CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) DEF 14ADefinitive proxy

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Filed by the Registrant ☒ Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:

CRISPR THERAPEUTICS AG

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

CRISPR THERAPEUTICS AG

Baarerstrasse 14

6300 Zug

Switzerland

+41 (0) 41 561 32 77

NOTICE OF INVITATION TO 2024 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To Be Held On May 30, 2024

Dear Shareholders:

You are cordially invited to the 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders, or the 2024 Annual General Meeting, of CRISPR Therapeutics AG, or the Company, to be held on May 30, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. Central European Summer Time (2:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) as a physical meeting at the offices of Walder Wyss Ltd., Seefeldstrasse 123, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland. At the 2024 Annual General Meeting, the Company’s board of directors, or the Board of Directors, will propose to the Company’s shareholders to consider and vote on the below matters. The Company’s common shares are listed only on The Nasdaq Global Market and are traded under the symbol “CRSP.”

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to approve the Swiss management report, the consolidated financial statements and the statutory financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2023 and to take note of the reports of the auditors. Copies of these documents are available on the Internet at ir.crisprtx.com/swiss-statutory-financial-statements-and-audit-reports and available for download at www.proxydocs.com/CRSP.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to carry forward the net loss resulting from the appropriation of financial results as follows:

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders that the members of the Board of Directors and the executive committee of the Company, or the Executive Committee, be discharged from personal liability for the business year ended December 31, 2023.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders that Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., be re-elected as member of the Board of Directors and elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors and that each of Ali Behbahani, M.D., Maria Fardis, Ph.D., H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., Simeon J. George, M.D., John T. Greene, Katherine A. High, M.D., Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D., Sandesh Mahatme, LL.M., and Christian Rommel, Ph.D., be, as applicable, elected or re-elected as directors, each for a term extending until completion of the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders. Information on the professional backgrounds and qualifications of each director nominee, as well as information on committee memberships, can be found under “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Election of Directors” on pages 7-10 in the accompanying proxy statement and is available at www.proxydocs.com/CRSP.

4.a Re-election of Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., as member and election as Chairman

4.b Re-election of Ali Behbahani, M.D.

4.c Re-election of Maria Fardis, Ph.D.

4.d Re-election of H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D.

4.e Re-election of Simeon J. George, M.D.

4.f Re-election of John T. Greene

4.g Re-election of Katherine A. High, M.D.

4.h Re-election of Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D.

4.i Election of Sandesh Mahatme, LL.M.

4.j Election of Christian Rommel, Ph.D.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to re-elect each of Ali Behbahani, M.D., H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., Simeon J. George, M.D., and John T. Greene as members of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, each for a term extending until completion of the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders. Information on the professional backgrounds and qualifications of each director nominee can be found under “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Election of Directors” on pages 9-10 in the accompanying proxy statement and are available at www.proxydocs.com/CRSP.

5.a Re-election of Ali Behbahani, M.D.

5.b Re-election of H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D.

5.c Re-election of Simeon J. George, M.D.

5.d Re-election of John T. Greene

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to hold the following separate votes on the non-performance-related compensation and the variable compensation of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee:

6.a Binding vote on maximum non-performance-related compensation for members of the Board of Directors from the 2024 Annual General Meeting to the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to approve the maximum amount of non-performance-related compensation for the members of the Board of Directors covering the period from the 2024 Annual General Meeting to the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders, i.e., USD $607,500 (cash based compensation).

6.b Binding vote on maximum equity for members of the Board of Directors from the 2024 Annual General Meeting to the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to approve the maximum grant of equity or equity linked instruments for the members of the Board of Directors covering the period from the 2024 Annual General Meeting to the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders with maximum value of USD $12,389,198 (equity grant date value).

6.c Binding vote on maximum non-performance-related compensation for members of the Executive Committee from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to approve the maximum amount of non-performance-related cash compensation for the members of the Executive Committee covering the period from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, i.e., USD $3,700,579 (cash based compensation plus social security costs).

6.d Binding vote on maximum variable compensation for members of the Executive Committee for the current year ending December 31, 2024.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to approve the maximum amount of variable compensation for the members of the Executive Committee for the current year ending December 31, 2024, i.e., USD $3,195,625 (cash based compensation plus social security costs).

6.e Binding vote on maximum equity for members of the Executive Committee from the 2024 Annual General Meeting to the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to approve the maximum grant of equity or equity linked instruments for the members of the Executive Committee covering the period from the 2024 Annual General Meeting of shareholders to the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders with maximum value of USD $58,618,973 (equity grant date value).

6.f. Non-binding advisory vote on the 2023 Compensation Report.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders the endorsement (a non-binding advisory vote) of the 2023 Compensation Report. The 2023 Compensation Report is available on the Internet at ir.crisprtx.com/swiss-statutory-financial-statements-and-audit-reports and available for download at www.proxydocs.com/CRSP.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to approve an advisory resolution approving the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed in the accompanying proxy statement for the 2024 Annual General Meeting pursuant to the executive compensation disclosure rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to increase the Company’s conditional share capital for employee equity plans by 1,000,000 common shares in order to cover any future share issuances due to the exercise of equity incentive awards under the Company’s employee equity plans and to amend art. 3c para. 1 of the articles of association of the Company, or the Articles of Association, as follows (changes in bold (new wording) or strikethrough (no longer applicable wording)):

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to amend the CRISPR Therapeutics AG 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, or the 2018 Plan, by (a) increasing the total number of common shares which may be issued pursuant to the 2018 Plan by 1,000,000 common shares, increasing the total number of common shares issuable under the 2018 Plan to 17,400,000 common shares, plus the number of shares that were available for issuance under the CRISPR Therapeutics AG Amended and Restated 2016 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, or the 2016 Plan, on the original effective date of the 2018 Plan, plus any common shares underlying any awards that are forfeited, canceled, held back upon exercise or settlement of an award to satisfy the exercise price or tax withholding, reacquired by us prior to vesting, satisfied without any issuance of common shares, expired or are otherwise terminated, other than by exercise, under the 2018 Plan, the 2016 Plan and the CRISPR Therapeutics AG 2015 Stock Option and Grant Plan; and (b) increasing the number of shares that may be issued under the 2018 Plan in the form of incentive stock options by 1,000,000 common shares.

The Board of Directors proposes to amend and restate certain provisions of the Articles of Association to align the Company's use of equity compensation and pension benefits programs with evolving Swiss legal trends and current market practices including, without limitation, permitting the Company to use common shares, stock options, restricted stock units and other similar instruments as equity incentive compensation under the Company’s various equity incentive plans including the 2018 Plan and a more flexible use of international pension benefit plans. The Board of Directors shall be authorized to amend and restate 18, 32, 33, 40 and 41 of the Articles of Association as set forth in more detail under “Proposal 10 - Approval of Amendments to the Articles of Association to Facilitate the Use of Equity Compensation and Pension Benefits Programs Consistent with Current Market Practices.” on pages 74-81 in the accompanying proxy statement.

The Board of Directors proposes to increase the Company’s capital band in art. 3a of the Articles of Association to the upper limit of CHF 3,100,452.06 and to amend and restate art. 3a, para 1 of the Articles of Association to make certain ministerial changes to such paragraph (changes in bold (new wording) or strikethrough (no longer applicable wording)):

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders the re-election of lic. iur. Marius Meier, Attorney at Law, c/o Bratschi AG, Lange Gasse 15, P.O. Box, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland, as the independent voting rights representative until the closing of the 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders to re-elect Ernst & Young AG, Basel, as the Company’s statutory auditor for the term of office of one year and the re-election of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024.

The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders for any other business that may properly come before the 2024 Annual General Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, to follow the respective proposal of the Board of Directors as proposed at the 2024 Annual General Meeting.

The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the accompanying proxy statement, which forms a part of this notice and is incorporated herein by reference. Shareholders of record at the close of business on April 8, 2024 will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the 2024 Annual General Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

We have elected to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s “notice and access” rules. We believe that providing our proxy materials over the Internet expedites shareholders’ receipt of proxy materials, lowers costs and reduces the environmental impact of our annual general meeting.

Thank you for your ongoing support and continued interest in CRISPR Therapeutics AG.

Zug, Switzerland

April 9, 2024

Important Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials: This proxy statement and our 2023 annual report to shareholders, or the 2023 Annual Report, which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, are available at www.proxydocs.com/CRSP. These documents are also available to any shareholder who wishes to receive a paper copy by calling (800) 579-1639, by emailing sendmaterial@ProxyVote.com or by submitting a request over the Internet at www.ProxyVote.com.
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CRISPR THERAPEUTICS AG

Baarerstrasse 14

6300 Zug

Switzerland

+41 (0)41 561 32 77

PROXY STATEMENT

2024 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To Be Held on May 30, 2024

INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING

This proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card are being furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the board of directors, or the Board of Directors, of CRISPR Therapeutics AG, or the Company, for use at the 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders, or the 2024 Annual General Meeting, to be held on May 30, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. Central European Summer Time (2:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) at the offices of Walder Wyss Ltd., Seefeldstrasse 123, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland, and at any adjournment thereof.

Unless otherwise stated, all references to “us,” “our,” “CRISPR,” “CRISPR Therapeutics,” “we,” the “Company” and similar designations refer to CRISPR Therapeutics AG and its consolidated subsidiaries. References to our website are inactive textual references only, and the contents of our website are not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement. The Company’s common shares are listed only on The Nasdaq Global Market and are traded under the symbol “CRSP.”

This proxy statement summarizes information about the proposals to be considered at the 2024 Annual General Meeting and other information you may find useful in determining how to vote. The proxy card is the means by which you actually authorize another person to vote your shares in accordance with your instructions. We are making this proxy statement, the related proxy card and our 2023 annual report to shareholders, or the 2023 Annual Report, which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, available to shareholders for the first time on or about April , 2024.

A copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on February 21, 2024, except for exhibits, will be furnished without charge to any shareholder upon written or oral request to CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., 105 West First Street, South Boston, Massachusetts 02127, on the internet at www.proxydocs.com/CRSP, by calling (800) 579-1639, by emailing sendmaterial@ProxyVote.com or by submitting a request over the Internet at www.ProxyVote.com. This proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2024 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND VOTING

Q. Why did I receive these proxy materials?

A. Our Board of Directors has made these materials available to you on the Internet in connection with the solicitation of proxies for use at our 2024 Annual General Meeting to be held on May 30, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. Central European Summer Time (2:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) at the offices of Walder Wyss Ltd., Seefeldstrasse 123, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland. As a holder of common shares, you are invited to the 2024 Annual General Meeting and are requested to vote on the items of business described in this proxy statement. This proxy statement includes information that is designed to assist you in voting your shares and that we are required to provide to you under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, rules and applicable Swiss laws. Our common shares are listed only on The Nasdaq Global Market and are traded under the symbol “CRSP.”

