shelton Agreement”) with respect to his employment as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Mr. Shelton’s annual base salary is an amount determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Mr. Shelton’s annual base salary was increased from $937,918 to $985,802 effective May 1, 2025. Mr. Shelton is eligible to participate in the equity incentive plans and cash bonus plans adopted by the Company from time-to-time. He is currently eligible for an incentive bonus under the Bonus Plan targeted at 100% of his annual base salary. | ||
Mr. Shelton has agreed not to solicit or encourage or attempt to solicit or encourage any employee of the Company to leave employment with the Company during the term of the Shelton Agreement and for a period of eighteen months following the termination of the Shelton Agreement. The Shelton Agreement expires on February 15, 2027, with automatic annual renewals thereafter unless his employment has earlier terminated or either party provides not less than 180 days’ notice of his or its intention not to renew. Payments due to Mr. Shelton upon a termination of the Shelton Agreement are described below under “Potential Payments On Termination Or Change in Control.” | |||
Robert S. Stefanovich As of December 31, 2025, under the terms of Mr. Stefanovich’s employment agreement (as amended at such time, the “Stefanovich Agreement”) with respect to his continued employment as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Company, Mr. Stefanovich’s annual base salary is an amount determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Mr. Stefanovich’s annual base salary was increased | |||
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from $579,075 to $609,187 effective May 1, 2025. Mr. Stefanovich is eligible to participate in the equity incentive plans and cash bonus plans adopted by the Company from time-to-time. He is currently eligible for an incentive bonus under the Bonus Plan targeted at 60% of his annual base salary. | |||
Mr. Stefanovich has agreed not to solicit or encourage or attempt to solicit or encourage any employee of the Company to leave employment with the Company during the term of the Stefanovich Agreement and for a period of eighteen months following the termination of the Stefanovich Agreement. The Stefanovich Agreement expires on February 15, 2027, with automatic annual renewals thereafter unless his employment has earlier terminated or either party provides not less than 180 days’ notice of his or its intention not to renew. Payments due to Mr. Stefanovich upon a termination of the Stefanovich Agreement are described below under “Potential Payments On Termination Or Change in Control.” | |||
Mark W. Sawicki, Ph.D. As of December 31, 2025, under the terms of Dr. Sawicki’s employment agreement (the “Sawicki Agreement”) with respect to his continued employment as Chief Scientific Officer of the Company and Chief Executive Officer of Cryoport Systems, LLC, Dr. Sawicki’s annual base salary is an amount determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Dr. Sawicki’s annual base salary was increased from $579,075 to $609,187 effective May 1, 2025. Dr. Sawicki is eligible to participate in the equity incentive plans and cash bonus plans adopted by the Company from time-to-time. He is currently eligible for an incentive bonus under the Bonus Plan targeted at 60% of his annual base salary. | |||
Dr. Sawicki has agreed not to solicit or encourage or attempt to solicit or encourage any employee of the Company to leave employment with the Company during the term of the Sawicki Agreement and for a period of 18 months following the termination of the Sawicki Agreement. The Sawicki Agreement expires on February 15, 2027, with automatic annual renewals thereafter unless his employment has earlier terminated or either party provides not less than 180 days’ notice of his or its intention not to renew. Payments due to Dr. Sawicki upon a termination of the Sawicki Agreement are described below under “Potential Payments On Termination Or Change in Control.” | |||
Edward Zecchini As of December 31, 2025, under the terms of Mr. Zecchini’s employment agreement (as amended at such time, the “Zecchini Agreement”) with respect to his continued employment as Senior Vice President, Chief Digital and Technology Officer of the Company, Mr. Zecchini’s annual base salary is an amount determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Mr. Zecchini’s annual base salary was increased from $579,075 to $609,187 effective May 1, 2025. | |||
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Mr. Zecchini is eligible to participate in the equity incentive plans and cash bonus plans adopted by the Company from time-to-time. He is currently eligible for an incentive bonus under the Bonus Plan targeted at 60% of his annual base salary. | |||
Mr. Zecchini has agreed not to solicit or encourage or attempt to solicit or encourage any employee of the Company to leave employment with the Company during the term of the Zecchini Agreement and for a period of eighteen months following the termination of the Zecchini Agreement. The Zecchini Agreement expires on February 19, 2027, with automatic annual renewals thereafter unless his employment has earlier terminated or either party provides not less than 180 days’ notice of his or its intention not to renew. Payments due to Mr. Zecchini upon a termination of the Zecchini Agreement are described below under “Potential Payments On Termination Or Change in Control.” | |||