Q. Why did I receive a notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of proxy materials?

A. In accordance with the SEC rules, we may furnish proxy materials, including this proxy statement and our 2023 Annual Report, to our shareholders by providing access to such documents on the Internet instead of mailing printed copies. If you would like to receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions for requesting such materials in the notice.

Q. Where can I access the Company’s Swiss management report, consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, statutory financial statements and 2023 Compensation Report?

A. The “management report” under Swiss law consists of (i) the Company’s 2023 Annual Report; (ii) the consolidated financial statements of CRISPR Therapeutics AG for the year ended December 31, 2023, including the report thereto of the Company’s statutory auditor; (iii) the statutory financial statements of CRISPR Therapeutics AG, including the report thereto of the Company’s statutory auditor, and (iv) the Company’s 2023 Compensation Report, prepared in compliance with Swiss law, including the report thereto of the Company’s statutory auditor. Copies of these documents are available on the Internet at ir.crisprtx.com/swiss-statutory-financial-statements-and-audit-reports, as well as www.proxydocs.com/CRSP, and will also be available for physical inspection at the Company’s registered office at CRISPR Therapeutics AG, Baarerstrasse 14, 6300 Zug, Switzerland. These documents are also available to any shareholder who wishes to receive a paper copy by calling (800) 579-1639, by emailing sendmaterial@ProxyVote.com or by submitting a request over the Internet at www.ProxyVote.com.

Q. What is the purpose of the 2024 Annual General Meeting?

A. At the 2024 Annual General Meeting, shareholders will consider and vote on the following matters:

Q. Who can vote at the 2024 Annual General Meeting?

A. To be entitled to vote, you must have been a shareholder of record at the close of business on April 8, 2024, the record date for our 2024 Annual General Meeting. As of the record date, there were 84,883,091 common shares outstanding and entitled to vote at the 2024 Annual General Meeting. Our common shares are listed only on The Nasdaq Global Market and are traded under the symbol “CRSP.”

Members of our Board of Directors and our Executive Committee are not allowed to vote on the proposal to discharge the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee from personal liability for the business year ended December 31, 2023.

Each share carries one vote. The exercise of the voting right is subject to the voting restrictions set out in our Articles of Association, a summary of which is contained in the section “Restrictions on Voting Rights."

Q. How many votes do I have?

A. Each common share that you own as of the record date will entitle you to one vote on each matter considered at the 2024 Annual General Meeting. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors.

Q. How do I vote?

A. If you are the “record holder” of your shares, meaning that your shares are registered in your name in the records of our transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, formerly American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, and not through a bank, brokerage firm or other nominee, you may vote your shares at the meeting in person or by proxy as follows:

If your shares are held in “street name,” meaning they are held for your account by an intermediary, such as a broker, then you are deemed to be the beneficial owner of your shares, and the broker that actually holds the shares for you is the record holder and is required to vote the shares it holds on your behalf according to your instructions. The proxy materials, as well as voting and revocation instructions, should have been forwarded to you by the broker that holds your shares. In order to vote your shares, you will need to follow the instructions that your broker provides you. Many brokers solicit voting instructions over the Internet or by telephone.

If you do not give instructions to your broker, your broker will still be able to vote your shares with respect to certain “routine” items. The following proposals are considered routine items:

- Proposal No. 1 (approval of the Swiss management report, the consolidated financial statements and statutory financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2023);

- Proposal No. 2 (approval of the appropriation of financial results);

- Proposal No. 11 (approval of an increase and certain adjustments to the capital band set forth in the Articles of Association);

- Proposal No. 12 (re-election of the independent voting rights representative); and

- Proposal No. 13 (re-election of the auditors).

Accordingly, your broker may vote your shares in its discretion with respect to these proposals even if you do not give voting instructions.

Although brokers have discretionary authority to vote shares on “routine” matters, they do not have authority to vote shares on “non-routine” matters under applicable stock exchange rules. We believe that the following proposals to be voted on at the 2024 Annual General Meeting will be considered to be “non-routine” under the applicable stock exchange rules and, if you do not give your broker voting instructions on such proposals, your broker may not vote your shares with respect to these matters and your shares will be counted as “broker non-votes” with respect to the proposal. A “broker non-vote” occurs when shares held by a broker are not voted with respect to a particular proposal because the broker does not have or did not exercise discretionary authority to vote on the matter and has not received voting instructions from its clients. As a result, a broker non-vote is neither a vote cast nor a vote represented, respectively.

- Proposal No. 3 (discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee);

- Proposal Nos. 4.a-4.j (election or re-election of members of the Board of Directors, including the Chairman of the Board of Directors);

- Proposal Nos. 5.a-5.d (re-election of the members of the Compensation Committee);

- Proposal Nos. 6.a-6.f (approval of the compensation for the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee and non-binding advisory vote on the 2023 Compensation Report);

- Proposal No. 7 (non-binding advisory vote on the compensation paid to the Company's named executive officers under U.S. securities law requirements);

- Proposal No. 8 (approval of an increase of the conditional capital for employee equity plans);

- Proposal No. 9 (approval of an amendment to the CRISPR Therapeutics AG 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan); and

- Proposal No. 10 (approval of amendments to the Articles of Association to facilitate the use of equity compensation and pension benefits programs consistent with current market practices).

Q. Can I change my vote?

A. If your shares are registered directly in your name, you may revoke your proxy and change your vote before the vote is taken at the 2024 Annual General Meeting. To do so, you must do one of the following:

If you choose any of the first three methods above, you must take the described action no later than 6:00 p.m. Central European Summer Time (12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time) on May 29, 2024. Once voting on a particular matter is completed at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, you will not be able to revoke your proxy or change your vote. If your shares are held in street name by a broker or other nominee, you must contact that institution to change or revoke your vote in the manner required by such broker or other nominee.

If your shares are held in “street name,” you may submit new voting instructions by contacting your broker or other nominee.

Q. How many shares must be represented to have a quorum and hold the 2024 Annual General Meeting?

A. There is no quorum requirement for the meeting. Under Swiss law, public companies do not have specific quorum requirements for shareholder meetings, and our Articles of Association do not otherwise provide for a quorum requirement.

Q. Who is the independent voting representative for the 2024 Annual General Meeting and how do I get in touch?

A. The independent voting representative for the 2024 Annual General Meeting is lic. iur. Marius Meier, Attorney at Law, Basel, Switzerland. The independent voting representative may be contacted by mail (lic. iur. Marius Meier, Attorney at Law, c/o Bratschi AG, Lange Gasse 15, P.O. Box, CH-4050 Basel, Switzerland).

Q. What vote is required to approve each matter and how are votes counted?

A. Each proposal, except Proposals 8 and 11, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the share votes cast at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, excluding unmarked, invalid and non-exercisable votes and abstentions. Proposals 8 and 11 each require the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the represented share votes and the absolute majority of the represented shares par value at the 2024 Annual General Meeting.

Q. How does the Board of Directors recommend that I vote on the proposals?

A. Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote “FOR” each of the proposals.

Q. Are there other matters to be voted on at the 2024 Annual General Meeting?

A. We do not know of any matters that may come before the 2024 Annual General Meeting other than the proposals set forth in this notice. If any other matters are properly presented at the annual general meeting, the persons named in the accompanying proxy intend to vote, or otherwise act, in accordance with their judgment on the matter.

Q. Where can I find the voting results?

A. We plan to announce preliminary voting results at the 2024 Annual General Meeting and will report final voting results in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC within four business days following the end of the meeting.

Q. What are the costs of soliciting these proxies?

A. We will bear the cost of soliciting proxies. In addition to solicitation by mail, our directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies by telephone, e-mail, facsimile and in person without additional compensation. We may reimburse brokers or persons holding shares in their names, or in the names of their nominees, for their expenses in sending proxies and proxy material to beneficial owners. We have retained Georgeson LLC to assist

in the solicitation of proxies for a fee of approximately $25,600 plus customary costs and expenses for these services.

Q. Whom should I contact if I have any questions?

A. If you have any questions about the 2024 Annual General Meeting or your ownership of our common shares, please contact AJ Silver, our Vice President, Corporate Finance. He may be contacted before May 29, 2024 at 105 West First Street, South Boston, Massachusetts 02127; telephone: +1 617-315-4600. Alternatively, any questions may be directed by e-mail to: secretary@crisprtx.com.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Election of Directors

Our Board of Directors is comprised of one class, with members holding office for one-year terms. There are currently eight directors on our Board of Directors (Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., Ali Behbahani, M.D., Maria Fardis, Ph.D., H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., Simeon J. George, M.D., John T. Greene, Katherine A. High, M.D., and Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D.), whose terms expire at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, subject to such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal.

Set forth below are the names and certain information for each member and nominee of the Board of Directors, as of March 15, 2024. The information presented includes each director and nominee’s principal occupation and business experience for the past five years, and the names of other public companies of which he or she has served as a director during the past five years. The information presented below regarding the specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of each director and nominee led our nominating and corporate governance committee and our Board of Directors to conclude that he or she should serve as a director and be nominated for directorship at the 2024 Annual General Meeting. In addition, we believe that each director and nominee possesses the attributes or characteristics which the nominating and corporate governance committee expects of each director. These attributes and characteristics are further described under “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Corporate Governance Matters—Director Nomination Process.” There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

(1a) Current member of the Compensation Committee.

(1b) Subject to and following the election of directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, will be a member of the Compensation Committee.

(2a) Current member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

(2b) Subject to and following the election of directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, will be a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

(3a) Current member of the Audit Committee.

(3b) Subject to and following the election of directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, will be a member of the Audit Committee.

(4) Subject to and following the election of directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, will be a member of the Board of Directors.

Nominee for Re-Election as Member and Election as Chairman of the Board of Directors

Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Director: Dr. Kulkarni has served as our Chief Executive Officer since December 2017, a member of our Board of Directors since June 2018, and as the Chairman of our Board of Directors since September 2023. Previous to that, Dr. Kulkarni served as our President and Chief Business Officer. Dr. Kulkarni has more than 15 years of experience in the Biopharmaceutical industry, driving strategy and innovation, and bringing transformative medicines to patients. Prior to joining our company, Dr. Kulkarni was at McKinsey & Company from 2006 to 2015, with various titles, his most recent being Partner within the Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology practice. Dr. Kulkarni also currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Repare Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: RPTX), a precision oncology company, Black Diamond Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDTX), a precision oncology company, and Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: CNTA), a

biotechnology company. Dr. Kulkarni received a Ph.D. in Bioengineering and Nanotechnology from the University of Washington and a B. Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology. Dr. Kulkarni has authored several publications in leading scientific and business journals and has received several industry honors. We believe Dr. Kulkarni’s experience as our Chief Executive Officer, his previous experience as our President and Chief Business Officer, and his experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Nominees for Election as Member of the Board of Directors

Sandesh Mahatme, LL.M.: Since July 2020, Mr. Mahatme has served as President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of National Resilience Inc., a technology-focused biomanufacturing company dedicated to broadening access to complex medicines. From November 2012 to July 2020, Mr. Mahatme served in various executive positions, including as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. Prior to those roles, he worked at Celgene Corporation, where he served in various positions including Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Senior Vice President of Finance, Corporate Treasurer and Head of Tax. Mr. Mahatme served in senior roles in business development and corporate finance at Pfizer, Inc. after starting his career at Ernst & Young LLP. Since May 2020, Mr. Mahatme has served as a director of Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (SIX: IDIA). In addition, Mr. Mahatme previously served as a director on the boards of Aeglea BioTherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGLE), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, from June 2015 to July 2022, and Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLXN), a biopharmaceutical company, beginning in 2014 to June 2021. Mr. Mahatme earned Master of Laws degrees from Cornell Law School and the New York University School of Law and is a member of the New York State Bar Association. We believe Mr. Mahatme is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors due to his experience in the pharmaceutical industry and his financial expertise.

Christian Rommel, Ph.D.: Since February 2021, Dr. Rommel has served as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Research & Development and a Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company. From January 2014 to February 2021, Dr. Rommel served in various roles at F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company, most recently as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Oncology, Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) from January 2018 to February 2021. Before that, Dr. Rommel worked at Amgen Inc. (Nasdaq: AMGN), a global biopharmaceutical company, where he held roles such as Vice President of External Research and Development and Vice President, Research Oncology. Previously, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of Intellikine Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from its inception to its acquisition by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Dr. Rommel received his Ph.D. in molecular oncology from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, Germany and the Institute of Medical Virology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He is also a lecturer of biotechnology at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He has authored more than 70

publications, including papers in Science and Nature. We believe Dr. Rommel’s experience in the biopharmaceutical industry qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Nominees for Re-Election as Member of the Board of Directors

Ali Behbahani, M.D., M.B.A., Director: Dr. Behbahani has served on our Board of Directors since April 2015. Dr. Behbahani joined New Enterprise Associates, Inc., or NEA, in 2007 and is a Partner and Co-Head of Healthcare. Dr. Behbahani also has served as a member of the board of directors of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: ADAP), a biopharmaceutical company, since September 2014; Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq: NKTX), a biopharmaceutical company, since August 2015 and as chairman since August 2019; Black Diamond Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDTX), a precision oncology company, since December 2018; Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLUE), a biopharmaceutical company, since April 2020; CVRx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CVRX), a biopharmaceutical company, since July 2013; and Arcellx, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACLX), a biotechnology company, since February 2015. Dr. Behbahani previously served as a member of the board of directors of Minerva Surgical Inc. (Nasdaq: UTRS), a biotechnology company, from May 2011 to January 2024; Nevro Corp., a medical device company, from August 2014 to March 2019; Genocea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNCA), a biopharmaceutical company, from February 2018 to May 2022; and Oyster Point Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: OYST), a biopharmaceutical company, from July 2017 to January 2023. Prior to joining NEA, Dr. Behbahani served as a consultant in business development at The Medicines Company, a pharmaceutical company. In addition, Dr. Behbahani formerly served as a Venture Associate at Morgan Stanley and as a Healthcare Investment Banking Analyst at Lehman Brothers. Dr. Behbahani received an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Chemistry from Duke University. We believe Dr. Behbahani’s experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as his experience as a member on the boards of directors of multiple companies in the industry, qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Maria Fardis, Ph.D., Director: Dr. Fardis has served on our Board of Directors since June 2022. Dr. Fardis has been Chief Executive Officer at Lassen Therapeutics since April 2023 and has been a venture partner at Frazier Life Sciences since 2021. Dr. Fardis previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IOVA), a biopharmaceutical company, and as a member of its board of directors from June 2016 through June 2021. Dr. Fardis previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of Acerta Pharma B.V., a biopharmaceutical company, from 2015 to 2016. From 2011 to 2014, she was at Pharmacyclics, Inc. and served as Chief of Oncology Operations and Alliances. Prior to joining Pharmacyclics, from 2001 to 2011, Dr. Fardis held increasingly senior positions in Medicinal Chemistry and the project and portfolio management at Gilead Sciences, Inc. Dr. Fardis received her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and her B.S. summa cum laude, in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Fardis holds an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University. We believe Dr. Fardis’ experience as an executive in the life sciences industry, extensive experience in drug development, and strong scientific background qualifies her to serve on our Board of Directors.

H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., Director: Dr. Fleming has served on our Board of Directors since June 2021. Dr. Fleming is the Executive Vice President of Enavate Sciences where he works closely to invest in and build therapeutic companies. In 2022, Dr. Fleming retired as Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, or McKinsey, from the Silicon Valley Office in Redwood City, California. He was the global leader of McKinsey’s R&D practice where he was responsible for its client service and knowledge development on R&D topics. Dr. Fleming earned his B.A. in Chemistry from Harvard University, his M.D. from Vanderbilt University, and completed internal medicine training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and subspecialty training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Fleming joined McKinsey in 1997 where he has focused on healthcare, working closely with life sciences, biopharmaceutical, medical device and technology companies of all sizes to improve their performance. Dr. Fleming serves on the Board of Visitors for Vanderbilt’s School of Basic Sciences. We believe Dr. Fleming’s experience in the healthcare industry, including working closely with biopharmaceutical companies on strategy, operational performance and R&D innovation, qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Simeon J. George, M.D., Director: Dr. George has served on our Board of Directors since April 2015. Dr. George is the Chief Executive Officer of SR One Capital Management, LP, a transatlantic biotech venture capital firm, where he has been employed since September 2020. Previously, Dr. George was the Chief Executive Officer and President of S.R. One, Limited, now called GSK Equity Investments, Limited, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline plc, where he had been employed since 2007. Dr. George also has served as a director of Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq: NKTX), a biopharmaceutical company, since February 2020 (and previously from July 2015 to September 2017) and Design Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: DSGN), a biopharmaceutical company, since February 2020. In addition, Dr. George previously served as a director on the boards of additional biotechnology companies, including Principia Biopharma Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from February 2011 to September 2020; Progyny,

Inc. (Nasdaq: PGNY), a benefits management company, from May 2012 to October 2019; and Turning Point Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TPTX), a biopharmaceutical company, from May 2017 to August 2022. Dr. George also served as a consultant at Bain & Company from October 2006 to August 2007. Dr. George received an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University. We believe Dr. George’s experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as his experience as a member on the boards of directors of multiple companies in the industry, qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

John T. Greene, Director: Mr. Greene has served on our Board of Directors since June 2019. Since September 2019, Mr. Greene has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS). From November 2016 to April 2018, Mr. Greene served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Bioverativ, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Bioverativ, Mr. Greene was the Chief Financial Officer of Willis Group Holdings, risk advisory, insurance and reinsurance brokerage company, from June 2014 until January 2016. Before joining Willis Group, Mr. Greene held senior executive roles at HSBC, the global financial services company, for eight years, including Chief Financial Officer for Retail Bank and Wealth Management business. Prior to HSBC, Mr. Greene worked for 12 years in various roles at General Electric Company. Mr. Greene has an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. We believe Mr. Greene’s experience in the biotechnology industry, as well as his experience as an executive at several large companies in other business sectors, qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Katherine A. High, M.D., Director: Dr. High has served on our Board of Directors since June 2019. Since January 2023, Dr. High has been serving as a Visiting Professor at Rockefeller University in New York. From January 2021 until December 2022, Dr. High served as the President, Therapeutics of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc., or AskBio, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, and as a member of AskBio’s board of directors. Previously, Dr. High co-founded Spark Therapeutics, Inc. and from September 2014 to December 2019, she served as its President and as a member of its board of directors and served as its Head of Research & Development from September 2017 to February 2020. Dr. High also has served as a director of Incyte Corporation (Nasdaq: INCY), a biopharmaceutical company, since March 2020. From 2004 to 2014, Dr. High was a Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, an Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She completed a five-year term from 2000 to 2005 on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee on Cell, Tissue and Gene Therapies and is a past president of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. Dr. High holds an A.B. in chemistry from Harvard University, an M.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, a business certification from the University of North Carolina Business School Management Institute for Hospital Administrators and an honorary M.A. from The University of Pennsylvania. We believe Dr. High’s experience as an executive and scientific leader in the life sciences industry qualifies her to serve on our Board of Directors.

Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D., Lead Independent Director: Dr. Treco has served on our Board of Directors since June 2020 and as our Lead Independent Director since December 2021. Since April 2023, Dr. Treco has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Inozyme Pharma (Nasdaq: INZY), a biopharmaceutical company, and has served as Chairman of the board of directors of Inozyme since May 2020. He has been a scientific advisor to Lightstone Ventures since November 2020. Previously, Dr. Treco co-founded Ra Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, in 2008, which was acquired by UCB S.A. in April 2020. He served as its President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of its board of directors from its inception in 2008 through July 2020. From April 2021 to April 2022, Dr. Treco served as Chief Executive Officer of Alchemab Therapeutics (London, England) and as a member of its board of directors, and he was an entrepreneur-in-residence with Morgenthaler Ventures between January 2008 and May 2014. In 1988, he co-founded Transkaryotic Therapies Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, which was acquired in 2005 by Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc. Dr. Treco was a visiting scientist in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital and a lecturer in genetics at Harvard Medical School from 2004 to 2007. Dr. Treco received his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and performed postdoctoral studies at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Massachusetts General Hospital. We believe Dr. Treco’s experience as an executive and scientific leader in the life sciences industry, in particular, his unique focus on rare disease, gene targeting, and gene therapy, qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Corporate Governance Matters

Our Board of Directors believes that good corporate governance is important to ensure that our company is managed for the long-term benefit of shareholders. This section describes key corporate governance guidelines and practices that our Board of Directors has adopted. Complete copies of our Articles of Association, our Organizational Rules, corporate governance guidelines, committee charters for each of our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, Charter of the Lead Independent Director, and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics are available on the “Investors—Corporate Governance” section of our website, which is located at http://ir.crisprtx.com/gov-highlights. Alternatively, you can request a copy of any of these documents by writing us at CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., 105 West First Street, South Boston, Massachusetts 02127, Attention: Investor Relations.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or the Code of Conduct, which we updated in 2023, that is applicable to all of our employees, executive officers and directors, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, and persons performing similar functions. A copy of our Code of Conduct is available on the “Investors—Corporate Governance” section of our website, which is located at http://ir.crisprtx.com/gov-highlights. The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the Code of Conduct. Approval of the Audit Committee is required for any waivers of the Code of Conduct for employees, executive officers and directors. Any amendments to the Code of Conduct, or any waivers of its requirements, will be disclosed at the same location on our website or in our public filings. The information on our website is not intended to form a part of or be incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.

Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

Board Leadership Structure

Under our corporate governance guidelines, the positions of chair of our Board of Directors and of chief executive officer may, but need not be, the same person. Until September 2023, we separated the roles of chief executive officer and chair of our Board of Directors, with Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D. serving as our chief executive officer and Rodger Novak, M.D., serving as chair of the Board of Directors. As Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kulkarni was and remains responsible for managing our executive leadership team and, together with that team, setting the strategic direction for our company and the day-to-day leadership and performance of our company, while Dr. Novak, as the chair of the Board of Directors presided over meetings of the Board of Directors, including executive sessions, and performed oversight responsibilities. Beginning in September 2023, following the resignation of Dr. Novak from our Board of Directors and as President and Chairman, Dr. Kulkarni started serving as the chair of our Board of Directors.

Our Board of Directors has concluded that our current leadership structure is appropriate at this time and is of the view that the combined role of chair and chief executive officer promotes united leadership and direction and provides management a clear focus to execute our strategy and business plans.

In addition, recognizing the equal importance of effective independent oversight of the Board of Directors, at the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and in accordance with section 3.2 of the Organizational Rules of the Company, the Board of Directors created the role of Lead Independent Director in December 2021 to facilitate a comprehensive plan of corporate governance. The independent members of the Board have designated Dr. Treco to serve as Lead Independent Director. Members of the Board of Directors annually elect an independent non-employee director to serve as the Lead Independent Director of the Board of Directors, whose leadership responsibilities include, among others:

In addition, our Board of Directors has three standing committees that currently consist of, and are chaired by, independent directors. Our Board of Directors delegates substantial responsibilities to the committees, which then report their activities and actions back to the full Board of Directors. We believe that the independent committees of our Board of Directors and their chair promote effective independent governance. We believe this structure represents an appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities for our Company at this time because it strikes an effective balance between management and independent leadership participation in our Board of Directors proceedings.

Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business and the implementation of our business strategies. Our Board of Directors performs its oversight role by using several different levels of review. In connection with its reviews of the operations and corporate functions of our Company, our Board of Directors addresses the primary risks associated with those operations and corporate functions. In addition, our Board of Directors reviews the risks associated with our Company’s business strategies periodically throughout the year as part of its consideration of undertaking any such business strategies.

Each committee of our Board of Directors also oversees the management of our Company’s risk that falls within the committee’s areas of responsibility. In performing this function, each committee has full access to management, as well as the ability to engage advisors. Our Compensation Committee oversees risks associated with our compensation policies and practices to help ensure that such policies and practices do not incentivize or encourage excessive risk-taking, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees risks related to our governance structure and succession planning, and our Audit Committee oversees the operation of our risk management program, including the identification of the primary risks associated with our business and periodic updates to such risks. Specifically, as part of our Audit Committee's oversight of our risk management program, it is also responsible for oversight of the internal audit and compliance functions, including our policies and programs related to our financial and accounting systems, accounting policies and investment strategies and internal audit function, including risks arising from related party transactions, if any, as well as oversight of and management of our information security and technology risks, which includes our cybersecurity and related risk management programs. In connection with its risk management role, our Audit Committee meets privately with representatives from our independent registered public accounting firm and our Chief Executive Officer. Each of our committees reports to our Board of Directors regarding its activities as needed. In addition, our Chief Executive Officer reports to the Audit Committee and Board of Directors and is responsible for identifying, evaluating and implementing risk management controls and methodologies to address any identified risks.

Board of Directors Meetings and Attendance

Our Board of Directors held four formal meetings during 2023. During 2023, each of the directors then in office attended at least 75% of the aggregate of the number of Board of Directors meetings and the number of meetings held by all committees of the Board of Directors on which such director then served.

Although we do not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of our Board of Directors at our annual general meeting of shareholders, we encourage all of our directors to attend. All members of our Board of Directors who were then directors other than Mr. Greene attended our 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders.

Board of Directors Diversity Matrix

Our common shares are listed only on The Nasdaq Global Market. The following Board of Directors Diversity Matrix presents our Board of Directors diversity statistics in accordance with Nasdaq Rule 5606, as self-disclosed by our directors. Our Board of Directors satisfies the minimum objectives of Nasdaq Rule 5605(f)(3) by having at least one director who identifies as female and at least one director who identifies as a member of an Underrepresented Minority (as defined by Nasdaq Rules). In addition, we note that one of our directors also identifies as Persian. As we pursue future recruitment efforts for our Board of Directors, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will continue to seek out candidates who can contribute to the diversity of views and perspectives of the Board of Directors. This includes seeking out individuals of diverse ethnicities, a balance in terms of gender, and individuals with diverse perspectives informed by other personal and professional experiences. For more information on our director nomination process, please see “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Corporate Governance Matters—Director Nomination Process” below.

Board of Directors Determination of Independence

Since our common shares are listed only on The Nasdaq Global Market, we are subject to the listing standards of Nasdaq. Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Listing Rules requires a majority of a listed company’s board of directors to be comprised of independent directors within one year of listing. In addition, the Nasdaq Listing Rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees be independent under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Audit committee members must also satisfy the independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, and compensation committee members must also satisfy the independence criteria set forth in Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act. Under Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of our Board of Directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the Board of Directors, or any other committee of the Board of Directors, accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or otherwise be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10C-1, the Board of Directors must consider, for each member of a compensation committee of a listed company, all factors specifically relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship to such company which is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, including, but not limited to: (1) the source of compensation of the director, including any consulting advisory or other compensatory fee paid by such company to the director; and (2) whether the director is affiliated with the company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.

Our Board of Directors has undertaken a review of its composition, the composition of its committees and the independence of each director. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his

or her background, employment and affiliations, including family relationships, our Board of Directors has determined that the following members of the Board of Directors: Ali Behbahani, M.D., Maria Fardis, Ph.D., H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., Simeon J. George, M.D., John T. Greene, Katherine A. High, M.D., and Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D., as well as the nominees to be elected to the Board of Directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, Sandesh Mahatme, LL.M., and Christian Rommel, Ph.D., do not have any relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these non-employee directors is “independent” as that term is defined under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC, and the listing requirements and rules of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. In making this determination, our Board of Directors considered the current and prior relationships that each non-employee director has with our Company and all other facts and circumstances our Board of Directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our common shares by each non-employee director. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Communicating with the Independent Directors

Our Board of Directors will give appropriate attention to written communications that are submitted by shareholders and will respond if and as appropriate. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is primarily responsible for monitoring communications from shareholders and for providing copies or summaries to the other directors as he considers appropriate. In addition, the Lead Independent Director may also engage with shareholders, as appropriate.

Shareholders who wish to send communications on any topic to our Board of Directors should address such communications to CRISPR Therapeutics AG, Baarerstrasse 14, 6300 Zug, Switzerland, Attn: General Counsel and Secretary, telephone +41 (0)41 561 32 77 and CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., 105 West First Street, South Boston, Massachusetts 02127, Attn: General Counsel and Secretary, telephone: +1 617 315-4600.

Committees of the Board of Directors

We have established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each of these committees operates under a charter that has been approved by our Board of Directors. A copy of each committee’s charter can be found under the “Investors—Corporate Governance” section of our website, which is located at http://ir.crisprtx.com/gov-highlights.

Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee currently consists of Maria Fardis, Ph.D., John T. Greene and Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D., and subject to and following the election of directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, the size of the Audit Committee will increase to four (4) members and Maria Fardis, Ph.D., John T. Greene and Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D. will continue serving as a member of our Audit Committee and Sandesh Mahatme, LL.M. will join the Audit Committee. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., served on our Audit Committee through June 2023. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member and prospective member of our Audit Committee is independent under the Nasdaq listing standards and Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. The chair of our Audit Committee is Mr. Greene, and if Mr. Greene is re-elected to the Board of Directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, Mr. Greene will continue serving as the chair of our Audit Committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Greene is an “Audit Committee financial expert” within the meaning of SEC regulations. Our Board of Directors has also determined that each member and prospective member of our Audit Committee can read and understand fundamental financial statements in accordance with applicable requirements. In arriving at these determinations, the Board of Directors has examined each Audit Committee member’s and prospective member’s scope of experience and the nature of such individual’s employment in the corporate finance sector. The Audit Committee held five formal meetings during 2023.

The Audit Committee has the responsibility to, among other things:

Compensation Committee

Our Compensation Committee currently consists of Ali Behbahani, M.D., H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., Simeon J. George, M.D., and John T. Greene and, subject to and following the election of directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, each will continue serving as a member of our Compensation Committee. Dr. Fleming joined our Compensation Committee in June 2023. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member and prospective member of our Compensation Committee is independent under the Nasdaq listing standards, is an outside director within the definition of Section 162(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and is a “non-employee director” for purposes of Rule 16b-3 promulgated by the SEC, and Rule 10C-1(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. The chair of our Compensation Committee is Dr. George, and if Dr. George is re-elected to the Board of Directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, Dr. George will continue serving as the chair of our Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee held four formal meetings during 2023.

Our Compensation Committee has the responsibility to, among other things:

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

Ali Behbahani, M.D., H. Edward Fleming, Jr., M.D., Simeon J. George, M.D., and John T. Greene served as members of our Compensation Committee during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. None of the members of our Compensation Committee is currently, or has been at any time, one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers currently serves, or has served during the last year, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, or the Nominating Committee, currently consists of Ali Behbahani, M.D., Katherine A. High, M.D., and Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D., and, subject to and following the election of directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, each will continue serving as a member of our Nominating Committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Nominating Committee is independent under the Nasdaq listing standards. The current chair of our Nominating Committee is Dr. Treco, and if Dr. Treco is re-elected to the Board of Directors at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, Dr. Treco will continue serving as the chair of our Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee held two formal meetings during 2023.

The Nominating Committee has the responsibility to, among other things:

Director Nomination Process

The process followed by our Nominating Committee to identify and evaluate director candidates includes requests to board members and others for recommendations, meetings from time to time to evaluate biographical information and background material relating to potential candidates and interviews of selected candidates by members of the Nominating Committee and our Board of Directors.