Potential Payments on Termination or Change in Control | Pursuant to the Shelton Agreement, if Mr. Shelton terminates the Shelton Agreement, he dies, or he is terminated for cause, he will be entitled to all compensation and benefits that he earned through the date of termination. If he is terminated without cause or he terminates for good reason, he will be entitled to continuation of base salary for 24 months following termination and all unvested equity awards as of the date of termination shall become fully vested. All base salary payments would be paid over time in accordance with the Company’s general payroll practices. | ||
Pursuant to the Stefanovich Agreement, if Mr. Stefanovich terminates the Stefanovich Agreement, he dies, or he is terminated for cause, he will be entitled to all compensation and benefits that he earned through the date of termination. If he is terminated without cause or he terminates for good reason, he will be entitled to continuation of base salary for eighteen months following termination, payment of a portion of the COBRA premiums equal to the same proportion that the Company pays for active employees and their eligible dependents for up to eighteen months following termination, and one-year accelerated vesting of unvested equity awards; provided that, if the termination is in connection with or within twelve months of a change in control, then all unvested equity awards as of the date of termination shall become fully vested. All base salary payments would be paid over time in accordance with the Company’s general payroll practices. | |||
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Pursuant to the Sawicki Agreement, if Dr. Sawicki terminates the Sawicki Agreement, he dies, or he is terminated for cause, he will be entitled to all compensation and benefits that he earned through the date of termination. If he is terminated without cause or he terminates for good reason, he will be entitled to continuation of base salary for eighteen months following termination, payment of a portion of the COBRA premiums equal to the same proportion that the Company pays for active employees and their eligible dependents for up to eighteen months following termination, and one-year accelerated vesting of unvested equity awards; provided that, if the termination is in connection with or within twelve months of a change in control, then all unvested equity awards as of the date of termination shall become fully vested. All base salary payments would be paid over time in accordance with the Company’s general payroll practices. | |||
Pursuant to the Zecchini Agreement, if Mr. Zecchini terminates the Zecchini Agreement, he dies, or he is terminated for cause, he will be entitled to all compensation and benefits that he earned through the date of termination. If he is terminated without cause or he terminates for good reason, he will be entitled to continuation of base salary for eighteen months following termination, payment of a portion of the COBRA premiums equal to the same proportion that the Company pays for active employees and their eligible dependents for up to eighteen months following termination, and one-year accelerated vesting of unvested equity awards; provided that, if the termination is in connection with or within twelve months of a change in control, then all unvested equity awards as of the date of termination shall become fully vested. All base salary payments would be paid over time in accordance with the Company’s general payroll practices. | |||
The 2018 Plan, the Cryoport, Inc. 2015 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan and the Cryoport, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan each provide that if a “change in control” occurs, the Compensation Committee has the discretion to provide in the applicable option agreement that any outstanding awards shall become fully vested and exercisable. | |||
The Company does not provide any additional payments to the NEOs upon their resignation, termination, retirement, or upon a change in control. | |||
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION |
Name | Cash Severance | Benefit Continuation | Equity Awards | Total | ||||||||||
Jerrell Shelton | $1,971,604 | $0 | $745,741(1) | $2,717,345 | ||||||||||
Robert Stefanovich | $913,781 | $13,278 | $103,811(2) | $1,030,870 | ||||||||||
Mark Sawicki | $913,781 | $17,488 | $100,778 (2) | $1,032,047 | ||||||||||
Edward Zecchini | $913,781 | $17,488 | $56,955 (2) | $988,223 | ||||||||||
(1) | Represents the intrinsic value of accelerated equity awards, which would be all of the unvested equity awards as of date of termination. If Mr. Shelton retires, he is entitled to continued vesting of his outstanding equity awards if he continues to serve on the Board and if he does not continue to serve on the Board, he is entitled to 18 months accelerated vesting on unvested equity awards as of his retirement date, which would have an intrinsic value of $395,428. |
(2) | Represents the intrinsic value of 12 months accelerated vesting of equity awards as of the date of termination. If the NEO is terminated without cause or terminates for good reason in connection with a change in control or within 12 months of a change in control, all of the unvested equity awards as of such date will become fully vested which would have an intrinsic value of $264,464 for Mr. Stefanovich, $252,794 for Dr. Sawicki, and $193,511 for Mr. Zecchini. |