Criteria and Diversity

In considering whether to recommend to our Board of Directors any particular candidate for inclusion in our Board of Directors’ slate of recommended director nominees, including candidates recommended by shareholders, the Nominating Committee applies the criteria set forth in our corporate governance guidelines. These criteria include the candidate’s experience at a strategic or policymaking level in a business, government, non-profit or academic organization of high standing, accomplishments in the candidate’s respective field, the candidate’s reputation for high ethical and moral standards, the candidate’s time and ability to devote to the affairs of the company, and to the extent applicable, the candidates history of actively contributing to any boards of directors on which the candidate has previously served.

The director biographies set forth in this proxy statement indicate each nominee’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led our Nominating Committee and our Board of Directors to conclude he or she should continue to serve as a director. Our Nominating Committee and our Board of Directors believe that each of the nominees has the individual attributes and characteristics required of each of our directors, and the nominees as a group possess the skill sets and specific experience desired of our Board of Directors as a whole.

We do not have a policy (formal or informal) with respect to diversity, but we believe that our Board of Directors, taken as a whole, should embody a diverse set of skills, experiences and backgrounds. In this regard, our Nominating Committee and our Board of Directors also take into consideration the diversity (with respect to gender, race and national origin) of our board members but do not make any particular weighting of diversity or any other characteristic in evaluating nominees and directors. Our Nominating Committee’s and our Board of Directors’ priority in selecting board members is identification of persons who will further the interests of our shareholders.

Shareholder Nominations

Under Swiss law, one or more registered shareholders who together represent shares representing at least (i) 0.5 percent of the share capital or (ii) 0.5 percent of the voting rights may demand that an item be placed on the agenda of a meeting of shareholders. You may also contact the General Counsel and Secretary of the Company at secretary@crisprtx.com to request a copy of the relevant provisions of our Articles of Association.

Nominations of director candidates by registered shareholders must follow the rules for shareholder proposals described under “Other Matters—Shareholder Proposals and Directors Nominations.” Assuming that appropriate biographical and background material has been provided on a timely basis, the Nominating Committee will evaluate shareholder-recommended candidates by following substantially the same process, and applying substantially the same criteria, as it follows for candidates submitted by others. If the Board of Directors determines to nominate a shareholder-recommended candidate and recommends his or her election, then his or her name will be included in our proxy card for the next annual general meeting.

Our Corporate Responsibility Efforts

We are dedicated to conducting business with the highest standards of corporate responsibility. Our culture is built around our core way of working: collaborative, undaunted, entrepreneurial, and results-oriented. Our goal is to build a culture of diverse and passionate people striving to positively impact patients, our communities, and broader society.

We focus on the following areas:

For more information about our corporate responsibility efforts, please refer to the Corporate Responsibility section of our website at http://www.crisprtx.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility. These materials and our website are not incorporated by reference herein and are not part of this proxy statement.

Policies and Procedures for Related Person Transactions

Our Board of Directors has adopted a written related person transaction policy to set forth policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related person transactions. This policy covers any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships, in which we were or are to be a participant and any director or executive officer, director nominee, holder of 5% or more of any class of our voting securities or any member of the immediate family of or entities affiliated with any of the foregoing had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, including, without limitation, purchases of goods or services by or from the related person or entities in which the related person has a material interest, indebtedness, guarantees of indebtedness and employment by us of a related person. Any such transaction must be presented to our Audit Committee for review, consideration and approval. In approving or rejecting any such proposal, our Audit Committee is to consider the relevant facts and circumstances available and deemed relevant to the Audit Committee, including, but not limited to, the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction, and whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms we could have generally obtained from an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances.

Related Person Transaction

Other than the compensation arrangements for our named executive officers and directors, which are described elsewhere in the “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation” sections of this proxy statement, we did not enter into any related party transactions in 2023.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Certain information regarding our executive officers who are not also directors, as of March 15, 2024, is set forth below.

James R. Kasinger, General Counsel and Secretary: Mr. Kasinger has served as our General Counsel and Secretary since May 2017. In his role, Mr. Kasinger leads, among other areas, legal, governance, corporate compliance and intellectual property matters. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Kasinger served as the General Counsel and Secretary of Moderna, Inc., a biotechnology company, from April 2014 to May 2017. Prior to these roles, Mr. Kasinger was a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP, where he represented life sciences, technology and other high-growth companies. Mr. Kasinger started his legal career at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault. Mr. Kasinger holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School and a B.A. from Wheaton College.

Raju Prasad, Ph.D., Chief Financial Officer: Dr. Prasad has served as our Chief Financial Officer since March 2023. Prior to joining our company, Dr. Prasad served in various roles at William Blair & Company from March 2014 to March 2023, most recently as a Partner since January 2021. While at William Blair, Dr. Prasad was a senior biotechnology analyst covering small-cap, mid-cap and large-cap companies. He led the firms’ initiative on launching coverage in the areas of cell therapy, gene therapy, and gene editing. Dr. Prasad previously worked as a research associate with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and as an independent consultant with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also serves on the advisory board of Portal Innovations, a life sciences venture development engine. Dr. Prasad has a B.A. in cell biology and neuroscience from Rutgers University, an M.S. in exercise physiology from the University of Delaware, and a Ph.D. in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus in genetic toxicology and mutagenesis. Dr. Prasad has authored several publications in scientific journals and is the author of Building Breakthroughs: On the Frontier of Medical Innovation.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

This section describes our executive compensation program and the 2023 compensation for our named executive officers, or NEOs. This section should be read with the compensation tables and related disclosures for our NEOs.

Our NEOs for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 were as follows:

Arrangements with Dr. Novak

Dr. Novak served as our President and Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2017 through September 15, 2023. In September 2023, Dr. Novak resigned from the Company as Chairman of the Board of Directors and President. Prior to that, in December 2019, we and Dr. Novak terminated his employment relationship and we entered into a Mandate Agreement with Oriolus Consulting LLC, an affiliate of, and on behalf of, Dr. Novak. From January 2020 until September 15, 2023, under the Mandate Agreement, Dr. Novak provided services, on a part-time basis, as our President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Pursuant to the terms of the Mandate Agreement, Dr. Novak was entitled to receive annual compensation in an amount equivalent to $190,000, payable in Swiss francs, plus an additional amount for the related value-added-tax. Dr. Novak was not eligible to receive compensation pursuant to our executive compensation program, including but not limited to, an annual cash bonus, annual equity awards, or other employee benefits described below. In addition, Dr. Novak was not eligible to receive compensation pursuant to our non-employee director compensation policy.

Dr. Novak’s outstanding unvested equity awards granted by us to, and held by, Dr. Novak as of January 1, 2020, continued to vest in accordance with Dr. Novak’s terminated Employment Agreement and the Termination Agreement through September 15, 2023, at which time all unvested equity awards vested in full.

For fiscal year 2023, Dr. Novak did not receive any compensation from us other than the annual compensation payable pursuant to his Mandate Agreement through September 15, 2023, and continued vesting of his unvested equity awards as described above. Accordingly, unless specifically identified, the discussion below regarding our executive compensation program for our NEOs excludes Dr. Novak.

Management Changes in Fiscal 2023

On March 14, 2023, Raju Prasad, P.D. was appointed our Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Brendan Smith, who resigned as our Chief Financial Officer as of the close of business on March 13, 2023. Mr. Smith remained an employee of our wholly-owned subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc. through March 31, 2023.

Executive Summary

We are a leading gene editing company focused on the development of CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics. CRISPR/Cas9 which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) is a revolutionary technology for gene editing, the process of precisely altering specific sequences of genomic DNA. We aim to apply this technology to disrupt, delete, correct and insert genes to treat genetic diseases and to engineer advanced cellular therapies. We have advanced this technology from discovery to an approved medicine with unparalleled speed, culminating in the landmark first approval of a CRISPR-based therapy, CASGEVY (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel]), in 2023 with our collaborators at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, or Vertex. We believe that the combination of our technology, research and development capabilities, and proven ability

to execute may enable us to create an entirely new class of highly effective and potentially curative therapies for patients with both rare and common diseases for whom current biopharmaceutical approaches have had limited success.

The use of CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing was co-invented by one of our scientific founders, Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, the Acting and Founding Director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Charpentier and her collaborators published work elucidating the mechanism by which the Cas9 endonuclease, a key component of CRISPR/Cas9, can be programmed to cut double-stranded DNA at specific locations. Dr. Charpentier and her collaborator, Dr. Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work. We acquired exclusive rights to intellectual property encompassing CRISPR/Cas9 and related technologies from Dr. Charpentier and continue to strengthen our intellectual property estate through our own research and additional in-licensing efforts, furthering our leadership in gene editing therapeutics.

We have established a portfolio of therapeutic programs spanning four core franchises:

Depending on the program, we take either an ex vivo approach, in which we edit cells outside of the human body before administering them to the patient, or an in vivo editing approach, where we deliver the CRISPR-based therapeutic directly to target cells within the human body. In addition, we continue to innovate on our platform to develop next-generation technologies that can enable new therapies. Through these efforts, we aim to unlock the full potential of CRISPR/Cas9 to create medicines that can transform the lives of patients.

Our mission is to create transformative gene-based medicines for serious human diseases. We believe that our innovative research, translational expertise, and clinical development experience, position us as a leader in the development of CRISPR-based therapeutics.

Overview of Executive Compensation Program

Executive Compensation Philosophy

Our executive compensation program is guided by our overarching philosophy of paying for demonstrable performance. Consistent with this philosophy, we have designed our executive compensation program to achieve the following primary goals:

Executive Compensation Program Design

Our executive compensation program is designed to be reasonable and competitive, and balance our goal of attracting, motivating, rewarding and retaining top-performing senior executives with our goal of aligning their interests with those of our shareholders. The Compensation Committee annually evaluates our executive compensation program to ensure that it is consistent with our short-term and long-term goals and the dynamic nature of our business and makes executive compensation recommendations to the Board of Directors.

Our executive compensation program consists of a mix of compensation elements that balance achievement of our short-term goals with our long-term performance. We provide short-term incentive compensation opportunities in the form of annual cash bonuses, which focus on our achievement of annual corporate goals. We also provide long-term incentive compensation opportunities in the form of equity awards.

Say-on-Pay

We have developed a compensation policy that is designed to attract and retain key executives responsible for our success and motivate management to enhance long-term shareholder value. We believe our compensation policy strikes an appropriate balance between the implementation of responsible, measured compensation practices and the effective provision of incentives for our NEOs to exert their best efforts for our success.