CEO Pay Ratio | To determine the ratio of the CEO’s annual total compensation to the median annual total compensation of all employees worldwide excluding the CEO, we identified the median employee as of December 31, 2024 using base salary, bonuses, and commissions, as our consistently applied compensation measure calculated for our global employee population as of such date; all foreign currencies were converted to U.S. dollars. The median employee’s 2025 total compensation, as determined in the same manner as “Total Compensation” in the Summary Compensation Table, was $64,653. Mr. Shelton’s 2025 total compensation was $2,375,524, resulting in a pay ratio of approximately 37:1. | ||
Because the SEC rules for identifying the median compensated employee and calculating the pay ratio based on that employee’s annual total compensation allow companies to adopt a variety of methodologies, to apply certain exclusions, and to make reasonable estimates and assumptions that reflect their compensation practices, the pay ratio reported by other companies may not be comparable to the pay ratio reported above, as other companies may have different employment and compensation practices, different types of workforces and operate in different countries and may utilize different methodologies, exclusions, estimates, and assumptions in calculating their own pay ratios. | |||
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION |
Year | Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO1 | Compensation Actually Paid to PEO2 | Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs3 | Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs4 | Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based On: | Net Income (Loss) (millions)7 | Adjusted EBITDA (millions)8 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total Stockholder Return5 | Peer Group Total Stockholder Return6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(a) | (b) | (c) | (d) | (e) | (f) | (g) | (h) | (j) | ||||||||||||||||||
2025 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||||
2022 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ($ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ($ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) | The dollar amounts reported in column (b) are the amounts of total compensation reported for |
(2) | The dollar amounts reported in column (c) represent the amount of “compensation actually paid” to Mr. Shelton, as computed in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K. The dollar amounts do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to Mr. Shelton during the applicable year. In accordance with the requirements of Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, the following adjustments were made to Mr. Shelton’s total compensation for each year to determine the compensation actually paid: |
Year | Reported Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO | Reported Value of Equity Awards Granted in the Year(a) | Equity Award Adjustments(b) | Compensation Actually Paid to PEO | ||||||||||
2025 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
2024 | $ | ($ | ($ | $ | ||||||||||
2023 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
2022 | $ | ($ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||
2021 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
(a) | The grant date fair value of equity awards represents the total of the amounts reported in the “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” columns in the Summary Compensation Table for the applicable year. |
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(b) | The equity award adjustments for each applicable year include the addition (or subtraction, as applicable) of the following: (i) the year-end fair value of any equity awards granted in the applicable year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the year; (ii) the amount of change as of the end of the applicable year (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of any awards granted in prior years that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the applicable year; (iii) for awards that are granted and vest in same applicable year, the fair value as of the vesting date; (iv) for awards granted in prior years that vest in the applicable year, the amount equal to the change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value; (v) for awards granted in prior years that are determined to fail to meet the applicable vesting conditions during the applicable year, a deduction for the amount equal to the fair value at the end of the prior fiscal year; and (vi) the dollar value of any dividends or other earnings paid on stock or option awards in the applicable year prior to the vesting date that are not otherwise reflected in the fair value of such award or included in any other component of total compensation for the applicable year. The valuation assumptions used to calculate fair values did not materially differ from those disclosed at the time of grant. The amounts deducted or added in calculating the equity award adjustments are as follows: |
Year | Year End Fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in the Year | Year over Year Change in Fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years | Fair Value as of Vesting Date of Equity Awards Granted and Vested in the Year | Year over Year Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years that Vested in the Year | Fair Value at the End of the Prior Year of Equity Awards that Failed to Meet Vesting Conditions in the Year | Value of Dividends or other Earnings Paid on Stock or Option Awards not Otherwise Reflected in Fair Value or Total Compensation | Total Equity Award Adjustments | ||||||||||||||||
2025 | $ | $ | $ | ($ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
2022 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||||
2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