Requirements under Swiss Law

Pursuant to Swiss law and Article 18 of our Articles of Association, our shareholders must annually approve (i) the maximum non-performance-related compensation of our Executive Committee for the 12-month period starting on July 1 following the annual general meeting of shareholders, (ii) the maximum variable compensation for the Executive Committee for the current calendar year and (iii) the maximum grant of options or shares in the Company to the Executive Committee from the annual general meeting of shareholders to the next annual general meeting of shareholders. At our 2023 annual general meeting, shareholders approved the proposed compensation for the Executive Committee. As in prior years, the Compensation Committee was mindful of shareholder support for our pay-for-performance compensation philosophy at our 2022 annual general meeting when setting fiscal year 2023 compensation for our Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The Compensation Committee also took into account shareholder support of our Executive Committee’s compensation at the 2023 annual general meeting in maintaining our general compensation practices in fiscal year 2023 and setting the fiscal year 2024 compensation for our Board of Directors and Executive Committee, to be resolved upon by the shareholders at this year’s annual general meeting of shareholders (Proposals 6.a-6.e).

In addition, under Swiss law, we are required to prepare a Swiss statutory compensation report each year that contains specific items in a presentation format determined by Swiss regulations. The Swiss statutory compensation report of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2023, or the 2023 Compensation Report, must be submitted to shareholders for approval or disapproval on a non-binding advisory basis if variable compensation is voted on prospectively (Proposal 6.f). As such vote is advisory, it is not binding upon our Board of Directors or our Compensation Committee and neither the Board of Directors nor the Compensation Committee are required to take any action as a result of the outcome of such vote. However, our Compensation Committee carefully considers the outcome of this vote when considering future executive compensation policies. The 2023 Compensation Report is available on the Internet at ir.crisprtx.com/swiss-statutory-financial-statements-and-audit-reports, as well as www.proxydocs.com/CRSP.

Requirements under U.S. Securities Laws

As part of our commitment to excellence in corporate governance, and as required by Section 14A(a)(1) of the Exchange Act, periodically we must provide our shareholders with an opportunity to provide an advisory vote related to the compensation of our NEOs, commonly known as the “say-on-pay” proposal. The SEC say-on-pay vote generally covers the calendar year prior to the date of our proxy statement. As such vote is advisory, it is not binding upon our Board of Directors or our Compensation Committee and neither the Board of Directors nor the Compensation Committee are required to take any action as a result of the outcome of such vote. However, our Compensation Committee carefully considers the outcome of this vote when considering future executive compensation policies.

As reported in our current report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 9, 2023, at our 2023 annual general meeting, approximately 64% of the votes cast on our SEC say-on-pay proposal expressed support for the compensation program offered to our named executive officers as disclosed in last year’s proxy statement. While our Compensation

Committee and Board of Directors believe the approval of our executive compensation program annually under Swiss law already provides our shareholders a consistent and clear communication channel for shareholder concerns about our executive compensation programs, currently our Board of Directors plans to continue to hold shareholder U.S. advisory votes regarding the compensation program for our NEOs annually consistent with our shareholders’ approval of a proposal, on an advisory basis, at our 2022 annual general meeting, to take the say-on-pay vote annually. Accordingly, our next SEC say-on-pay vote will occur at this year’s annual general meeting (Proposal 7), and annually thereafter.

As a company organized under the laws of Switzerland, we are subject to Swiss law and regulations; as such, our ability to engage with individual shareholders regarding certain matters (namely, compensation or governance) is more limited than peer companies organized in other jurisdictions such as the State of Delaware. Since our 2023 annual general meeting, we have continued to engage with our shareholders regarding various matters relating to our business and prospects, in each case, in accordance with applicable Swiss law and regulations. During those engagements, members of our management team may discuss various matters impacting our business including, among other things, our overall compensation philosophy, the critical role that our personnel play in achieving our short-term and long-term goals and how best to attract, retain and incentivize our personnel including our named executive officers. Consistent with past practices, Dr. Kulkarni keeps our Board of Directors and Compensation Committee generally apprised of feedback regarding compensation matters and, as applicable, our Board of Directors and Compensation Committee may take this feedback into account when evaluating compensation matters that may impact our personnel including the named executive officers.

We are committed to continuing our ongoing engagement on matters of board and executive compensation and corporate governance in accordance with applicable Swiss law and regulations. As our shareholders’ views and market practices on board and executive compensation evolve, our Board of Directors and Compensation Committee will continue to evaluate and, when needed, make changes to our board and executive compensation programs, ensuring that the programs continue to, as appropriate, reflect our pay-for-performance compensation philosophy and objectives. Our Board of Directors and Compensation Committee will continue to consider the feedback received throughout the year, including when making compensation decisions for our named executive officers in the future and will continue engaging with shareholders in the ordinary course of business in accordance with applicable Swiss law and regulations.

For more information regarding our binding votes on aggregate compensation, see “Matters to Be Voted On—Proposal 6.a-6.e: Approval of Compensation for the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee—.”

For more information regarding our advisory votes on executive compensation, see “Matters to Be Voted On—Proposal 6.f: —Non-Binding Advisory Vote on the 2023 Compensation Report” and “Proposal 7: Non-Binding Advisory Vote on the Compensation Paid to the Company’s Named Executive Officers under the U.S. Securities Law Requirements.”

Governance of Executive Compensation Program

Our executive compensation program is also designed to incorporate sound practices for compensation governance. Below we summarize such practices.

What We Do:

✓ Maintain an Independent Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee consists solely of independent directors.

✓ Retain an Independent Compensation Advisor. The Compensation Committee engages its own compensation advisor to provide information and analysis related to annual executive compensation decisions, including the 2023 executive compensation decisions, and other advice on executive compensation independent of management.

✓ Review Executive Compensation Annually. The Compensation Committee annually reviews our compensation strategy, including a review and determination of our compensation peer group used for comparative purposes.

✓ Shareholder Approval of Board of Directors and Executive Committee Compensation Limits. Shareholders annually approve our compensation program limits for our Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

✓ Design Compensation At-Risk. Our executive compensation program is designed so that a significant portion of our NEOs’ compensation is “at risk” based on our corporate performance, as well as equity-based, to align the interests of our executive officers and shareholders.

✓ Use a Pay-for-Performance Philosophy. The majority of our NEOs’ compensation is directly linked to corporate performance and includes a significant long-term equity component, thereby making a substantial portion of each NEO’s total compensation dependent upon our stock price and/or total shareholder return.

✓ Use Double Trigger Change-in-Control Protection. Change-in-control payments and benefits to our NEOs occur only upon a qualifying termination of employment, not merely upon a change in control.

✓ Maintain a Clawback Policy. Maintain a clawback policy covering erroneously awarded incentive compensation paid to our executive officers and any other person designated by our Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee.

What We Don’t Do:

✗ No Executive Retirement Plans. We do not offer pension arrangements or retirement plans or arrangements to our executive officers that are different from or in addition to those offered to our other employees.

✗ No Special Perquisites. We do not provide perquisites to our executive officers.

✗ No Special Health and Welfare Benefits. Our executive officers participate in our health and welfare benefits programs on the same basis as our other employees.

✗ No Post-Employment Tax Payment Reimbursement. We do not provide any tax reimbursement payments (including “gross-ups”) on any change-in-control or severance payments or benefits.

✗ No Hedging or Pledging Our Equity Securities. We prohibit our executive officers, the members of our Board of Directors and certain other employees from hedging or pledging our securities.

✗ No Stock Option Re-Pricing. Our 2016 Plan and 2018 Plan do not permit stock options to be repriced to a lower exercise or strike price without the approval of our shareholders.

Role of the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors

The Compensation Committee discharges many of the responsibilities of our Board of Directors relating to the compensation of our executive officers, including our NEOs. The Compensation Committee oversees and evaluates our compensation and benefits policies generally, and the compensation plans, policies and practices applicable to our CEO and other executive officers. As described below, the Compensation Committee retains a compensation consultant to provide support in its review and assessment of our executive compensation program.

At the beginning of the year, the Compensation Committee reviews and recommends to the Board of Directors that it approve the primary elements of compensation—base salary increases, annual cash bonuses, and annual equity awards—for our CEO and members of our Executive Committee (which includes our other NEOs). In addition, the Compensation Committee may deem it advisable to review and approve subsequent compensation opportunities for our NEOs and may deem it advisable to recommend such opportunities to the Board of Directors for final review and approval.

Compensation-Setting Factors

When reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors the amount of each compensation element and the target total compensation opportunity for our executive officers, including our NEOs, the Compensation Committee considers one or more of the following factors:

These factors provide the framework for compensation decisions for each of our executive officers, including our NEOs. The Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors, as applicable, do not assign relative weights or rankings to these factors, and do not consider any single factor as determinative in the compensation of our executive officers. Rather, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors, as applicable, rely on their own knowledge and judgment in assessing these factors and making compensation decisions.

Role of Management

In discharging its responsibilities, the Compensation Committee works with management, including our CEO. Our management assists the Compensation Committee by providing information on corporate and individual performance, market compensation data and management’s perspective on compensation matters.

In addition, at the beginning of each year, our CEO reviews the performance of our other executive officers, including our other NEOs, based on our achievement of our annual corporate goals and each executive officer’s achievement of his or her departmental and individual goals established for the prior year and his or her overall performance during that year. The Compensation Committee solicits and reviews our CEO’s recommendations for base salary increases, annual cash bonuses, annual long-term incentive compensation and other compensation opportunities for our other executive officers, including our other NEOs, and considers our CEO’s recommendations in determining such compensation, but has the authority to make the final decision independent of our CEO’s recommendation.

Role of Compensation Consultant

The Compensation Committee engages an external compensation consultant to assist it by providing information, analysis and other advice relating to our executive compensation program. The Compensation Committee continued to retain the services of Aon’s Human Capital Solutions practice, a division of Aon plc (formerly known as Radford), or Aon, as its third-party compensation consultant until August 2023. In August 2023, Alpine Rewards, LLC, or Alpine, was appointed by the Compensation Committee to be the Compensation Committee’s new third-party compensation consultant, replacing Aon, to advise on executive compensation matters.

For 2023, the Compensation Committee engaged Aon and Alpine as its compensation consultants to advise on executive compensation matters including:

Aon and Alpine reported directly to the Compensation Committee and to the Compensation Committee chairman. Aon and Alpine also coordinated with our management for data collection and job matching for our executive officers. Aon and Alpine did not provide any other services to us in 2023. The Compensation Committee evaluated Aon’s and Alpine's independence pursuant to the listing standards of the relevant Nasdaq Listing Rules and SEC rules and determined that no conflict of interest exists as a result of the work performed by Aon and Alpine.