(3) | The dollar amounts reported in column (d) represent the average of the amounts reported for the Company’s named executive officers (NEOs) as a group (excluding Mr. Shelton) in the “Total” column of the Summary Compensation Table in each applicable year. The names of each of the NEOs (excluding Mr. Shelton) included for purposes of calculating the average amounts in each applicable year are as follows: (i) for 2025 and 2024, Robert Stefanovich, Mark Sawicki and Edward Zecchini; and (ii) for 2023, 2022 and 2021, Robert Stefanovich and Mark Sawicki. |
(4) | The dollar amounts reported in column (e) represent the average amount of “compensation actually paid” to the NEOs as a group (excluding Mr. Shelton), as computed in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K. The dollar amounts do not reflect the actual average amount of compensation earned by or paid to the NEOs as a group (excluding Mr. Shelton) during the applicable year. In accordance with the requirements of Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, the following adjustments were made to average total compensation for the NEOs as a group (excluding Mr. Shelton) for each year to determine the compensation actually paid, using the same methodology described above in Note 2: |
Year | Average Reported Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs | Average Reported Value of Equity Awards Granted in the Year(a) | Average Equity Award Adjustments(b) | Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs | ||||||||||
2025 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
2024 | $ | ($ | ($ | $ | ||||||||||
2023 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
2022 | $ | ($ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||
2021 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
(a) | The grant date fair value of equity awards represents the total of the amounts reported in the “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” in the Summary Compensation Table for the applicable year. |
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(b) | The amounts deducted or added in calculating the total average equity award adjustments are as follows: |
Year | Average Year End Fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in the Year | Year over Year Average Change in Fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in the Prior Year | Average Fair Value as of Vesting Date of Equity Awards Granted and Vested in the Year | Year over Year Average Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years that Vested in the Year | Average Fair Value at the End of the Prior Year of Equity Awards that Failed to Meet Vesting Conditions in the Year | Average Value of Dividends or other Earnings Paid on Stock or Option Awards not Otherwise Reflected in Fair Value or Total Compensation | Total Average Equity Award Adjustments | ||||||||||||||||
2025 | $ | $ | $ | ($ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
2022 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||||
2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
(5) | Cumulative TSR is calculated by dividing the sum of the cumulative amount of dividends for the measurement period, assuming dividend reinvestment, and the difference between the Company’s share price at the end and the beginning of the measurement period by the Company’s share price at the beginning of the measurement period. |
(6) | Represents the weighted peer group TSR, weighted according to the respective companies’ stock market capitalization at the beginning of each period for which a return is indicated. The peer group used for this purpose is the following published industry index: S&P 1500 Life Sciences Tools & Services Industry Index. |
(7) | The dollar amounts reported represent the amount of net income (loss) reflected in the Company’s audited financial statements for the applicable year. |
(8) |
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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION |
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION | Compensation for non-employee directors is governed by the Company’s Compensation Committee. The following summarizes the non-employee director compensation plan in effect during the year ended December 31, 2025. Annual Fees. Non-employee directors are paid an annual cash retainer of $70,000. In addition, non-employee directors in leadership roles will be paid the following amounts. | ||
Chair/Lead Director | $25,000 | ||||
Audit Committee Chair | $20,000 | ||||
Compensation Committee Chair | $15,000 | ||||
Nomination and Governance Committee Chair | $10,000 | ||||
Science and Technology Committee Chair | $24,000 | ||||
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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION |
Stock Ownership Multiple | |||
Non-employee Directors | 3x annual retainer | ||
Name | Fees Earned Or Paid in Cash ($)(1) | Stock Awards ($)(2) | Option Awards ($)(3) | Total ($) | ||||||||||
Linda Baddour | 96,722 | 162,498 | 162,573 | 421,793 | ||||||||||
Richard Berman(4) | 108,847 | 108,847 | ||||||||||||
Daniel Hancock | 70,000 | 162,498 | 162,573 | 395,071 | ||||||||||
Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D. | 94,000 | 162,498 | 162,573 | 419,071 | ||||||||||
Ramkumar Mandalam, Ph.D. | 105,903 | 162,498 | 162,573 | 430,974 | ||||||||||
Ram M. Jagannath(5) | 70,000 | — | — | 70,000 | ||||||||||
(1) | Fees earned or paid in cash as shown in this schedule represent payments and accruals for directors’ services earned during the year ended December 31, 2025. |
(2) | This column represents the aggregate grant date fair value of RSRs granted during the year ended December 31, 2025 calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 using the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date multiplied by the number of shares subject to the award. As of December 31, 2025: Dr. Hariri held 23,214 unvested RSRs; Dr. Mandalam held 23,214 unvested RSRs; Mr. Hancock held 23,214 unvested RSRs and Ms. Baddour held 23,214 unvested RSRs. |
(3) | This column represents the aggregate grant date fair value of stock options granted during the year ended December 31, 2025 calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Pursuant to SEC rules, the amounts shown exclude the impact of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions. For information on the valuation assumptions with respect to the grants made, refer to Note 17 “Stock-Based Compensation” in the consolidated financial statements included in the 2025 Annual Report. As of December 31, 2025: Dr. Hariri held unexercised options to purchase 239,450 shares of the Company’s common stock; Dr. Mandalam held unexercised options to purchase 239,450 shares of the Company’s common stock; Mr. Hancock held unexercised options to purchase 164,450 shares of the Company’s common stock and Ms. Baddour held unexercised option to purchase 106,800 shares of the Company’s common stock. |
(4) | Mr. Berman passed away in February 2025. |
(5) | Mr. Jagannath waived his right to receive the equity compensation to which he was entitled as a director of the Company in connection with the annual grant described above for 2024. |
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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION |
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION | The following table sets forth certain information as of December 31, 2025, concerning the Company’s common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options or warrants or pursuant to purchases of stock under the Company’s equity compensation plans. | ||
Plan Category | (a) Number of Securities to be Issued Upon the Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights | (b) Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights(1) | (c) Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in Column (a)) | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by stockholders | 5,699,444 | $16.73 | 2,437,831 | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders | — | — | N/A | ||||||||
Total | 5,699,444 | $16.73 | 2,437,831 | ||||||||
(1) | The weighted-average exercise price is calculated based solely on the exercise prices of the outstanding options and do not reflect the shares that will be issued upon the vesting of outstanding RSR awards, which have no exercise price. |
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions | ![]() | ||
• | In connection with the Company’s acquisition of the MVE cryobiological storage business of Chart Industries, Inc., on August 24, 2020, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with Blackstone Freeze Parent L.P. (f/k/a BTO Freeze Parent L.P.) (“Blackstone Freeze Parent”), to issue and sell at closing (the “Private Placement”) for an aggregate purchase price of $275,000,000: (i) 250,000 shares of a newly designated Series C Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share for $250,000,000, and (ii) 675,536 shares of the Company’s common stock for $25,000,000, and prior to the closing of the Private Placement, Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund - FD L.P. (“BTO FD” and together with Blackstone Freeze Parent, the “Purchasers”) assumed a portion of Blackstone Freeze Parent’s obligations thereunder. The Company paid the Purchasers $1,000,000 as reimbursement for transactional expenses incurred in connection with the Private Placement at the transaction closing date. |
• | On February 5, 2021, the Purchasers converted an aggregate of 50,000 shares of Series C Preferred Stock, which resulted in the issuance of an aggregate of 1,312,860 shares of the Company’s common stock to the Purchasers. In connection with the conversion, the Company also agreed to waive its right under the certificate of designations of the Series C Preferred Stock to redeem up to 50,000 shares of the Series C Preferred Stock prior to the 180-day anniversary of October 1, 2020, the issue date of the Series C Preferred Stock. |
• | Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, for so long as the Purchaser Parties hold 66.67% of the Series C Preferred Stock issued to them under the Securities Purchase Agreement, Blackstone Freeze Parent will have the right to nominate for election one member to the Board. Blackstone Freeze Parent has designated Ram M. Jagannath as its nominee, and Mr. Jagannath was appointed to the Board on October 1, 2020. |
• | Holders of the Series C Preferred Stock are entitled to dividends at the rate of 4.0% per annum, paid-in-kind, accruing daily and paid quarterly in arrears when and if declared by the Board of Directors. Paid in-kind dividends accrued to the Purchasers totaled $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2025. |
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS |
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Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports | ![]() | ||
• | Robert Hariri, one report reporting one transaction |
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Stockholder Proposals for Next Annual Meeting | ![]() | ||
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Other Matters | ![]() | ||
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