Role of Market Data

For purposes of comparing our executive compensation against the competitive market, the Compensation Committee reviews and considers the compensation levels and practices of a group of peer companies. This compensation peer group consists of public biotechnology companies that are similar to us in terms of revenue, market capitalization, stage of development, geographical location and number of employees. The Compensation Committee reviews our compensation peer group at least annually and makes adjustments to our peer group if necessary, taking into account changes in both our business and our peer companies’ businesses.

In July 2022, the Compensation Committee, with the assistance of Aon, reviewed and updated our compensation peer group for 2023, referred to as our 2023 peer group, considering the acquisition of certain peer companies, as applicable, and the change in our market capitalization, as reflected in the following criteria:

Based on a review of the analysis prepared by Aon, the Compensation Committee approved the updated compensation peer group below for 2023.

In August 2023, the Compensation Committee, with the assistance of Alpine, reviewed and updated our compensation peer group for 2024, referred to as our 2024 peer group, considering the acquisition of certain peer companies, as applicable, and the change in our market capitalization, as reflected in the following criteria:

Based on a review of the analysis prepared by Alpine, the Compensation Committee approved the updated compensation peer group below for 2024.

+ New addition to peer group for 2024.

The Compensation Committee uses market data—from our compensation peer group and from the Aon Global Life Sciences Compensation survey—as one factor in evaluating whether the compensation for our executive officers is competitive in the market. We aspire to align compensation for our NEOs to the sixtieth percentile of our peer group. In addition, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors, as applicable, also rely on their own knowledge and judgment in evaluating market data and making compensation decisions.

Primary Elements of Executive Compensation Program

To achieve our compensation objectives, we provide executives with a total compensation package consisting primarily of the following fixed and variable compensation elements:

We do not have a specific policy regarding the percentage allocation between short-term and long-term, or fixed and variable, compensation elements.

Our executive officers, including our NEOs, are also eligible to participate in our standard employee benefit plans, such as our employee stock purchase plan and retirement, health and welfare benefits plans, on the same basis as our other employees. In addition, as described below, our executive officers, including our NEOs, are entitled to certain change-in-control payments and benefits, as well as certain termination payments and benefits not in connection with a change in control.

Base Salary

We pay base salaries to our executive officers, including our NEOs, as the fixed portion of their compensation to provide them with a reasonable degree of financial certainty, and to attract and retain top-performing individuals. At the time of hire, base salaries are determined for our executive officers, including our NEOs. Typically, at the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee reviews base salaries for our executive officers, including our NEOs, to determine if an increase is appropriate. In addition, base salaries may be adjusted in the event of a promotion or significant change in responsibilities.

2023 Base Salary

In February 2023, the Compensation Committee reviewed the base salaries of our executive officers, including our NEOs. The Compensation Committee considered the factors described above under “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Governance of Executive Compensation Program—Compensation-Setting Factors,” including an analysis prepared by Aon. The Compensation Committee recommendation aspires to generally align the base salaries of our executive officers, including our NEOs, to the sixtieth percentile of our peer group, which

resulted in varying base salary adjustments for each of our NEOs. Thereafter, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors to adjust the annual base salaries of our NEOs as set forth below, effective as of January 1, 2023, and the Board of Directors approved that recommendation.

Annual Cash Bonuses

We provide short-term incentive compensation opportunities to our executive officers, including our NEOs, in the form of annual cash bonuses to drive our short-term success under our senior executive cash incentive bonus plan. The annual cash bonus review provides that:

The Compensation Committee may also make certain immaterial rounding adjustments to the annual cash bonuses.

Corporate Performance Goals

At the end of each year, the Compensation Committee, after reviewing management’s proposal, establishes the annual corporate performance goals that it believes will be the most significant drivers of our short-term and long-term success. The corporate performance goals include target achievement dates based on calendar quarters. The Compensation Committee then recommends to the Board of Directors that it approve of the proposed corporate performance goals. Each corporate performance goal has a percentage weighting, and may include an additional percentage weighting for overachievement, based on the Compensation Committee’s assessment of the goal’s relative significance. Each executive officer, including each NEO, is eligible to receive an annual performance-based cash bonus based primarily on achievement of corporate performance goals as assessed by our Compensation Committee and Board of Directors with adjustment for individual performance based on input on individual performance achievement from our CEO. Each executive officer, including each NEO, has a target annual bonus award amount, expressed as a percentage of each NEO’s base salary then in effect. After the fiscal year is completed, the Compensation Committee reviews actual corporate and individual performance against the stated goals (as discussed in more detail below) and determines subjectively what it believes to be the appropriate level of cash bonus, if any, for our NEOs.

As a general matter, at the end of the year for which the corporate performance goals have been established, the Compensation Committee, after reviewing management’s self-assessment, evaluates our achievement of the prior year’s corporate performance goals, and our overall success for the year, and determines the total percentage achievement level for the Company. The Compensation Committee then recommends to the Board of Directors that it approve of such percentage achievement level for the Company.

In addition, our CEO evaluates the other executive officers’ individual performance, including the other NEOs’ individual performance, and makes recommendations for total percentage achievement level for such executive officer. Such evaluation is made, in part, by considering the performance relative to the executive officer’s functional attainments and impact on corporate goals, as well as other factors related to conformance with the Company’s core values and policies and the expected competencies and skills for the executive officer’s role. The Compensation Committee considers our CEO’s recommendations, and discusses, reviews and recommends the total percentage achievement level for each of the executive officers. The Compensation Committee then independently evaluates our CEO’s performance using similar criteria used in our CEO’s evaluation of the other executive officers. Since an executive officer’s total percentage achievement level is determined by taking the Company’s percentage achievement level for the most recently completed fiscal year together with the individual executive officer’s percentage achievement level awarded in connection with the annual performance review cycle, the total percentage achievement level for such executive officer could exceed the stated percentage achievement level for the Company. The Compensation Committee then recommends to the Board of Directors that it approve the total percentage achievement level for each executive officer, including our NEOs.

For 2023, the actual bonus amounts for our NEOs were reviewed and approved by our Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors.

Target Annual Bonuses

At the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee reviews the annual target bonuses for our executive officers, including our NEOs and, if appropriate, makes a recommendation to the Board of Directors to adjust the annual target bonus for our NEOs. The Compensation Committee considers the factors described above and benchmarking analyses prepared by the Compensation Committee's third-party compensation consultant, with an emphasis on market data from our compensation peer group for comparable positions. Target annual bonuses represent a specific percentage of annual base salary.

2023 Target Annual Bonus

In February 2023, the Compensation Committee reviewed the target annual bonuses of our executive officers, including our NEOs. The Compensation Committee considered the factors described under “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Primary Elements of Executive Compensation Program—Annual Cash Bonuses” above, as well as the benchmarking analyses prepared by Aon, particularly the market data from the companies in the compensation peer group. The Compensation Committee recommendation aspires to generally align the target annual bonuses of our executive officers, including our NEOs, to the sixtieth percentile of our peer group. As a result, the target annual bonus for each of our NEOs did not change in 2023 as compared to 2022. Thereafter, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors to approve of the 2023 target annual bonuses of our NEOs below, and the Board of Directors accepted that recommendation and approved the same.

2023 Corporate Performance Goals

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors approved our 2023 annual corporate performance goals and weightings, as summarized below.

Our executive compensation program seeks to incentivize and reward strong corporate performance. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Compensation Committee evaluated our achievement of the 2023 corporate performance goals, considering the extent to which we had achieved each goal, the weighting established for each goal, management’s self-assessment, and our overall corporate performance in 2023. The Compensation Committee determined that we successfully exceeded the 2023 corporate performance goals, matching the 120% achievement level. Thereafter, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors the foregoing, and the Board of Directors accepted that recommendation and approved the same.

Highlights of our 2023 corporate performance include:

Program Goals:

Hemoglobinopathies:

Immuno-oncology:

Regenerative Medicine:

In vivo:

Platform & Capabilities:

G&A Goals:

2023 Annual Cash Bonuses

In the first quarter of 2024, the Compensation Committee considered our CEO’s recommendations with respect to our executive officers, including our other NEOs, individual performance for 2023 and independently evaluated the same for each executive officer, including our CEO using similar criteria used in our CEO’s evaluation of the other executive officers. Thereafter, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors the total percentage achievement level based on corporate performance goals and individual performance for each of our executive officers, including our other NEOs, and the Board of Directors accepted that recommendation and approved the same. For fiscal year 2023, our Board of Directors determined that the individual performance of each of Dr. Kulkarni, Dr. Prasad and Mr. Kasinger for 2023 merited a total percentage achievement level that equaled 120% the stated percentage achievement level of the Company, based on individual impact on corporate goals, individual

competencies and skills, demonstrated leadership and embodiment of our core way of working: collaborative, undaunted, entrepreneurial, and results-oriented. Mr. Smith departed the Company in March 2023 and Dr. Morrow departed the Company in January 2024, accordingly, they were not eligible to receive a bonus for 2023.

The table below sets forth the target annual cash bonus for each NEO who was eligible to earn a bonus, and the actual bonus amount earned by such NEO, for 2023.

Long-Term Incentive Compensation

We view long-term incentive compensation in the form of equity awards as an important element of our executive compensation program. The value of equity awards is directly related to share price appreciation over time, which incentivizes our executive officers to achieve long-term corporate goals and create long-term value for our shareholders. Equity awards also help us attract and retain top-performing executive officers in a competitive market.

Consistent with the practice of our peer group companies, we grant our employees, including our NEOs, a mix of stock options and RSUs. At the time of hire, equity awards are granted to our executive officers, including our NEOs. In addition, during our annual employee performance cycle, as a general practice, we grant a mix of equity awards to employees, including our NEOs, twice yearly with the initial award made during the third or fourth quarter of the year for which the equity grant is awarded and the remainder of the annual equity grant is awarded during the first quarter of the following year. We believe granting equity awards bi-annually will better deliver a more consistent equity value to our employees. As a general practice, the first tranche of awards are comprised of 100% stock options and equate roughly to one-third of a typical annual option grant and the second tranche of awards are comprised of a mix of equity awards roughly equating to two-thirds of a typical annual option grant, as well as restricted stock units adjusted for performance. For more information on our equity award grant policy, see “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Other Compensation Policies and Practices—Equity Award Grant Policy” below.

At the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee typically reviews the equity awards for our executive officers, including our NEOs, and determines, based upon performance in the prior year, the amounts of the second tranche of annual equity awards it deems reasonable and appropriate based on the factors described above under “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Governance of Executive Compensation Program—Compensation-Setting Factors”, as well as the benchmarking analyses prepared by the Compensation Committee's third-party compensation consultant. In addition, the Compensation Committee may deem it advisable to grant subsequent equity awards to our executive officers (including our NEOs), in the event of a promotion, significant change in responsibilities, recognition for achievement of other performance milestones, recognition of other contributions to the Company, or for purposes of retention. See, for example, the complete list of equity awards granted to our NEOs in 2023 described below in the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards for Fiscal Year 2023” table, as well as additional information contained below under “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Primary Elements of Executive Compensation Program—Retention-focused RSUs.”

2023-2024 Annual Equity Awards Based on 2023 Performance

Retention-focused RSUs

A primary goal of our executive compensation program is to attract, motivate and retain our senior executives. The Compensation Committee believes that it is in the best interests of our shareholders to maintain a disciplined, yet flexible executive compensation program that is capable of reinforcing and periodically encouraging retention and focus on shareholder value creation without distraction. Moreover, continuity amongst key executive officers is critical to the operation of our business and our ability to consistently deliver key milestones for our programs. We believe that equity grants with time-based vesting features promote executive retention because this feature incentivizes our executive officers to remain in our employment during the vesting period.

In October 2023, the Compensation Committee, in consultation with Alpine, recommended to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors approved, the grant of retention equity awards to certain executive officers in the form of time-based restricted stock units. Dr. Kulkarni was granted 25,000 restricted stock units and Mr. Kasinger was granted 6,340 restricted stock units. Each such award vests in three equal annual installments on the anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued service to us or any of our subsidiaries. Since Drs. Prasad and Morrow recently joined our company, in March 2023 and May 2022, respectively, and each received a new hire award at such time, the Compensation Committee determined a retention equity award was not required.

Additionally, we believe that equity grants with performance-based vesting features serve as an appropriate motivational and retention vehicle for our CEO. Accordingly, to drive continued accountability during this critical phase for our company and deliver shareholder return, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors approved, the grant of 150,000 performance stock units with service- and market-based vesting conditions to Dr. Kulkarni. Dr. Kulkarni is eligible to receive between zero and 150,000 common shares at the end of a three-year service period based upon achieving a specified average stock price for a defined period of time and his continued service to us or any of our subsidiaries. Specifically, performance-based restricted stock units (the “PSUs”) are eligible to be earned (the “Earned PSUs”) based upon the percentage increase in our stock price (based upon the average closing share price on the Nasdaq Global Market over a thirty trading day period over the grant date price of $75.85), with four escalating percentage increase targets (10%, 15%, 25% and 35%). An equal amount of shares are allotted to each of the four tranches. One hundred percent of the Earned PSUs will vest on the first trading day on or following the third anniversary of the grant date, subject to Dr. Kulkarni’s continued service to us or any of our subsidiaries through such vesting date. The Compensation Committee included such delayed vesting to further foster retention and alignment with shareholder interest. Under the terms of the award, any PSUs that are not earned on or before August 16, 2025 shall be forfeited and be null and void as of such date. In the event of a sale event (as such term is defined in the applicable award agreement), (i) if the sale event occurs prior to the third anniversary of the grant date, the number of PSUs earned that have not become Earned PSUs prior to the date of the sale event shall be the greater of (x) the number of PSUs earned based upon the achievement of the applicable percentage increase over the grant day price as of the consummation of such sale event, and (y) 75,000 shares and (ii) any unvested Earned PSUs (including any PSUs earned upon consummation of the sale event) will vest and become nonforfeitable upon the date of such sale event.

Other Employee Benefits

Health and Welfare Benefits

Our executive officers, including our NEOs, are eligible to participate in the same employee benefit plans that are generally available to all of our employees, subject to the satisfaction of certain eligibility requirements, such as medical, dental, and life and disability insurance plans. We pay, on behalf of our employees, a percentage of the premiums for health, life and disability insurance.

401(k) Savings Plan

Our U.S. executive officers, including our NEOs, are eligible to participate in a tax-qualified retirement plan, or the 401(k) Plan, on the same basis as our other employees. The 401(k) Plan provides eligible U.S. employees with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax advantaged basis. Employees are fully vested in their contributions. The 401(k) Plan also permits us to make discretionary employer contributions. In 2023, we made matching contributions under the 401(k) Plan equal to 100% of employee deferral contributions up to a deferral rate of 2% of eligible compensation and 50% of employee deferral contributions from 2% to 6% of eligible compensation up to a maximum deferral rate of 4% of eligible compensation. Matching contributions vest after two years. Matching contributions made to each of our NEOs are included in the “Summary Compensation Table” below.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Pursuant to our employee stock purchase plan, employees, including our NEOs, have an opportunity to purchase our common shares at a discount on a tax-qualified basis through payroll deductions. The employee stock purchase plan is designed to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code. The purpose of the employee stock purchase plan is to encourage our employees, including our NEOs, to become our shareholders and better align their interests with those of our other shareholders.

Special Perquisites

We do not provide special perquisites to our executive officers, including our NEOs.

Employment and Other Arrangements with our NEOs

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our NEOs (other than Dr. Novak) in connection with his or her employment with us. These employment agreements provide for certain notice periods and severance benefits, as described under “Executive Compensation—NEO Compensation Tables—Employment and Other Arrangements with our NEOs—NEO Employment Agreements” below. The Compensation Committee believes that it is in the best interests of our shareholders to extend these benefits to our executives to reinforce and encourage retention and focus of shareholder value creation without distraction. For more information on our relationship with Dr. Novak, please see “Executive Compensation—NEO Compensation Tables—Employment and Other Arrangements with our NEOs—Service Agreements with Dr. Novak” below.

Other Compensation Policies and Practices

Equity Award Grant Policy

We have adopted an equity award grant policy that sets forth the process and timing for us to follow when we grant equity awards to our employees, including our executive officers, or advisors or consultants to us pursuant to any of our equity compensation plans. Pursuant to the policy, all grants of equity awards must be approved in advance by, as applicable, our Board of Directors, the Compensation Committee or, subject to the delegation requirements in the policy, our CEO.

In addition, our equity award grant policy sets forth the manner in which our equity awards will be priced. The dollar value of restricted stock and restricted stock units will be determined by multiplying the number of shares of our common stock underlying the award by the closing market price on the Nasdaq Global Market of a share of our common stock on the effective date of grant. The exercise price of all stock options will be at least equal to the closing market price on the Nasdaq Global Market of our common shares on the effective date of grant.

Policy Prohibiting Hedging and Pledging

Our Insider Trading Policy prohibits our executive officers, the non-employee members of our Board of Directors and certain designated employees who in the course of the performance of their duties have access to material, nonpublic information regarding our company from engaging in the following transactions:

In the fourth quarter 2023 we updated our Insider Trading Policy to prohibit hedging and pledging of our securities by our executive officers, the non-employee members of our Board of Directors and certain designated employees who in the course of the performance of their duties have access to material, nonpublic information regarding our company. Prior to amending our Insider Trading Policy, none of our NEOs had previously sought or obtained approval from the Audit Committee to engage in any hedging or pledging transaction involving our securities.

Clawback Policy

In the fourth quarter 2023, our Board of Directors, at the recommendation of our Compensation Committee, adopted a compensation recovery policy. Our policy sets forth the circumstances and procedures under which we or any of our subsidiaries must recover certain erroneously awarded compensation paid to our executive officers and any other person designated by our Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee as being subject to our policy, or covered executives. The policy provides that if we are required to prepare an accounting restatement due to our material non-compliance with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, the covered executive must repay to us any qualifying erroneously awarded compensation received by the covered executive during the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date it is determined a restatement is required to be prepared. For purposes of this policy, excess incentive compensation means any compensation provided, directly or indirectly, by us or any of our subsidiaries that is granted, earned, or vested based, in whole or in part, upon the attainment of a financial reporting measure that is in excess of the amount such covered executive would have received if such compensation had been determined wholly or in part based on the restated financial reporting measures.

Tax and Accounting Considerations

Deductibility of Executive Compensation

Generally, Section 162(m) of the Code, or Section 162(m), disallows a federal income tax deduction for public corporations of remuneration in excess of $1 million paid in any fiscal year to certain specified executive officers.

In designing our executive compensation program and determining the compensation of our executive officers, including our NEOs, the Compensation Committee considers a variety of factors, including the potential impact of the Section 162(m) deduction limit. However, the Compensation Committee will not necessarily limit executive compensation to that which is or may be deductible under Section 162(m). The deductibility of some types of compensation depends upon the timing of an executive officer’s vesting or exercise of previously granted rights. Further, interpretations of and changes in the tax laws, and other factors beyond the Compensation Committee’s control also affect the deductibility of compensation. The Compensation Committee will consider various alternatives to preserving the deductibility of compensation payments and benefits to the extent consistent with its compensation goals.

To maintain flexibility to compensate our executive officers in a manner designed to promote our short-term and long-term corporate goals, the Compensation Committee has not adopted a policy that all compensation must be deductible. The Compensation Committee believes that our shareholders’ interests are best served if its discretion and flexibility in awarding compensation is not restricted in order to allow such compensation to be consistent with the goals of our executive compensation program, even though some compensation awards may result in non-deductible compensation expense.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

We follow the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, or ASC 718, for our stock-based compensation awards. ASC 718 requires us to measure the compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to our employees and non-employee members of our Board of Directors, including stock options to purchase shares of our common stock and other stock awards, based on the grant date “fair value” of these awards. This calculation is performed for accounting purposes and reported in the executive compensation tables required by the federal securities laws, even though the recipient of the awards may never realize any value from their awards.

Taxation of “Parachute” Payments

Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code provide that executive officers and directors who hold significant equity interests and certain other service providers may be subject to significant additional U.S. taxes if they receive payments or benefits in connection with a change in control of the company that exceeds certain prescribed limits, and that the company (or a successor) may forfeit a deduction on the amounts subject to this additional tax. We have not agreed

to provide any executive officer, including any NEO, with a “gross-up” or other reimbursement payment for any tax liability that the executive officer might owe as a result of the application of Sections 280G or 4999 of the Code.

NEO Compensation Tables

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding total compensation awarded to, earned by and paid to each of our NEOs during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, to the extent he or she was a NEO in such year.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards for Fiscal Year 2023

The following table sets forth the individual awards made to each of our NEOs during 2023, other than Dr. Novak and Mr. Smith. Dr. Novak and Mr. Smith were not eligible to receive any non-equity or equity plan-based awards in 2023. See Notes 7 and 8 to the “Summary Compensation Table” above for more information. For a description of the types of awards indicated below, please see “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis” above: