UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.DC 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14A

 

SCHEDULE 14A

PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a)
OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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

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Preliminary Proxy Statement
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule14a-6(e) 14A-6(E)(2))
Definitive Proxy Statement
Definitive Additional Materials
Soliciting Material Pursuant to§240.14a-11(c) or§240.14a-2under §240.14a-12

Moderna, Inc.

MODERNA, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified Inin Its Charter)

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Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

 

 

Notice of Annual Meeting
of Shareholders

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2024

8:00 a.m., Eastern Time

www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MRNA2024

HOW TO VOTE

Review your proxy statement and vote

in one of three ways:

Internet
www.proxyvote.com
Telephone
1-800-690-6903
Mail
Complete, sign, date, and return your proxy card or voting instruction form

 

 

 


LOGOYOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. Even if you plan to participate in the Annual Meeting, we urge you to submit your proxy in advance to ensure your shares are represented. This will not affect your right to participate in the meeting and to vote your shares at that time. For additional information on voting and participating in the meeting, please see “Information About the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders” beginning on page 83.

200 Technology Square

Cambridge, MA 02139

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To the StockholdersShareholders of Moderna, Inc.:

You are cordially invited to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”)Shareholders of Moderna, Inc. (“Moderna”), which will be held on Thursday, June 27, 2019,Monday, May 6, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time at our offices located at 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139,(the Annual Meeting), for the following purposes:

1. To elect three of our Class I director nominees set forth in the proxy statement, each to serve for a three-year term expiring at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her respective successor is duly elected and qualified, or such director’s earlier death, resignation, or removal;

2. To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019; and

3.
1.To elect three Class III directors, each to serve for a three-year term expiring at the 2027 annual meeting of shareholders;
2.To approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers;
3.To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024;
4.To approve a management proposal to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to provide shareholders the right to call a special meeting;
5.To approve a management proposal to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to reflect new Delaware law provisions allowing for officer exculpation; and 
6.To transact such other business as may be properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The Annual Meeting will be conducted virtually. You will be able to participate in the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.online and submit your questions during the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MRNA2024. You also will be able to vote your shares electronically during the Annual Meeting. For more information about our virtual Annual Meeting, please see “Information About the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders” beginning on page 83.

Our boardBoard of directorsDirectors has fixed the close of business on April 29, 2019March 7, 2024, as the “Record Date”Record Date for determining the stockholdersshareholders that are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the “Annual Report”) can be accessed at the following website: www.proxydocs.com/MRNA.

You can vote your shares by using the Internet as described in the instructions included in the proxy statement, by calling the toll-free telephone number included in the proxy statement, or, by completing, signing, dating, and returning your proxy card or voting instruction form.

 

By order of the Board of Directors,

LOGO

Stéphane Bancel

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Cambridge, Massachusetts

May 15, 2019

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we urge you to submit your vote via the Internet, telephone or mail as soon as possible to ensure your shares are represented. For additional instructions for each of these voting options, please refer to the proxy card. Returning the proxy does not deprive you of your right to attend the Annual Meeting and to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting. The proxy statement explains proxy voting and the matters to be voted on in more detail.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Questions and Answers About the Annual Meeting

1

Proposal 1

8

Election of Directors

8

Vote Required

8

Management

9

Executives and Directors

9

Composition of Our Board of Directors

12

Board Leadership Structure and Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

13

Committees of Our Board of Directors

14

Board and Committee Meetings Attendance

16

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

17

Corporate Governance

17

Reporting Concerns Regarding Accounting and Other Matters and Communicating withNon-Management Directors

17

Executive Compensation

18

Overview

18

Summary Compensation Table

19

Narrative to Summary Compensation Table

20

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2018Year-End

24

Equity Compensation Plan Information

26

Director Compensation

27

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

30

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

33

Proposal 2: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

36

Fees Paid to the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

36

Audit CommitteePre-Approval of Audit and PermissibleNon-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

36

Auditor Independence

36

Vote Required

37

Audit Committee Report

38

Stockholder Proposals

40

Where You Can Find More Information

41

Company Website

41

Important Notice Regarding Delivery of Stockholder Documents

41

Other Business

41


LOGO

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR 2019ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on June 27, 2019

Use of terms such as “Moderna,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” in this proxy statement refer to Moderna, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

This proxy statement and form of proxy are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our board of directors for use at our 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), and any postponements or adjournments thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held on June 27, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, at our principal executive offices, located at 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139. This proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the “Annual Report”) is2023, are first being mailed on or about May 15, 2019March 21, 2024, to all stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

The information provided in the “question and answer” format below addresses certain frequently asked questions but is not intended to be a summary of all matters contained in this proxy statement. Please read the entire proxy statement carefully before voting your shares.

Why am I receiving these materials?

Our board of directors is providing these proxy materials to you in connection with our board of directors’ solicitation of proxies for use at Moderna, Inc.’s Annual Meeting, which will take place on June 27, 2019. Stockholders are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and are requested to vote on the proposals described in this proxy statement.

All stockholders as of the close of business on April 29, 2019 will receive the proxy materials and have the ability to access them via the Internet, including this proxy statement and our Annual Report, at www.proxydocs.com/MRNA.

What proposals will be voted on at the Annual Meeting?

There are two proposals scheduled to be voted on at the Annual Meeting:

the election of three Class I directors to hold office until the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified; and

the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019.

At the time this proxy statement was mailed, our management and board of directors were not aware of any other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting other than those set forth in this proxy statement and in the notice accompanying this proxy statement.

How does our board of directors recommend that I vote?

Our board of directors recommends that you vote:

FOR the election of each of the three directors nominated by our board of directors and named in this proxy statement as Class I directors to serve for a three-year term; and

FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019.

Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?

Holders of our common stock at the close of business on April 29, 2019, the record date for the Annual Meeting (the “Record Date”), are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of our common stock held as of the Record Date. As of the Record Date, there were 329,010,929 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. The shares you are entitled to vote include shares that are (1) held of record directly in your name and (2) held for you as the beneficial owner through a stockbroker, bank or other nominee.

What is the difference between holding shares as a stockholder of record and as a beneficial owner?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If, at the close of business on the Record Date, your shares were registered directly in your name with Computershare Trust Company, N.A., our transfer agent, then you are considered the stockholder of record with respect to those shares. As the stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the individuals listed on the proxy card or to vote in person at the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial Owners: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank, or Other Nominee. If, at the close of business on the Record Date, your shares were held, not in your name, but rather in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee on your behalf, then you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name.” As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank, or other nominee how to vote your shares by following the voting instructions your broker, bank, or other nominee provides. If you do not provide your broker, bank, or other nominee with instructions on how to vote your shares, your broker, bank, or other nominee may, in its discretion, vote your shares with respect to routine matters but may not vote your shares with respect to anynon-routine matters. For additional information, see “What if I do not specify how my shares are to be voted?” below.

Do I have to do anything in advance if I plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If you were a stockholder of record at the close of business on the Record Date, you do not need to do anything in advance to attend and/or vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting, but you will need to present government-issued photo identification for entrance to the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial Owners: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank, or Other Nominee. If you were a beneficial owner at the close of business on the Record Date, you may not vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting unless you obtain a “legal proxy” from your broker, bank, or other nominee who is the stockholder of record with respect to your shares. You may still attend the Annual Meeting even if you do not have a legal proxy. For entrance to the Annual Meeting, you will need to provide proof of beneficial ownership as of the Record Date, such as the notice or voting instructions you received from your broker, bank, or other nominee or a brokerage statement reflecting your ownership of shares as of the Record Date, and also present government-issued photo identification.

Please note that no cameras, recording equipment, large bags, briefcases, or packages will be permitted in the Annual Meeting.

How do I vote?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If you are a stockholder of record, you can vote in one of the following ways:

You may vote via the Internet. To vote via the Internet, go to www.proxydocs.com/MRNA to complete an electronic proxy card. You will be asked to provide the control number from the proxy card you receive. If you vote via the Internet, you do not need to return a proxy card by mail.

You may vote by telephone. To vote by telephone, dial toll-free1-866-230-6330 and follow the recorded instructions. You will be asked to provide the control number from the proxy card. If you vote by telephone, you do not need to return a proxy card by mail.

You may vote by mail. To vote by mail using the proxy card you need to complete, date, and sign the proxy card and return it promptly by mail in the envelope to be provided. The persons named in the proxy card will vote the shares you own in accordance with your instructions on the proxy card you mail. If you return the proxy card, but do not give any instructions on a particular matter to be voted on at the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the proxy card will vote the shares you own in accordance with the recommendations of our board of directors. Our board of directors recommends that you vote FOR the election of each of the three directors nominated by our board of directors and named in this proxy statement as Class I directors to serve for a three-year term and FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019.

You may vote in person. If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote by delivering your completed proxy card in person or by completing and submitting a ballot, which will be provided at the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial Owners: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank, or Other Nominee. If you are the beneficial owner of shares held of record by a broker, bank, or other nominee, you will receive voting instructions from your broker, bank, or other nominee. You must follow the voting instructions provided by your broker, bank, or other nominee in order to instruct your broker, bank, or other nominee how to vote your shares. The availability of Internet and telephone voting options will depend on the voting process of your broker, bank, or other nominee.As discussed above, if you are a beneficial owner, you may not vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from your broker, bank, or other nominee.

Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If you are a stockholder of record, you may revoke your proxy or change your proxy instructions at any time before your proxy is voted at the Annual Meeting by:

entering a new vote by Internet or telephone;

signing and returning a new proxy card with a later date;

delivering a written revocation to our Corporate Secretary at Moderna, Inc., 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139; or

attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.

Beneficial Owners: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank, or Other Nominee. If you are the beneficial owner of your shares, you must contact the broker, bank, or other nominee holding your shares and follow their instructions to change your vote or revoke your proxy.

What is the effect of giving a proxy?

Proxies are solicited by and on behalf of our board of directors. The persons named in the proxy have been designated as proxy holders by our board of directors. When a proxy is properly dated, executed, and returned, the shares represented by the proxy will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the instructions of the stockholder. If no specific instructions are given, however, the shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our board of directors. If any matters not described in this proxy statement are properly presented at the Annual Meeting, the proxy holders will use their own judgment to determine how to vote your shares. If the Annual Meeting is postponed or adjourned, the proxy holders can vote your shares on the new meeting date, unless you have properly revoked your proxy, as described above.

What if I do not specify how my shares are to be voted?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If you are a stockholder of record and you submit a proxy but you do not provide voting instructions, your shares will be voted:

FOR the election of each of the three directors nominated by our board of directors and named in this proxy statement as Class I directors to serve for a three-year term (Proposal No. 1);

FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019 (Proposal No. 2); and

In the discretion of the named proxy holders regarding any other matters properly presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial Owners: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank, or Other Nominee. If you are a beneficial owner and you do not provide your broker, bank, or other nominee that holds your shares with voting instructions, then your broker, bank, or other nominee will determine if it has discretion to vote on each matter. Brokers do not have discretion to vote onnon-routine matters. Proposal No. 1 (election of directors) is anon-routine matter, while Proposal No. 2 (ratification of appointment of independent registered public accounting firm) is a routine matter. As a result, if you do not provide voting instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee, then your broker, bank or other nominee may not vote your shares with respect to Proposal No. 1, which would result in a “brokernon-vote,” but may, in its discretion, vote your shares with respect to Proposal No. 2. For additional information regarding brokernon-votes, see “What are the effects of abstentions and brokernon-votes?” below.

What are the effects of abstentions and brokernon-votes?

An abstention represents a stockholder’s affirmative choice to decline to vote on a proposal. If a stockholder indicates on its proxy card that it wishes to abstain from voting its shares, or if a broker, bank, or other nominee holding its customers’ shares of record causes abstentions to be recorded for shares, these shares will be considered present andshareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. As a result, abstentions will be counted for purposes of determiningThese materials also are available at www.proxyvote.com, using the presence or absence of a quorum and will also count as votes against a proposal in cases where approvalcontrol number provided with your materials. 


 


 

By order of the proposal requiresBoard of Directors,

Stéphane Bancel
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 21, 2024

2024 Proxy statement   1
Back to Contents

Proxy Summary 

This summary highlights certain information from this Proxy Statement, but does not contain all the affirmative vote ofinformation that you should consider. Please read the entire Proxy Statement before voting your shares. For more complete information regarding Moderna’s 2023 performance, please review our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, including the sections captioned "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors", for a majoritydescription of the shares presentsubstantial risks and entitleduncertainties related to votethe forward-looking statements included herein. Expected product launches are subject to, among other risks, assumptions and uncertainties, clinical trial, regulatory and commercial success, and availability of supply.

When

Where

Record date

Monday, May 6,
2024, at 8:00 a.m.,
Eastern time.
The meeting will be held virtually at
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MRNA2024
March 7, 2024

Meeting Agenda 

The matters we will act upon at the Annual Meeting (e.g., Proposal No. 2). However, because the outcome of Proposal No. 1 (election of directors) will be determined by a plurality vote, abstentions will have no impact on the outcome of such proposal as long as a quorum exists.

A brokernon-vote occurs when a broker, bank, or other nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the broker, bank, or other nominee does not have discretionary voting power with respect to such proposal and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares. Brokernon-votes will be counted for purposes of calculating whether a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting but will not be counted for purposes of determining the number of votes cast. Therefore, a brokernon-vote will make a quorum more readily attainable but will not otherwise affect the outcome of the vote on any proposal.

What is a quorum?

A quorum is the minimum number of shares required to be present at the Annual Meeting for the meeting to be properly held under our bylaws and Delaware law. A majority of the shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote, in person or by proxy, constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. As noted above, as of the Record Date, there were a total of 329,010,929 shares of common stock outstanding, which means that 164,505,465 shares of common stock must be represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting to have a quorum. If there is no quorum, a majority of the shares present at the Annual Meeting may adjourn the meeting to a later date.

How many votes are needed for approval of each proposal?are:

 

Proposal  

Board voting
recommendation
Where to find
more information
Proposal No.1: The election of Elect three Class IIII directors, requireseach for a plurality vote ofthree-year termFOR all nomineesPage 8
Proposal 2: Approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis the sharescompensation of our common stock present in person or by proxy atnamed executive officersFORPage 35
Proposal 3: Ratify the Annual Meeting and entitledappointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2024FORPage 76
Proposal 4: Amend our Certificate of Incorporation to vote thereonprovide shareholders the right to be approved. This means that the three nominees who receive the most call a special meetingFOR votes will be elected. You may (i) vote FOR all nominees, (ii) WITHHOLD your vote asPage 79
Proposal 5: Amend our Certificate of Incorporation to all nominees, or (iii) vote FOR all nominees exceptreflect new Delaware law provisions allowing for those specific nominees from whom you WITHHOLD your vote. Any shares not voted officer exculpationFOR a particular nominee (whether as a result of voting withheld or a brokernon-vote) will not be counted in such nominee’s favor and will have no effect on the outcome of the election. If you WITHHOLD your vote as to all nominees, you will be deemed to have abstained from voting on Proposal No. 1, and such abstention will have no effect on the outcome of the proposal.

Page 81

 

2024 Proxy statement   2

Our Mission 

To deliver the greatest possible impact to people through mRNA medicines

About Moderna 

Moderna is a leader in the creation of the field of mRNA medicines. Through the advancement of mRNA technology, Moderna is reimagining how medicines are made and transforming how we treat and prevent disease for everyone. By working at the intersection of science, technology and health for more than a decade, the Company has developed medicines at unprecedented speed and efficiency, including one of the earliest and most effective COVID-19 vaccines.

Moderna’s mRNA platform has enabled the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases and autoimmune diseases.  With a unique culture and a global team driven by the Moderna values and mindsets to responsibly change the future of human health, Moderna strives to deliver the greatest possible impact to people through mRNA medicines.  

2023 Performance

$6.7billion48% U.S.
market share
9 late-stage
programs
in net product sales from COVID-19 vaccines in 2023.for COVID-19 vaccine sales to the retail market in the 2023 fall season, up from 37% in 2022 (Source: IQVIA).including Phase 3 programs for next-generation COVID, RSV, seasonal flu, seasonal flu + COVID, CMV, and INT (melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer) and late-stage programs for PA and MMA.
$13.3billion45 programs19 markets
in cash, cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2023, available to fund future pipeline growth plans.in development, reflecting continued investment in the pipeline, laying the groundwork for future growth and profitability.with Moderna employees around the globe as of December 31, 2023, with a presence in key markets for our products.

Our Strategic Priorities

Commercial Execution:We are focused on commercial execution to drive sales growth and profitability. This includes building on the current momentum from U.S. Spikevax sales and preparing for multiple product launches, including the expected launch of our RSV vaccine candidate and other potential launches in 2025 and beyond.

Disciplined Investment:We plan to continue to review our cost structure to find efficiencies, and to remain disciplined around spending.  We expect to leverage our existing manufacturing and commercial infrastructure as we launch new products in our respiratory franchise in 2024 and 2025.  

Executing on Late-Stage Pipeline:We are focused on advancing our late-stage pipeline to drive organic sales growth. Moderna expects to launch up to 15 products in the next five years, with up to four of those launches possibly occurring by 2025.

2024 Proxy statement   3

Proposal 1: Director Nominees 

At the Annual Meeting, three Class III directors will be elected for a three-year term.  The Class III directors up for election are set forth below.  

NameAgeIndependentPrincipal occupationCommittees*Other public boardsDirector
since
Class III directors nominated for re-election for a three-year termAuditCompNom GovProd DevSci  Tech  
Robert Langer, Sc.D.75David H. Koch Institute Professor, MIT; Academic Co-Founder, Moderna   22010
Elizabeth Nabel, M.D.72Former President, Brigham Health  32015**
Elizabeth Tallett74Former Principal, Hunter Partners   22020
Continuing directors
Noubar Afeyan,
Ph.D. Chairman
61CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-founder and Chairman, Moderna    02010 Chairman since 2012
Stéphane Bancel51 Chief Executive Officer, Moderna     02011
Stephen Berenson63Managing Partner, Flagship Pioneering   12017
Sandra Horning, M.D.75Former Chief Medical Officer and Global Head of Product Development, Roche  32020
François Nader, M.D.67Former President, CEO and Executive Director, NPS Pharmaceuticals  12019
Paul Sagan65Catalyst Advisor, General Catalyst   02018

Chairman

 Member

* Comp = Compensation and Talent

Nom Gov = Nominating and Corporate Governance

Prod Dev = Product Development

Sci Tech = Science and Technology

**   Dr. Nabel was a member of our Board from December 2015 to July 2020, and rejoined the Board in March 2021, following her retirement from Brigham Health. 

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the election of each of the three nominees as a Class III director to serve for a three-year term. For more information on the nominees, see page 8.

2024 Proxy statement   4

Board Highlights 

In 2023, our Board of Directors contributed to Moderna’s strategic advancement through its oversight of management’s execution of our business plans and strategy. Advice and guidance from the full Board, and relevant Committees where applicable, was instrumental in the following key accomplishments, among others, in 2023.

Commercial Execution2023 marked our first year of endemic commercial sales for our COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., and we achieved retail market share of 48%, up significantly from 37% U.S. retail market share in 2022 (Source: IQVIA). Preparing for this launch entailed significant strategic investments and commercial execution decisions, which were guided by input from our Board. The Board has similarly also been heavily engaged in preparations for the anticipated launch of RSV in 2024, our second commercial product.  
Pipeline AdvancementThe Board and Product Development Committee oversaw investments to advance our pipeline, such that by year-end 2023, nine of our 45 programs were late-stage, including seven programs in Phase 3 and two rare disease programs. This significant advancement of our programs lays the foundation for future growth.  
Capital AllocationThe Board continued to oversee significant capital allocation decisions in 2023.  This included investments in research & development to advance our pipeline, both internally and through external collaborations. It also included investments in our internal manufacturing capabilities in Norwood and Marlborough, the UK, Australia, and Canada, and the decision to right-size our manufacturing footprint and to restructure our relationships with contract manufacturers as we seek to return our COVID franchise to profitability in 2024.  
Board SuccessionThe Board and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are continuing to advance our Board succession planning and recruitment of new directors who will bring additional expertise reflective of Moderna’s future strategic plan and increased scale.  
Governance EnhancementsIn response to investor feedback, our Board approved several enhancements to our governance practices, including (i) the adoption of majority voting for uncontested director elections, (ii) the implementation of a proxy access bylaw, and (iii) requesting that shareholders approve the implementation of a right for shareholders to call a special meeting (see Proposal No. 4). We have also enhanced our processes for assessment and mitigation of potential conflicts of interest as we expand into new areas.
Human Capital and ESG EffortsThe Board and its committees oversaw human capital and environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. This included efforts to refine our talent strategy as we shift into an endemic market, focused on retention of key talent, development and performance management. ESG efforts included launching a double-materiality assessment and climate risk analysis, as well as continuing to enhance transparency through our second ESG Report and ESG Day, and by publishing Scope 1, 2 and 3 data on greenhouse gas emissions, as well as waste and water statistics.  

2024 Proxy statement   5

Proposal 2: Advisory Vote on Compensation of our Executive Officers

Shareholders will be asked to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of Moderna’s named executive officers. This is commonly known as a “say on pay” proposal.

Over the last several years, we have evolved our executive compensation programs in order to: 

Enhance alignment with shareholders through our pay-for-performance philosophy;
Align with competitive market practices; and
Reflect input received from shareholders.

Overall Performance 

Proposal No. 2:We made significant progress in 2023 advancing our mRNA platform and our broad clinical pipeline.

We achieved 48% U.S. retail market share for the 2023 fall season, an 11 percentage point increase from 2022.

Corporate performance did not meet expectations for our financial goals, falling short on product sales and operating income objectives.

Base SalaryModest increases in 2023, reflective of merit and market adjustments to better align our executives’ salaries to market, as well as cost-of-living adjustments across our broader employee base.
Bonus2023 corporate performance did not meet our expectations, resulting in our Executive Committee members, including our CEO, receiving below target annual bonuses, at 81% of target.
Long-Term IncentiveIncreased the weighting to more performance-based restricted share units (PSUs), with the CEO PSU mix increasing to 50%, further tying executive compensation to the long-term achievement of our financial and pipeline expansion objectives, reinforcing our commitment to creating shareholder value.  
Realizable Pay

Weighted the vast majority of compensation for the CEO and our other named executive officers (NEOs) to “at-risk” compensation, including bonus and equity awards (stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs) and PSUs) focusing on financial and operational goals, stock price appreciation and pipeline development goals.

92% at-risk target compensation for CEO, and 85% on average for other NEOs, see charts below.

CEO realizable pay demonstrates a strong correlation between stock price performance and pay; see page 41 for more details in the “Pay for Performance” section of the Compensation Discussion & Analysis (CD&A).

TransparencyAugmented our CD&A to provide shareholders with visibility on the goals underlying our short-term and long-term incentive programs.

Our executive compensation program is based on a pay-for-performance philosophy, which is reflected in both our annual and long-term incentive compensation programs. We believe that a significant portion of each executive’s compensation should be variable and at-risk and tied to the achievement of pre-established Company performance goals that drive value creation for our business and align our executives’ interests with those of our shareholders. The largest component of our 2023 long-term incentive compensation program is delivered in the form of stock options, which directly aligns payouts with outcomes for our shareholders. 

The charts below set forth the target total compensation mix for Mr. Bancel, our Chief Executive Officer, and our average NEO’s target compensation for 2023.

CEO Target Pay MixAverage NEO Target Pay Mix
 

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers. For more information, see page 35. 

2024 Proxy statement   6

Proposal 3: Auditor Ratification

We are asking shareholders to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent auditor for the year ended December 31, 2024.  
The Audit Committee is committed to ensuring the independence of Ernst & Young, and has taken steps in recent years to ensure that we minimize spending on items with the firm other than the audit or audit-related matters. 

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP requires an affirmative voteas our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024. For more information, see page 76.

Proposal 4: Amend Our Certificate of Incorporation to Provide Shareholders the Right to Call a Special Meeting

In response to feedback from our investors, our Board of Directors is proposing to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to permit shareholders representing at least 20% of our outstanding shares to call a special meeting of shareholders. 
We believe that granting shareholders the right to call a special meeting, while setting a threshold of 20%, will grant investors with a sufficiently large economic and voting interest a valuable right, while also protecting against the potential disruption and possible loss to long-term shareholder value posed by setting a lower threshold.  
The special meeting right builds on other efforts earlier in 2024—including the adoption of a proxy access bylaw and the adoption of majority voting for uncontested director elections—to respond to investor feedback regarding Moderna’s governance practices. 

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the proposal to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to provide shareholders the right to call a special meeting. For more information, see page 79.

Proposal 5: Amend Our Certificate of Incorporation to Reflect New Delaware Law Provisions Allowing for Officer Exculpation

In August 2022, Delaware law was amended to permit Delaware companies, like Moderna, to limit the personal liability of certain officers in limited circumstances, similar to protection that was already afforded to directors.  
The amended law permits a company to exculpate these officers for direct claims brought by shareholders for breach of an officer’s duty of care, but would not eliminate an officer’s monetary liability for breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by the company or in connection with derivative claims brought by shareholders on behalf of the shares of our common stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereoncompany. It also would not allow officers to be approved. You may vote FOR, AGAINSTexculpated for breaches of the duty of loyalty to the company, or ABSTAIN. If you ABSTAINacts or omissions that are not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct, a knowing violation of law, or a situation in which an officer derived an improper personal benefit from votinga transaction.   
The Board of Directors is proposing to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to allow for the exculpation of officers of Moderna, consistent with the recent changes to Delaware law and to provide our executives similar protections to those already extended to our directors.
The Board of Directors recognizes that our officers are called upon to make critical decisions, and that in an increasingly litigious environment our executive team can be exposed to substantial personal liability from litigants seeking to impose liability on Proposal No. 2, the abstentionbasis of hindsight and regardless of merit. 
The Board of Directors believes that providing the protection permitted under Delaware law will haveprovide comfort to and empower our officers to best exercise their business judgment in the same effect asinterests of Moderna and its shareholders, which will encourage agility and critical decision-making, while also enabling us to continue to attract and retain experienced and high-quality officers to the Company.  

The Board of Directors recommends a vote AGAINST“FOR” the proposal.

proposal to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to allow for officer exculpation. For more information, see page 81.

How are proxies solicited for the Annual Meeting and who is paying for such solicitation?

2024 Proxy statement   7

Proposal No. 1: Election of Directors 

Our boardBoard of directors is soliciting proxies for use at the Annual Meeting by means of the proxy materials. We will bear the entire cost of proxy solicitation, including the preparation, assembly, printing, mailing, and distribution of the proxy materials. Copies of solicitation materials will also be made available upon request to brokers, banks, and other nominees to forward to the beneficial owners of the shares held of record by such brokers, banks, or other nominees. The original solicitation of proxies may be supplemented by solicitation by telephone, electronic communication, or other means by our directors, officers, employees, or agents. No additional compensation will be paid to these individuals for any such services, although we may reimburse such individuals for their reasonableout-of-pocket expenses in connection with such solicitation. We do not plan to retain a proxy solicitor to assist in the solicitation of proxies.

If you choose to access the proxy materials and/or vote over the Internet, youDirectors currently has nine members, who are responsible for Internet access charges you may incur. If you choose to vote by telephone, you are responsible for telephone charges you may incur.

What does it mean if I received more than one Notice of the Annual Meeting?

If you receive more than one notice of the Annual Meeting, your shares may be registered in more than one name or in different accounts. Please follow the voting instructions on each notice you received to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

I share an address with another stockholder, and we received only one paper copy of the proxy materials. How may I obtain an additional copy of the proxy materials?

We have adopted a procedure called “householding,” which has been approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Under this procedure, we will deliver only one copy of our proxy materials in the mail to multiple stockholders who share the same address (if they appear to be members of the same family) unless we have received contrary instructions from an affected stockholder. Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to receive separate proxy cards if they received a paper copy of proxy materials in the mail. This procedure reduces our printing and mailing costs. Upon written or oral request, we will promptly deliver a separate copy of the proxy materials to any stockholder at a shared address to which we delivered a single copy of any of these documents. To receive a separate copy, or, if you are receiving multiple copies, to request that we only send a single copy of next year’s proxy materials, you may contact us as follows:

Moderna, Inc.

Attention: Corporate Secretary

200 Technology Square

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

(617)714-6500

Stockholders who hold shares in street name may contact their brokerage firm, bank, or other nominee to request information about householding.

How can I find out the results of the voting at the Annual Meeting?

Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. In addition, final voting results will be published in a current report on Form8-K that we expect to file with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting. If final voting results are not available to us at that time, we intend to file a Form8-K to publish preliminary results and, within four business days after the final results are known to us, file an amendment to the Form8-K to publish the final results.

What is the deadline to propose actions for consideration at next year’s annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate individuals to serve as directors?

Stockholder Proposals

Stockholders may present proper proposals for inclusion in our proxy statement and for consideration at the next annual meeting of stockholders by submitting their proposals in writing to our Corporate Secretary in a timely manner. For a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in our Proxy Statement for our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, our Corporate Secretary must receive the written proposal at our principal executive offices not later than January 16, 2020, unless the date of our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2020 Annual Meeting”) is held more than 30 days before or after June 27, 2020, in which case the proposal must be received a reasonable time before we begin to print and send proxy materials for the 2020 Annual Meeting. In addition, stockholder proposals must comply with the requirements ofRule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. Stockholder proposals should be addressed to:

Moderna, Inc.

Attention: Corporate Secretary

200 Technology Square

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

(617)714-6500

Our bylaws also establish an advance notice procedure for stockholders who wish to present a proposal before an annual meeting of stockholders but do not intend for the proposal to be included in our proxy statement. Our bylaws provide that the only business that may be conducted at an annual meeting is business that is (i) properly brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of our board of directors or (ii) properly brought before the annual meeting by a stockholder of record entitled to vote at the annual meeting who has delivered timely written notice to our Corporate Secretary, which notice must contain the information specified in our bylaws. To be timely for our 2020 Annual Meeting, our Corporate Secretary must receive the written notice at our principal executive offices:

not earlier than February 28, 2020; and

not later than March 29, 2020.

In the event that we hold our 2020 Annual Meeting more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after the first anniversary of the date of the Annual Meeting, then notice of a stockholder proposal that is not intended to be included in our proxy statement must be received no later than the close of business on the later of the following two dates:

the 90th day prior to our 2020 Annual Meeting; or

the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of our 2020 Annual Meeting is first made.

If a stockholder who has notified us of his, her, or its intention to present a proposal at an annual meeting does not appear to present his, her, or its proposal at such annual meeting, we are not required to present the proposal for a vote at such annual meeting.

Nomination of Director Candidates

You may propose director candidates for consideration by our corporate governance and nominating committee. Any such recommendations should include the nominee’s name and qualifications for membership on our board of directors and should be directed to our Corporate Secretary at the address set forth above. For additional information regarding stockholder recommendations for director candidates, see “Stockholder Proposals.”

In addition, our bylaws permit stockholders to nominate directors for election at an annual meeting of stockholders. To nominate a director, the stockholder must provide the information required by our bylaws. In addition, the stockholder must give timely notice to our Corporate Secretary in accordance with our bylaws, which, in general, require that the notice be received by our Corporate Secretary within the time period described above under “Stockholder Proposals” for stockholder proposals that are not intended to be included in a proxy statement.

Availability of Bylaws

A copy of our bylaws may be obtained by accessing our public filings on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also contact our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive office for a copy of the relevant bylaw provisions regarding the requirements for making stockholder proposals and nominating director candidates.

PROPOSAL NO. 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our board of directors is currently composed of nine members. In accordance with our certificate of incorporation, our board of directors is divided into three equal classes with staggered three-year terms. At the Annual Meeting, three Class IIII directors will be elected for a three-year term to succeed the same classterm. Each of these nominees is a Class III director whose current term is then expiring.

Each director’s term continuesdirector will continue in office until the election and qualification of such director’sa successor or until such director’s earlier death, resignation, or removal. Any increase or decrease in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist ofone-third of our directors. This classification of our board of directors may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control of our company.

Nominees

Our corporate governanceNominating and nominating committeeCorporate Governance Committee has recommended, and our boardBoard of directorsDirectors has approved, Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Stéphane Bancel,Robert Langer, Elizabeth Nabel, M.D. and Peter Barton Hutt, LL.M.Elizabeth Tallett as nominees for election as Class IIII directors at the Annual Meeting. If elected, each of Dr. AfeyanLanger has served on the Board since 2010, Dr. Nabel has served on the Board since 2015, and Messrs. Bancel and Hutt will serve as Class I directors untilMs. Tallett has served on the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each of the nominees is currently a director of our Company. For information concerning the nominees, see “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance.”Board since 2020.

If you are a stockholdershareholder of record and you sign your proxy card or vote over the Internet or by telephone but do not give instructions with respect to the voting of directors, your shares will be voted FOR the election of Dr. AfeyanLanger, Dr. Nabel and Messrs. Bancel and Hutt.Ms. Tallett. We expect that Dr. Afeyan and Messrs. Bancel and Huttthe nominees will accept such nomination; however, in the event thatserve if elected. However, if a director nominee is unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted for any nominee who shall beis designated by our boardBoard of directorsDirectors to fill suchthe resulting vacancy. If you areown your Moderna stock through a beneficial owner of shares of our common stockbroker, bank, or other nominee and you do not give voting instructions, to your broker, bank, or other nominee, then your broker, bank, or other nomineeshares will leave your shares unvotednot be voted on this matter. For more information, please see “Information About the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders—What if I do not specify how my shares are to be voted?” on page 85.

Vote Required

The election of the Class IIII directors requires a plurality votemajority of the shares of our common stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereonvotes properly cast to be approved. Brokernon-votesIf a director nominee does not receive a majority of the votes cast in favor of his or her election to the Board, the director nominee will have no effect on this proposal.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE THREE DIRECTORS NOMINATED BY OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND NAMED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT AS CLASSI DIRECTORS TO SERVE FOR A THREE-YEAR TERM.

MANAGEMENT

Executivesbe required to tender his or her resignation to the Board for consideration and directors

The following table sets forthaction by the name, age (as of May 1, 2019) and position of each of our executives and directors.Board.

 

Name

Age

Position

Executives:

Stéphane Bancel(1)

46Chief Executive Officer and Director

Juan Andres (1)

54Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer

Marcello Damiani

49Chief Digital and Operational Excellence Officer

Lori Henderson, J.D.(1)

57General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Stephen Hoge, M.D.(1)

43President

Lorence Kim, M.D. (1)

45Chief Financial Officer

Megan Pace

46Chief Corporate Affairs Officer

Tal Zaks, M.D., Ph.D. (1)

53Chief Medical Officer

Non-Executive Directors:

Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D. (4)(5)

56Chairman, Director

Stephen Berenson (2)(3)

58Director

Peter Barton Hutt, LL.M.(5)

84Director

Robert Langer, Sc.D. (4)

70Director

Elizabeth Nabel, M.D. (4)(5)

67Director

Israel Ruiz (2)(3)

47Director

Paul Sagan (2)(3)

60Director

Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D.(5)

59DirectorThe Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the election of each of the three nominees as a Class III director to serve for a three-year term.

 

(1)

Executive officer

2024 Proxy statement   
8
(2)

Information About Moderna’s Directors 

Nominees 

Member

Age: 75

Director since: 2010

Independent

Committees: 

Nominating and Corporate Governance

Science and Technology

2023 Attendance: 86%

Robert Langer, Sc.D.

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

Dr. Langer is one of the audit committeeworld’s most highly-cited researchers and decorated scientists. His pioneering academic work and extensive knowledge of medical, scientific and intellectual property matters provide valuable strategic insights into the development of our products and advancement of our pipeline into new areas. He is intimately familiar with Moderna as one of our founders and largest shareholders, and has decades of experience applying scientific knowledge and insights to medical and commercial uses. His prior service to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also provides him with insights into regulatory processes that are key to understanding how we might obtain approval of our products.  

(3)

Member

Other Public Boards 

Seer, Inc. (since 2020) 

Puretech Health plc (since 2015) 

Abpro Korea (2020-2024) 

Frequency Therapeutics, Inc. (2016-2023)

Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (2015-2019) 

Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2009-2018)

Education

B.S. in chemical engineering from Cornell University 

Sc.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Langer has been an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 2005, and has been a Professor at MIT since 1977. Dr. Langer served as a member of the compensationScience Board to the U.S. Food and talent committee

(4)

MemberDrug Administration from 1995 to 2002, including as chairman for four years. He is an elected member of the nominatingNational Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine and corporate governance committeethe National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Langer has written over 1,550 articles and also has 1,450 issued or pending patents worldwide.  Dr. Langer’s patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 400 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies. 

(5)

Age: 72

Director since: 2015

Independent

Committees: 

Compensation and Talent

Science and Technology (Chair)

Product Development

2023 Attendance: 100%

Elizabeth Nabel, M.D.

MemberWhy this director is valuable to Moderna

Dr. Nabel brings valuable strategic insight as a medical doctor and professor of medicine who has spent decades in the healthcare industry. Dr. Nabel has served as the chief executive of a large hospital organization, which informs her insights into the provision of care and how payors, including government payors, approach the commercial market, as well as human capital management. Her experience working for governmental organizations also helps guide our strategy related to the approval and regulation of our products. Her experience working in drug development and serving as a director for other healthcare companies also provides valuable perspective on our industry.   

Other Public Boards 

Medtronic plc (since 2014) 

Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. (since 2021) 

Accolade, Inc. (since 2021)

Education

B.A. from St. Olaf College 

M.D. from Cornell University Medical College 

Postgraduate training in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University


From 2010 to 2021, Dr. Nabel served as the President of Harvard University-affiliated Brigham Health, which includes Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, and the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization. Dr. Nabel was also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2010 to 2021. Following her retirement from Brigham Health, Dr. Nabel served as Executive Vice President for Strategy at ModeX Therapeutics, from 2021 to 2022, when the company was acquired by OPKO Health, Inc.  Following the acquisition, Dr. Nabel also served as Chief Medical Officer for OPKO Health until August 2023.  She now serves as the Chair of the product development committeeAdvisory Board of OPKO Health.  Earlier in her career, Dr. Nabel held a variety of roles, including Director, at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, a federal agency funding research, training and education programs to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung and blood diseases, from 1999 to 2009. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Executive team

2024 Proxy statement   9

Age: 74

Director since: 2020

Independent

Committees: 

Audit (Chair) 

Compensation and Talent

2023 Attendance: 88%

Elizabeth Tallett

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

Ms. Tallett provides valuable strategic insight based upon her extensive professional experience in the pharmaceutical industry, as an executive for organizations at various stages of development, and as a public company director across different industries. Ms. Tallett’s experience is applied in helping us identify the opportunities and challenges we face as a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company, as well as understanding the dynamics impacting customers and payors. Ms. Tallett’s experience as a public company director, including as the Chair or lead independent director for several public companies, also provides governance expertise, particularly in the areas of financial reporting, human capital management, and risk management as we scale our organization globally and build out critical internal functions.  

Other Public Boards 

Elevance Health, Inc. (previously Anthem, Inc.) (since 2013), Chair since 2018 

Qiagen, Inc. (since 2011) 

Principal Financial Group (2001-2021) 

Meredith Corp., Inc. (2008-2021) 

Education

Nottingham University with a dual first class honours degree in mathematics and economics


Ms. Tallett has spent more than 35 years in strategic leadership and operational roles in worldwide biopharmaceutical and consumer products industries. From 2002 to 2015, she was a Principal of Hunter Partners, LLC, a management company for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, and continues to consult with early-stage healthcare companies. She previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Transcell Technologies Inc., President of Centocor Pharmaceuticals, a member of the Parke-Davis Executive Committee, and Director of Worldwide Strategic Planning for Warner-Lambert Company. Ms. Tallett was a founding member of the Biotechnology Council of New Jersey and chairs the board of trustees at Solebury School in Pennsylvania. She was named a Financial Times Outstanding Director of the year in 2015 and recognized as one of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship 100 honorees in 2019.

Stéphane Bancel, has served as our Chief Executive Officer since October 2011 and a member of our board of directors since March 2011. Before joining the Company, Mr. Bancel served for five years as Chief Executive Officer of the French diagnostics company bioMérieux SA (Euronext: BIM). From July 2000 to March 2006, he served in various roles at Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), including as Managing Director, Belgium and as Executive Director, Global Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain. Prior to Eli Lilly and Company, Mr. Bancel served as Asia-Pacific Sales and Marketing Director for bioMérieux. Mr. Bancel currently serves on the board of directors of Qiagen N.V. (NYSE: QGEN) and previously served on the board of directors of BG Medicine, Inc. (OTCMKTS: BGMD) and Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYRS). He is currently a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering and a trustee of the Museum of Science in Boston. Mr. Bancel holds a Master of Engineering degree from École Centrale Paris (ECP), a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. We believe that Mr. Bancel is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive leadership experience in the healthcare industry and experience as a director of public and private companies.

Continuing Directors 

Juan Andres, joined the Company in August 2017, and has served as our Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer since August 2018. Before joining the Company, Mr. Andres worked at Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) (“Novartis”) from 2005 to 2017, in various roles of increasing responsibility including serving as Global

Age: 61

Director since: 2010

Chairman since: 2012

Term expires: 2025

Independent

Committees:

Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chair)

2023 Attendance: 92%

Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D.

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

Dr. Afeyan provides strategic expertise and vision as one of our co-founders and as our Chairman since 2012. He has decades of experience co-founding, leading and investing in numerous successful biotechnology companies, applying scientific insights to medical and commercial uses. This experience helps guide our strategy as we continue to explore ways to expand our platform and as we reimagine the ways in which we can impact patients. Dr. Afeyan’s experience leading several public and private company boards provides him with valuable leadership experience as the Chairman of our Board.   

Other Public Boards 

Omega Therapeutics, Inc. (2016-2023), Chair

Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (2013-2022) 

Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (2012-2020) 

Evelo Biosciences, Inc. (2014-2019) 

Kaleido Biosciences, Inc. (2015-2019)

Education

B.S. in chemical engineering from McGill University 

Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology


Dr. Afeyan founded Flagship Pioneering, a company established in 1999 that creates bioplatform companies to transform human health and sustainability, and serves as its Senior Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer. He has served on the boards of numerous privately and publicly held companies. Dr. Afeyan entered biotechnology during its emergence as an academic field and industry, completing his doctoral work in biochemical engineering at MIT in 1987. He was a senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management where he taught courses on technology-entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership from 2000 to 2016, a lecturer of business administration at Harvard Business School until 2020, and he currently serves as a member of the MIT Corporation. In 2022, Dr. Afeyan was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

2024 Proxy statement   10
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Age: 51

Director since: 2011

Term expires: 2025

Committees: None

2023 Attendance: 100%

Stéphane Bancel

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

As our CEO for more than a decade, Mr. Bancel plays a key role in setting the strategy for Moderna with the rest of the Board, and executing on that strategy with our management team. Mr. Bancel is intimately familiar with our operations and is a key driver behind our culture and way of working. Mr. Bancel’s experience prior to Moderna as an executive at other companies provides him with leadership experience and knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, including insight into opportunities for Moderna to reimagine how we can have the greatest impact on patients.

Other Public Boards 

Qiagen N.V. (2013-2021) 

Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2013-2017)

Education

Master of Engineering degree from École Centrale Paris 

Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota 

M.B.A. from Harvard Business School


Mr. Bancel has served as our CEO since October 2011. Before joining Moderna, Mr. Bancel served for five years as CEO of the French diagnostics company bioMérieux SA. From July 2000 to March 2006, he served in various roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including as Managing Director, Belgium, and as Executive Director, Global Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain. Prior to Eli Lilly, Mr. Bancel served as Asia-Pacific Sales and Marketing Director for bioMérieux. He is currently a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering. In 2024, Mr. Bancel was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. 

Age: 63

Director since: 2017

Term expires: 2026

Independent

Committees:

Audit

Product Development 

2023 Attendance: 100%

Stephen Berenson

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

Mr. Berenson brings valuable insight to the Board based upon decades of experience in the investment banking industry, working across different industries and geographies. This experience has given Mr. Berenson a deep understanding of financial matters, including financial reporting, capital allocation, and mergers & acquisitions, as well as an understanding of public company board governance, shareholder engagement, regulation and risk management.  His more recent experience at Flagship Pioneering provides Mr. Berenson with valuable insights into the healthcare industry and the dynamics facing biotech companies at various stages of development.

Other Public Boards 

Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (since 2019), Chair

Education

S.B. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology


Mr. Berenson is a Managing Partner at Flagship Pioneering. He oversees Flagship’s capital formation and business development activities, is deeply involved in firm-wide strategy and the firm’s talent agenda and is a member of the firm’s resource allocation committee. Prior to joining Flagship, Mr. Berenson spent 33 years as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan. During his last twelve years at J.P. Morgan, Mr. Berenson was Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and focused on providing high-touch strategic advice to leading companies across all industries globally. He was co-founder of J.P. Morgan’s Global Strategic Advisory Council and co-founder of the firm’s Board Initiative.

2024 Proxy statement   11
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Head, Technical Operations (Manufacturing and Supply Chain), Global Head of Quality, and Global Head of Technical Research and Development. From 1987 to 1996, Mr. Andres served in various manufacturing, production, and quality roles at Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), including as Vice President, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. Mr. Andres obtained a degree in pharmacy at the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain.

Age: 75

Director since: 2020

Term expires: 2026

Independent

Committees:

Product Development (Chair)

Nominating and Corporate Governance

Science and Technology 

2023 Attendance: 94%

Sandra Horning, M.D.

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

Dr. Horning brings decades of experience in the healthcare industry to the Board as a practicing oncologist and investigator, professor of medicine, and an executive leading pharmaceutical drug development with 15 new medicine approvals across multiple therapeutic areas. Dr. Horning provides valuable insight to our research and development teams as they develop products across our portfolio. These insights inform how we progress clinical development, engage with regulators and stakeholders, and prepare for commercialization of our product pipeline. Dr. Horning’s experience as an executive and director at other healthcare companies also informs our understanding of healthcare industry dynamics and our governance practices.

Other Public Boards 

Revolution Medicines, Inc. (since 2023)

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (since 2020)

Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (since 2020)

EQRx, Inc. (2021-2023)

Education

M.D. from the University of Iowa School of Medicine

Completed internal medicine training at the University of Rochester

Post-graduate fellowship in Oncology and Cancer Biology at Stanford University


Dr. Horning was the Chief Medical Officer and Global Head of Product Development of Roche, Inc., from 2014 until her retirement in 2019, and, prior to that, served as Global Head of Oncology Clinical Science at Roche from 2009 to 2013. Prior to Roche, Dr. Horning spent 25 years as a practicing oncologist, investigator and tenured Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she remains a Professor of Medicine Emerita. From 2005 to 2006, she served as President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. From 2015 to 2018, Dr. Horning served on the Foundation Medicine Board of Directors.

Marcello Damiani, joined the Company in May 2015, and has served as our Chief Digital and Operational Excellence Officer since September 2018. From 2009 to 2015, Mr. Damiani held senior roles at bioMérieux (BIM:FP), including Senior Vice President and Group Chief Information Officer. Mr. Damiani holds an M.S. degree in Information Systems Architecture from the University of Toulouse, France and completed an international Executive M.B.A. program through TRIUM, an alliance of the London School of Economics, the New York University Stern Business School, and the HEC Paris School of Management, France.

Age: 67

Director since: 2019

Term expires: 2026

Independent

Committees: 

Compensation and Talent (Chair)

Product Development

Science and Technology

2023 Attendance: 100%

François Nader, M.D.

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

Dr. Nader brings decades of experience in the healthcare industry to the Board, having served as an executive for organizations at various stages of development, including as a public pharmaceutical company CEO. Dr. Nader helps guide our strategy through his insights into various stages of vaccine development across our portfolio, including clinical development, engagement with regulators, and commercialization. His experience on the boards of public and private healthcare companies from small cap to large cap across the globe help inform and guide our growth as we scale our organization. 

Other Public Boards 

BenevolentAI (since 2021), Chair

Talaris Therapeutics, Inc. (2018-2023), Chair

Acceleron Pharma Inc. (2014-2021), Chair

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2017-2021) 

Prevail Therapeutics Inc. (2018-2021), Chair 

Clementia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (2014-2019) 

Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A. (2016-2018) 

Baxalta (2015-2016)

NPS Pharmaceuticals (2008-2015)

Education

French doctorate in medicine from St. Joseph University in Lebanon 

Physician Executive M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee


Dr. Nader served as President, CEO and Executive Director of NPS Pharmaceuticals from 2008 until 2015, when the company was acquired. During his tenure as CEO, Dr. Nader transformed NPS Pharma into a leading global biotechnology company focused on delivering innovative therapies to patients with rare diseases. From September 2023 to January 2024, Dr. Nader served as the acting Chief Executive Officer of BenevolentAI while the company conducted a CEO search. Prior to NPS, Dr. Nader was a venture partner at Care Capital. He previously served on Aventis Pharma’s North America Leadership Team, holding a number of executive positions in integrated healthcare markets and medical and regulatory affairs. Dr. Nader previously led global commercial operations at the Pasteur Vaccines division of Rhone-Poulenc. He is a senior advisor for Blackstone Life Sciences. Dr. Nader is the former Chairman of BioNJ, New Jersey’s biotechnology trade organization, and previously served on the board of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

Lori Henderson, J.D., has served as our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since April 2018. From 2011 to 2018, Ms. Henderson served at Albany Molecular Research Inc. (“AMRI”) first as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary until 2014 and then as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Head of Business Development. Prior to her time at AMRI, Ms. Henderson worked as a corporate attorney at Goodwin Procter LLP and as a General Counsel at other corporations. She received her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and her B.A. in Business and Economics from Gordon College.

2024 Proxy statement   12
Back to Contents

Age: 65

Director since: 2018

Term expires: 2026

Independent

Committees:

Audit

Nominating and Corporate Governance

2023 Attendance: 100%

Paul Sagan

Why this director is valuable to Moderna

Mr. Sagan brings valuable expertise to our Board as a former public company CEO, and as an executive and advisor to companies across an array of industries, including technology, media, and venture capital.  Mr. Sagan has decades of experience guiding companies through early stage growth to maturity and operating as public companies. He has particular insight into how digital technology can facilitate scaling and growth, while also protecting against cybersecurity threats. His experience as an executive, director and advisor to both public and private companies provides expertise, particularly in finance and accounting, human capital management and the application of digital technologies, as we scale our organization globally and build out critical internal functions.  

Other Public Boards 

VMware, Inc. (2014-2023)

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (2005-2019)

EMC Corp. (2007-2016)

iRobot, Inc. (2010-2015)

Education

B.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University


Mr. Sagan is a Catalyst Advisor at General Catalyst, a venture capital firm, which he first joined in 2013 and became a Managing Director in 2018.  From 2005 to 2013, Mr. Sagan served as CEO at Akamai Technologies, Inc. and was President from 1999 to 2010 and from October 2011 to 2013.  Prior to joining Akamai, Mr. Sagan held senior management roles at Time Warner, where he helped to found RoadRunner, the world’s first consumer broadband service; Pathfinder, one of the first web portals that pioneered internet advertising; and NY1, the 24-hour cable news channel.

Stephen Hoge, M.D., joined the Company in January 2013 and has served as our President since February 2015. From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Hoge was a Partner at McKinsey & Company and a leader in the firm’s healthcare practice. From 2005 to 2010, he served in roles of increasing responsibility at McKinsey & Company. From 2004 to 2005, Dr. Hoge was a resident physician at New York University/Bellevue Hospital. Dr. Hoge serves on the board of directors of Axcella Health, Inc., a private biotechnology company. He received an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco and a B.A. in neuroscience from Amherst College.

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Lorence Kim, M.D., has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2014. From July 2000 to April 2014, Dr. Kim held a number of positions at Goldman, Sachs & Co., most recently as Managing Director andco-head of biotechnology investment banking. Dr. Kim has served on the board of directors of Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MCRB) since 2014. He received an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University, an M.B.A. in Healthcare Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Megan Pace, has served as our Chief Corporate Affairs Officer since April 2018. From February 2015 to December 2017, Ms. Pace held senior positions at Agios Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: AGIO), including Senior Vice President, Strategic Operations and PKR Program Executive. From May 2010 to January 2015, she held senior positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VRTX), including Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. Prior to Vertex, Ms. Pace was Senior Director of Public Affairs at Genentech. Ms. Pace received a B.A. from the College of Charleston.

Governance

Tal Zaks, M.D., Ph.D., has served as our Chief Medical Officer since March 2015. Prior to joining Moderna, Dr. Zaks served in senior development positions at Sanofi (NYSE: SNY) from 2010 to 2015, including Senior Vice President and Head of Global Oncology. From July 2008 to May 2010, he served as Vice President of Clinical Research, Oncology at Cephalon. Prior to this, Dr. Zaks spent four years at GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) as Director, Clinical Development and Translational Medicine and three years at the National Cancer Institute as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He is currently Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and serves on the board of directors of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: ADAP). Dr. Zaks received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Ben Gurion University in Israel and conducted post-doctoral research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. He completed his clinical training in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Non-executive directors

Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D., is aco-founder and has served on our board of directors since incorporation, and has served as a chairman of our board of directors since February 2012. In 1999, Dr. Afeyan founded Flagship Pioneering and serves as its Senior Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer. Since May 2014, Dr. Afeyan has served on the board of directors of Evelo Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: EVLO), since 2013, on the board of Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RUBY) and since October 2010, on the board of Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MCRB). He has previously served on the boards of numerous privately and publicly held companies, including BIND Therapeutics, Inc., BG Medicine, Inc. and Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. He received a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) and a B.S. in chemical engineering from McGill University. Dr. Afeyan is currently a visiting lecturer of business administration at Harvard Business School and was previously a senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management where he taught courses on technology-entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. We believe that Dr. Afeyan’s significant experienceco-founding, leading, and investing in numerous biotechnology companies make him qualified to serve on our board of directors.

Stephen Berenson, has served as a member of our board of directors since October 2017. Mr. Berenson is a Managing Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Prior to that, Mr. Berenson spent 33 years as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan. During his last twelve years at J.P. Morgan, Mr. Berenson was Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and focused on providing high-touch strategic advice and complex transaction execution to leading companies across all industries globally. He wasco-founder of J.P. Morgan’s Global Strategic Advisory Council andco-founder of the firm’s Board Initiative. Mr. Berenson also serves on the board of directors of CiBO Technologies, Inc. Mr. Berenson received an S.B. in mathematics from MIT. We believe that Mr. Berenson is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his experience in the banking and investment industries.

Peter Barton Hutt, LL.M., has served as a member of our board of directors since March 2012. Mr. Hutt has practiced law at Covington & Burling LLP, specializing in food and drug law, since 1960 (except for the period from 1971 to 1975). From 1971 to 1975, he was Chief Counsel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Mr. Hutt is a member of the board of directors of Flex Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLKS), Q Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: QCEL), Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNCE), and Immunomedics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMMU), each of which is a public biotechnology company, as well as numerous private companies. During the last five years, Mr. Hutt also served as a member of the board of directors of BIND Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIND), Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MCRB), Xoma Ltd. (Nasdaq: XOMA), DBV Technologies SA (Nasdaq: DBVT), Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNTA), and Evelo Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: EVLO). Mr. Hutt received a B.A. from Yale University, an LL.B. from Harvard Law School, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. We believe that Mr. Hutt is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive knowledge of regulatory and legal issues related to drug development and his service on numerous boards of directors.

Robert Langer, Sc.D., has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2010. Dr. Langer has been an Institute Professor at MIT since 2005, and prior to that was a Professor at MIT since 1977. Dr. Langer currently serves on the board of directors of Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RUBY), Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: KALA), and the UK public company Puretech Health plc (LON: PRTC), and previously served on the board of directors of public companies Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNTA), Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), Fibrocell Science, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCSC) and Millipore Corp. Dr. Langer also served as a member of the Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration from 1995 to 2002, including his service as chairman from 1999 to 2002. Dr. Langer received his B.S. from Cornell University and his Sc.D. from MIT, both in Chemical Engineering. We believe that Dr. Langer is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his pioneering academic work, extensive medical and scientific knowledge and experience, and his previous service on public company boards of directors.

Elizabeth Nabel, M.D., has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2015. Dr. Nabel has served as President of Harvard University-affiliated Brigham Health, which includes Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, and the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization, since 2010. Dr. Nabel has also been a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School since 2010. Prior to that, Dr. Nabel held a variety of roles, including Director, at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, a federal agency funding research, training and education programs to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung and blood diseases, from 1999 to 2009. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Nabel currently serves on the board of directors of Medtronic Plc (NYSE: MDT) and as a trustee of Tekla Capital Management LLC. We believe that Dr. Nabel is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her extensive experience in the health care field, including senior positions with a number of research universities and organizations.

Israel Ruiz, has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2017. Mr. Ruiz has been the Executive Vice President and Treasurer at MIT since 2011. In this role, Mr. Ruiz oversees all principal administrative and financial functions of MIT. Prior to his current role, Mr. Ruiz served as the Vice President for Finance for MIT from 2007 to 2011 and as a principal for MIT’s Office of Budget and Financial Planning from 2001 to 2007. He currently serves on the board of directors of Fortive Corporation (NYSE: FTV). Mr. Ruiz received a degree in industrial and mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and a master’s degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management. We believe that Mr. Ruiz is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his deep financial and accounting experience as the chief financial officer of MIT.

Paul Sagan has served as a member of our board of directors since June 2018. Mr. Sagan has been a Managing Director at General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital firm, since January 2018, and previously served there as an Executive In Residence (XIR) since January 2014. Mr. Sagan was a director of EMC from December 2007 until the acquisition by Dell, Inc. in September 2016. From April 2005 to January 2013, Mr. Sagan served as Chief Executive Officer at Akamai Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKAM) and was President from May 1999 to September 2010 and from October 2011 to January 2013. Mr. Sagan currently serves on the board of directors of Akamai and VMware, Inc. (Nasdaq: VMW). Mr. Sagan received his B.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. We believe that Mr. Sagan is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his experience and leadership in both in the technology and venture capital fields.

Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D., has served as a member of our board of directors since July 2017. Dr. Slaoui joined GlaxoSmithKline Plc (NYSE: GSK) (“GSK”) in 1988, where he engineered the development of a robust vaccines pipeline. He then led worldwide business development for pharmaceutical products before his appointment to lead research and development in 2006. He assumed overall responsibility for GSK’s Oncology Business in 2010, for GSK Vaccines in 2011, and for all Global Franchises in 2012. Dr. Slaoui is Chairman of the board of directors of Galvani Bioelectronics, a company launched in November 2016 that GSK jointly owns with Verily Life Sciences. Dr. Slaoui has advised the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, was a member of the Board of the Agency for Science, Technology, & Research until January 2011, the PhRMA Foundation Board from 2008 to 2016, and the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health from 2011 to 2016. Dr. Slaoui previously served on the board of directors of Intellia Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: NTLA). Dr. Slaoui is also a former Professor of Immunology at the University of Mons, Belgium. Dr. Slaoui received a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Immunology from Université Libre de Bruxelles. We believe that Dr. Slaoui is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his vast experience in the pharmaceutical industry and various leadership positions.

Composition of our boardBoard of directorsDirectors

Our boardBoard currently consists of nine members. members, but the Board has the authority to increase or decrease that size depending on an assessment of its needs and other relevant circumstances at any given time.

Our nominatingNominating and corporate governance committeeCorporate Governance Committee (Nominating Committee) and our boardBoard of directorsDirectors consider a broad range of factors relatingwhen selecting nominees. We strive to the qualifications and background of nominees. Our nominating and corporate governance committee’s and our board of director’s priority in selecting board

members is identification of personsidentify candidates who will further the interests of our stockholders through their established record of professional accomplishment, the ability to contribute positively to the collaborative culture among board members, knowledgeshareholders. Among other things, we expect that all of our directors will have the following experience and traits:

substantial experience at a strategic or policymaking level in a business, government, non-profit, or academic organization of high standing, able to contribute to Moderna’s strategic growth and able to offer advice and guidance to Moderna’s senior management based on that experience;
highly accomplished in their respective fields;
the ability to contribute positively to the Board’s collaborative culture;
knowledge of our business;
understanding of the competitive landscape facing our business; and
expertise relevant to our growth and business strategy.

In addition, every nominee must have sufficient time and availability to devote to Moderna’s affairs, a reputation for high ethical and moral standards, an understanding of the competitive landscape, professionalfiduciary responsibilities assumed by public company directors, and personal experiences,the time and expertise relevantenergy necessary to diligently carry out those responsibilities, and role model our values and demonstrate a willingness to embrace the Moderna Mindsets, further described in “ESG Topics—Human Capital Management” on page 31.

The Nominating Committee reviews Board succession regularly, and in considering director candidates is focused on those individuals who can help guide Moderna as it executes on its strategy over the next several years.  This includes seeking out candidates with experience overseeing global pharmaceutical companies, individuals with significant governmental or public policy experience, and individuals who can help guide our growth strategy. as a digitally enabled and highly innovative company.  

In building our Board, we also believe that the following skills and experiences, while not exhaustive, are helpful in ensuring that our directors collectively possess the skills and backgrounds necessary for us to execute on our strategic plans and to exercise the Board’s oversight responsibilities on behalf of our shareholders. Skills and experiences shown below are generally reflective of the individual having worked in the area, rather than experience obtained as a director in the relevant field.

Skill/ExperienceAfeyanBancelBerensonHorningLangerNabelNaderSaganTallett
CEO Experience
Digital/Information Security
Drug Development
Drug Commercialization
Finance/Accounting
Government/Regulatory
Healthcare Industry
Human Capital Management
International Experience
Investor Experience
Manufacturing/Supply Chain
Science/Technology/R&D

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Our directors hold office until their successors have been elected and qualified or until thetheir earlier of theirdeath, resignation, or removal. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws also provide that our directorsDirectors may be removed only for cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of at leasttwo-thirds of the votes that all our stockholdersshareholders would be entitled to cast in an annual election of directors, and that anydirectors. Any vacancy on our boardBoard of directors,Directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors,the Board, may be filled only by vote of a majority of ourthe directors then in office.

Board Diversity

The following Board Diversity Matrix presents our Board diversity statistics in accordance with Nasdaq Rule 5606, as self-disclosed by our current directors. While the Board 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), we note that one of our directors also identifies as Middle Eastern. As we pursue future Board recruitment efforts, our Nominating Committee will continue to seek out candidates who can contribute to the diversity of views and perspectives of the Board in accordance with the committee’s Policies and Procedures for Director independenceCandidates. 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.

Our board

Board Diversity Matrix as of directorsMarch 7, 2024

Part I: Gender IdentityFemaleMaleNon-BinaryDecline to Disclose
Directors (9 total)35-1
Part II: Demographic BackgroundFemaleMaleNon-BinaryDecline to Disclose
African American or Black----
Alaskan Native or Native American----
Asian-1--
Hispanic or Latinx----
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander----
White35--
Two or More Races or Ethnicities-2--
LGBTQ+  - 
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background   1
Directors who identify as Middle Eastern-1--

Staggered Board

In consultation with our Nominating Committee, our Board of Directors has determined that all members of thea staggered board ofstructure, with directors except Mr. Bancel, our Chief Executive Officer, are independent directors, including for purposes of the rules of the Nasdaq Global Select Market and the SEC. In making such independence determination, our board of directors considered the relationships that eachnon-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances that our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by eachnon-employee director. In considering the independence of the directors listed above, our board of directors considered the association of our directors with the holders of more than 5% of our common stock. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers. Mr. Bancel is not an independent director under these rules because he is an executive officer of the Company.

Staggered board

In accordance with the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, our board of directors is divided into three classes with staggered classes of directors.terms, remains appropriate for us at this time. At each annual meeting of stockholders, ashareholders, one class of directors will be elected for a three-year term to succeed the directors of the same class whose terms are then expiring. The terms

A staggered board provides for stability, continuity and experience among our Board. This structure helps to resist pressure to focus on short-term results at the expense of our long-term value and success, which is especially important in our industry given the multi-year time horizons required for the successful development of pharmaceutical products and product candidates. Our Board also believes that this structure helps to preserve institutional knowledge that can help us identify new opportunities, such as when our Board noted parallels early in 2020 between our earlier efforts to develop a vaccine against Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the disease that came to be known as COVID-19. This led to the successful development and launch of our first product, our COVID-19 vaccine.   

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Board Highlights for 2023

During 2023, the Moderna Board was focused on continuing to execute on the shift to an endemic, commercial market for the Company’s COVID-19 vaccine, while also advancing the Company’s pipeline of products beyond COVID-19 and right-sizing the Company’s manufacturing footprint to lay the foundation for future growth and profitability.

COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccine Commercial Launch.  In 2023, the market for COVID-19 vaccines further evolved to reflect seasonal market dynamics, with sales shifting significantly to the second half of the directorsyear and significantly lower demand than in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, 2023 marked the shift to an endemic, commercial market in the U.S., with most sales for COVID-19 vaccines occurring in the private retail channel. The Board remained focused on strategic oversight of these evolving market dynamics and ensuring that Moderna was ready for a significant product launch of the updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, in the third quarter of 2023, which targeted the XBB.1.5 variant of SARS-CoV-2. Launching in a commercial market significantly changed dynamics with respect to marketing, contracting, distribution and accounting, all of which called on the Board’s expertise. In the U.S. market, the Moderna team expanded its market share to 48% of the retail market for the 2023 fall vaccination season, up 11 percentage points from 37% in 2022 (Source: IQVIA).  The Company expects to leverage its experience in the commercial market for COVID-19 vaccines in the anticipated launch of its RSV vaccine in 2024.

Right-Sizing Our Manufacturing Footprint.  Over the course of 2023, evolving market dynamics made clear that the manufacturing footprint that was necessary for the production of our COVID-19 vaccines in a pandemic setting would no longer be necessary following the shift to an endemic market.  With the Board’s support and oversight, management acted quickly in the third quarter to right-size the Company’s manufacturing footprint to reflect updated market forecasts.  These actions are expected to help return the COVID-19 vaccine franchise to profitability in 2024.

Pipeline Development

By the end of 2023, Moderna had nine late-stage programs, including seven programs in Phase 3 development and two rare disease programs poised to enter pivotal trials in 2024.  The Board and its Product Development Committee played a key role in overseeing the advancement and strategic investment in these programs, laying the groundwork to diversify our business beyond COVID-19 vaccines.

Respiratory Vaccine Franchise. Following the announcement of positive efficacy data for the Company’s vaccine candidate against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (mRNA-1345) in older adults in January 2023, the Company moved swiftly to apply for approval from regulators in key markets globally.  The Company is anticipating approval and is preparing for commercial launch of this product in 2024.  During 2023, the Company advanced Phase 3 studies for three additional respiratory vaccines programs beyond our original COVID-19 and RSV vaccines: seasonal flu (mRNA-1010), next-generation COVID-19, which is designed to be refrigerator-stable (mRNA-1283), and our combination vaccine against seasonal flu and COVID-19 (mRNA-1083). We believe that combination respiratory vaccines have the potential to improve coverage while also reducing disease burden and producing savings for healthcare systems, both through lower cost of administration and lower healthcare costs by preventing or reducing the need for care.

Individualized Neoantigen Therapy (INT). The Board has also been actively engaged in overseeing the advancement of clinical trials and investments to prepare for commercial readiness for our oncology program, INT (previously referred to as our personalized cancer vaccine) (mRNA-4157), which we are advancing in collaboration with Merck.  The Phase 3 trial of mRNA-4157 for melanoma launched in 2023 and is enrolling globally.  In December 2023, we launched a second Phase 3 trial of mRNA-4157 in non-small cell lung cancer, and this study is also enrolling globally.  Moderna broke ground on an additional manufacturing site in Marlborough, Massachusetts in 2023, and this facility is expected to be dedicated to the production of INT.

Latent and Rare Diseases. The Board and its committees continue to oversee our strategy to advance our broader pipeline, including investments in our development programs and the talent to move them forward. This includes advancing our vaccines against latent and rare diseases and in other areas. Our Phase 3 study for our vaccine candidate against cytomegalovirus (CMV) (mRNA-1647), the leading infectious cause of birth defects in the U.S., is fully enrolled and could see an efficacy data readout in 2024.  In rare diseases, the Paramount study of our propionic acidemia (PA) program (mRNA-3927) and the Landmark study of our methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) program (mRNA-3705) are both ongoing, and are expected to enter into pivotal studies in 2024.

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Corporate Developments

Governance Updates. In 2023, the Board and Nominating Committee continued to assess feedback from Moderna’s investors regarding its governance practices. As a result of this feedback, early in 2024, the Board approved updates to the Company’s bylaws to adopt majority voting for uncontested director elections and to implement a proxy access bylaw on market terms, which will expire upon the election and qualification of successor directors atallow shareholders with a significant, long-term ownership interest to nominate director candidates for inclusion on the annual meeting ballot. The Board also is requesting approval from shareholders to amend the Company’s Certificate of stockholdersIncorporation to be heldallow shareholders to call a special meeting (see “Proposal 4: Amend Our Certificate of Incorporation to Provide Shareholders the Right to Call a Special Meeting,” beginning on page 79). Additionally, during 2023, our Nominating Committee approved updates to our Corporate Governance Guidelines to require that directors obtain the years 2019 for Class I directors, 2020 for Class II directors and 2021 for Class III directors.approval of the Chair of the Committee before taking on any new board or director roles, as described below under “Director Independence.” Additionally, the Nominating Committee has implemented enhanced screening of potential conflicts as the scope of our business has expanded.

 

Capital Allocation. During 2023, the Board played a significant role in steering the Company’s capital allocation strategy. Consistent with the Company’s announced strategy, this included investments in the pipeline, as discussed above, as well as new manufacturing facilities in the UK, Canada and Australia to support government partnerships, and investments to facilitate the commercialization of INT. The Board and the Science and Technology Committee played a key role in overseeing collaborations with other companies, including those that were announced with Immatics, CytomX and Life Edit Therapeutics. Lastly, the Board played a key role in overseeing our share buyback program and the decision in the first half of the year to curtail buybacks to preserve capital for future investments.

Executive Compensation and Talent Management. As discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this Proxy Statement, the Compensation and Talent Committee continues to update our compensation programs to ensure ongoing alignment between our executives and investors, including tying our performance-based programs to the Company’s strategy, evolving the weighting of different instruments in our equity programs, and evolving our culture and ways of working as we seek to scale our operations and prepare for multiple product launches while maintaining cost discipline. In addition, the Committee oversaw our talent management efforts, including performance, training and retention programs and the results of our second global pay equity analysis.

ESG Initiatives. The Board, acting primarily through the Nominating Committee, oversees Moderna’s efforts related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. In 2023, this included launching a climate-based risk assessment and a double-materiality assessment to prepare Moderna for potential disclosure requirements related to these matters. In addition, the Committee oversaw efforts to implement policies related to ESG, and increasing transparency on these matters, including reviewing our roadmap to achieving publicly announced greenhouse gas reduction targets. For information, see “ESG Topics” below.

Director Independence

Our Class I directors are Noubar B. Afeyan, Stéphane Bancel, and Peter Barton Hutt;

Our Class II directors are Stephen Berenson, Israel Ruiz, and Paul Sagan; and

Our Class III directors are Robert Langer, Elizabeth Nabel, and Moncef Slaoui.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylawsCorporate Governance Guidelines provide that at least a majority of the numbermembers of the Board must meet the independence standards prescribed by rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market. Our Board of Directors has determined that all current directors except Mr. Bancel, our Chief Executive Officer, are independent, as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Nasdaq rules.

In making this determination, the Board considered the relationships that each non-employee director has with Moderna and other relevant facts and circumstances. There are no family relationships among any of our directors shall be fixed from time to time by a resolutionor executive officers.

Directors must notify the Chair of the majorityNominating Committee and our Chief Legal Officer prior to accepting any new director roles or in connection with any significant change in employment status so that the potential for conflicts or other factors that may compromise the director’s ability to perform his or her duties may be fully assessed. Pre-clearance from the Chair of our boardthe Nominating Committee, acting on the advice of directors.the Chief Legal Officer and in consultation with the full Nominating Committee, where appropriate, is required before a director may accept any such new roles. At least annually, the Board will evaluate all relationships between Moderna and each director in light of relevant facts and circumstances for the purpose of determining whether a material relationship exists that might signal a potential conflict of interest or otherwise interfere with such director’s ability to satisfy his or her responsibilities as an independent director.

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Board Leadership Structure

The division of our board of directors into three classes with staggered three-year terms may delay or prevent stockholder efforts to effect a change of our management or a change in control.

Board leadership structure and board’s role in risk oversight

Currently, the role of chairmanChairman of the board of directorsBoard is separated from the role of Chief Executive Officer. Our Chief Executive Officer is responsible for recommending strategic decisions and capital allocation to the board of directorsBoard and to ensurefor ensuring the execution of the recommended plans. The chairman of the board of directorsChairman is responsible for leading the boardBoard of directorsDirectors in its fundamental role of providing advice to and independent oversight of management. Our board of directors recognizes the time, effort, and energy that the Chief Executive Officer is required to devote to his position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as our chairman, particularly as the board of directors’ oversight responsibilities continue to

grow. While our amended and restated bylaws and corporate governance guidelinesCorporate Governance Guidelines do not require that our chairmanChairman and Chief Executive Officer positions be separate, ourseparate.

Limits on Board Service

Carrying out the duties and fulfilling the responsibilities of a director requires a significant commitment of time and attention. The Board recognizes that excessive time commitments can interfere with an individual’s ability to carry out and fulfill his or her duties effectively. In connection with its assessment of director candidates for nomination, the Board will assess whether the performance of any director has been or is likely to be adversely affected by excessive time commitments, including service on other boards.

Consistent with this belief, the Board amended its Corporate Governance Guidelines in 2020 to adopt limits on the number of other boards on which directors may serve. Under the revised Guidelines, directors who also serve as executives of public companies should not serve on more than one board of a public company in addition to the Moderna Board, and other directors believes that having separate positions isshould not serve on more than three other boards of public companies in addition to the appropriate leadership structure for us at this time and demonstrates our commitment to good corporate governance.

Risk is inherent with every business, and how well a business manages risk can ultimately determine its success. We face a number of risks, and management is responsible for theday-to-day management of risks we face, while our board of directors,Moderna Board, absent special circumstances, such as a wholeperiod of transition.

Application to Dr. Langer. Dr. Langer is in compliance with our policy related to board service limits, and through its committees,serves on the boards of two other public companies.  The Nominating Committee notes that while Dr. Langer previously served on four public company boards (in addition to ours) at the time our policy was adopted in 2020, in the last year he has responsibilitycome off two of those boards.

Application to Dr. Nabel. Dr. Nabel is also in compliance with our policy related to board service limits and has been throughout her term.  The Nominating Committee notes that for a temporary period, Dr. Nabel served as the oversightChief Medical Officer, part-time, for OPKO Health, while also serving on two public company boards (in addition to ours).  In August 2023, Dr. Nabel ceased acting as Chief Medical Officer for OPKO Health and now serves on an Advisory Board for that company.  

Directors must notify the Chair of risk management. In its risk oversight role, our board of directors has the responsibility to satisfy itself that the risk management processes designedNominating Committee and implemented by management are adequate and functioning as designed.

The role ofChief Legal Officer in connection with accepting a seat on the board of directors of another business and obtain approval before joining so we can fully assess the potential for conflicts or other factors that may compromise the director’s ability to carry out his or her duties. See “Director Independence” above.

Age and Term Limits

The Board does not believe that arbitrary limits on the number of consecutive terms a director may serve or on the directors’ ages are appropriate in overseeinglight of the managementsubstantial benefits resulting from a sustained focus on Moderna’s business, strategy, and industry over a significant period of time.

Governance Documents

We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct that applies to our Board of Directors and all of our risks is conducted primarily through committeesofficers and employees. In addition, we have adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines that formalize certain fundamental board policies and practices. Both of these documents are available on the board“Governance—Governance Documents” section of directors,our Investor Relations website, https://investors.modernatx.com.

2024 Proxy statement   18

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

2024 Proxy statement   19

Shareholder Engagement

We actively engage with our shareholders throughout the year to solicit their views on our governance and compensation policies and practices, as disclosed inwell as current and emerging ESG trends. As our investor base has grown, we have expanded our investor outreach program and practices to seek the descriptionsviews of eacha broader range of investors, including those with a particular focus on socially responsible investing. Conversations throughout the committees belowyear led by our Investor Relations team are supplemented by outreach with members of our Corporate Governance team, senior leadership and in the charters of each of the committees. The full board of directors (or the appropriate board committee in the case of risksindependent directors.

Following our 2023 Annual Meeting, we initiated contact for governance engagements with our 25 largest investors that are underunaffiliated with our officers and directors, representing approximately 42% of our shares outstanding (as of September 2023), as well as several other investors who expressed an interest in meeting on governance topics. Including affiliated investors, this outreach included shareholders representing more than 55% of our shares outstanding. Governance outreach discussions focused on a number of topics that were voted on at the purview2023 Annual Meeting, as well as other topics outlined below, including actions to adopt majority voting, implement proxy access, provide shareholders the right to call a special meeting, implement officer exculpation, and our current board structure and executive compensation programs.

Key Items Discussed with Shareholders in 2023-2024

Board Composition and GovernanceExecutive Compensation ProgramsESG Initiatives

Director recruitment and Board composition

Board structure and independence

Majority voting 

Proxy access

Special meeting right

Officer exculpation

Our 2023 say-on-pay vote

Program structure, including the weighting of components of equity awards

Transparency and disclosures on PSU goals

Access to medicines

Transparency reporting (e.g., ESG Report, SASB, EEO-1 Report)

Climate-related matters, including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and reductions

Double-materiality analysis

Our discussions led to valuable feedback from our investors, which was discussed among members of management and with our Board and Committees, as further discussed below.

Board Composition and Governance.  Investor feedback informed our decision to adopt majority voting and to adopt a particular committee) discusses with managementproxy access bylaw—both of which were implemented in February 2024. Investor feedback also informed the proposal to amend our major risk exposures, their potential impact on us,Certificate of Incorporation to grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting, and the steps we takedecision to manage them. When a board committee is responsible for evaluating and overseeingset the managementthreshold at 20% of a particular risk or risks, the chairman of the relevant committee reportsoutstanding shares. This investor outreach also provided valuable feedback on the discussiondecision to pursue an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to allow for officer exculpation, consistent with recent changes to Delaware law. Investor feedback has also informed our ongoing director search efforts as we assess the full board of directors during the committee reports portion of the next board meeting. This enables the board of directors and its committees to coordinate the risk oversight role, particularly with respect to risk interrelationships.

Committeesongoing evolution of our boardBoard of directorsDirectors.

Executive Compensation Programs. Investor feedback on our executive compensation programs was constructive, with support for our overall program design and emphasis on tying the experience of investors to results for our executives through programs that are weighted toward equity. Our boardCompensation and Talent Committee continues to incorporate this feedback into decisions around goal-setting and the structure of directorsour compensation programs. We have also undertaken to provide greater visibility on the goals for our PSU awards in this Proxy Statement.

ESG initiatives.  Investor feedback on our ESG programs and transparency on these initiatives was quite positive. Most of our investors recognize Moderna’s important role in promoting access to medicines, particularly through efforts like our mRNA Access program and diverse enrollment targets in our clinical trials. Investors were also supportive of our efforts to provide greater transparency through our ESG Report (which includes SASB and GRI disclosures) and ESG Day. Investors appreciated our efforts to disclose and obtain assurance on our Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions, as well as our greenhouse gas reduction targets, and initiatives to assess climate risk and to conduct a double-materiality analysis.

Going forward, we will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders on these matters, continue to monitor the ESG reporting and disclosure landscape and assess additional ESG reporting frameworks. For more information, please see “ESG Topics.” In addition to our one-on-one discussions with investors, we host annual Investor Days throughout the year aimed at promoting understanding of our science and development programs, including Vaccines Day and R&D Day.

2024 Proxy statement   20

Board Committees

As described below, our Board of Directors has established an audit committee, a compensationfive committees: Audit, Compensation and talent committee, a nominatingTalent, Nominating and corporate governance committee,Corporate Governance, Product Development and a product development committee, eachScience and Technology. The Board of which operates pursuant to a charter adopted by our board of directors. The board of directorsDirectors may also establish other committees from time to timetime. All members of the five Board committees are independent directors.

The charter for each of the committees is available on the “Governance—Governance Documents” section of our Investor Relations website, https://investors.modernatx.com.

Audit
Committee

The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  appointing, approving the compensation of, and assessing the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;

•  pre-approving audit, audit-related and permissible non-audit services, and the terms of such services, to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm;

•  reviewing the overall audit plan with our independent registered public accounting firm and members of management responsible for preparing our financial statements;

•  reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures, as well as the critical accounting policies and practices we use;

•  coordinating the oversight and reviewing the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting;

•  establishing policies and procedures for the receipt and retention of accounting-related complaints and concerns;

•  overseeing the Company’s internal audit function, including internal audit plans, budgeting and staffing and reviewing any findings resulting from audits;

•  recommending, based upon review and discussions with management and our independent registered public accounting firm, whether our audited financial statements should be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K;

•  monitoring the integrity of our financial statements and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as they relate to our financial statements and accounting;

•  preparing the Audit Committee Report required by SEC rules to be included in our annual proxy statement;

•  reviewing all related person transactions for potential conflicts of interest and approving all appropriate transactions; 

•  reviewing quarterly earnings releases;

•  discussing the guidelines and policies that govern the process by which the Company’s exposure to risk is assessed and managed by management; and

•  exercising general oversight over the Company’s information security and technology risks, including the Company’s information security and related risk management programs. 

Members:

• Ms. Tallett (Chair)

• Mr. Berenson

• Mr. Sagan

Meetings in 2023: 7

Independence:
Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee meets the heightened independence requirements for audit committee members prescribed by the SEC and Nasdaq, and that each has sufficient knowledge in financial and auditing matters to serve on the Audit Committee.

Financial experts:
Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Tallett, Mr. Berenson and Mr. Sagan is an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in the applicable SEC rules.

Representative, recent discussion topics

Financial reporting and significant accounting items, including as a result of our shift to a commercial market and in connection with the resizing of our manufacturing footprint
Ongoing enhancements to our cybersecurity program, including onboarding of new personnel and execution against our updated cybersecurity strategic roadmap
Ongoing evolution of our internal audit, tax and compliance functions as we scale and grow as a global organization
Capital allocation strategy, including approach to investments, tax and oversight of our share repurchase program

2024 Proxy statement   21
Compensation and Talent Committee

The Compensation and Talent Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  reviewing and establishing our overall management compensation philosophy and policy;

•  annually reviewing and recommending to the Board corporate goals and objectives relevant to our CEO’s compensation, evaluating the CEO’s performance, and making a recommendation to the Board for the CEO’s compensation;

•  approving the cash and equity compensation of our other executive officers;

•  overseeing the operation of all compensation plans, policies and programs in which executive officers participate, and other incentive, retirement, health and welfare and equity plans for our broader employee population;

•  reviewing the Company’s talent initiatives and strategies to attract, develop and retain key employees, and reviewing succession planning for key executive roles;

•  overseeing the Company’s human capital management strategies, policies, and practices, including those related to workforce belonging, inclusion and diversity, employee engagement and internal pay equity;

•  appointing and overseeing compensation consultants and other advisors retained by the Committee;

•  reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors the compensation of our directors; and

•  preparing the Compensation Committee Report required by SEC rules to be included in our annual proxy statement.

Members:

• Mr. Nader (Chair)

• Dr. Nabel

• Ms. Tallett

Meetings in 2023: 4

Independence:
Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Compensation and Talent Committee meets the heightened independence requirements for compensation committee members prescribed by Nasdaq.

Representative, recent discussion topics 

Ongoing evolution of our executive compensation program, including the weighting of equity plans, goal-setting and the ties between our pay programs and strategy to ensure alignment with investors
Development of our future operating model as we seek to grow sustainably and facilitate multiple product launches 
Maintaining Moderna’s culture and Mindsets
Talent development efforts, including retention, development and performance management  
Global pay practices and the results of our second annual pay equity analysis
Succession planning for key management roles

Nominating and Corporate

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  recommending to the Board persons to be nominated for election as directors, and to serve on Committees and as Committee Chairs from among the directors;

•  reviewing the composition of the Board to ensure its members have the appropriate skills and expertise to oversee Moderna;

•  reviewing and recommending corporate governance practices to the Board;

•  overseeing the evaluation of our Board; and

•  reviewing ESG matters pertaining to the Company, including ESG policies and initiatives, such as political engagement, actions to mitigate risks related to climate change, as well as philanthropic initiatives, such as the Moderna Charitable Foundation.

Governance Committee

Members:

• Dr. Afeyan (Chair)

• Dr. Horning

• Dr. Langer 

• Mr. Sagan

Meetings in 2023: 4

Representative, recent discussion topics 

Evolution of the Company’s governance practices to implement majority voting, proxy access, a special meeting right, and officer exculpation, and reviewing investor feedback on these topics
Board succession planning and director recruitment efforts to ensure appropriate expertise as we execute our Company strategy
Rotation of committee assignments and committee leadership roles
Updates to our Corporate Governance Guidelines and internal processes to ensure ongoing oversight of potential conflicts of interest as the Company expands into new areas 
Expansion and evolution of ESG efforts, including enhanced ESG reporting (Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions), initiation of a climate risk assessment and double-materiality analysis, and oversight of our sustainability strategy

2024 Proxy statement   22
Product
Development

The Product Development Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  assessing our product development strategy;

•  reviewing product development plans for our pipeline and related investments;

•  evaluating management recommendations related to the further preclinical and clinical development of our programs, including the conduct of pivotal trials;

•  reviewing R&D- and pipeline-related goals in performance-based compensation plans;

•  providing guidance and assisting in assessments of scientific talent; and

•  advising the Board on scientific and R&D aspects of licensing, strategic partnerships and acquisition or divestiture transactions.

Committee

Members:

• Dr. Horning(Chair)

• Mr. Berenson

• Dr. Nabel

• Dr. Nader

Meetings in 2023: 7

Representative, recent discussion topics 

Advancement of our late-stage pipeline, including design and launch of pivotal trials for seasonal flu, next-generation COVID, and combination vaccine for COVID + seasonal flu  
Ongoing clinical results from our Phase 2b trial for INT (melanoma), and the launch of Phase 3 trials of INT for melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer 
R&D- and pipeline-related goals included in 2024 performance-based compensation plans

Science and Technology

The Science and Technology Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  reviewing, evaluating and advising the Board regarding platform development, including advances in mRNA science, delivery science and manufacturing process science and related investments;

•  identifying significant emerging science and technology issues and trends relevant to our mRNA platform;

•  reviewing, evaluating and advising the Board regarding potential new modalities and strategies to expand the utility of existing modalities; and

•  reviewing and advising the Board regarding our intellectual property strategies.

Committee

Members:

• Dr. Nabel (Chair)

• Dr. Horning

• Dr. Langer

• Dr. Nader

Meetings in 2023:  5

Representative, recent discussion topics 

Oversight of key external collaborations and investments with outside partners
Platform research strategy and budget
Strategy related to intellectual property and licensing 

Board and Committee Meetings

Each director is expected to assistmake reasonable efforts to attend all Board and applicable committee meetings. Attendance is taken into account by the CompanyNominating Committee and the board of directors. The compositionBoard when they assess directors for re-nomination to the Board. Each director is also expected to attend our annual shareholder meetings, and functioning of all of our committees are described below and comply with all applicable requirementsdirectors attended the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Nasdaq, and the SEC rules and regulations. Copies of the charters for the audit, compensation and talent, and nominating and corporate governance committees are available on the Investors section of our website, which is located at https://investors.modernatx.com, by clicking on the “Corporate Governance” section.Shareholders.

 

AuditCompensation &
Talent
Nominating &
Corporate
Governance
Product
Development

Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D.

ChairMember

Stephen Berenson

MemberChair

Peter Barton Hutt, LL.M.

Member

Robert Langer, Sc.D.

Member

Elizabeth Nabel, M.D.

MemberMember

Israel Ruiz

ChairMember

Paul Sagan

MemberMember

Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D.

Chair

Audit committee

Mr. Berenson, Mr. Sagan, and Mr. Ruiz serve on the audit committee, which is chaired by Mr. Ruiz. Our board of directors has determined that each are “independent” for audit committee purposes as that term is defined by the rules of the SEC and Nasdaq, and that each has sufficient knowledge in financial and auditing matters to serve on the audit committee. Our board of directors has designated Mr. Ruiz as an “audit committee financial

expert,” as defined under the applicable rules of the SEC. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the audit committee met eight (8) times. The audit committee’s responsibilities include:

appointing, approving the compensation of, and assessing the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;

pre-approving auditing andpermissible non-audit services, and the terms of such services, to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm;

reviewing the overall audit plan with our independent registered public accounting firm and members of management responsible for preparing our financial statements;

reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures as well as critical accounting policies and practices used by us;

coordinating the oversight and reviewing the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting;

establishing policies and procedures for the receipt and retention of accounting-related complaints and concerns;

recommending, based upon the audit committee’s review and discussions with management and our independent registered public accounting firm, whether our audited financial statements shall be included in our Annual Report onForm 10-K;

monitoring the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as they relate to our financial statements and accounting matters;

preparing the audit committee report required by SEC rules to be included in our annual proxy statement;

reviewing all related person transactions for potential conflict of interest situations and approving all such transactions; and

reviewing quarterly earnings releases.

Compensation and talent committee

Mr. Berenson, Mr. Sagan, and Mr. Ruiz serve on the compensation and talent committee, which is chaired by Mr. Berenson. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the compensation and talent committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq rules. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the compensation and talent committee met eleven (11) times. The compensation and talent committee’s responsibilities include:

annually reviewing and recommending to the board of directors the corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer;

evaluating the performance of our Chief Executive Officer in light of such corporate goals and objectives and based on such evaluation: (i) recommending to the board of directors the cash compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, and (ii) reviewing and approving grants and awards to our Chief Executive Officer under equity-based plans;

reviewing and recommending to the board of directors the cash compensation of our other executive officers;

reviewing and establishing our overall management compensation, philosophy, and policy;

overseeing and administering our compensation and similar plans;

reviewing and approving the retention or termination of any consulting firm or outside advisor to assist in the evaluation of compensation matters and evaluating and assessing potential and current compensation advisors in accordance with the independence standards identified in the applicable Nasdaq rules;

retaining and approving the compensation of any compensation advisors;

reviewing and approving our policies and procedures for the grant of equity-based awards;

reviewing and recommending to the board of directors the compensation of our directors; and

preparing the compensation committee report required by SEC rules, if and when required, to be included in our annual proxy statement.

Nominating and corporate governance committee

Dr. Afeyan, Dr. Langer, and Dr. Nabel serve on the nominating and corporate governance committee, which is chaired by Dr. Afeyan. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the nominating and corporate governance committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq rules. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the nominating and corporate governance committee did not hold any meetings. The nominating and corporate governance committee’s responsibilities include:

developing and recommending to the board of directors criteria for board and committee membership;

establishing procedures for identifying and evaluating board of director candidates, including nominees recommended by stockholders;

reviewing the composition of the board of directors to ensure that it is composed of members containing the appropriate skills and expertise to advise us;

identifying individuals qualified to become members of the board of directors;

recommending to the board of directors the persons to be nominated for election as directors and to each of the board’s committees;

reviewing and recommending to the board of directors appropriate corporate governance guidelines; and

overseeing the evaluation of our board of directors.

Product development committee

Dr. Afeyan, Mr. Hutt, Dr. Nabel, and Dr. Slaoui serve on the product development committee, which is chaired by Dr. Slaoui. The product development committee’s responsibilities include:

assessing our product development strategy;

reviewing product development plans for our pipeline; and

evaluating recommendations made by management related to the further preclinical and clinical development of our programs.

Board and committee meetings attendance

The full boardBoard of directorsDirectors met eight (8)five times in formal meetings during 2018. During 2018, each member of the board of directors2023, in addition to holding frequent calls and informal sessions. Each director attended (virtually or in person or participated inperson) at least 75% or more of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of the board of directorsBoard (held during the period for whichwhile such person has beenwas a director) and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of the board of directorsBoard on which such person served (duringserved.

The non-management directors meet at regularly scheduled executive sessions without management participation. The Chair of the periods thatBoard is an independent director and presides at all Board meetings. 

2024 Proxy statement   23

Board Self-Evaluation 

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Board has committed to conduct a self-evaluation at least annually to assess whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively. Our Board committees conduct self-evaluations periodically to assess whether they are functioning effectively. Any such person served)evaluation will consider the performance of the Board or the committee, as the case may be, as a unit (rather than the performance of any individual director).

The Nominating Committee oversees the Board’s annual self-evaluation process. 

In 2023, the Board’s self-evaluation utilized an independent third party who conducted  a survey and individual interviews with each director regarding the Board’s operations before reporting back to full Board of Directors. As a result of the feedback from this evaluation, updates were made to the composition of the Board’s committees and leadership roles were rotated. Additional changes were implemented to promote the Board’s effectiveness and to increase internal communications, among other changes. In the past, these self-evaluations have similarly informed decisions regarding Board operations and Board composition, which have been acted upon by the Nominating Committee.

Compensation committee interlocksCommittee Interlocks and insider participationInsider Participation

None of the members of our compensationCompensation and talent committeeTalent Committee has at any time during the prior three years been one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our boardBoard of directorsDirectors or compensation committee.Compensation and Talent Committee.

Corporate governance

Director Onboarding 

We have adopted a written code ofModerna conducts an orientation program for each new director to familiarize that individual with our business conduct and ethics that applies to our board of directors,strategic plans, key policies and practices, principal officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A current copymanagement structure, auditing and compliance processes, and Code of our code of business conductBusiness Conduct and ethics is available inEthics.

How to Contact the Corporate Governance section of our Investors webpage, which is located at https://investors.modernatx.com.Board 

Reporting concerns regarding accounting and other matters and communicating withnon-management directors

Our code of business conduct and ethics, which was adopted by our board of directors, includes procedures on reporting concerns regarding accounting and other matters and on communicating with thenon-management directors that are members of our audit committee. Any person whether or not an employee,who wishes to contact the Board can do so:

By e-mail to ir@modernatx.com; or 
By reaching our Corporate Secretary as described on page 87 under “Information about the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders—How can I contact the Corporate Secretary?”.

Any person who has a concern about the Company’sModerna’s conduct, or any of its people, including with respect to accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters, may, in a confidential or anonymous manner, communicate that concern to the Company’sour Compliance Officer, who is the designated contact for these purposes. Contact may be made:Officer:

 

Bye-mail to ComplianceOfficer@modernatx.com (anonymity cannot be maintained);

By e-mail to ComplianceOfficer@modernatx.com (anonymity cannot be maintained);
In writing (which may be done anonymously), by mail to Moderna, Inc., Attention: Compliance Officer, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139;
Online at https://moderna.whispli.com/compliancehotline(which may be done anonymously); or
By calling the Compliance Hotline at 844-971-2551.

 

In writing (which may be done anonymously), by mail to Moderna, Inc., Attention: Compliance Officer, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139;

Online at https://www.whistleblowerservices.com/Moderna (which may be done anonymously); or

By calling the Compliance Hotline at866-265-3948, which is the Compliance Hotline that the Company has established for receipt of questions and reports of potential violations of our code of business conduct and ethics. This Compliance Hotline is managed by a third-party required to maintain the anonymity of the caller if so requested.

Any person whether or not an employee, who has a concern about the Company’s conduct, or any of its people, including with respect to accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters, who wishes to communicate directly with the audit committee,Audit Committee may contactdo so through the audit committee in a confidential or anonymous manner. Contact may be made:

In writing (which can be done anonymously), by mailchannels mentioned above, directing their communication to Moderna, Inc., Attention:the attention of the Chair of the Audit Committee, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139;Committee. 

 

2024 Proxy statement   24

Shareholder Recommendations for Director Candidates

Online at https://www.whistleblowerservices.com/Moderna (which

The Nominating Committee welcomes recommendations from shareholders for director candidates. Shareholder-recommended candidates will be evaluated in the same manner as candidates that come to the committee’s attention from other sources.

To recommend a director candidate, a shareholder should send the following information to our Corporate Secretary as described on page 87 under “Information about the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders—How can I contact the Corporate Secretary?”:

such shareholder’s name and address of record;
a representation that such shareholder is a record holder of the Company’s securities, or if the shareholder is not a record holder, evidence of ownership in accordance with Rule 14a-8(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act);
the candidate’s name, age, business and residence address;
the educational background, current principal occupation or employment, and principal occupation or employment for the preceding five full years of the candidate;
a description of the qualifications and background of the candidate, which address the minimum qualifications and other criteria for Board membership approved by the Board;
a description of all arrangements or understandings between the shareholder and the candidate; and
all information relating to such candidate that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in an election contest pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act (including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected).

The Nominating Committee may seek further information from or about the shareholder making the recommendation and the recommended director candidate, including information about all business and other relationships between the director candidate and the shareholder. Any shareholder recommendation for a director candidate must be submitted to the Company not less than 120 calendar days prior to the date on which the Company’s proxy statement was released to shareholders in connection with the previous year’s annual meeting.

2024 Proxy statement   25

Director Compensation

Annual Cash Retainers

Our non-employee directors are eligible to receive the following cash retainers, which are pro-rated for partial-year service or time as Committee chairs, and are paid quarterly:

Annual Retainer for service on the Board of Directors$   80,000
Additional Annual Retainer for service as:  
Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors$50,000
Committee Chair$20,000

Equity Grants

Upon election to our Board of Directors, each non-employee director is granted an equity award with an aggregate targeted grant date fair value of $400,000 (the Initial Grant). Beginning in April 2021, 75% of the value of each Initial Grant is delivered in stock options and 25% is delivered in restricted stock units (RSUs). The stock option and RSU portions of the Initial Grant vest in full on the one-year anniversary of the grant date if the recipient has continuously served as our director for that year.

On the date of each annual meeting of shareholders, each continuing non-employee director is granted an equity award with an aggregate targeted grant date fair value of $425,000 (the Annual Grant). Since April 2022, our directors have had the ability to choose to have the value of each Annual Grant delivered solely as stock options or in the form of a mix of RSUs and stock options as chosen by each non-employee director, provided that no more than 25% of such value may be done anonymously); ordelivered in the form of RSUs. The option and RSU portions of the Annual Grant vest in full on the earlier of the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the next annual meeting of shareholders, if the recipient has continuously served as a director through the applicable vesting date.

 

by calling the Compliance Hotline and asking that the matter be forwardedThe stock option portion of each director equity grant has an exercise price per share equal to the chairpersonclosing price of a share of Moderna’s common stock on the date of grant, and an expiration period of ten years from the grant date. The number of stock options granted for any director equity grant is determined by dividing the value attributable to the stock option award by the product of (i) the average closing stock price over the preceding 20-trading days up to and including the last trading day immediately preceding the grant date and (ii) the Black-Scholes ratio, which is calculated using the Black-Scholes value of a stock option on the grant date divided by the closing stock price on the effective date of grant. The number of RSUs granted for any director equity grant is determined by dividing the value attributable to the RSU award by the average closing stock price over the preceding 20-trading days up to and including the last trading day immediately preceding the grant date. If a new non-employee director joins our Board of Directors between annual meetings of shareholders, then such non-employee director will be granted a pro-rata portion of the audit committee.

Annual Grant based on the time between such director’s appointment and our next annual meeting of shareholders. The director equity grants are subject to full accelerated vesting upon a “sale event,” as defined in the Company’s 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time (the 2018 Stock Plan).

Other Compensation Details

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

OverviewThe aggregate amount of cash and equity compensation paid to any non-employee director in a calendar year may not exceed $1,500,000 for the first year of service and $1,000,000 for each year of service thereafter (or such other limits as may be set forth in the 2018 Stock Plan or any similar provision of a successor plan).

Employee directors receive no additional compensation for their service as a director. We reimburse all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by directors for their attendance at meetings of our Board of Directors or any committee thereof. We have in the past provided, and may in the future provide, security services to our directors.

2024 Proxy statement   26

Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership Policy

Our Stock Ownership Policy provides that on or before December 31, 2024, or the fifth anniversary of an individual director’s appointment to the Board (whichever is later), each non-employee director must own shares of Moderna’s common stock equal to at least six times the amount of the annual cash retainer paid for regular service on the Board, exclusive of committee fees (i.e., $480,000 of Moderna stock). For more information, see “Equity-Related Policies and Practices—Non-Employee Director and Executive Officer Stock Ownership Policy,” below.

Non-Employee Director Compensation Table

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on our current plans and expectationstable provides information regarding our future compensation programs. The actual amount and form ofthe total compensation that we pay and the compensation policies and practices that we adopt in the future may differ materially from the currently-planned programs that are summarized herein.

The compensation providedwas earned by or paid to each of our named executive officers fornon-employee directors during the year ended December 31, 2018 is detailed in the 2018 Summary Compensation Table and accompanying footnotes and narrative that follow.

Our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2018, which include2023. Mr. Bancel, our Chief Executive Officer, did not receive any additional compensation for his service as a director. Mr. Bancel’s compensation is discussed in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and compensation tables, which begin on page 38. The amounts below for Option Awards and Stock Awards reflect the grant date fair value of these awards, which, together, are lower than the target value due to the fact that the number of RSUs and stock options granted was calculated based upon the 20-trading day trailing average closing price prior to grant, as described under “—Equity Grants,” above.

Name Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
 Stock Awards(1)(2) Option Awards(1) All Other
Compensation
 Total
Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D.(3) $150,000 $ $381,269 $132,250(4) $   663,519
Stephen Berenson(5)  90,000  95,262  285,983    471,245
Sandra Horning, M.D.(6)  100,000    381,269    481,269
Robert Langer, Sc.D.(7)  80,000    381,269    461,269
Elizabeth Nabel, M.D.(8)  95,000  95,262  285,983    476,245
François Nader, M.D.(9)  100,000    381,269    481,269
Paul Sagan(10)  80,000    381,269    461,269
Elizabeth Tallett(11)  100,000    381,269    481,269
(1)The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the RSUs and stock options awarded to the non-employee directors in the year ended December 31, 2023, calculated in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 718. Such grant date fair values do not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used in calculating the grant date fair value of the equity awards reported in these columns are set forth in Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, included in our Annual Report. The amounts reported in these columns reflect the grant date fair value for each award, and, together, differ from the targeted amounts for the Annual Grant of $425,000, due to the fact that a 20-trading day trailing average closing price convention is used for calculating the number of RSUs and stock options granted.
(2)As of December 31, 2023, each non-employee director who selected RSUs as part of their annual equity award held 732 unvested RSUs.
(3)As of December 31, 2023, Dr. Afeyan held outstanding options to purchase a total of 171,068 shares of our common stock, 164,934 of which were vested. Dr. Afeyan is affiliated with Flagship Pioneering, Inc. and prior to 2018, Flagship Pioneering, Inc. was granted equity for Dr. Afeyan’s service on our Board of Directors. As of December 31, 2023, Flagship Pioneering, Inc. held options to purchase a total of 33,116 shares of our common stock that were issued for such service. See “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” for additional information regarding Flagship Pioneering’s and its affiliated entities’ beneficial ownership of our common stock.
(4)The amount reported represents incremental costs borne by the Company for the provision of security services to Dr. Afeyan in response to the heightened threat environment faced by individuals associated with our Company.
(5)As of December 31, 2023, Mr. Berenson held options to purchase a total of 168,181 shares of our common stock, 163,580 of which were vested.
(6)As of December 31, 2023, Dr. Horning held options to purchase a total of 49,742 shares of our common stock, 43,607 of which were vested.
(7)As of December 31, 2023, Dr. Langer held options to purchase a total of 299,636 shares of our common stock, 293,502 of which were vested.
(8)As of December 31, 2023, Dr. Nabel held options to purchase a total of 13,882 shares of our common stock, 9,281 of which were vested.
(9)As of December 31, 2023, Dr. Nader held options to purchase a total of 68,409 shares of our common stock, 62,275 of which were vested.
(10)As of December 31, 2023, Mr. Sagan held options to purchase a total of 125,319 shares of our common stock, 119,185 of which were vested.
(11)As of December 31, 2023, Ms. Tallett held options to purchase 39,449 shares of our common stock, 33,315 of which were vested.

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Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

Other than the ordinary course compensation agreements described under the sections entitled “Director Compensation” and “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” and the transactions described below, since January 1, 2023, there has not been and there is not currently proposed, any transaction or series of similar transactions to which we were, or will be, a party in which the amount involved exceeded, or will exceed, $120,000 and in which any director, executive officer, holder of five percent or more of any class of Moderna’s capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of, or entities affiliated with, any of the foregoing persons, had, or will have, a direct or indirect material interest.

Agreements With Our Shareholders

Investor Rights Agreement

Prior to our IPO, we entered into a second amended and restated Investor Rights Agreement with certain of our shareholders. The Investor Rights Agreement provided the holders of approximately 44 million shares of our common stock rights with respect to the registration of those shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), including demand registration rights, short-form registration rights, and piggyback registration rights. Each of these rights granted under the Investor Rights Agreement terminated in December 2023.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into agreements to indemnify our directors and executive officers. These agreements will, among other things, require us to indemnify these individuals, to the maximum extent allowed under Delaware law, for certain expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, and settlement amounts they reasonably incur in any action or proceeding, including any action by or in our right, on account of any services undertaken by such person on behalf of Moderna or that person’s status as a member of our Board of Directors.

Policies for Approval of Related Party Transactions

We have adopted a written policy providing that our Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and overseeing related party transactions. For purposes of this policy, a related person is defined as (i) any Moderna director or executive officer, (ii) any director nominee, (iii) security holders known to us to beneficially own more than five percent of any class of Moderna’s voting securities, or (iv) the immediate family members of any of such persons. In reviewing any related party transaction, the Audit Committee will take into account, among other factors that it deems appropriate, whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable to Moderna than terms generally available in a transaction with an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction.

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ESG Topics

At Moderna, our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy and corporate social responsibility program are built on a foundation of integrity, quality and respect. These values provide a foundation for us to build and support long-term programs that demonstrate our commitment to patients, employees, the environment and our two most highly-compensated executive officers other thanlocal communities. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees ESG matters and practices. The committee reports to the full Board on ESG matters and our progress on sustainability initiatives. Our Chief Legal Officer, reporting to our CEO, leads our ESG strategy, with Executive Officer, are:Committee members overseeing additional elements of particular ESG initiatives. Included below is a description of several topics that we view as key to promoting our long-term value and impact. In June 2023, we published our second ESG Report, which provides further detail on these initiatives. Our ESG Report can be found on our website at http://www.modernatx.com under the “Responsibility—Corporate policies” section. Additionally, we hosted our second ESG Day in December 2023, where we discussed with investors our corporate mission and key focus areas for our corporate responsibility strategy. During 2023, we also initiated a double-materiality analysis to inform anticipated disclosure requirements and to validate our understanding of where we can create positive long-term value for our stakeholders.

 

Medicines for Patients

Mr. Stéphane Bancel,

Moderna’s mission is to deliver the greatest possible impact to people through mRNA medicines. Our priority as a relatively new commercial company is to continue to accelerate the development of safe and effective mRNA medicines. To do so, we undertake sustained, long-term investment in technology creation. We expect our Chief Executive Officer;ongoing investment in preclinical and clinical research and development to help us continue to advance potentially life-changing therapeutics and vaccines where there are few or, in many cases, no treatment options for patients. These areas include respiratory vaccines, latent and emerging vaccines, rare disease therapeutics, and oncology therapeutics.

Our Global Public Health Strategy

In 2022, we first articulated our global health strategy, which is centered on three key pillars: developing vaccines against priority pathogens, mRNA Access™ and regional manufacturing. We continue to focus on developing vaccines against priority pathogens identified in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) R&D Blueprint, and those identified by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Our objective remains to create a portfolio of vaccines that are able to leverage our scale of manufacturing and the growing safety database to more rapidly respond to outbreaks in the future. We have advanced clinical candidate vaccines against COVID-19, Zika, chikungunya, HIV, Mpox, Nipah and pandemic influenza, many through public-private partnerships.

Our mRNA Access program enables researchers around the world to utilize our mRNA technology platform to pursue research in their own labs on emerging and neglected infectious diseases. During 2023, the number of institutions collaborating with us through mRNA Access nearly doubled, to 16. In addition, we continue to advance regional manufacturing plants in Australia, Canada and the UK, in part to prepare for future pandemics. Further detail on our global health strategy is included in our ESG Report.

Access to Medicines

Prior to authorization of our first commercial product, our COVID-19 vaccine, we announced in December 2020 our commitment to access to vaccines and therapeutics. This commitment is reflected in the following principles:

We are committed to developing a broad portfolio of vaccines and therapeutic solutions to address epidemiological challenges worldwide.
We will invest in R&D in areas of unmet need.
We will work to include communities that have been under-represented in clinical research in our development programs, as well as those who are disproportionately impacted by the respective disease.
We aim to provide effective and affordable vaccines and therapeutics to all populations.
We will price our products through differential pricing frameworks.
We are committed to participating in key public-private partnerships.
GAVI-eligible countries will get our lowest prices, and we commit to an annual independent third-party audit of this commitment.

2024 Proxy statement   29

In 2022, as part of our continued support for achieving global health equity, we updated our COVID-19 patent pledge to provide that we will never enforce our patents for COVID-19 vaccines against manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries in the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment, provided that the manufacturers produce vaccines solely for use in those countries. In non-AMC 92 countries, we remain willing to license our technology for COVID-19 vaccines to manufacturers in those countries on commercially reasonable terms, which will enable us to continue to invest in research to develop new vaccines, prepare for the next pandemic and meet other pressing areas of unmet medical need.

Medicines for Rare Diseases

Our pipeline includes potential therapeutics to address rare diseases, such as propionic acidemia (PA), methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), phenylketonuria, glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a), and autoimmune diseases that have not been addressed through traditional approaches. During 2023, our most advanced programs for rare diseases, PA and MMA, demonstrated the potential of our platform to address rare diseases. We expect to advance these two programs to pivotal trials in 2024. We have ongoing collaborations with Vertex Pharmaceuticals to apply mRNA technology to addressing cystic fibrosis, with Chiesi Group to address pulmonary arterial hypertension, and with the Institute for Life Changing Medicines (ILCM) to develop an mRNA therapeutic for Crigler-Najjar Syndrome Type 1 (CN-1), an ultra-rare disease with only an estimated 70-100 known cases in the world.

Clinical Trial Diversity

We are committed to advancing clinical trial health equity by identifying the barriers that currently impede inclusion, and implementing approaches to more efficiently identify, engage, recruit and retain study participants from diverse backgrounds and vulnerable populations. When we recognized racial-ethnic minority under-representation in the Phase 3 clinical trial of mRNA-1273, our original COVID-19 vaccine, we decided to slow down the overall clinical trial enrollment to ensure representative diversity. At the conclusion of enrollment, the clinical trial included more than 11,000 Participants of Color from diverse communities, representing 37% of the trial population. For the Phase 3 clinical trial of our cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine candidate, we achieved our goal of enrolling 42% Participants of Color in the US. Similarly, for the Phase 3 clinical trial of our RSV vaccine candidate, we again achieved our goal of enrolling at least 31% Participants of Color in the US.

Climate Change and the Environment

At Moderna, we are building a company that seeks to drive change through what we make and how we make it. We believe that ensuring the health of our planet is critical to positively impacting human health, and that it is our responsibility to grow Moderna in a way that protects the planet and minimizes our impact on the environment. As an expanding company, we have an opportunity to grow in a way that puts the protection of the environment as a key consideration in the design of new facilities, processes and products. As we continue to expand our manufacturing capabilities, we are committed to protecting the planet, based on a three-pronged strategy: sustainability by design, decarbonizing the value chain, and natural resource conservation.

We have set a goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions for our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. We are also committed to defining a Scope 3 target that is in alignment with the Science-Based Targets Initiative.

Progress on climate and environmental initiatives in 2023 included the following actions:

Enhanced our third-party assurance of energy and Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from Limited Assurance to Reasonable Assurance;
Published metrics related to Scope 3 emissions, water usage and waste management for our operations;
Incorporated sustainability into the design and construction of new manufacturing plants in Marlborough, Massachusetts; Laval, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; and Harwell, UK to reduce reliance on fossil fuels for thermal loads;
Completed a climate risk and scenario analysis project to better inform our understanding of climate-related risks and opportunities to our business;
Performed energy, water and waste assessments at our manufacturing facility in Norwood, Massachusetts to identify opportunities to reduce fossil fuel and water usage, improve operational efficiency and enhance our waste management program; and
Encouraged green transportation among our employees by offering fully subsidized public transport, bike sharing and free electric vehicle charging stations at our campuses.

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In February 2024, we opened our new Moderna Science Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a purpose-built space to support our next chapter of discovery. The high-performance building, which includes our principal executive offices, is targeting LEED Platinum Core & Shell and LEED Zero Carbon certifications. The building includes geothermal heating and cooling, rooftop solar, an exhaust air heat pump, and ultra-efficient building systems with acoustical and light pollution mitigation measures.

Further detail on key performance indicators and our efforts to minimize our impact on the environment are included in our ESG Report and on our website at modernatx.com under the “Responsibility—Corporate policies” section.

Human Capital Management

We recognize that our employees are key to our mission of delivering the greatest possible impact to people through mRNA medicines. As an organization, we are bold, collaborative, curious and relentless. These values are underpinned by a core set of what we call “basecamp” values—integrity, quality, respect. Additionally, with the continued rapid growth of our Company, we articulated the Moderna Mindsets, which define how we behave, lead and make decisions. We believe our Mindsets are integral to our future success, and we continue to integrate them into every facet of how we identify, onboard, grow and manage our highest impact talent. New employees participate in our Moderna ONE onboarding program, which is an interactive, full-immersion learning experience designed to provide the opportunity to engage with, better understand and learn how to apply the Mindsets in the workplace.

 

We operate in a highly competitive environment for talent, particularly as we seek to attract and retain talent with experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. Our workforce is highly educated, and as of December 31, 2023, 41% of our employees hold Ph.D., Doctorate, M.D., J.D., or Master’s degrees. Among our employees, 49% are female. Among our leadership (which we define as employees at the vice president level and above), as of December 31, 2023, approximately 39% are female. 45% of our U.S. employees identify as racially or ethnically diverse as of December 31, 2023, an increase from 41% who identified as racially or ethnically diverse the prior year. In 2023, for the second year in a row, an outside statistical pay equity analysis confirmed zero statistically significant differences in pay across gender globally and across gender, race and ethnicity in the United States.

We had approximately 5,600 full-time employees as of December 31, 2023 in 19 markets around the world, with a presence in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. We are committed to building a culture of inclusion and belonging for all. In 2023, we continued to act on our commitment to belonging, inclusion and diversity by, among other things:

continuing our monitoring and reporting of Company-wide gender and ethnicity data;
including a belonging, inclusion and diversity focus in every employee engagement survey;
continuing to invest in our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are voluntary, employee-led groups that harness the power of belonging in service to our people, our Company and the community at large, and adding a ninth ERG, mCare, which is dedicated to supporting and empowering employees who are caregivers and parents;
gaining recognition from Disability:IN Inclusion and the American Association of People with Disabilities as a best place to work for disability inclusion; and
conducting diversity-related events, celebrations and learning opportunities for employees throughout the year.

To help promote alignment between our employees and our shareholders, all employees participate in our equity programs through the receipt of equity awards, and the percentage of equity as a component of overall pay mix increases with seniority. We believe that in addition to incentivizing growth that leads to shareholder value, broad eligibility for our equity programs further embeds our “We Act Like Owners” mindset and helps promote employee retention as these awards generally vest over a four-year period.

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Our employees are highly engaged, and our Company and team have been publicly recognized for our leadership, innovation and good corporate citizenship. Science magazine has ranked us as a top employer for each of the last nine years. Additionally, in 2023, Biospace ranked us the number one large employer in its 2024 Best Places to Work in Biopharma report for the third consecutive year. We also received a perfect score from the Human Right Campaign’s Equality Index for 2023-2024. We measure employee engagement through a vendor-supplied engagement software, using validated external benchmarks to track employee engagement factors.

Community

We launched the Moderna Charitable Foundation in 2022 to support organizations and causes promoting public health and access to quality healthcare, advancing scientific education and innovation, supporting local and global communities, and advocating for inclusion and diversity. We aspire to make a lasting impact in these focus areas through grant-making activity, by supporting relief efforts during humanitarian crises, and by supporting organizations that matter to Moderna employees through the Foundation’s matching gifts program. During 2023, the Moderna Charitable Foundation made grants totaling approximately $7.2 million to local and global non-profit organizations working on causes aligned with the Foundation’s mission, as well as $1.3 million in donations to match employee giving. In 2023, the Foundation continued to provide significant support to two organizations seeking to improve access to healthcare in Africa—Seed Global Health and Amref. The Foundation has also committed to funding fellows focused on healthcare and advancing scientific education in partnership with Ashoka, a leading organization for social entrepreneurship.

We encourage individual employee volunteerism by providing our people with paid time off to volunteer at the organizations of their choice. During 2023, 70% of Moderna employees participated in tracked volunteering programs or employee giving, and volunteering hours increased 169% from hours reported in 2022.

2024 Proxy statement   32

 

Management 

Dr. John Mendlein,

Set forth below are the biographies for our former President, Corporatecurrent Executive Committee members. These individuals are critical to Moderna’s success and Product Strategy; andare responsible for leading our company to its next stage of development. 

Age: 51

Joined Moderna and in current role since October 2011

Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bancel chairs the Executive Committee and is responsible for executing on the strategy and operations for Moderna.  Following a restructuring of our commercial organization announced in December 2023, he also directly oversees commercial operations for our approved products.

Before joining Moderna in October 2011, Mr. Bancel served for five years as Chief Executive Officer of the French diagnostics company bioMérieux SA. From July 2000 to March 2006, he served in various roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including as Managing Director, Belgium, and as Executive Director, Global Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain. Prior to Eli Lilly, Mr. Bancel served as Asia-Pacific Sales and Marketing Director for bioMérieux. He is currently a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering.

Education

  École Centrale Paris, Master of Engineering

  University of Minnesota, Master of Science in chemical engineering

  Harvard Business School, M.B.A.

Age: 58

Joined Moderna in October 2022 and in current role since January 2023

Jerh Collins, Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer

Dr. Collins oversees technical development, quality, and preclinical, clinical and commercial supply.

Before joining Moderna in October 2022, Dr. Collins was employed by Novartis from 1993 to 2022, most recently as Chief Culture Officer. During his nearly 30 years at Novartis, Dr. Collins held roles of increasing responsibility focused on pharmaceutical production and manufacturing, including roles serving as Head of Global Chemical Operations and Anti-Infectives and as Head of Global Chemical Operations.

Education

  University College Cork, Bachelor of Science in chemistry

  University College Cork, Ph.D. in organic chemistry

Age: 58

Joined Moderna and in current role since July 2021

Kate Cronin, Chief Brand Officer

Ms. Cronin oversees Moderna’s communications, branding and marketing efforts.  

Before joining Moderna in July 2021, she was employed by Ogilvy Health from 2004 to 2021, in various roles, most recently as Global CEO. Prior to her role as CEO, Ms. Cronin held numerous roles, including Global Managing Director, Managing Director of Ogilvy Public Relations’ New York office, and Co-President of Ogilvy Health in the United States. At Ogilvy, Ms. Cronin led integrated campaigns for the firm’s largest long-term health clients including BMS, Boerhringer Ingelheim, Merck and Pfizer. Prior to Ogilvy, Ms. Cronin was a partner at Porter Novelli.

Education

  Smith College, B.A. in biology 

Age: 44

Joined Moderna and in current role since October 2019

Tracey Franklin, Chief Human Resources Officer

Ms. Franklin oversees Moderna’s talent and organizational strategy. 

Before joining Moderna in October 2019, she was employed by Merck & Co. from 2004 to 2019 in positions of increasing responsibility, including most recently Vice President, HR Chief Talent and Strategy Officer. Ms. Franklin’s previous leadership roles included responsibility for HR for all divisions in the European region, head of HR for the UK and Ireland subsidiaries of Merck, and HR Operations leader responsible for HR program implementation across Merck’s global footprint. She was based in Switzerland, the UK and the U.S.

Education

  Pennsylvania State University, B.A. in communication arts and sciences

  Fairleigh Dickinson University, Masters in industrial and organizational psychology 

2024 Proxy statement   33

Age: 48

Joined Moderna in January 2013 and in current role since February 2015

Stephen Hoge, M.D., President

Dr. Hoge oversees Moderna’s research & development efforts, from basic science through clinical development and regulatory approvals. He also oversees early commercial efforts for many of our pipeline programs.

Before joining Moderna in January 2013, he was employed by McKinsey & Company from 2005 to 2012, in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as a Partner and a leader in the firm’s healthcare practice. Dr. Hoge was a resident physician from 2004 to 2005 at New York University/Bellevue Hospital.

Education

  Amherst College, B.A. in neuroscience

  University of California, San Francisco, M.D.

Age: 52

Joined Moderna and in current role since June 2021

Shannon Thyme Klinger, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary

Ms. Klinger oversees legal matters for Moderna, including corporate governance, intellectual property, litigation, compliance, privacy, as well as ESG strategy and global security. She is also the President of the Moderna Charitable Foundation.  

Before joining Moderna in June 2021, she was employed by Novartis from 2008 to 2021, most recently as Chief Legal Officer and a member of the Novartis Executive Committee. While at Novartis, Ms. Klinger also served as the Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer and Global Head of Litigation, and as Global Head of Legal at Sandoz, a Novartis division. She began her in-house career at Barr Laboratories before joining Solvay Pharmaceuticals as Senior Vice President and General Counsel.  Ms. Klinger was previously a partner with Alston & Bird. 

Education

  University of Notre Dame, B.A. in psychology

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J.D. 

Age: 51

Joined Moderna and in current role since January 2023

Brad Miller, Chief Information Officer

Mr. Miller oversees Moderna’s digital strategy and is responsible for building and operating critical enterprise services, including cybersecurity, and digital experiences to enable the Company.   

Before joining Moderna in January 2023, Mr. Miller was employed by Capital One from 2021 to 2023 as Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer. He was employed by Mastercard from 2017 to 2021 as Executive Vice President, Operations and Technology; by Citi from 2015 to 2017 as Managing Director, Head of Global Digital and Cloud Technology; and by Amazon and Microsoft in engineering roles earlier in his career.

Education

  University of Waterloo, B.S. in human factors

  University of Nottingham, M.S. in human computer interaction in systems engineering

Age: 47

Joined Moderna and in current role since September 2022

James Mock, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Mock oversees Moderna’s accounting, financial planning and analysis, business development, treasury, real estate, investor relations, internal audit and tax functions.  

Before joining Moderna in September 2022, he was employed by PerkinElmer from 2018 to 2022 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Mock joined PerkinElmer from General Electric, where he served in a number of positions between 1999 and 2018, most recently as Vice President, Corporate Audit Staff.

Education

  St. Lawrence University, B.A. in economics 

2024 Proxy statement   34

 

Dr. Lorence Kim,

Proposal No. 2: Non-binding Advisory Vote to Approve the Compensation of our Chief Financial Officer.

Oversight forNamed Executive CompensationOfficers 

Our Board of Directors is committed to excellence in governance. Consistent with good governance practices and the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act, shareholders have the opportunity to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation and talent committee of our boardModerna’s named executive officers. This is commonly known as a “say on pay” proposal.

The say on pay proposal is not intended to address any specific item of directors,compensation or the compensation committee,of any particular officer, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and our compensation philosophy, policies, and practices discussed in this proxy statement. The compensation of our named executive officers is disclosed in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables, and the related narrative disclosure contained in this proxy statement. As discussed in these disclosures, we believe that our compensation policies and decisions are based on principles that reflect a “pay-for-performance” philosophy and are strongly aligned with our shareholders’ interests and consistent with current market practices. Our executive compensation program is designed to enable us to attract and retain talented and experienced executives to lead us successfully in a competitive environment.

We are asking our shareholders to vote for the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the Company’s shareholders approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed in this proxy statement, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion.”

Before you vote, we recommend that you read the Executive Compensation section that follows for complete information on our executive compensation programs and philosophy.

This vote is advisory, and therefore not binding on Moderna, the Board of Directors, or the Compensation and Talent Committee. However, our Board of Directors and Compensation and Talent Committee value your opinion and intend to consider the outcome of the vote when making compensation decisions in the future.

Vote Required 

This non-binding, advisory proposal will be approved if it receives an affirmative vote of a majority of the votes properly cast. If you ABSTAIN from voting on Proposal No. 2, the abstention will have no effect on the results of this vote.

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers.

2024 Proxy statement   35

Letter from the Compensation and Talent Committee 

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

Fourteen years ago, Moderna’s founders set out to change the world by making mRNA medicines a reality for humanity. Moderna’s platform is delivering on the promise of mRNA as a result of significant investments since the Company’s founding. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the Moderna team to deliver at an unprecedented pace, and the mRNA platform successfully enabled Moderna to develop and deliver one of the earliest and most effective vaccines against COVID-19. This success confirmed that our platform works, and we continue to aggressively expand our R&D capabilities across multiple areas. Moderna currently has 45 development programs, nine of which are in late-stage development, compared to 25 development programs at the end of 2020, when we only had one program in Phase 3. 

2023 was a year of transition. The Company fell short of its COVID-19 vaccine product sales and operating income goals as we adapted to an endemic market, but the Company made significant progress in advancing its pipeline. The Moderna team pivoted to transform its COVID-19 business for the endemic setting in 2023 by resizing its manufacturing footprint, positioning the COVID-19 franchise for profitability in 2024 and beyond. Moderna continues to enhance its commercial capability while building out systems and processes to ensure operational excellence throughout the organization. With these operating improvements, and continued pipeline success, we hope to lay the groundwork for future growth.  

A key differentiator at Moderna has always been its people and their willingness to innovate and drive solutions. Our executive compensation program continues to be centered on at-risk, performance-based incentives, ensuring that Moderna’s executive compensation is linked to both the Company’s financial results and execution of our long-term strategic objectives, which ultimately drive the creation of long-term shareholder value. We have highlighted below key elements of the executive compensation framework and how they tie to both our current and future expectations of performance for the Company and leadership team.

2023 Corporate Performance — Executive Team Bonuses Paid at 81% of Target 

Moderna fell short in certain key areas for 2023 performance, as discussed in the following pages. As a result, the CEO and Executive Committee bonuses were calculated by multiplying the 90% corporate funding by a 90% individual performance factor, which resulted in a final 2023 bonus payout of 81% of target. This approach acknowledges that while each member of the Executive Committee made meaningful contributions to our Company’s progress during 2023, the Company’s success in achieving its objectives requires the Executive Committee to execute and deliver operationally as a team. Further details on corporate performance are included in the “2023 Corporate Objectives” section on page 48.

2021-2023 PSU Program Update — 200% Performance Achievement

The 2021-2023 PSU program resulted in a maximum payout. 2021 was the first year we included PSUs in Moderna’s equity program, and we set ambitious regulatory and clinical development goals that the Committee agreed would represent significant over-achievement in terms of obtaining our first full product approvals in a number of major markets and significantly advancing and diversifying our portfolio beyond our COVID-19 vaccine.
While the vesting percentage was 200% of target, the value that vested was 129% of the grant value as a result of the stock price decline over the three-year performance period ($132.19 to $85.37).

2023 Stock Price Impact on Value of Equity Awards 

Equity awards are the largest component of our executive compensation program, representing no less than 70% of the target total compensation for each of our executives. Therefore, stock price has a significant impact on the compensation realized by our executives, thus aligning our executive and shareholder experiences. The CEO and average other NEO outstanding equity award values as of December 31, 2023 decrease by 51% and 49%, respectively, when the awards are compared using the stock price from the previous year end ($179.62 vs. $99.45, a 45% decrease). All stock options granted from 2021 through 2023 were underwater as of December 31, 2023, with exercise prices for those options significantly above prevailing stock prices. 

In the fall of 2023, we engaged with shareholders to discuss Moderna’s performance and compensation framework.  Based on the valuable feedback we have received from you, our shareholders, the Compensation and Talent Committee has taken deliberate actions regarding our executive compensation program to reinforce our pay-for-performance philosophy and ensure alignment with our disciplined investment strategy, as outlined below.

2024 Proxy statement   36

Increased PSU Weighting for 2024 Long-Term Incentive Awards

Our CEO’s 2024 annual equity award is comprised of 50% of PSUs (increase from 25%) and 50% stock options (decrease from 75%).
Other NEOs and Executive Committee members have an equal mix of PSUs, stock options and RSUs for their annual equity awards, beginning in 2024 (PSU increase from 25% to 33 1/3%). 
This shift further ties executive compensation to the achievement of key pipeline advancement and financial objectives, while achieving a balance in terms of maintaining stock options, which only deliver value with stock price growth.

Added Long-Term Financial Metrics to our 2024 – 2026 PSU Program

Our 2024-2026 PSUs include long-term financial metrics for the first time, reflecting Moderna’s continued evolution as a commercial company. 
The financial metrics reflect the key goals that management has communicated and incentivizes achieving those goals by the end of 2026. 
The program also continues to remain focused on expanding and diversifying our portfolio into non-respiratory therapeutic areas to drive long-term shareholder value.

Enhanced CD&A Disclosure

We have augmented our CD&A to provide shareholders with a clearer understanding of our short-term and long-term incentive programs and the strong performance necessary to achieve our financial and strategic objectives. 
These changes are part of our ongoing efforts to demonstrate the direct linkage between compensation and company performance.

In 2024, Moderna is focused on executing its commercial strategy, investing with discipline, and advancing its late-stage pipeline to drive organic sales growth. We have the utmost confidence in our Executive Committee to lead the organization, execute on the Company’s strategy, and deliver on these ambitious goals.

We are grateful for your support as we continue to navigate the exciting opportunities and challenges ahead. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we remain dedicated to open communication with our shareholders.

On behalf of the entire Committee, we thank you for your partnership as we strive to bring revolutionary mRNA medicines to patients and create value for all our shareholders.  

Sincerely,

François Nader
Chair, Compensation and Talent Committee

2024 Proxy statement   37

Executive Compensation 

Compensation Discussion and Analysis 

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes our executive compensation program and the 2023 compensation for our named executive officers (our NEOs). This Compensation Discussion and Analysis should be read with the compensation tables and related disclosures for our NEOs.

Executive Summary 

Moderna is advancing messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to deliver the greatest possible impact to people through mRNA medicines. Our mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, providing the Company the capability to pursue in parallel a robust pipeline of new development candidates. We are developing therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases and autoimmune diseases, independently and with strategic collaborators.

2023 was a year of transition for the Company, marked by a number of challenges in the COVID-19 vaccine market that caused us to fall short on our financial goals, but with considerable progress as we advanced several other programs into late-stage development. Highlights included: 

We achieved 48% retail U.S. market share for the 2023 COVID-19 vaccine fall season (compared to 37% in the 2022 fall season), demonstrating our ability to compete in a commercial market.
We achieved significant progress advancing nine programs across our respiratory, latent, oncology and rare disease franchises into late-stage development.
We pivoted to significantly resize our manufacturing infrastructure to reflect future anticipated market demand for our COVID-19 franchise.  

During 2023, we made significant progress advancing our mRNA platform and our clinical pipeline, but from a financial perspective, our corporate performance did not meet our expectations as we fell short of our objectives in terms of product sales and operating income. The corporate objectives for 2023 were:

1.Execute the operational and sales plan for COVID-19 vaccine.
2.Build an unrivaled seasonal respiratory vaccine franchise.
3.Execute on a bold campaign of cancer vaccine studies.
4.Advance rare metabolic disease programs.
5.Drive rapid advancement and growth in our latent vaccine portfolio.
6.Deliver the next-generation pipeline and platform.
7.Build a culture of learning, and strengthen our processes and digital systems.

In designing our annual corporate objectives, we focus on those shorter-term milestones that we believe will help us move closer to bringing new mRNA medicines to patients. Our Executive Committee members are also granted performance-based restricted stock units (PSUs) with three-year performance periods that maintain focus on our long-term strategy. Stock options help reinforce the long-term orientation of our executives as they have a four-year vesting period and expire after ten years, and only convey value if our stock price appreciates. We believe this general design, which focuses on long-term objectives, coupled with an ability to pivot quickly to adapt our compensation plans, has enabled us to deliver for patients and our shareholders.

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Corporate Performance Highlights 

Our executive compensation program seeks to incentivize and reward strong corporate performance. Highlights of our 2023 corporate performance are set forth below.

COVID-19 Vaccine Sales and Operating Income 

The most heavily weighted factor in the assessment of our 2023 performance is product sales for our COVID-19 vaccine. While we achieved net product sales of $6.7 billion for the year, this performance fell short of our internal targets due to lower demand as we entered the endemic market.  
In terms of operating income, our operating loss of $4.2 billion for 2023 also fell significantly short of internal targets, with performance below threshold, resulting in no payout for this part of the scorecard.

Advancing Our Pipeline and Science 

By contrast, we made significant strides in continuing to advance our pipeline, including: 

Received two U.S. FDA supplemental Biologics License Application (BLA) approvals for our updated COVID-19 vaccines; 
Filed for the BLA for our RSV vaccine with the FDA; 
Initiated a Phase 3 trial of our combination vaccine against seasonal flu and COVID-19;
Advanced our latent vaccine pipeline by fully enrolling participants in the cytomegalovirus (CMV) pivotal Phase 3 study to evaluate its efficacy, safety and immunogenicity; 
Identified a dose for expansion studies for our propionic acidemia therapeutic, and met our enrollment targets for our rare disease programs; and
Demonstrated the clinical benefit of our INT program in melanoma, showing significant and clinically meaningful improvement in recurrence-free survival and reducing the risk of recurrence or death by 49% versus KEYTRUDA alone.
Overview of Compensation for Our Named Executive Officers

Below is a summary of our NEOs for 2023 and a brief overview of the executive compensation actions for each of these NEOs. The individuals set forth below represent all of our executive officers during 2023 for purposes of Rule 3b-7 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. 

In response to the challenges Moderna faced in meeting our corporate objectives for 2023, particularly with respect to meeting our financial goals, the Compensation Committee decided to provide uniform bonuses to the CEO and other members of the Executive Committee (including all of our NEOs), establishing collective accountability for the Company’s overall performance. Each member of the Executive Committee received an individual multiplier of 90%, which, when combined with the 90% corporate multiplier, resulted in bonus payments at 81% of target. This approach acknowledges that while each member of the Executive Committee made meaningful contributions to our Company’s progress during 2023, the Company’s success in achieving its objectives requires the Executive Committee to execute and deliver operationally as a team.

Chief Executive
Officer

Age: 51

Stéphane Bancel
Compensation for Mr. Bancel for 2023 was as set forth below.

Salary:

$1,575,000 (5% increase over 2022)

Bonus:

$1,913,625, based on target of 150% of salary, with 81% payout, reflecting 90% individual assessment, as described above.

Equity Awards(1)

$15,000,000, delivered 75% in stock options and 25% in PSUs (based on 2022 performance)

1)Amounts shown for equity awards reflect target value, not grant date fair value. For grant date fair value, see the Summary Compensation Table on page 59.

2024 Proxy statement   39

Chief Financial
Officer

Age: 47

James Mock
Compensation for Mr. Mock for 2023 was as set forth below.

Salary:

$800,000 (6.7% increase over 2022)

Bonus:

$583,200, based on target of 90% of salary, with 81% payout, reflecting 90% individual assessment, as described above.

Equity Awards (1):

$3,500,000, delivered 50% in stock options, 25% in RSUs and 25% in PSUs (based on 2022 performance)

President

Age: 48

Stephen Hoge, M.D.
Compensation for Dr. Hoge for 2023 was as set forth below.

Salary:

$1,050,000 (5% increase over 2022)

Bonus:

$850,500 based on target of 100% of salary, with 81% payout, reflecting 90% individual assessment, as described above.

Equity Awards (1):

$6,500,000, delivered 50% in stock options, 25% in RSUs and 25% in PSUs (based on 2022 performance)

Former Chief
Commercial Officer

Age: 45

Arpa Garay 
Compensation for Ms. Garay for 2023 was as set forth below. Ms. Garay served as our Chief Commercial Officer from May 2022 through December 2023. In connection with her departure, Ms. Garay will be entitled to benefits under the Company’s Executive Severance Plan. Further details are included under “Employment Arrangements with our NEOs” on page 55.

Salary:

$850,000 (6.3% increase over 2022)

Bonus:

$619,650, based on target of 90% of salary, with 81% payout, reflecting 90% individual assessment, as described above. 

Equity Awards (1)

$3,500,000, delivered 50% in stock options, 25% in RSUs and 25% in PSUs (based on 2022 performance)

Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Age: 52

Shannon Thyme Klinger
Compensation for Ms. Klinger for 2023 was as set forth below.

Salary:

$800,000 (14.3% increase over 2022)

Bonus:

$583,200, based on target of 90% of salary, with 81% payout, reflecting 90% individual assessment, as described above.  

Equity Awards (1)

$3,500,000, delivered 50% in stock options, 25% in RSUs and 25% in PSUs (based on 2022 performance)

1)Amounts shown for equity awards reflect target value, not grant date fair value. For grant date fair value, see the Summary Compensation Table on page 59.

2024 Proxy statement   40

Overview of Executive Compensation Program 

Executive Compensation Philosophy 

Our executive compensation program is guided by our overarching philosophy of paying for demonstrable performance and impact. We are focused on our mission to “Deliver the greatest possible impact to people through mRNA medicines.” 

We believe that our compensation philosophy helps align our team around executing on our mission, which ultimately leads to greater shareholder value. All full-time employees at Moderna, regardless of their level, receive equity as part of their compensation, aligning them to investors and making them personally invested in our mission. As we continue delivering on the promise of mRNA science, we recognize that our executive compensation programs must also continue to attract and retain a talented team who can help us achieve this mission.

Consistent with this philosophy, we have designed our executive compensation program to achieve the following primary goals:

Pay for performance by establishing competitive opportunities to incentivize high performance and deliver greater rewards when corporate and individual performance exceed expectations and lower compensation when corporate or individual performance falls short. Performance is measured by financial, operating and strategic performance, return to shareholders and individual contributions.
Attract, motivate and retain industry-leading talented individuals through well-designed compensation programs that motivate our executives to achieve rigorous corporate objectives that are important to our business and long-term success. 
Establish a competitive rewards program by evaluating the practices of our peers and market data to validate that we are competitive with other companies who compete with us for talent. 
Align the interests of our executives and our shareholders to drive the creation of sustainable  long-term value.
Balance a combination of compensation elements to achieve an appropriate balance between cash and equity awards. The annual cash bonus is intended to motivate individuals to successfully execute on short-term financial and strategic objectives. Equity awards are intended to focus executives on the long-term success of the organization. 

Pay for Performance

Pay for performance is a foundational element within Moderna’s compensation program structure. We compare CEO total realizable pay (as defined below) to stock price performance for Moderna and its peers. Our peer group represents companies of comparable size and business as outlined by the criteria on page 45.

We looked at pay and performance alignment over two periods as follows:

3-Year Analysis (2021-2023): The Company’s total shareholder return (TSR) performance over the three-year period ending December 31, 2023 was at the 36th percentile among these peer companies and the total realizable pay for our CEO over the same period was at the 4th percentile.
5-Year Analysis (2019-2023): The Company’s TSR performance over the five-year period ending December 31, 2023 was at the 100th percentile among these peer companies and the total realizable pay for our CEO over the same period was at the 72nd percentile.

The three-year analysis shows that realizable pay and TSR performance were in the bottom left quadrant due to lagging share price performance. In comparison, over five years, realizable pay and TSR performance were in the top right quadrant due to leading stock price performance. Both analyses demonstrate our strong pay for performance alignment as the Company’s relative stock price performance ranked higher than CEO relative pay.

CEO Realizable TDC Rank vs. 3-Year TSR Performance RankCEO Realizable TDC Rank vs. 5-Year TSR Performance Rank

2024 Proxy statement   41

Realizable Total Direct Compensation (Realizable TDC) is defined as the sum of the following components: actual base salaries, short-term incentive awards, and long-term incentive awards paid over the preceding three- and five-year periods. The value of all in-the-money stock options granted during the preceding three- and five-year period and RSUs and PSUs granted over the preceding three- and five-year periods (reflecting actual performance results or estimated performance based on peer proxy disclosures) are valued as of December 31, 2023.

TSRs are calculated based on the dividend adjusted closing price per share of common stock on the applicable exchange from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2023 and from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2023 for the respective periods.

2023 Say on Pay Vote and Shareholder Engagement 

In 2023, 88% of shareholders who voted at our Annual Meeting on our “say on pay” proposal supported the pay actions we took in the prior year. We believe this vote signals strong overall support for our pay programs and their general design. Based upon feedback from our investors since the 2023 Annual Meeting, our Compensation Committee has made the following enhancements:

increased the weighting in our long-term incentive program for performance-based restricted stock units (PSUs) for our executive team beginning in 2024, and 
continued to provide greater visibility into those goals that will inform payouts on those PSU awards and for the goals in our corporate scorecard. For additional detail, see “Letter from the Compensation and Talent Committee,” on page 36, and “Governance—Shareholder Engagement” on page 20. 

Executive Compensation Program Design 

Our executive compensation program is designed to be competitive, and balance our goal of attracting, motivating, rewarding and retaining top-performing executives with our goal of aligning their interests with those of our shareholders. Our 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.

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, which, until recent years, consisted primarily of stock options. Due to Moderna’s pre-commercial stage of development until 2020, our equity programs were primarily focused on stock options to provide our team with a strong incentive to pursue growth that would result in stock price appreciation over the long-term.

As the Company has matured, our equity programs have evolved. In 2021, we introduced PSUs into our equity programs for our Executive Committee members. As further described on page 53 below, these PSUs focused on achieving those goals that the Compensation Committee recognized would be key to our long-term success, particularly once COVID-19 vaccine revenues peaked. 

Early in 2021, Moderna had still not received full approval for any product—just an emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine—and the COVID-19 vaccine represented our only product to have reached a Phase 3 trial. Therefore, the goals for 2021-2023 reflected the importance of (i) obtaining full approval for our COVID-19 vaccine in key markets, (ii) commencing Phase 3 or registrational studies for non-COVID programs, and (iii) advancing our non-vaccine, therapeutic programs to positive Phase 1/2 early clinical readouts. Each of these goals for this first class of PSUs was achieved above target. The goals for our other classes of PSUs are further described on page 54 below. For the PSUs granted in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the long-term incentive mix was prescribed for each of our Executive Committee members as described below. Beginning in 2024, PSUs will represent 50% of the weighting for equity awards to our CEO, and one-third of the weighting for equity awards to our other Executive Committee members.  

 2023  2024
Equity MixStock OptionsPSUsRSUs Stock OptionsPSUsRSUs
CEO75%25% 50%50%
Other Executive Committee Members50%25%25% 33%33%33%

2024 Proxy statement   42

Our executive compensation program is also designed to incorporate sound practices for compensation governance as summarized below. 

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 advisor to provide information, analysis and advice on executive compensation decisions, independent of management.
Hold Annual Say-on-Pay Vote. We put our executive compensation to an advisory vote of shareholders annually. 
 Deliver Significant At-Risk Compensation. Our executive compensation program is designed so that a significant portion of our executive officers’ compensation is “at risk” based on our corporate and stock performance, to align the interests of our executives and shareholders.
 Use a Pay-for-Performance Philosophy. The majority of our executive officers’ compensation is directly linked to corporate performance and includes a significant long-term equity component, dependent upon our stock price and pipeline development goals.
Require 10b5-1 Plans. Require our executives to plan sales of Moderna stock in advance through the use of 10b5-1 plans. 
Double-Trigger Change of Control. Our Executive Severance Plan has double-trigger change of control provisions, requiring the termination of employment or resignation for “good reason” within 12 months following a change of control for payments and accelerated vesting of equity awards under the plan.   
Maintain a Clawback Policy. We have a clawback policy applicable to performance-based compensation for our Executive Committee, which would apply in the event of a financial restatement or other improper conduct causing material financial, operational or reputational harm.
Mitigate Undue Risk-Taking. Employ the use of multiple performance goals and performing annual compensation risk assessments. 
WHAT WE DON’T DO
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, other than eligibility for additional long-term disability insurance that we offer at the VP level and up.
No Executive Retirement Plans. We do not offer pension or retirement plans to our executive officers that are different from or in addition to those offered to 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 and certain other employees from hedging or pledging our securities.
No Stock Option Re-Pricing under Current Stock Plan. Our 2018 Stock Plan does not permit stock options to be repriced to a lower exercise or strike price without the approval of our shareholders.

2024 Proxy statement   43

Governance of Executive Compensation Program

Role of the Compensation Committee and the Board

The Compensation Committee, which is comprised entirely of independent directors, is responsible for discharging our boardBoard of directors’Directors’ responsibilities relating to compensation of our directors and executives, overseeing our overall compensation structure, policies and programs, and reviewing our processes and procedures for the consideration and determination of director and executive compensation. The primary objective of the compensation committeeCompensation Committee is to develop and implement compensation policies and plans to attract and retain key management personnel, motivate management to achieve our corporate goals and strategies, and align the interests of management with the long-term interests of our shareholders. We have not adopted formal guidelines for allocating total compensation between long-term and short-term compensation, cash compensation andnon-cash compensation, or among different forms ofnon-cash compensation.

Our compensation committeeCompensation Committee has engaged Pay Governance LLC, an independent executive compensation consultant, to provide guidance with respect to the development and implementation of our compensation programs.

Pursuant to our Equity Award Grant Policy, the Compensation Committee has delegated to our CEO and our Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) the authority to approve grants of equity awards, subject to certain parameters, under the 2018 Stock Plan. See “Other Compensation Policies and Practices—Equity Award Grant Policy.”

The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the primary elements of compensation—base salary increases, annual cash bonuses, and annual equity awards—for our NEOs (other than our CEO), as authorized by the Board of Directors pursuant to the Compensation Committee charter. Our Board of Directors reviews and provides final approval for the primary elements of compensation committeeawarded to our CEO after recommendation by the Compensation Committee.

Compensation-Setting Factors

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

our performance during the year, based on business and corporate goals and priorities established by the CEO and the Board;
each executive officer’s skills, experience and qualifications relative to other similarly situated executives at the companies in our compensation peer group;
the scope of each executive officer’s role compared to other similarly situated executives at the companies in our peer group;
the performance of each individual executive officer, based on an assessment of his or her contributions to our overall performance, ability to lead his or her department and work as part of a team, all of which reflect our values;
compensation parity among our executive officers;
our retention goals;
the compensation practices of our peer group; and
our CEO’s recommendations with respect to the compensation of our other executive officers.

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.

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 generally reviews the performance of our other executive officers, including our other NEOs, based on our achievement of our 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 equity awards and any other compensation opportunities for our other executive officers, including our other NEOs, and considers our CEO’s recommendations in determining such compensation.

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. For 2023, the Compensation Committee engaged Pay Governance as its compensation consultant to advise on executive compensation matters including:

review and analysis of the compensation for our executive officers, including our NEOs, and our Board of Directors;
assistance on incentive program design and discussion on executive compensation and governance trends;

2024 Proxy statement   44
review and input on the Executive Compensation section of our Proxy Statement for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders;
research, development and review of our compensation peer group; and
support on other compensation matters as requested throughout the year.

Pay Governance reports directly to the Compensation Committee and to the Compensation Committee chairman. Pay Governance also coordinates with our management for data collection and job matching for our executive officers. Our Compensation Committee charter requires that theour compensation committee’s compensation consultants areconsultant is independent of Company management. During 2018,2023, Pay Governance LLC did not provide services to us other than the services to our compensation committeeCompensation Committee described herein. Our compensation committeeCompensation Committee performs an annual assessment of its compensation consultants’consultant’s independence to determine whether the consultants are independent. Our compensation committeeconsultant is independent and in 2023 has determined that Pay Governance LLC is independent.

independent pursuant to the Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules and has determined that no conflict of interest has arisen as a result of the work performed.

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 and pharmaceutical companies against which we may compete for talent and that are similar to us across a number of factors, including 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 as necessary, taking into account changes in both our business and our peer companies’ businesses. The Compensation Committee also uses market data from our compensation peer group and from the Radford Global Life Sciences Compensation survey as one factor in evaluating whether the compensation for our executive officers is competitive in the market. 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.

Since becoming a public company in 2018, Summaryour Compensation TableCommittee has used our peer group to assist in assessing annual base salary, target bonus and equity awards for our NEOs and other senior level employees. To determine the composition of the peer group for 2023 the Compensation Committee considered the following criteria:

commercial stage pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with global revenues, double-digit pipelines and multiple late-stage candidates;
market capitalization, generally selecting companies with a market capitalization around Moderna’s peer median;
companies with significant commercial revenues (generally more than $2 billion annually);
headcount factoring in Moderna’s growing headcount as company grows globally and commercializes; and
R&D expenditure to provide context for scale of R&D organization and to balance revenue perspective as focus shifts to commercial revenue.

2024 Proxy statement   45

Based on these factors, the compensation peer group set forth below was adopted in October 2022 and was used in assessing compensation for our executives, including those decisions that were made in February 2023, particularly related to salary and annual equity awards that are described in this proxy statement.

2022-2023 Compensation Peer Group

AbbVieBioMarin PharmaceuticalMerck
Alnylam PharmaceuticalsBristol-Myers SquibbPfizer
AmgenEli LillyRegeneron Pharmaceuticals
BeiGene Ltd.Gilead SciencesSeagen (fka Seattle Genetics)
BiogenIncyte CorporationVertex Pharmaceuticals

In August 2023, based on ongoing analysis from Pay Governance, the Compensation Committee made updates to the compensation peer group that informed decisions made in February 2024 and that will inform decisions for the rest of the year. Updates were primarily aimed at removing and replacing companies whose market capitalization and future anticipated revenues were more aligned to Moderna on these factors.

2023-2024 Compensation Peer Group

Alnylam PharmaceuticalsBristol-Myers SquibbPfizer
AmgenGilead SciencesRegeneron Pharmaceuticals
BeiGene Ltd.Incyte CorporationVertex Pharmaceuticals
BiogenJazz Pharmaceuticals +
BioMarin PharmaceuticalMerck
+New addition to peer group for 2023-2024.
Removed AbbVie and Eli Lilly; Seagen was acquired by Pfizer in December 2023

2024 Proxy statement   46

Primary Elements of Executive Compensation Program

The following table provides informationprimary elements of our executive compensation program are:

base salary;
short-term incentive compensation in the form of annual cash bonuses; and
long-term incentive compensation in the form of annual equity awards.

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

Our executive officers, including our NEOs, are also eligible to earned by,participate in our standard employee benefit plans, such as our health and welfare benefits plans, our employee stock purchase plan and our 401(k) Plan 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 severance payments and benefits pursuant to our Executive Severance Plan, described herein.

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 personal income, and to attract and retain top-performing individuals. At the time of hire, base salaries are determined for our executive officers, including our NEOs, based on the factors described in “Governance of Executive Compensation Program—Compensation-Setting Factors” above. Typically, at the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee reviews base salaries for our executive officers, including our NEOs, based on such factors 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.

Salary increases for each of our NEOs were reviewed, approved and took effect in February 2023, and were reflective of merit and market adjustments to better align each of these executive’s salaries to market, as well as cost-of-living adjustments applied across our broader employee base. The actual salaries paid to our namedNEOs in 2023 are set forth in the “Summary Compensation Table.”

      2022     2023     Percent Change
Stéphane Bancel $1,500,000 $1,575,000 5.0%
James Mock 750,000 800,000 6.7%
Stephen Hoge, M.D. 1,000,000 1,050,000 5.0%
Arpa Garay 800,000 850,000 6.3%
Shannon Thyme Klinger 700,000 800,000 14.3%

Short-Term Incentive Compensation

Annual Cash Bonuses

We provide short-term incentive compensation opportunities to our executive officers, for services renderedincluding our NEOs, in the form of annual cash bonuses to us in all capacities fordrive our short-term success. Our annual cash bonuses are tied to the years ended December 31, 2018achievement of annual corporate and 2017:

Name and Principal Position

 Year  Salary
($)
  Bonus
($)(1)
  Stock
Awards
($)(2)
  Option
Awards ($)(3)
  All Other
Compensation
($)
  Total
($)
 

Stéphane Bancel

  2018  $863,077  $1,800,000   —    $55,935,768 (4)  $9,639 (5)  $58,608,484 

Chief Executive Officer

  2017  $650,769  $1,500,000   —    $4,648,000  $10,420  $6,809,189 

John Mendlein, Ph.D., J.D. (6)

  2018  $500,000  $400,000   —    $25,254,584  $8,533 (7)  $26,163,117 

Former President, Corporate and Product Strategy

       

Lorence Kim, M.D.

  2018  $542,769  $450,450   —    $7,816,512  $228,386 (8)  $9,038,117 

Chief Financial Officer

  2017  $521,154  $1,000,000  $5,470,000  $2,158,000  $166,633  $9,315,787 

(1)

The amounts reported represent annual discretionary bonuses earned by our named executive officers for services performed during 2018 and 2017, as applicable, based on the achievement of Company and individual performance objectives. For Dr. Mendlein, the amount reported for 2018 also represents a $150,000 signing bonus received in connection with his commencement of employment with us on January 2, 2018.

(2)

The amount reported represents the aggregate grant date fair value of the restricted stock units awardedindividual performance goals pursuant to Dr. Kim during 2017, calculated in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 718. Such grant date fair value does not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used in calculating the grant date fair value of the restricted stock units reported in this column are set forth in Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in our Annual Report. The amount reported in this column reflects the accounting cost for these restricted stock units and does not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by Dr. Kim upon the vesting/settlement of the restricted stock units or any sale of the underlying shares of common stock.

(3)

The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the stock options awarded to the named executive officers during 2018 and 2017, as applicable, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Such grant date fair values do not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used in calculating the grant date fair value of the stock options reported in this column are set forth in Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in our Annual Report. The amounts reported in this column reflect the accounting cost for these stock options and do not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by the named executive officers upon the exercise of the stock options or any sale of the underlying shares of common stock.

(4)

The amount reported represents the aggregate grant date fair value of two stock option awards granted to Mr. Bancel in 2018. The first stock option award was granted to Mr. Bancel on February 28, 2018, as part of the annual year end compensation process, and has an aggregate grant date fair value of $7,816,512. The second stock option award, which was contingent on, and effective immediately following, the time that our Registration Statement for our initial public offering was declared effective by the SEC, was granted to Mr. Bancel on December 6, 2018 and has an aggregate grant date fair value of $48,119,256. Our board of directors elected to make this second option grant to recognize Mr. Bancel’s continuing leadership of the Company in its mission to create a new category of transformative medicines based on mRNA. Our board of directors set the exercise price for this second option grant at the price of the shares sold to the public in our initial public offering, which was $23.00 per share, to further align on a going-forward basis the economic

interests of our Chief Executive Officer and our stockholders, including those who purchased shares in our initial public offering. This second option grant is described more fully in this Executive Compensation section on page 22 under the heading “Narrative to Summary Compensation Table—Executive employment arrangements—Agreements with our named executive officers—Stéphane Bancel.”
(5)

The amount reported represents $8,250 for matching contributions made by the Company under its 401(k) plan, $780 for parking reimbursements, $200 for gift cards, and $409 fortax-gross ups paid by the Company for parking reimbursements and gift card amounts.

(6)

Dr. Mendlein was not a named executive officer for the year ended December 31, 2017.

(7)

The amount reported represents $8,250 for matching contributions made by the Company under its 401(k) plan, $200 for gift cards, and $83 fortax-gross ups paid by the Company for gift card amounts.

(8)

The amount reported represents $121,186 for commuting expense reimbursements, $8,250 for matching contributions made by the Company under its 401(k) plan, $780 for parking reimbursements, $200 for gift cards, and $97,970 fortax-gross ups paid by the Company for parking and commuting reimbursements and gift card amounts.

Narrative to Summary Compensation Table

Base salaries

From January 1, 2018 until February 25, 2018, the annual base salaries for Mr. Bancel and Dr. Kim were $660,000 and $525,000, respectively. Effective as of February 26, 2018, the annual base salaries for Mr. Bancel and Dr. Kim were increased to $900,000 and $546,000, respectively. Effective as of February 24, 2019, the annual base salaries for Mr. Bancel and Dr. Kim were increased to $925,000 and $563,000, respectively. During 2018, the annual base salary for Dr. Mendlein was $500,000.

Bonuses

Annual discretionary bonuses

During the year ended December 31, 2018, our named executive officers were eligible to participate in the Company’s Senior Executive Cash Incentive Bonus Plan (the “Bonus Plan”),Bonus Plan). In addition, our Compensation Committee may grant cash bonuses to the CEO or the other NEOs pursuant to which each was eligible to earn an annual discretionary bonusthe Bonus Plan based on individual performance during the year.

Corporate and Individual Performance Goals

At the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee discusses with the CEO the annual corporate performance objectives that are intended to be the most significant drivers of our short-term and long-term success.

In addition, at the beginning of each year, our CEO, in consultation with each of the other executive officers, establishes individual performance goals for each of the other executive officers, including our other NEOs. The individual performance goals are generally designed to align the goals of our executive officers, including our NEOs, and his or her department with the corporate goals. The CEO discusses with the Compensation Committee his overall goals for the year which are in line with the overall corporate objectives but also include individual goals and action plans. The CEO’s goals and performance are ultimately evaluated, and his bonus is approved, by the full Board, with input from the Compensation Committee.

At the beginning of the year after the corporate performance objectives are established, the Compensation Committee, after reviewing management’s self-assessment, evaluates specific achievements that are designed to advance the prior year’s corporate objectives, and our overall success in the prior year, and determines the Company’s total percentage achievement level. Our

2024 Proxy statement   47

CEO evaluates the other executive officers’, including the other NEOs’, achievement of certain Company andtheir prior year’s individual performance objectives. goals, and makes recommendations for total percentage achievement level. The Compensation Committee considers our CEO’s recommendations, and independently reviews and approves the total percentage achievement level for each of the other executive officers, including our other NEOs.

Target Annual Bonuses

At the time of hire, the target annual bonus is determined for each of our executive officers, including our NEOs, and at the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee reviews and approves the target annual bonus for each such individual. The Compensation Committee considers the factors described in “Governance of Executive Compensation Program—Compensation-Setting Factors” above, with an emphasis on market data from our compensation peer group for comparable positions while also factoring internal parity. Target annual bonuses represent a specific percentage of annual base salary.

2023 Corporate Objectives

In early 2023, our Compensation Committee set broad based corporate objectives that established the criteria for the funding of our annual bonus plan. These corporate objectives were also designed to inform the more detailed goal setting by individual executive officers and their teams. These goals and objectives were based upon our strategic plan, and focused on the following key objectives:

(1)Continue to execute the operational and sales plan for COVID-19 vaccine.The metrics for this objective were designed to incentivize increasing vaccination rates globally to achieve significant market share.
(2)Build an unrivaled seasonal respiratory vaccine franchise. The metrics for this objective were designed to incentivize advancing our COVID-19, RSV and flu respiratory disease programs as well as our combination vaccine candidates to ensure alignment for commercial launch readiness.
(3)Execute on a bold campaign of cancer vaccine studies. The metrics for this objective were designed to incentivize executing our individualized neoantigen therapy (INT) through enrollment of patients in clinical studies and supporting the continued progress to enable its commercial launch.
(4)Advance rare metabolic disease programs.The metrics for this objective were designed to incentivize advancing our rare disease portfolio through enrollment and expansion of propionic acidemia to pivotal studies.
(5)Drive rapid advancement and growth in our latent vaccine portfolio. The metrics for this objective were designed to incentivize developing vaccines for viruses with unmet or underserved needs and progressing vaccine candidates through clinical trial phases.
(6)Deliver the next-generation pipeline and platform. The metrics for this objective were designed to incentivize delivering pipeline expansions and platform technology improvements.
(7)Build a culture of learning, and strengthen our processes and digital systems. The metrics for this objective were designed to incentivize increasing employee learning, and improving in priority processes and employee belonging.

For each of these corporate objectives, our Compensation Committee established criteria for assessing performance in terms of what achievements would be below expectations, meet expectations or exceed expectations, with weighting assigned to each of these objectives as described on the next page. For performance at target for each objective, 100% of the allocable portion of the bonus was payable. For performance below target, but where threshold performance was met, 50% of the allocable portion of the bonus was payable. For maximum performance, 200% of the allocable portion of the bonus was payable.

In February 2024, the Compensation Committee completed its assessment of management’s achievement of these corporate objectives for 2023, and concluded that for these core corporate objectives, management performed at a level that merited funding the bonus pool at 90%.

In making its assessment, the Compensation Committee noted that commercial performance fell short of where the Company expected to perform at the beginning of 2023, albeit above threshold. In terms of operating income, the Company’s performance was below threshold performance, in part due to expenses that were recognized during the year ended December 31, 2018,in connection with resizing the Company’s manufacturing footprint and accounting-related tax expenses. No payout was made for operating income, and the Compensation Committee did not make any adjustments for these metrics beyond the GAAP results. Together, these financial goals represented the most heavily weighted aspect of the scorecard.

For non-financial metrics, the Compensation Committee recognized that the Company continued to advance its pipeline and development programs with very strong results, including preparing for a launch of its RSV vaccine in 2024; advancing next-generation and combination vaccines; enrolling patients in clinical trials for the Company’s oncology programs; advancing rare disease therapeutic programs to prepare for pivotal studies; completing enrollment in the Company’s CMV Phase 3 trial; and opening Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for nine new products, including at least two in novel modalities or product concepts. Improvements to our platform technology, improvements to priority processes and employee learning were all on target. However, employee belonging, as measured in annual engagement surveys, fell short of expectations and no payout was made for this metric.

2024 Proxy statement   48

Set forth below is a summary of the scorecard and the Compensation Committee’s assessment of performance. The maximum performance metric for each goal is not disclosed, as these metrics are competitively sensitive, unless above target or maximum performance was achieved, in which case performance is described below.

Corporate
Objective
Goal
Weight
Performance Metric GoalsActual PerformanceCommittee
Assessment
Payout
Maximize the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine

Product Sales

Threshold:$5.5B

Target: $9.0B

$6.7B10%

Operating Income

Threshold:($3.2B)

Target: ($0.4B)

($4.2B)0%
Build an unrivaled seasonal respiratory vaccine franchise

Expand portfolio of licensed respiratory vaccines

Threshold: File two COVID-19 sBLAs (supplemental Biologics License Applications)

Target: File three BLAs – Two COVID-19 sBLAs; RSV BLA

Filed two COVID-19 sBLAs

Filed RSV BLA

Prepare for commercial launch of RSV and flu vaccines

Threshold: Align on demand and supply forecasts and secure capacity; create systems and processes to accept sales by Q1 2024

Target: Threshold goals; align on pricing and access strategies in each targeted country; and define commercialization strategy

Threshold and target goals achieved

20%

Advance clinical stage respiratory vaccines

Threshold: Complete Phase 1/2 enrollment for next-gen COVID-19/ Flu combination vaccine; enroll first patient in pediatric RSV combination vaccine

Target: Complete interim analysis for next-gen COVID-19/ Flu combination vaccine

Initiated Phase 3 studies for next-gen COVID-19 vaccine and COVID-19/ Flu combination vaccine

Initiated Phase 1 study for pediatric RSV + hMPV

Execute on a bold campaign of cancer vaccine studies

Demonstrate the potential clinical benefit of our Individualized Neoantigen Therapy (INT) program

Threshold: Enroll ** patients in melanoma studies

Target: Enroll ** patients in melanoma studies

Exceeded maximum enrollment goal for melanoma studies

First non-small cell lung cancer patient randomized January 5, 2024

15%

= At Target = Above Target = Below Target   = At Maximum = Below Threshold    ** Not disclosed; competitively sensitive

2024 Proxy statement   49
Corporate
Objective
Goal
Weight
Performance Metric GoalsActual PerformanceCommittee
Assessment
Payout
Advance rare metabolic disease programs

Threshold:Enroll ** patients in Propionic acidemia (PA) study; dose first patient in cystic fibrosis (CFTR)​ study

Target: Identify recommended dose for PA expansion; initiate dosing a Phase 1/2 expansion or pivotal study; and enroll ** new patients in rare disease studies (e.g., PA, CFTR, MMA, GSD1a, PKU)

PA dose selected and expansion in progress

Met target enrollment goal for rare disease programs

10%
Drive rapid advancement
and growth in our latent or other vaccine portfolio

Threshold: Enroll 80% of CMV P301

Target: Enroll 80% of CMV P301; complete EBV infectious mononucleosis dose selection

CMV P301 fully enrolled

Dosed first patients in VZV, HSV, Norovirus, Lyme and EBV therapeutic vaccine studies

15%
Deliver the next-generation pipeline and platform

Expand and diversify our pipeline through use of our mRNA technology

Meaningfully advance our mRNA technology to enhance our current modalities and invent novel modalities

Threshold: Open 6 IND/ CTAs

Target: Open 8 IND/ CTAs with at least one novel product concept

9 INDs safe to proceed including two novel concepts

Threshold: Achieve 2 of 5 of platform objectives**

Target: Achieve 3 of 5 of platform objectives**

Proof of biology or clinical demonstration for 3 of 5 platform objectives for current and novel modalities

10%
Build a culture of learning and strengthen
our processes and digital systems

Demonstrate improvement in priority processes

Invest in the development of our talent

Build a culture of belonging and inclusion

Threshold: Achieve 1 of 3 key process improvement goals (e.g., ERM launch, CMC goals, CMO mgmt, workforce planning)

Target: Achieve 2 of 3 goals

Achieved 2 of 3 key
process improvement
goals

10%

Threshold: Increase average learning hours per employee by 25%

Target: Increase by 25% to 50%

67% average increase per employee

Threshold: Average engagement score of 72 to 73 based on surveys conducted during 2023

Target: Average score of 74 to 75 (same or better than 2022)

Average engagement score of 71

Final Performance Assessment90%

= At Target = Above Target = Below Target   = At Maximum = Below Threshold    ** Not disclosed; competitively sensitive

2024 Proxy statement   50
2023 Annual Bonus Determination

At the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee reviews the target annual bonuses for Mr. Bancel, Dr. Mendlein, and Dr. Kim were equal to 100%, 50% and 50%, respectively,of our executive officers, including our NEOs. The Compensation Committee considered the factors described in “Governance of Executive Compensation Program—Compensation-Setting Factors” above, particularly market data from the companies in our compensation peer group. For 2023, our Board, acting on the recommendation of the applicable namedCompensation Committee, maintained the target bonus for our CEO at 150% of salary. The Compensation Committee similarly maintained the target bonus for Dr. Hoge at 100% of salary, and for our other NEOs at 90% of salary. In maintaining these target bonuses, the Board and Compensation Committee noted that targets were consistent with market trends for similarly situated executives, and that the targets provide an enhanced incentive to achieve annual corporate objectives.

In February 2024, the Compensation Committee and Board determined that due to the challenges Moderna faced in meeting our corporate objectives for 2023, particularly with respect to meeting our financial goals, each member of the Executive Committee would receive a below-target individual multiplier of 90%. When combined with the 90% corporate multiplier, this individual performance rating resulted in bonus payments at 81% of target. This approach acknowledges that while each member of the Executive Committee made meaningful contributions to the Company’s progress in 2023, the Company’s success in achieving its objectives requires the Executive Committee to deliver as a team.

The individual performance factor for each NEO was determined by the Compensation Committee following discussion of the Company’s overall performance. The Board and Compensation Committee agreed upon the decision to provide an individual performance multiplier of 90% to all of our Executive Committee members, including our CEO. The individual performance factors, when multiplied by the target bonus reflecting achievement of the corporate objective discussed above, resulted in individual bonus payouts below target, as described below. These bonus payouts are reflected under the “Non-Equity Plan Incentive Compensation” column in the 2023 Summary Compensation Table on page 59 below.

Name 2023 Annual
Base Salary
($)
 2023 Annual
Target Bonus
(% of salary)
 2023 Annual
Target Bonus
($)
 Corporate
Performance
Factor (%)
 Individual
Performance
Factor (%)
 Actual Cash
Bonus
($)
Stéphane Bancel $1,575,000 150% $2,362,500 90% 90% $1,913,625
James Mock 800,000 90% 720,000 90% 90% 583,200
Stephen Hoge, M.D. 1,050,000 100% 1,050,000 90% 90% 850,500
Arpa Garay 850,000 90% 765,000 90% 90% 619,650
Shannon Thyme Klinger 800,000 90% 720,000 90% 90% 583,200

2024 Proxy statement   51
Long-Term Incentive Compensation

The Committee believes that LTI awards are a critical element of compensation that provide a mechanism to align shareholders and executives, and to reinforce behaviors consistent with Moderna’s strategic plan. The value of equity awards is directly related to stock price appreciation over time, which incentivizes our executive officer’sofficers 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.

Long-term incentive vehicleStandard vesting scheduleDescription
Stock Options  Ratably over four years (25% vesting on first anniversary of grant date, 6.25% over the next 12 quarters)  Provide strong incentives for our executives to pursue growth that would result in long-term stock price appreciation
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)  Ratably over four years (25% vesting on first anniversary of grant date, 6.25% over the next 12 quarters)

  Reward executives for growth in the price of our common stock as additional values are derived from stock price appreciation

  Help build actual stock ownership and are less dilutive to our shareholders than stock options

Performance-based Restricted Stock Units (PSUs)  Cliff vesting based on performance at the end of three-year performance period  Reward executives for execution of long-term strategic and financial objectives, while providing a direct link to the creation of sustainable shareholder value and execution of our strategic business plan

2023 Equity Awards

The value of equity awards granted to our executive officers, including our NEOs, varies based on the factors described in “Governance of Executive Compensation Program—Compensation-Setting Factors” above, particularly market data from the companies in our compensation peer group, as well as each individual’s performance in the prior year. At the beginning of each year, the Compensation Committee reviews the equity awards for our executive officers, including our NEOs, and determines the size of the annual base salary; however,equity awards it deems reasonable and appropriate based on such factors. 

At its February 2023 meeting, the Compensation Committee approved the 2023 annual equity awards for our NEOs. The Board made this determination for our CEO upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee.

The target equity values below reflect the values approved by the Compensation Committee. The values included in the Summary Compensation and Grants of Plan-Based Awards tables reflect the grant date fair values calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, which differ for these equity awards based on the fact that the number of underlying shares granted is calculated based upon a 20-trading day trailing average closing price for our stock immediately before the grant date. Therefore, those accounting values differ from the values included in this table. See “Equity-Related Policies and Practices—Equity Award Grant Policy.”

The equity awards granted to our NEOs in 2023 are set forth in the “Summary Compensation Table” and the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards for Fiscal Year 2023” table on page 61. 

 Stock OptionsRSUsPSUsTotal Target Value of
Equity Award
Stéphane Bancel(1)$   11,250,000$$   3,750,000$15,000,000
James Mock(2) 1,750,000 875,000 875,000 3,500,000
Stephen Hoge, M.D.(2) 3,250,000 1,625,000 1,625,000 6,500,000
Arpa Garay(2) 1,750,000 875,000 875,000 3,500,000
Shannon Thyme Klinger(2) 1,750,000 875,000 875,000 3,500,000
(1)The annual equity awards mix for the CEO was 75% stock options and 25% PSUs.
(2)The annual equity awards mix for the NEOs other than the CEO was 50% stock options, 25% RSUs and 25% PSUs.

2024 Proxy statement   52
Determination of 2021 Earned PSUs

We introduced performance-based restricted stock units (PSUs) as part of our compensation program for our Executive Committee in 2021. These PSUs have a three-year performance period and are focused on advancing and diversifying our portfolio beyond COVID-19. At the time the performance goals were adopted for this class of PSUs, we had just received emergency use authorization for our COVID-19 vaccine, but had not received full approval for any product (including our COVID-19 vaccine). Our COVID-19 vaccine was also our only program to have reached a Phase 3 study. At the time, the Compensation Committee and Board recognized that obtaining full approval in major markets for COVID-19 vaccines, and advancing our portfolio beyond COVID-19 and infectious diseases would be key to laying the groundwork for long-term, sustainable growth. The only current NEOs who were employed by us at the time this PSU was awarded and who are eligible to receive them are Mr. Bancel and Dr. Kim earned more than their applicable target annual bonusesHoge.

The Committee approved a vesting of 200% at its February 2024 meeting for such year, basedthe 2021 PSUs. The table below summarizes the goals established for the three-year period along with the Committee’s performance assessment of each goal.  The maximum vesting reflects the significant momentum built cross our business and our pipeline advancing our respiratory, latent, oncology and rare disease franchises.

Performance Metric Goals
Performance MetricMetric
Weighting
Threshold
(50% vesting)
Target
(100% vesting)
Maximum
(200% vesting)
ActualVesting Percentage
Obtaining product approval under BLA from US FDA, or equivalent approval for commercial distribution in another major market
 
25%
(either in the US or the European Union)
 

(approval in both the US and the European Union)
 
4 or more
(all major market countries)
 

 

 

 

COVID-19 approval in:

 

1.  US

2.  Canada

3.  EU

4.  UK

5.  Japan

50%
Initiation of Phase 3 or registrational study for any non-COVID program
 
50%134+

1.  INT Melanoma

2.  Flu

3.  RSV

4.  Flu/COVID

5.  CMV

100%
Completing a non-vaccine Phase 1 or 2 trial producing positive readouts, other than in infectious disease vaccines
 
25%123+

1.  INT Phase 2b (melanoma) 

2.  PA Phase 1/2 

3.  MMA Phase 1/2 

4.  GSD1a Phase 1

50%
      Total Vesting200%
 ▼ Threshold         Target         Maximum

Based on their individualthe Committee’s approval of the 200% vesting, the following PSUs vested on February 14, 2024 for our NEOs that participated in the program:

NameNumber of
PSUs Granted
at Target
 Grant Date
 Value(1)
Vesting
Percentage
Earned
Number of PSUs
 Value at
 Vest(2)
Stéphane Bancel28,368$3,749,966200%56,736 4,843,552
Stephen Hoge, M.D.11,347 1,499,960200%22,694 1,937,387
(1)Values represent grant date fair values calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
(2)The value realized upon the vesting is calculated based on the closing market price of a share of our common stock on the date prior to the date of vesting.

2024 Proxy statement   53
Outstanding PSU Awards

The table below summarizes the PSU awards that were granted in 2022, 2023 and 2024 that remain outstanding as of the date of this Proxy Statement, including an overview of the pre-established performance during such year. Dr. Mendlein earned his target annual bonusmetrics for such year. each award. 

Grant Year 2022 2023 2024202520262027
2022 

Key metrics:

  Advancing our combination respiratory vaccine strategy

  Diversifying our pipeline beyond respiratory vaccines

  Establishing manufacturing plants 

  Building out our digital capabilities 

   
2023   

Key metrics:

  Obtaining approvals for respiratory disease programs and growing our U.S. market share

  Advancing our individualized neoantigen therapy (INT) 

  
2024     

Key Metrics:

  Delivering on key externally communicated financial goals through 2026

  Executing on our late-stage pipeline beyond respiratory

 

The amounts earned underinclusion of long-term financial metrics into our PSUs for the Bonus Plan with respectfirst time in 2024 reflects our ongoing evolution and increased visibility into financial performance over a multi-year period as a commercial company, particularly as we execute on the anticipated launch of additional respiratory products. We also remain focused on expanding and diversifying our portfolio into non-respiratory therapeutic areas to drive long-term shareholder value.

2024 Long-Term Incentive Mix

At the February 2024 meeting, the Compensation Committee approved changes to the year ended December 31, 2018LTI mix for the CEO Compensation and other NEOs, shifting additional weighting towards PSUs to further tie our executive compensation program to our long-term financial and pipeline expansions objectives. We believe that this adjustment to the weighting of the LTI mix will continue to focus our executive team on achieving those strategic objectives that will lead to the creation of sustainable shareholder value. 

Increased Weighting of PSUs for 2024 LTI Awards 

2024 Proxy statement   54

Other Employee Benefits & Perquisites 

Health and Welfare Benefits 

Our executive officers, including our NEOs, are reported under the “Bonus” columneligible to participate in the Summary Compensation Table above.same employee benefit plans that are generally available to all regular employees. These benefit plans include medical, dental, and life and disability insurance plans, as well as well-being and time off programs. We sponsor a portion of the premiums for health, life and disability insurance. Certain employees at the vice president level and above, including the NEOs, are eligible for additional long-term disability insurance coverage.

Signing bonus

2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan 

In connection with Dr. Mendlein’s commencementOur executive officers, including our NEOs (other than Mr. Bancel), are eligible to participate in our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP) on the same basis as our other full-time U.S. employees. The ESPP is a broad-based stock ownership program that permits eligible employees to set aside a portion of employment with us on January 2, 2018, he receivedtheir compensation during a lump sum cash signing bonus equal to $150,000, which is reported under the “Bonus” column in the Summary Compensation Table above.

Equity compensation

During the year ended December 31, 2018, we granted optionssix-month offering period and use such contributions to purchase shares of our common stock at a purchase price equal to each85% of our named executive officers, as described in more detailthe lower of the fair market value of the shares on the first business day of the offering period or the last business day of the purchase period. During 2023, Ms. Garay was the only NEO that participated in the “Outstanding equity awards at 2018year-end” table below.

ESPP.

Health and Welfare Benefits

Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in all of our employee benefit plans offered to U.S. employees, including our medical, dental, life, and disability insurance plans, in each case on the same basis as other employees of the same status.

Perquisites and Personal Benefits

We generally do not provide perquisites or personal benefits to our employees, other than commuting expense reimbursements, certain de minimis perquisites, and/or tax gross ups for such perquisites for our named executive officers.

401(k) Savings Plan

We maintain atax-qualified retirement 401(k) plan that provides eligible U.S. employees with an opportunity to save for retirement on atax-advantaged basis.is tax-qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), and is tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code. Plan participants are able tocan defer eligible compensation subject to applicable annual Internal Revenue Code limits. We provide a matching contribution of 50%up to 4.5% (100% of employee contributions up to 6%the first 3% of compensation, which is 100% vested when contributed. The 401(k) plan is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a)and then 50% of the Internal Revenue Code with the 401(k) plan’s related trust intended to be tax exempt under Section 501(a)next 3% of the Internal Revenue Code.compensation). Once contributions are made, they are fully vested. As atax-qualified retirement plan, contributions to the 401(k) plan and earnings on those contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed from the 401(k) plan. Contributions can also be made on a Roth basis. 

Executive employment arrangements

Limited Perquisites 

We initially enteredprovided limited perquisites to our NEOs in 2023, consisting primarily of security services and increased long-term disability insurance coverage, as well as reimbursing and paying related taxes for relocation expenses. We believe that providing such perquisites was appropriate to assist our NEOs in the performance of their duties, and for recruitment and retention purposes.

In response to the increased profile of our Company and our executives as we pursued the development of a vaccine against COVID-19, beginning in 2020, the Company authorized the provision of personal and home security services to certain of our executives, including some of the NEOs. These services continued into an2023 for certain executives in response to the ongoing, heightened risk environment faced by these executives.

Employment Arrangements with our NEOs 

Employment Offer Letters and Non-Compete, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreements 

We generally enter into employment offer letterletters with new hires, including each of our NEOs when they joined the named executive officers in connection with his employment with us, whichCompany. These offer letters set forth the basic terms and conditions of his employment.their employment, including initial base salary, initial equity awards, eligibility to participate in our standard employee benefits plans, the at-will employment relationship and, in certain cases, a one-time signing bonus and relocation benefits. These offer letters also require that each NEO execute our standard employee confidentiality and assignment agreement. Each of our NEOs is subject to our standard non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, and assignment agreement, which provides for a perpetual post-termination confidentiality covenant as well as post-termination non-competition and non-solicitation of customers, employees, and consultants covenants for one year following termination.

Arpa Garay – Executive Separation Agreement and Release 

In December 2023, we announced that following a restructuring of the Company’s commercial organization and reporting lines, Arpa Garay, the Company’s Chief Commercial Officer, would be departing the Company, and that effective as of December 8, 2023, Ms. Garay would no longer serve in that role or as an executive officer of the Company. Ms. Garay has been asked to remain on as an employee of the Company through June 2018, we adopted a new executive severance plan (the “Executive Severance Plan”)2024, and to serve in whichan advisory capacity to Mr. Bancel and Dr. Kim participate alongHoge to assist with our other executive officers (other than Dr. Mendlein). The Executive Severance Plan was amended and restated in November 2018 (the “Amendedthe transition. At the time of Ms. Garay’s departure, she will be entitled to benefits under the Company’s Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan”)Plan, as amended on February 23, 2023 (Executive Severance Plan), subject to her execution of a separation agreement and providesrelease of claims in form and manner satisfactory to the Company, as disclosed under “Executive Severance Plan” below. The benefits to which Ms. Garay will be entitled under the Executive Severance Plan upon departure include: (i) twelve months of salary ($850,000), (ii) payment of her bonus for certainthe year of departure at target ($765,000); and (iii) COBRA coverage for 12 months. Ms. Garay will also be provided accelerated vesting of 15% of any outstanding and unvested time-based equity awards, in accordance with the Company’s guidelines governing involuntary terminations and up to 12 months from her final date of employment to exercise any vested but unexercised stock options. Ms. Garay will continue to be eligible for her salary, benefits and vesting of time-based

2024 Proxy statement   55

equity awards while she remains employed by the Company, but she will not be eligible for an equity award in 2024 or for a bonus for 2024 beyond the payments to which she is otherwise entitled under the Executive Severance Plan.   

Executive Severance Plan 

We believe that the severance payments and benefits provided under the Executive Severance Plans are appropriate in light of the eventpost-employment compensation protections available to similarly situated executive officers at companies in our compensation peer group and are an important component of each executive officer’s overall compensation as they help us to attract and retain our key executives who could have other job alternatives that may appear to them to be more attractive absent these protections.  

In addition, we believe it is appropriate to provide enhanced severance benefits in connection with certain qualifyingemployment terminations of employment, including an involuntary termination of employmentoccurring in connection with a change in control in order to encourage our executive officers to remain employed with us during an important time when their prospects for continued employment following the transaction are often uncertain. The primary purpose of the Company, and replaces the severance provisionsthese arrangements is to keep our most senior executive officers focused on pursuing potential corporate transactions that are in the named executive officers’ offer letters, if any. Dr. Mendlein did not participatebest interests of our shareholders regardless of whether those transactions may result in their own job loss. All of our NEOs are eligible for the Amended and RestatedExecutive Severance Plan. Separate from the Executive Severance Plan, our NEOs are also covered by the Company’s guidelines regarding involuntary terminations, which provide for accelerated vesting of 15% of any outstanding and is party tounvested time-based awards if termination occurs following the Strategic Advisor and Transition Agreement as described herein.first anniversary of the new hire grant date.

Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan

Termination not in connection with a change in control 

The Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan provides that upon a termination of employment by us other than for “cause” (as defined in the Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan),“Cause,” death, or “disability” (as defined in the Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan),“Disability,” or upon a resignation by an eligible participant for “good reason” (as“Good Reason” (in each case, as defined in the Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan), in either case outside of the “change in control period” (i.e., the period beginning on the date of a “change in control” (as defined in the Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan) and ending on theone-year anniversary of the change in control), the participant will be entitled to receive, subject to the execution and delivery of a separation agreement and release containing, among other provisions, an effective release of claims in favor of the Company and reaffirmation of the “restrictive covenants agreement” (as defined in the Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan), (i) :

(i)a severance amount equal to 12 months of the participant’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to such termination, payable over 12 months in the form of salary continuation,
(ii)an amount equal to the participant’s annual target bonus in effect immediately prior to such termination, payable over 12 months,  and
(iii)up to 12 monthly cash payments equal to the monthly employer contribution that we would have made to provide health insurance for the applicable participant if he or she had remained employed by us, based on the premiums as of the date of termination.

Termination in effect immediately prior to such termination, payable over 12 months, (ii) an amount equal to (A) the participant’s annual target bonus in effect immediately prior to such termination, multiplied by (B) a fractionconnection with a numerator equal to the number of full weeks elapsedchange in the then-current fiscal year prior to the date of

control 

termination and with a denominator equal to 52, payable over 12 months and (iii) up to 12 monthly cash payments equal to the monthly employer contribution that we would have made to provide health insurance for the applicable participant if he or she had remained employed by us, based on the premiums as of the date of termination.

The Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan also provides that upon a termination of employment by us other than for cause,Cause, death, or disabilityDisability or upon a resignation by an eligible participant for good reason,“Good Reason,” in either case within the change in control period, the participant will be entitled to receive, in lieu of the payments and benefits described above and subject to the execution and delivery of an a separation agreement and release containing, among other provisions, an effective release of claims in favor of the Company and reaffirmation of the restrictive covenants agreement, (i) a lump sum cash severance amount equal to 150% of the participant’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to such termination (or the participant’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher), (ii) a lump sum amount equal to 150% of the participant’s annual target bonus in effect immediately prior to such termination (or the participant’s annual target bonus in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher) (the “Applicable Bonus”), (iii) a lump sum amount equal to (A) the participant’s Applicable Bonus multiplied by (B) a fraction with a numerator equal to the number of full weeks elapsed in the then-current fiscal year prior to the date of termination and with a denominator equal to 52, (iv) a lump sum amount equal to the monthly employer contribution that we would have made to provide health insurance for the participant if he or she had remained employed by us for 18 months following the date of termination, based on the premiums as of the date of termination, and (v) for all outstanding and unvested equity awards of the Company that are subject to time-based vesting held by the named executive officer, full accelerated vesting of such awards.agreement:

(i)a lump sum payment equal to 150% of the participant’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to such termination (or the participant’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher) paid in a cash lump sum as severance pay,
(ii)a lump sum payment equal to 150% of the participant’s annual target bonus for the year such termination takes place (or the participant’s annual target bonus in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher) (the Applicable Bonus), 
(iii)a lump sum payment equal to (A) the participant’s Applicable Bonus multiplied by (B) a fraction with a numerator equal to the number of full weeks elapsed in the then-current fiscal year prior to the date of termination and with a denominator equal to 52,
(iv)a lump sum amount equal to the monthly employer contribution that we would have made to provide health insurance for the participant if he or she had remained employed by us for 18 months following the date of termination, based on the premiums as of the date of termination,
(v)for all outstanding and unvested equity awards of the Company that are subject to time-based vesting held by the named executive officer, full accelerated vesting of such awards, and
(vi)for any performance-based equity awards, pro-rated acceleration based on the better of target and actual performance against the performance metrics.

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The payments and benefits provided under the Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan in connection with a change in control may not be eligible for a federal income tax deduction by us pursuant to Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code. These payments and benefits may also subject an eligible participant, including the named executive officers, to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code. If the payments or benefits payable to an eligible participant in connection with a change in control would be subject to the excise tax imposed under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, then those payments or benefits will be reduced if such reduction would result in a greater netafter-tax benefit to the applicable participant.

Agreements with

Equity-Related 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 for shares of our namedcommon stock to our employees, including our executive officers,

Stéphane Bancel

On February 23, 2011, we entered into an offer letter with Mr. Bancel, who currently serves as or advisors or consultants pursuant to any of our Chief Executive Officer.equity compensation plans. Pursuant to the policy, all grants of equity awards must be approved in advance by our Board of Directors, the Compensation Committee or, subject to the delegation requirements in the policy, our CEO or CHRO. The offer letterequity award granting authority delegated to our CEO and CHRO applies to employees at the senior vice president level and below and to equity awards within the specific ranges set forth Mr. Bancel’s initial annual base salary, initial target annual bonus, and initialin the policy. All equity award grants. Mr. Bancel is subject toawards for our standardnon-competition,non-solicitation, confidentiality, and assignment agreement, which provides for a perpetual post-termination confidentiality covenantExecutive Committee members must be approved by the Compensation Committee or the full Board.

Generally, equity awards are granted on the following regularly scheduled basis as well as post-terminationnon-competition andnon-solicitation of customers, employees, and consultants covenants for one year following termination.set forth in the policy:

Equity awards granted in connection with the hiring of a new employee are generally awarded on the fifth day of the month immediately following the month during which each new employee is hired.
Equity awards granted by our Board or the Compensation Committee in connection with the promotion of an existing employee or the engagement of a new consultant are effective on the date of approval by our Board or the Compensation Committee, as applicable, or such later date as specified in such approval. Our Board and the Compensation Committee retain the discretion to grant equity awards at other times to the extent appropriate in light of the circumstances of such awards.
Equity awards granted to existing employees (other than in connection with a promotion) will generally be granted, if at all, on an annual basis, including an annual award to all employees that is generally granted at the end of the second trading day following the filing of our Annual Report on 10-K with the SEC; additional grants for high-performing employees may be granted to certain employees at other times during the year.

In addition, the Equity Award Grant Policy sets forth the way our equity awards will be priced. If the grant of RSUs is denominated in June 2018, we entered intodollars, the number of shares subject to each RSU award will be determined by dividing the value of such award by the average closing market price on the Nasdaq Global Select Market of a letter agreement with Mr. Bancel, which was amended on November 4, 2018. Pursuantshare of our common stock over the preceding 20 trading days, up to and including the letter agreement, as amended,last trading day immediately preceding the Company granted Mr. Banceleffective date of grant (the 20-trading day trailing average price), and if the grant of an option is denominated in dollars, the number of shares subject to purchase 4,587,155 sharessuch option will be determined by dividing the value of the Company’s common stock, that was contingent on, and effective immediately following, the time that our Registration Statement for our initial public offering was declared effectivesuch award by the SEC (the “IPO Effective Date”),product of (i) the 20-trading day trailing average price and (ii) the Black-Scholes ratio, which occurred on December 6, 2018. Theis calculated using the Black-Scholes value of an option has a per share exercise price equal to $23.00 per share, which was the “Price to the Public” set forth on the cover page of our final prospectus included ingrant date divided by the Registration Statement and wasclosing market price on the fair market valueNasdaq Global Select Market of a share of our common stock on the granteffective date of grant. The per share exercise price of all stock options will be at least equal to the closing market price on the Nasdaq Global Select Market of a share of our common stock on the effective date of grant.

Non-Employee Director and Executive Officer Stock Ownership Policy 

In 2019, the Compensation Committee adopted a Stock Ownership Policy, which was subsequently amended in February 2021. As amended, the Stock Ownership Policy requires that by the fifth anniversary of the original effectiveness date of the option. The “Vesting Commencement Date”policy (i.e., December 31, 2024), or the fifth anniversary of an individual becoming subject to the policy (whichever is later), that individual is required to hold a number of shares of Moderna stock equivalent in value to a multiple of the individual’s salary or, in the case of directors, their annual cash retainer, as follows:

CEO: 7 times annual salary
President: 6 times annual salary
Other Executive Committee members: 3 times annual salary
Directors: 6 times annual cash retainer

In February 2021, the Stock Ownership Policy was revised by the Compensation Committee to provide that only owned shares would count toward satisfaction of the ownership requirement, eliminating credit previously granted for the optionvalue of vested but unexercised stock options. Until the requirements are met, covered individuals who were subject to the policy as of December 31, 2020 are required to hold 100% of any stock underlying vested RSU awards until the requirements are met, and individuals who are first subject to the policy on or after January 1, 2021 are required to hold 50% of any stock underlying vested RSU awards until the requirements are met.

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As of December 31, 2023 each of Mr. Bancel and Dr. Hoge owned more than the required amount of Moderna stock. 

Clawback Policy 

In February 2021, our Board of Directors adopted a clawback policy applicable to all performance-based compensation granted to members of our Executive Committee, beginning in 2021. The policy grants the Board or Compensation Committee discretion to recoup any performance-based compensation paid in excess of what otherwise should have been delivered due to the Executive Committee member’s misconduct that resulted in a financial restatement. In addition, the policy grants the Board or Compensation Committee discretion to recoup performance-based compensation in the event that an Executive Committee member’s detrimental conduct causes material financial, operational or reputational harm to the Company. In May 2023, our clawback policy was June 13, 2018. revised to reflect updated listing standard rules from Nasdaq and to require that the Company seek a clawback of any excess performance-based compensation that was paid to our Executive Committee due to an error or misstatement in our financial statements, regardless of fault or misconduct, other than in limited circumstances. 

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 the Company from engaging in the following transactions:

selling any of our securities that they do not own at the time of the sale (a “short sale”);
buying or selling puts, calls, other derivative securities of the Company or any derivative securities that provide the economic equivalent of ownership of any of our securities or an opportunity, direct or indirect, to profit from any change in the value of our securities or engaging in any other hedging transaction with respect to our securities at any time;
using our securities as collateral in a margin account; and
pledging our securities as collateral for a loan (or modifying an existing pledge).

As of the date of this Proxy Statement, none of our NEOs had previously sought or obtained approval from the Compensation Committee to engage in any hedging or pledging transaction involving our securities.

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Executive Compensation Tables 

2023 Summary Compensation Table 

The option hasfollowing table provides information regarding the total compensation awarded to, earned by, and paid to our NEOs for services rendered to us for the years set forth below. Please note that in certain years these individuals were not NEOs and as such we are not including their compensation for those years. 

Name and
Principal Position(1)
 Year Salary Non-Equity Plan
Incentive
Compensation
 Bonus Stock
Awards(2)
 Option
Awards(2)
 All Other
Compensation
 Total

Stéphane Bancel
Chief Executive Officer

 2023 $ 1,563,462 $1,913,625 $ $ 3,129,194 $9,387,713 $1,074,520 $ 17,068,514
 2022  1,423,077  2,700,000    3,597,152  10,791,857  851,562  19,363,648
 2021  990,385  1,500,000    3,750,000  11,250,000  665,354  18,155,739

James Mock
Chief Financial Officer

 2023  792,308  583,200    1,460,282  1,460,295  21,100  4,317,185
 2022  227,885  259,644  1,000,000  2,919,660  2,919,680  4,327  7,331,196

Stephen Hoge, M.D.
President

 2023  1,042,308  850,500    2,711,792  2,711,966  22,600  7,339,166
 2022  953,846  1,440,000    3,117,492  3,117,579  17,735  8,646,652
 2021  684,808  819,000    3,000,000  3,000,000  299,624  7,803,432

Arpa Garay
Former Chief Commercial Officer

 2023  842,308  619,650    1,460,282  1,460,295  63,413  4,445,948
 2022  458,462  508,932  1,500,000  2,502,713  2,502,742  203,303  7,676,152

Shannon Thyme Klinger

Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary

 2023  784,616  583,200    1,460,282  1,460,295  24,103  4,312,496
 2022  692,590  756,000    1,112,728  1,112,705  47,173  3,721,196
 2021  381,096  344,000  250,000  6,000,000  4,000,000  514,051  11,489,147

(1)Mr. Mock and Ms. Garay were hired on September 6, 2022 and May 31, 2022, respectively. Neither was an NEO for 2021; Ms. Klinger was not an NEO for 2022.   
(2)The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the RSUs, PSUs and stock options, respectively, awarded to our NEOs in the year ended December 31, 2023, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Such grant date fair values do not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used in calculating the grant date fair value of the equity awards reported in these columns are set forth in Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 included in our Annual Report. The amounts reported in these columns reflect the grant date fair value for each award, and, together, differ from the targeted amounts for these grants, due to the fact that a 20-trading day trailing average closing price convention is used for calculating the number of RSUs, PSUs and stock options granted. The grant date fair value of the PSUs are based on the probable outcome of the applicable performance metrics. The amounts reported in this column reflect the accounting cost for these awards and do not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by the NEO upon the exercise of the stock options or any sale of the underlying shares of common stock.

Salary 

Amounts represent the actual amount of base salary paid for each NEO during the applicable year. NEOs and other employees are generally assessed for potential salary increases at the beginning of each year.  Percentage salary increases for each of our NEOs were approved and took effect in February 2023 as follows: Mr. Bancel - 5%, to $1,575,000, Dr. Hoge - 5%, to $1,050,000, Mr. Mock - 6.7% to $800,000; Ms. Garay - 6.3% to $850,000; and Ms. Klinger - 14.3% to $800,000. Salary increases were reflective of merit and market adjustments to better align each of these executive’s salaries to market in the case of Mr. Mock, Ms. Garay and Ms. Klinger, as well as cost-of-living adjustments applied across our broader employee base for each of these executives.

Non-Equity Plan Incentive Compensation 

The amounts reported represent annual bonuses earned by our NEOs for services during the applicable year, based on the achievement of Company and individual performance objectives. Target bonuses for our NEOs are set as a percentage of annual salary, and for 2023 were maintained at 150% of salary for our CEO, 100% of salary for our President, and 90% of salary for our other NEOs.  For more information, see “Short-Term Incentive Compensation” above.

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Bonus 

For Mr. Mock and Ms. Garay, in 2022, and for Ms. Klinger in 2021, the amount under “Bonus” represents amounts received as a signing bonus in connection with each executive’s hiring. These signing bonuses are subject to a clawback if the executive voluntarily departs the Company or is dismissed for cause within two years of the payment of the signing bonus.

Stock Awards 

The amount reported represents the aggregate grant date fair value of $48,119,256. The option is divided into two tranches.One-half of the shares subjectRSUs and PSUs awarded to the option (the “Tranche 1 Portion”), will vest on the fifth anniversary of the Vesting Commencement

Date, generally subject to Mr. Bancel’s continued employment with the Company through such date, and the remainingone-half of the shares subject to the option (the “Tranche 2 Portion”) will vestNEOs, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Such grant date fair value does not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used in calculating the following schedule: 25%grant date fair value of the shares subjectRSUs and PSUs reported in this column are set forth in Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 included in our Annual Report. The amount reported in this column reflects the accounting cost for these equity awards and does not correspond to the Tranche 2 Portion will vest onactual economic value that may be received by the second anniversaryapplicable NEO upon the vesting/settlement of the Vesting Commencement DateRSUs and the remaining shares subject to the Tranche 2 Portion will vest in equal quarterly installments thereafter for the next three years, generally subject to Mr. Bancel’s continued employment with the Company through each applicable vesting date. The option is subject to the terms, conditions, definitions, and provisionsPSUs or any sale of the 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2018 Stock Plan”) andunderlying shares of common stock. The grant date fair value of the 2023 PSUs, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, assuming maximum achievement of the applicable stock option agreement thereunder. Our boardperformance metrics, are as follows: Mr. Bancel - $6,258,388; Dr. Hoge - $2,711,792; Mr. Mock, Ms. Garay and Ms. Klinger - $1,460,282. Amounts for Mr. Mock and Ms. Garay in 2022, and for Ms. Klinger in 2021, represent the value of directors elected to make this option grant to recognize Mr. Bancel’s continuing leadership of the Company in its mission to create a new category of transformative medicines based on mRNA. Our board of directors believes that setting the exercise price for this option grant at the price of the shares sold to the public in our initial public offering, which was $23.00 per share, will further align on a going-forward basis the economic interests of our Chief Executive Officer and our stockholders, including those who purchased shares in our initial public offering.

John Mendlein, Ph.D.

On December 22, 2017, we entered into an offer letter with Dr. Mendlein, our former President, Corporate and Product Strategy, pursuant to which Dr. Mendlein commenced employment with us on January 2, 2018. The offer letter provided for a lump sumsign-on bonus of $150,000, a base salary of $500,000 per year, and a target bonus of up to 50% of annual base salary, along with eligibility to participate in our benefit plans generally. The offer letter set forth Dr. Mendlein’s new hire equity awards, which were set based upon market data for executives of comparable caliber and experience, while also taking into account the value of equity awards that each of them would forfeit by leaving their former employers to join Moderna. 

Option Awards 

The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of an optionthe stock options awarded to purchase 2,981,651the NEOs during the applicable year, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Such grant date fair values do not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used in calculating the grant date fair value of the stock options reported in this column are set forth in Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 included in our Annual Report. The amounts reported in this column reflect the accounting cost for these stock options and do not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by the NEOs upon the exercise of the stock options or any sale of the underlying shares of common stock.  Amounts for Mr. Mock and Ms. Garay in 2022, and for Ms. Klinger in 2021, represent the Company’s common stock and the vesting schedule thereof (the “New Hire Grant”), which is described more fully in the “Outstandingvalue of new hire equity awards, at 2018year-end” table below. On January 17, 2019, we enteredwhich were set based upon market data for executives of comparable caliber and experience, while also taking into account the value of equity awards that each of them would forfeit by leaving their former employers to join Moderna.  

All Other Compensation 

The amounts set forth below provide a Strategic Advisor and Transition Agreement with Dr. Mendlein (the “Transition Agreement”), pursuant to which his employment with the Company ended on February 1, 2019 (the “Termination Date”), and he transitioned into a role of anon-employee strategic advisor for a period of up to 6 months following the Termination Date (the “Consulting Period”). In addition, Dr. Mendlein agreed to a general, mutual release of claims and certain restrictive covenants including those related to proprietary information, assignment of rights,non-competition, andnon-solicitation, which are applicable to him during and after the Consulting Period (collectively, the “Restrictive Covenants”). During the Consulting Period, Dr. Mendlein will be paid a consulting fee of $62,500 per month and will receive a monthly payment, for 6 months, equal to the monthly employer contribution that we would have made to provide health insurance for him if he had remained employed by us for 6 months following the Termination Date, based on the premiums asdetailed breakdown of the Termination Date. Dr. Mendlein also received his target bonus2023 amounts reported above for 2018 (i.e., $250,000). Pursuant to the Transition Agreement, the Company (i) extended the vesting periodAll Other Compensation. These amounts consist of the New Hire Grant through the Consulting Period, and (ii) subject to the continued compliance by Dr. Mendlein with the Restrictive Covenants, extended the post-termination exercise periodfollowing:

401(k) Match: Represents matching contributions to the 401(k) account for the named executive officer.
Relocation/Relocation Tax Expenses: Represents benefits paid on behalf of Ms. Garay in 2023 in connection with her relocation to the Boston area to begin employment with Moderna in 2022, and related tax gross-up payments for such expenses.
Other Compensation: Represents incremental costs borne by the Company for the provision of security services to the NEOs or members of their household in response to a heightened threat environment, and the amount of premiums paid on behalf of the NEOs for supplemental long-term disability coverage, which we offer to executives at the vice president level and above. For Mr. Bancel, the amount paid for security services in 2023 was $1,053,767.

Name401(k) Match Relocation Relocation Tax
Expenses
 Other
Compensation
 Total 
Stéphane Bancel $14,850  $  $  $1,059,670  $  1,074,520 
James Mock  14,850         6,250   21,100 
Stephen Hoge, M.D.  14,850         7,750   22,600 
Arpa Garay  14,850   21,769   21,466   5,328   63,413 
Shannon Thyme Klinger  14,850         9,253   24,103 

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Grants of Plan-Based Awards for all the outstanding vested options held by Dr. Mendlein at the end of the Consulting Period for a period of 6 months following the end of the Consulting Period.

Fiscal Year 2023 

Lorence Kim, M.D.

On February 20, 2014, we entered into an offer letter with Dr. Kim, who currently serves as our Chief Financial Officer. The offer letter provides for Dr. Kim’sat-will employment and set forth his initial annual base salary, initial target annual bonus, and an initial equity award grant, as well as his eligibility to participate in our benefit plans generally. Dr. Kim is subject to our standardnon-competition,non-solicitation, confidentiality, and assignment agreement, which provides for a perpetual post-termination confidentiality covenant as well as post-terminationnon-competition andnon-solicitation of customers, employees, and consultants covenants for one year following termination.

Outstanding equity awards at 2018year-end

The following table – also known as the Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table – sets forth the individual award, including stock options, RSUs and PSUs, made to each of our NEOs during 2023. For a description of the types of awards indicated below, please see our “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” above. 

Name Grant Date(1) Award Type Estimated Future Payouts Under Performance Share Units (#)(2) Restricted
Stock Units (#)(3)
  Stock
Options
(#)(4)
     Stock Option
Exercise
Price(5)
    Grant Date
Fair Value of
Awards(6)
            Threshold    Target    Maximum         
Stéphane Bancel February 28, 2023 Annual Equity            128,830  $138.81 $9,387,713
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity 11,271 22,543 45,086           3,129,194
James Mock February 28, 2023 Annual Equity            20,040  138.81 1,460,295
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity        5,260        730,141
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity 2,630 5,260 10,520           730,141
Stephen Hoge, M.D. February 28, 2023 Annual Equity            37,217  138.81 2,711,966
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity        9,768        1,355,896
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity 4,884 9,768 19,536           1,355,896
Arpa Garay February 28, 2023 Annual Equity            20,040  138.81 1,460,295
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity        5,260        730,141
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity 2,630 5,260 10,520           730,141
Shannon Thyme Klinger February 28, 2023 Annual Equity            20,040  138.81 1,460,295
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity        5,260        730,141
 February 28, 2023 Annual Equity 2,630 5,260 10,520           730,141

(1)All annual equity grants were approved by the Compensation Committee on February 14, 2023, with a grant date of February 28, 2023, for annual stock option, RSU and PSU grants (the second trading day following the filing of our Annual Report 10-K with the SEC). 
(2)Each PSU is subject to vesting upon a determination by the Compensation Committee that the goals thereunder have been met. This determination is expected to be made within two-and-a-half months of the conclusion of the performance period, which ends on December 31, 2025.
(3)Each RSU is subject to time-based vesting, as described in the footnotes to the “Outstanding Equity Awards at 2023 Year-End” table below.
(4)Each stock option is subject to time-based vesting, as described in the footnotes to the “Outstanding Equity Awards at 2023 Year-End” table below.
(5)Based upon the closing price of our common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of grant.
(6)The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the stock options, RSUs and PSUs, as applicable, awarded to the NEOs during 2023, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Such grant date fair values do not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used in calculating the grant date fair value of the stock options, RSUs and PSUs, as applicable, reported in this column are set forth in Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 included in our Annual Report. The amounts reported in this column reflect the aggregate accounting cost for these equity awards, and do not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by the NEOs upon the exercise of the stock options, the vesting/settlement of the RSUs or PSUs or any sale of the underlying shares of common stock. The grant date fair value of PSUs is based on probable achievement of the performance metrics at target.

2024 Proxy statement   61

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2023 Year-end 

The table below sets forth information regarding outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officersNEOs as of December 31, 2018:2023.

 

     Option Awards (1) Stock Awards(1) 

Name

 Grant
Date (2)
 Vesting
Commencement
Date
 Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
 Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
 Option
Exercise
Price
($)
 Option
Expiration
Date
 Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested (#)
 Market Value
of Shares or
Units of Stock
That Have Not
Vested ($) (3)
  Grant Date(1) Award
Type
 First
Vesting Date
 Number
Exercisable/
Vested
 Number
Unexercisable/
Unvested
 Option
Exercise
Price
  Option
Expiration Date
 Market
Value(2)
Stéphane Bancel 2/23/2016 Options 2/23/2017 688,073(3)  $10.90  2/23/2026 $60,928,864
8/10/2016 Options 8/10/2016 558,394(3)   19.15  8/10/2026  44,839,038
 8/19/2013  4/25/2013  4,587,155 (4)   —    $0.99  8/19/2023    8/10/2016 Options 8/10/2016 193,321(3)   19.15  8/10/2026  15,523,676
 4/9/2015  4/9/2015      10,239 (5)  $156,350  2/23/2017 Options 2/22/2018 642,201(3)   12.21  2/23/2027  56,025,615
 2/23/2016  2/23/2016  473,046 (5)  215,027 (5)  $10.90  2/23/2026    2/28/2018 Options 2/28/2019 903,096(4) 14,335(4)  14.22  2/28/2028  78,192,644
 8/10/2016  4/24/2014  558,394 (4)   —    $19.15  8/10/2026    12/6/2018 Options 6/13/2020 4,587,155(3)   23.00  12/6/2028  350,688,000
 8/10/2016  4/9/2015  169,150 (5)  24,170 (5)  $19.15  8/10/2026    3/8/2019 Options 3/8/2020 593,592(3)   20.93  3/8/2029  46,608,844
 2/23/2017  2/22/2017  280,961 (5)  361,240 (5)  $12.21  2/23/2027    2/28/2020 Options 2/28/2021 604,200(5) 40,280(5)  25.93  2/28/2030  47,382,170
 2/28/2018  2/28/2018   —    917,431 (6)  $14.22  2/28/2028    2/9/2021 Options 2/9/2022 99,071(5) 45,034(5)  179.52  2/9/2031  
 12/6/2018  6/13/2018   —    4,587,155 (7)  $23.00  12/6/2028    3/5/2021 PSUs   28,368(7)      2,821,198

John Mendlein

 2/23/2016  2/23/2016  23,853 (4)   —    $10.90  2/23/2026   
 8/10/2016  4/9/2015  9,263 (4)   —    $19.15  8/10/2026    3/1/2022 Options 3/1/2023 64,034(5) 82,330(5)  149.52  3/1/2032  
 2/23/2017  2/22/2017  42,201 (4)   —    $12.21  2/23/2027    3/1/2022 PSUs   24,058(7)      2,392,568
 2/28/2018  1/2/2018   —    2,981,651 (8)  $14.22  2/28/2028    2/28/2023 Options 2/28/2024  128,830(5)  138.81  2/28/2033  

Lorence Kim

 4/9/2015  4/9/2015      5,120 (5)  $78,182 
 2/28/2023 PSUs   22,543(7)      2,241,901
     707,644,518
James Mock 10/5/2022 Options 10/5/2023 10,969(5) 32,907(5)  125.62  10/5/2032  
10/5/2022 RSUs 10/5/2023  17,432(5)      1,733,612
2/28/2023 Options 2/28/2024  20,040(5)  138.81  2/28/2033  
 2/28/2023 RSUs 2/28/2024  5,260(5)      523,107
 2/28/2023 PSUs   5,260(7)      523,107
     2,779,826
Stephen Hoge, M.D. 8/10/2016 Options 8/10/2016 223,357(3)   19.15  8/10/2026  17,935,567
8/10/2016 Options 8/10/2016 96,660(3)   19.15  8/10/2026  7,761,798
2/23/2017 Options 2/22/2018 458,715(3)   12.21  2/23/2027  40,018,297
 12/11/2015  11/18/2015      68,257 (5)  $1,042,284  10/3/2017 Options 10/3/2018 1,834,862(3)   12.21  10/3/2027  160,073,361
 2/23/2016  2/23/2016  157,677 (5)  71,680 (5)  $10.90  2/23/2026    2/28/2018 Options 2/27/2019 412,844(3)   14.22  2/28/2028  35,186,694
 8/10/2016  4/21/2014  268,028 (4)   —    $19.15  8/10/2026    3/8/2019 Options 3/8/2020 339,195(3)   20.93  3/8/2029  26,633,591
 8/10/2016  4/9/2015  84,575 (5)  12,084 (5)  $19.15  8/10/2026    2/28/2020 Options 2/28/2021 201,398(5) 13,428(5) 25.93 2/28/2030 15,794,008
 8/10/2016  11/18/2015  483,300 (5)  161,102 (5)  $19.15  8/10/2026    2/28/2020 RSUs 2/28/2022  2,411(6)      239,774
 2/23/2017  2/22/2017  130,446 (5)  167,719 (5)  $12.21  2/23/2027    2/9/2021 Options 2/9/2022 26,419(5) 12,009(5)  179.52  2/9/2031  
 6/14/2017  11/18/2015      57,344 (9)  $875,643  2/9/2021 RSUs 2/9/2022  2,612(5)      259,763
 2/28/2018  2/27/2018   —    917,431 (6)  $14.22  2/28/2028    3/5/2021 PSUs   11,347(7)      1,128,459
 3/1/2022 Options 3/1/2023 18,497(5) 23,785(5)  149.52  3/1/2032  
 3/1/2022 RSUs 3/1/2023  5,865(5)      583,274
 3/1/2022 PSUs   10,425(7)      1,036,766
 2/28/2023 Options 2/28/2024  37,217(5)  138.81  2/28/2033  
 2/28/2023 RSUs 2/28/2024  9,768(5)      971,428
 2/28/2023 PSUs   9,768(7)    971,428
   308,594,208

 

2024 Proxy statement   62
NameGrant Date(1)

Except for the option award

Award 
Type
First
Vesting Date
Number
Exercisable/
Vested
Number
Unexercisable/
Unvested
Option
Exercise
Price
Option
Expiration Date
Market
Value(2)
Arpa Garay6/5/2022Options6/5/202313,036(5)21,730(5)137.156/5/2032
6/5/2022RSUs6/5/202311,405(5)1,134,227
2/28/2023Options2/28/202420,040(5)138.812/28/2033
2/28/2023RSUs2/28/20245,260(5)523,107
2/28/2023PSUs5,260(7)523,107
2,180,441
Shannon Thyme Klinger6/7/2021Options6/7/202226,355(5)15,814(5)219.576/7/2031
6/7/2021RSUs6/7/20226,832(5)679,442
6/7/2021RSUs6/7/20249,108(8)905,791
3/1/2022Options3/1/20236,601(5)8,490(5)149.523/1/2032
3/1/2022RSUs3/1/20232,094(5)208,248
3/1/2022PSUs3,721(7)370,053
2/28/2023Options2/28/202420,040(5)138.812/28/2033
2/28/2023RSUs2/28/20245,260(5)523,107
2/28/2023PSUs5,260(7)523,107
3,209,748

(1)Equity awards granted prior to Mr. Bancel on December 6, 2018 each equity award isare subject to the terms of our 2016 Stock Option and Grant Plan, as amended from time to time (the “20162016 Stock Plan”). The option awardPlan), and equity awards granted to Mr. Bancel on or after December 6, 2018 isare subject to the terms of our 2018 Stock Plan. Except for Dr. Mendlein’s equity awards, each
(2)Market value reflects the value of the applicable equity award, is also subject to the acceleration of vesting provisions in the Amendedincluding both vested and Restated Executive Severance Plan.

(2)

For equity awards granted prior to our reorganization, pursuant to which Moderna LLC became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Moderna, Inc. (f/k/a Moderna Therapeutics, Inc.) on August 10, 2016, the grant date listed is the original grant date of the equity award (i.e., the grant date of unit options or incentive units as applicable in Moderna LLC).

(3)

The amount represents the number of shares of restricted stock or unvested restricted stock units multiplied by the market value of a share of our common stockportions, based onupon the closing price for the Company’s common stock on December 31, 2018, which was $15.27. Unless otherwise specified, all stock awards listed in the table are restricted stock awards.

29, 2023 of $99.45.
(4)(3)

The shares subject to the option are fully vested.

(5)(4)

25% of the shares subject to the equity award vest on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date and the remaining 75% vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generally subject to the named executive officer’s continuous service relationship with the Company through each applicable vesting date.

(6)

This option grant vests in three tranches. The first tranche, consisting of 50% of the underlying shares, will vestvests as follows: 25% of this tranche will vestvested on the first anniversary of the vesting commencementgrant date, and the remainder vests in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter. The second tranche, consisting of 25% of the underlying shares, vests as follows: 25% of this tranche vested on the second anniversary of the grant date, and the remainder vests in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter. The third tranche, consisting of 25% of the underlying shares, vests as follows: 25% of this tranche vests on the third anniversary of the grant date, and the remainder will vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter. Vesting is generally subject to Mr. Bancel’s continuous employment with the Company through the applicable vesting date. 

(5)25% of the shares subject to the equity award vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generally subject to the named executive officer’sNEO’s continuous service relationship with the Company through each applicable vesting date. The second tranche, consisting of 25%
(6)50% of the underlying shares will vest as follows: 25% of this tranche willsubject to the equity award vest on the second anniversary of the vesting commencementgrant date and the remainder willremaining 50% vest in 128 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generally subject to the named executive officer’sNEO’s continuous service relationship with the Company through each applicable vesting date.
(7)Number of PSUs assumes performance at target. The third tranche, consisting of 25%shares subject to the equity award are scheduled to vest within two and a half months of the underlyingconclusion of the performance period, which ends on December 31st of the second calendar year after the grant date, and following a determination by the Compensation Committee on whether the performance criteria have been satisfied; if an NEO remains employed for at least one year of the performance period, he or she will be entitled to a pro rata award based upon time employed, subject to satisfaction of the performance criteria. The number of shares willsubject to vesting reflect anticipated performance at target.   
(8)The shares subject to the equity award vest as follows: 25% of this tranche will vestin full on the third anniversary of the vesting commencementgrant date, and the remainder will vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generally subject to the named executive officer’sNEO’s continuous service relationship with the Company through eachthe applicable vesting date.

(7)

This2024 Proxy statement   

63

Option Exercises and Stock Vested in Fiscal Year 2023 

The following table sets forth the number of shares acquired and the value realized upon exercises of stock options and vesting of RSUs during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 by each of our NEOs.

  Option Awards  Stock Awards
  Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise (#)
  Value
Realized on
Exercise ($)(1)
  Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Vesting (#)
  Value 
Realized on 
Vesting ($)(2)
Stéphane Bancel  2,027,155  $300,714,563     $
James Mock        5,810   605,751
Stephen Hoge, M.D.        16,291   1,908,414
Arpa Garay        6,843   814,837
Shannon Thyme Klinger        6,181   726,519

(1)The value realized upon the exercise of option grant vests in two tranches. The first tranche, consisting of 50%awards is calculated as the difference between the market price of the underlying shares, will vestsecurity at exercise and the exercise price of the options.
(2)The value realized upon the vesting of stock awards is calculated based on June 13, 2023, subjectthe closing market price of a share of our common stock on the date prior to the named executive officer’s continuousdate of vesting.

All stock option exercises shown in the table above were conducted pursuant to a 10b5-1 plan. For as long as they are executives, our NEOs are required to conduct any sales of Moderna stock, including stock option exercises, pursuant to 10b5-1 plans. These plans require that the executive commit to a trading plan in advance and at a time when the Company is in an open trading window under the Company’s Insider Trading Policy. 

The stock option exercises shown above for Mr. Bancel were all exercises of a stock option award that was granted in August 2013 and that expired in August 2023. In May 2022, Mr. Bancel announced his intention to fully exercise the award, exercising 40,000 options each Wednesday and Thursday under a 10b5-1 plan until it was fully exercised. Mr. Bancel has committed to contributing the after-tax proceeds from the option exercise to charitable causes. Mr. Bancel’s announcement regarding the exercise of the stock option and the contribution of the proceeds to charitable causes can be found in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Moderna with the SEC on May 24, 2022. 

2024 Proxy statement   64

Potential Payments on Termination or Change in Control

Our Executive Severance Plan, as described above, provides for certain payments and benefits in the event of certain qualifying terminations of employment, including qualifying terminations of employment in connection with a change in control of the Company.

The table below quantifies the potential payments and benefits that would have become due to our NEOs, assuming that a qualifying termination occurred on December 31, 2023.  In the event of termination due to death or disability, each of our named executive officers would be eligible to have any outstanding but unvested time-based equity accelerate on the same terms as other employees, up to a cap of $500 million, plus pro-rata vesting of any PSUs. In the event of an involuntary termination, each of our NEOs would be eligible for accelerated vesting of 15% of any outstanding and unvested time-based equity awards, in accordance with the Company’s severance guidelines.

The closing market price of a share of our common stock on December 29, 2023 (the last trading day of 2023) was $99.45.

 Qualifying Termination Not
in Connection with a
Change in Control ($)(1) 
 Qualifying Termination in
Connection with a Change
in Control ($)(2)
  

Termination Due to
Death or Disability ($)
 

 

Stéphane Bancel           
Cash Severance Payment$1,575,000(3)  $2,362,500(4)  $ 
Cash Incentive Bonus Payment 2,362,500(5)   5,906,250(6)    
COBRA Premiums 26,712(7)   40,069(8)   
Accelerated Equity Vesting 627,452(9)   14,460,022(10)   11,419,140(11) 
James Mock           
Cash Severance Payment 800,000(3)   1,200,000(4)    
Cash Incentive Bonus Payment 720,000(5)   1,800,000(6)    
COBRA Premiums 26,712(7)   40,069(8)   
Accelerated Equity Vesting 338,428(9)   2,779,826(10)   2,256,719(11) 
Stephen Hoge, M.D.           
Cash Severance Payment 1,050,000(3)   1,575,000(4)    
Cash Incentive Bonus Payment 1,050,000(5)   2,625,000(6)   
COBRA Premiums 26,712(7)   40,069(8)   
Accelerated Equity Vesting 455,966(9)   7,306,578(10)   5,988,865(11) 
Arpa Garay           
Cash Severance Payment 850,000(3)   1,275,000(4)    
Cash Incentive Bonus Payment 765,000(5)   1,912,500(6)    
COBRA Premiums 26,342(7)   39,513(8)   
Accelerated Equity Vesting 248,526(9)   2,180,441(10)   1,657,334(11) 
Shannon Thyme Klinger           
Cash Severance Payment 800,000(3)   1,200,000(4)    
Cash Incentive Bonus Payment 720,000(5)   1,800,000(6)    
COBRA Premiums 17,341(7)   26,012(8)    
Accelerated Equity Vesting 347,379(9)   3,209,749(10)   2,563,025(11) 

2024 Proxy statement   65
(1)A “qualifying termination” means a termination other than due to cause, death or disability or a resignation for good reason and “not in connection with the Company through the vesting date. The second tranche, consisting of 50%a change in control” means outside of the underlying shares, will vest as follows: 25%change in control period.
(2)A “qualifying termination” means a termination other than due to cause, death or disability or a resignation for good reason and “in connection with a change in control” means within the change in control period.
(3)Represents 12 months of this tranche will vest on June 13, 2020, and the remainder will vestexecutive’s base salary.
(4)Represents 18 months of the executive’s base salary.
(5)Represents the NEO’s target annual bonus opportunity.
(6)Represents 150% of the NEO’s target annual bonus opportunity plus the NEO’s target bonus opportunity, pro-rated for the number of full weeks elapsed in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generally subjectthe then-current fiscal year prior to the named executive officer’s continuous employment withdate of termination.
(7)Represents 12 months of our contribution towards health insurance, based on our actual costs to provide health insurance to the Company through each applicable vesting date.

(8)

As of December 31, 2018, this option grant was scheduled to vest in three tranches. The first tranche, consisting of 62%NEO as of the underlying shares, was scheduleddate of termination.

(8)Represents 18 months of our contribution towards health insurance, based on our actual costs to vest as follows: 25% of this tranche was scheduled to vest on January 2, 2019, and the remainder was scheduled to vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generally subjectprovide health insurance to the named executive officer’s continuous service relationship with the Company through each applicable vesting date. The second tranche, consisting of 23%NEO as of the underlying shares, was scheduled to vest as follows: 25%date of this tranche was scheduled to vest on January 2, 2020, andtermination.
(9)Represents the remainder was scheduled to vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generally subject to the named executive officer’s continuous service relationship with the Company through each applicable vesting date. The third tranche, consistingvalue of acceleration of 15% of the underlying shares, was scheduled to vest as follows: 25%NEO’s unvested and outstanding time-based equity awards. The NEO would remain eligible for the pro-rata portion of this tranche was scheduled to vestany outstanding PSUs based on January 2, 2021, and the remainder was scheduled to vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, generallyactual performance, but such PSUs would not be subject to accelerated vesting.
(10)Represents the named executive officer’s continuous service relationship withvalue of acceleration of (i) vesting of 100% of the Company through each applicableNEO’s unvested and outstanding time-based equity awards and (ii) vesting date.The vesting schedule for this option grant was revised pursuant toof the Transition Agreement, which is described more fully in this Executive Compensation section underNEO’s unvested and outstanding PSUs, based on the heading “Narrative to Summary Compensation Table—Executive employment arrangements—Agreements with our named executive officers— John Mendlein, Ph.D.”

(9)

Represents time-vesting restricted stock units that vest in equal quarterly installments through November 18, 2019, which excludes 401,371 restricted stock units that vested upon the consummationmarket price of a share of our initial public offeringcommon stock on December 11, 201829, 2023, which was $99.45.

(11)Represents the value of acceleration of (i) vesting of 100% of the NEO’s unvested and will be settledoutstanding time-based equity awards and (ii) pro-rated vesting of the NEO’s unvested and outstanding PSUs, based on the market price of a share of our common stock on December 6, 2019.29, 2023, which was $99.45.

2024 Proxy statement   66

Back to Contents

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information as of December 31, 20182023 with respect to shares of our common stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans.

 

Plan Category

  Number of
Securities to be
Issued upon
Exercise of
Outstanding
Options and
Restricted
Stock Units (a)
  Weighted-
Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding
Options (b)
  Number of
Securities
Remaining
Available for
Future
Issuance
Under Equity
Compensation
Plans
(Excluding
Securities
Reflected in
Column (a))
 

Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Stockholders(1)

   51,279,847 (2)   12.16 (3)   8,595,802 (4)(5) 

Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Stockholders

   —     N/A   —   
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

TOTAL

   51,279,847   12.16   8,595,802 
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Plan Category Number of Securities to
be Issued upon Exercise
of Outstanding Options
and Restricted Stock
Units (a)
  Weighted- Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options (b)
 Number of Securities
Remaining Available for
Future Issuance Under
Equity Compensation
Plans (Excluding
Securities Reflected in
Column (a))
 
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Shareholders(1)  30,684,628(2)                 $56.14  19,269,131(3)(4) 
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Shareholders     N/A   
TOTAL  30,684,628  $56.14  19,269,131 
(1)

Consists of our 2018 Stock Plan, 2016 Stock Plan, and 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”).ESPP. Following our initial public offering, we have not and will not grant any awards under our 2016 Stock Plan, but all outstanding awards under the 2016 Stock Plan will continue to be governed by their existing terms. The shares of common stock underlying any awards granted under the 2016 Stock Plan or 2018 Stock Plan that are forfeited, canceled, reacquired by us prior to vesting, satisfied without the issuance of stock, or otherwise terminated (other than by exercise) and the shares of common stock that are withheld upon exercise of a stock option or settlement of such award to cover the exercise price or tax withholding will be added to the shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2018 Stock Plan.

(2)

Includes 458,715Does not include purchase rights accruing under the ESPP because the purchase right (and therefore the number of shares subject to restricted stock units thatbe purchased) will entitlenot be determined until the holder to one shareend of common stock for each unit that vests and is settled. Excludes 198,597 shares of restricted common stock.

the purchase period.
(3)

The calculation does not take into account the 458,715 shares of common stock subject to outstanding restricted stock units. Such shares will be issued at the time the restricted stock units vest and settle, without any cash consideration payable for those shares.

(4)

Consists of shares available for future issuance under the ESPP and the 2018 Stock Plan. As of December 31, 2018, 810,0002023, 3,172,648 shares of common stock were available for issuance under the ESPP (which number includes shares subject to purchase during the current purchase period, which commenced on December 1, 2023, and 7,785,802the exact number of which will not be known until the end of the purchase period on May 30, 2024), and 16,096,483 shares of common stock were available for issuance under the 2018 Stock Plan.

Subject to the number of shares remaining in the share reserve, under the ESPP, the maximum number of shares purchasable by any participant on any one purchase date for any purchase period, including the current period, may not exceed 3,000 shares.
(5)(4)

The 2018 Stock Plan provides that the number of shares reserved and available for issuance under the plan will automatically increase each January 1, beginning on January 1, 2019, by 4% of the outstanding number of shares of our common stock on the immediately preceding December 31, or such lesser number of shares as determined by our compensation committee.Compensation Committee. The ESPP provides that the number of shares reserved and available for issuance will automatically increase each January 1, beginning on January 1, 2020, by the least of 3,240,000 shares of our common stock, 1% of the outstanding number of shares of our common stock on the immediately preceding December 31, or such lesser number of shares as determined by our compensation committee.Compensation Committee. In December 2023, the Compensation Committee authorized an increase in the amount of shares reserved for future issuance under the 2018 Plan equivalent to 4% of our stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023, with such increase taking effect on January 1, 2024.  No such increase was authorized by the Compensation Committee for the ESPP for 2024. The number does not include the increase to the 2018 Plan from January 1, 2024.

2024 Proxy statement   67
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CEO Pay Ratio 

DIRECTOR COMPENSATIONWe present below the ratio of annual total compensation of our median compensated employee to the annualized total compensation of Mr. Bancel, calculated in accordance with Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K.

Non-employee director

In identifying our median employee, we reviewed the compensation program

Effectiveof our entire employee population of approximately 5,600 global employees as of December 6, 2018,31, 2023. In performing this analysis, we adopted anon-employee director compensation policy, which was amendedidentified the median employee based on March 21, 2019, pursuant to which ournon-employee directors are eligible to receive the followingactual base pay during 2023, plus all cash retainers (which will be prorated for partial years of service)bonuses, overtime pay and equity awards:awards received/granted during the year. After identifying the median employee, we then determined the cash bonus for 2023 (paid in 2024), as well as other benefits such as 401(k) match, in the same method used to calculate and report Mr. Bancel’s compensation. 

 

Annual Retainer for service on the Board of Directors

  $50,000 

Additional Annual Retainer forNon-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

  $40,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as Chairperson of the Audit Committee

  $20,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as member of the Audit Committee (other than Chairperson)

  $10,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as Chairperson of the Compensation & Talent Committee

  $15,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as member of the Compensation & Talent Committee (other than Chairperson)

  $7,500 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

  $10,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (other than Chairperson)

  $5,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as Chairperson of the Product Development Committee

  $15,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for service as member of the Product Development Committee (other than Chairperson)

  $7,500 

Ournon-employee directorThe 2023 total compensation policy,for Mr. Bancel, as amended, provides that upon initial election toreported above in the 2023 Summary Compensation Table on page 59 was $17,068,514, which reflects all elements of his compensation as determined under Item 402 of Regulation S-K. The 2023 annual total compensation as determined under Item 402 of Regulation S-K for our board of directors, eachnon-employee director will be granted an option with a grant date fair value of $400,000 (the “Initial Grant”), an exercise price per share equal to the closing price of a share of our common stock on the date of grant, and a term of ten years, that vests in full on theone-year anniversary of the grant date, subject to thenon-employee director’s continuous service as our director through such date. On the date of each of our annual meetings of stockholders, eachnon-employee directormedian employee, who continuesis employed as a memberFinance Manager, was $209,627.

The ratio of the board of directors will be granted an option with a grant date fair value of $425,000 (the “Annual Grant”), an exercise price per share equal to the closing price of a share of our common stock on the date of grant, and a term of ten years, that vests in full on the earlier of (i) theone-year anniversary of the grant date or (ii) the next annual meeting of stockholders, subject to thenon-employee director’s continuous service as our director through each applicable vesting date. If a newnon-employee director joins our board of directors on a date other than the date of our annual meeting of stockholders, then suchnon-employee director will be granted apro-rata portion of the Annual Grant based on the time between such director’s appointment and our next annual meeting of stockholders. The Initial Grants and Annual Grants are subject to full accelerated vesting upon a “sale event,” as defined in the 2018 Stock Plan.

Thenon-employee director compensation policy, as amended, also provides, pursuant to the 2018 Stock Plan, the aggregate amount of compensation, including both the grant date fair value of equity compensation and cash compensation, paid to anynon-employee director in a calendar year will not exceed $1,500,000 for the first year of service and $1,000,000 for each year of service thereafter (or such other limits as may be set forth in the 2018 Stock Plan or any similar provision of a successor plan).

Employee directors will receive no additional compensation for their service as a director. We will reimburse all reasonableout-of-pocket expenses incurred by directors for their attendance at meetings of our board of directors or any committee thereof.

Prior to December 6, 2018, during the year ended December 31, 2018, we providedMr. Bancel’s total compensation to our non-employee directors in the form of cash retainers and equity awards as set forth below, with cash retainers proratedmedian employee’s total annual compensation for partial years of service:fiscal year 2023 is 81 to 1.

 

Annual Retainer for service on the Board of Directors

  $50,000 

Additional Annual Retainer forNon-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

  $25,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for Committee Membership (other than Chair)

  $5,000 

Additional Annual Retainer for Committee Membership (Chair)

  $10,000 

Pay Versus Performance

Upon initial election to our board of directors,each non-employee director was generally granted an option to purchase 42,201 shares of our common stock (the“Pre-IPO Initial Grant”). In addition, for each year thereafter,each non-employee director who continued as a member of the board of directors was granted an option to purchase 42,201 shares of our common stock (the“Pre-IPO Annual Grant”). ThePre-IPO Initial Grant and thePre-IPO Annual Grant each vest in full on the first anniversary of their respective grant dates, subject to continued service as a director through such date, and were granted with a per share exercise price equal to the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant and with a term of ten years.

Non-employee director compensation table

The following table provides information regardingreports the total compensation that was earned by or paid to each of ournon-employee directors CEO (our Principal Executive Officer, or PEO) and the average compensation of the other Named Executive Officers (Other NEOs) as reported in the Summary Compensation Table in our proxy statements for the past four years, as well as their “compensation actually paid” (CAP), as calculated pursuant to SEC rules and certain performance measures required by the rules. The CAP values included in the table below reflect a measure of compensation which is a combined realizable and realized pay measure predicated on fair value. The grant date fair values included in the Summary Compensation Table (SCT) have been replaced with fair values reflecting the change in value of equity awards during the year ended December 31, 2018. Mr. Bancel, who is our Chief Executive Officer, didfiscal year. The calculations do not receive any additional compensation for his service as a director. Dr. Mendlein, our former President, Corporate and Product Strategy from January 2, 2018 to February 1, 2019 who also served as a memberreflect the actual sale of our boardstock underlying equity awards or the exercise of directors until June 13, 2018, did not receive any additional compensation for his service as a director during 2018. The compensation receivedstock options by Mr. Bancel and Dr. Mendlein, as named executive officers of the Company, is presented in “Executive Compensation—2018 Summary Compensation Table” above.executive.

 

Name

  Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash

($)
   Option
Awards
($) (1)
   All Other
Compensation
($)
  Total
($)
 

Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D.(2)

  $101,271   $328,482    —    $429,753 

Stephen Berenson(3)

  $75,000   $328,482    —    $403,482 

Peter Barton Hutt, LL.M.(4)

  $58,654   $328,482    —    $387,136 

Robert Langer, Sc.D.(5)

  $59,547   $328,482    20,000 (6)  $408,029 

Elizabeth Nabel, M.D.(7)

  $60,268   $328,482    —    $388,750 

Israel Ruiz(8)

  $77,500   $328,482    —    $405,982 

Paul Sagan(9)

  $37,088   $328,993    —    $366,081 

Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D.(10)

  $58,242   $328,482    —    $386,724 
           Average
Compensation
Actually Paid
to Other
NEOs(2) 
(e)
  Value of Initial
Fixed $100
Investment
Based on:
     Company
-Selected
Measure
[Product
Sales](4)(5) 
(millions)
(i)
 
Year(1) 
(a)
 Summary
Compensation
Table Total 
for PEO
(b)
  Compensation
Actually Paid
to PEO(2) 
(c)
  Average SCT
Total for
Other NEOs
(d)
    Moderna 
TSR
(f)
  Peer
Group(3) 
TSR
(g)
  Net Income
(millions)
(h)
   
2023 $17,068,514  $(155,552,174) $5,103,698  $(3,939,532)      $508  $115       $(4,714) $6,671 
2022  19,363,648   (306,219,630)  5,822,260   (8,967,479)  918   111  8,362   18,435 
2021  18,155,739   793,044,894   8,256,157   67,035,028   1,298   125   12,202   17,675 
2020  12,855,275   469,967,605   5,286,409   54,985,594   534   126   (747)  200 
(1)Mr. Bancel served as our PEO in each year shown. The Other NEOs reflected in columns (d) and (e) above represent the following individuals for each of the years shown: 2023 – Arpa Garay, Stephen Hoge, Shannon Thyme Klinger and James Mock 2022 – Juan Andres, Arpa Garay, Jorge Gomez, Stephen Hoge, David Meline and James Mock 2021 – Juan Andres, Stephen Hoge, Shannon Thyme Klinger, David Meline and Corinne LeGoff 2020 – Juan Andres, Stephen Hoge, Lorence Kim, David Meline and Tal Zaks
(2)The applicable Summary Compensation Table totals reported for the PEO and the average of the Other NEOs for each year were subject to the following adjustments per Item 402(v)(2)(iii) of Regulation S-K to calculate “compensation actually paid”:
(3)Peer group TSR reflects the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index for all four fiscal years disclosed, which aligns with the peer group used in our Annual Report on 10-K for each of these years.
(4)The Company has identified Product Sales from COVID-19 vaccines as the company-selected measure for the pay versus performance disclosure, as it represents the most important financial performance measure used to link compensation actually paid to the PEO and the Other NEOs in 2023 to the Company’s performance.
(5)Product Sales was chosen from the following three most important financial performance measures used by the Company to link compensation actually paid to the PEO and Other NEOs in 2023 to the Company’s performance:

(1)Mr. Bancel served as our PEO in each year shown. The Other NEOs reflected in columns (d) and (e) above represent the following individuals for each of the years shown:
2023 – Arpa Garay, Stephen Hoge, Shannon Thyme Klinger and James Mock
2022 – Juan Andres, Arpa Garay, Jorge Gomez, Stephen Hoge, David Meline and James Mock
2021 – Juan Andres, Stephen Hoge, Shannon Thyme Klinger, David Meline and Corinne LeGoff
2020 – Juan Andres, Stephen Hoge, Lorence Kim, David Meline and Tal Zaks

Biographical information for each of these individuals and their positions can be found above, beginning on page 33, or in the proxy statement for the year upon which compensation was reported, under the heading “Management.”
(2)The applicable Summary Compensation Table totals reported for the PEO and the average of the Other NEOs for each year were subject to the following adjustments per Item 402(v)(2)(iii) of Regulation S-K to calculate “compensation actually paid”:

 

(1)2024 Proxy statement   68

  2023  2022  2021  2020 
  PEO  Average for
Other NEOs
  PEO  Average for
Other NEOs
  PEO  Average for
Other NEOs
  PEO  Average for
Other NEOs
 
Summary Compensation Table $17,068,514  $5,103,698  $19,363,648  $5,822,260  $18,155,739  $8,256,157  $12,855,275  $5,286,409 
Adjustments                                
Deduction for amounts reported under the “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” columns of the Summary Compensation Table(a)  (12,516,907)  (3,546,372)  (14,389,009)  (4,285,485)  (15,000,000)  (6,600,000)  (9,000,000)  (4,220,000)
Increase/(decrease) for the Inclusion of Rule 402(v) Equity Values(a)  (160,103,781)  (5,496,858)  (311,194,269)  (10,504,254)  789,889,155   65,378,871   466,112,330   53,919,185 
Year-End Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During Year That Remained Unvested as of Last Day of Year  7,294,658   2,224,773   18,930,378   5,957,933   25,410,484   7,893,516   53,681,961   14,619,557 
Change in Fair Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Last Day of Year of Unvested Equity Awards  (15,002,894)  (4,007,912)  (216,035,770)  (5,734,897)  577,920,879   29,752,324   347,020,376   30,590,579 
Change in Fair Value of Prior Years’ Equity Awards that Vested During the Year  (152,395,545)  (3,713,719)  (114,088,877)   (10,254,023)  186,557,792   27,733,031   65,409,993   10,481,461 
Change in Fair Value of Prior Years’ Equity Awards that Forfeited During the Year           (473,267)           (1,772,412)
Compensation
Actually Paid
  (155,552,174)  (3,939,532)  (306,219,630)   (8,967,479)  793,044,894   67,035,028   469,967,605   54,985,594 
(a)Compensation Actually Paid excludes the Stock Awards and Option Awards columns from the relevant fiscal year’s Summary Compensation Table total. The amounts reported representRule 402(v) Equity Values instead reflect the aggregate grant dateof the following components, as applicable: (i) the fair value as of the stock options awardedend of the listed fiscal year of unvested equity awards granted in that year; (ii) the change in fair value during the listed fiscal year of equity awards granted in prior years that remained outstanding and unvested at the end of the listed fiscal year; and (iii) the change in fair value during the listed fiscal year through the vesting date of equity awards granted in prior years that vested during the listed fiscal year, less the fair value at the end of the prior year of awards granted prior to thenon-employee directors in listed fiscal year that failed to meet applicable vesting conditions during the year ended December 31, 2018,listed fiscal year. Equity values are calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Such grant date fair values do not take into account any estimated forfeitures. The assumptions

(3)Peer group TSR reflects the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index for all four fiscal years disclosed, which aligns with the peer group used in calculating the grant date fair value of the stock options reported in this column are set forth in Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in our Annual Report. Report on 10-K for each of these years.
(4)The amounts reported in this column reflectCompany has identified Product Sales from COVID-19 vaccines as the accounting costcompany-selected measure for these stock options and do not correspondthe pay versus performance disclosure, as it represents the most important financial performance measure used to link compensation actually paid to the actual economicPEO and the Other NEOs in 2023 to the Company’s performance.
(5)Product Sales was chosen from the following three most important financial performance measures used by the Company to link compensation actually paid to the PEO and Other NEOs in 2023 to the Company’s performance:

Performance Metrics
Product Sales from COVID-19 VaccinesRefer to “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Short-Term Incentive Compensation—2023 Corporate Objectives,” described on page 48.
Operating IncomeRefer to “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Short-Term Incentive Compensation—2023 Corporate Objectives,” described on page 48.
Total Shareholder Return (TSR)Stock options are the most heavily weighted equity vehicle in our long-term incentive program (75% for the PEO and 50% for the Other NEOs). The value that may be received by thenon-employee directors upon the exercise of thethese equity awards is directly related to stock options or any sale of the underlying shares of common stock.

(2)

As ofprice appreciation over time, which incentivizes our executives to achieve our long-term strategic and pipeline goals to create shareholder value. Total Shareholder Return on a $100 investment in Moderna stock over a four-year period ending December 31, 2018, Dr. Afeyan held outstanding options to purchase a total of 82,508 shares of our common stock. Dr. Afeyan is affiliated with Flagship Pioneering, Inc. and prior to 2018, Flagship Pioneering, Inc. was granted equity for Dr. Afeyan’s service on our board of directors. As of December 31,

2023 would have been $508.44. 

2024 Proxy statement   69
 
2018, Flagship Pioneering, Inc. heldBack to Contents
Supplemental Graphs & Narratives

Description of the relationship between Moderna’s TSR and peer group TSR
Descriptions of the relationships between Compensation Actually Paid (CAP) and financial measures for the PEO and the average of the Other NEOs

1. TSR: Company versus Peer Group 

TSR for our peer group is based on the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, which reflects the Company’s industry sector and is also the peer group used in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Moderna significantly outperformed peers in 2021 and 2022, reflecting our rapid shift to a commercial company as we developed one of the earliest COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. The COVID-19 vaccine was Moderna’s first commercial product when it was authorized for emergency use in the U.S. in December 2020, followed quickly by authorization or approval in markets globally.

Our stock price declined at the end of 2023 compared to the prior year primarily driven by the lower demand for COVID-19 vaccines as we entered the endemic market. We anticipate that the advancement of our pipeline, with as many as 15 products in the next five years, will build significant value for our investors, which should be reflected in our stock price.

2. CAP versus Company TSR 

Equity awards are the largest component of our executive compensation program, representing no less than 70% of the target total compensation for each of our executives. Therefore, TSR has a significant impact on our CAP. The impact for our CEO/PEO is more pronounced given the heavier weighting of stock options versus the other NEOs (75% vs. 50%) and the larger size of his annual equity awards.

Prior to our development of the COVID-19 vaccine early in 2020, two members of our current executive team (Mr. Bancel and Dr. Hoge) were granted equity awards at then-prevailing stock prices. From the time of our IPO in December 2018 through early February 2020—when we completed the first batch of our COVID-19 vaccine for testing—our stock price fluctuated between a low of $11.54 and a high of $29.79. Equity awards granted prior to the development of our COVID-19 vaccine increased significantly in value during 2021, a year in which our closing stock price on December 31, 2021 was $253.98.

Our Other NEOs joined Moderna in 2021 and 2022 (Mr. Mock and Mses. Garay and Klinger) and were granted equity awards at higher stock prices and therefore, the impact of stock price fluctuations on their CAP has been less pronounced. In addition, as of December 31, 2023, all of their previously granted stock options are underwater, with grant prices significantly above prevailing stock prices. The decline in our stock price during 2022 and 2023 has resulted in negative CAP for our PEO and Other NEOs.

2024 Proxy statement   70
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3. CAP versus Net Income 

Our stock price appreciated significantly during 2020 as we announced positive milestones in connection with the development of our COVID-19 vaccine and in anticipation of our delivering on the promise of mRNA medicine. COVID-19 vaccines were the first medicine using mRNA technology, and prior to their launch many questioned the ability to develop medicines using mRNA. While we recognized our initial sales to the U.S. and Canadian governments in the last few weeks of 2020, we incurred significant costs during the year to produce the vaccine and to prepare for global distribution. As a result, we experienced a loss in 2020, but experienced a significant growth in net income for 2021. 2022 also saw positive net income, but a decline from the prior year. Moderna experienced a loss in 2023 driven by lower sales of our COVID-19 vaccine, as further described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

4. CAP versus Company Selected Metric (CSM) – Product Sales from COVID-19 Vaccines 

The most heavily weighted factor in Moderna’s corporate scorecard with respect to Moderna’s annual bonus plan is our product sales. Product sales from our COVID-19 vaccine are our primary source of revenue and are key to funding our operations and ongoing investments in the rest of our research and development pipeline. Most of our other scorecard goals are tied to advancing our product pipeline.

Our product sales increased significantly during 2021 with the sale of our first commercial product, the COVID vaccine, during the global pandemic. Our product sales increased by an additional 4% between 2021 and 2022, but declined in 2023 as we moved into an endemic market and experienced lower than anticipated vaccination rates. We believe that our ongoing investments in advancing our pipeline will lead to future revenues, and that this will in turn lead to shareholder value creation that will be reflected in our stock price.

2024 Proxy statement   71
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Other Compensation Policies and Practices 

Tax and Accounting Considerations 

Deductibility of Executive Compensation 

Generally, Section 162(m) of the Code (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. Subject to certain transition rules which apply to remuneration provided pursuant to written binding contracts which were in effect on November 2, 2017, and which are not subsequently modified in any material respect and certain transition relief for newly public companies, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the exemption from the deduction limit for “performance-based compensation” is no longer available. Consequently, for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2017, all remuneration in excess of $1 million paid to a specified executive will not be deductible unless it qualifies for the transition relief described above.

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 (FASB ASC Topic 718) for our stock-based compensation awards. FASB ASC Topic 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 a total of 33,116 shares of our common stock that were issued for such service. See “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” for additional information regarding Flagship Pioneering’s and its affiliated entities’ beneficial ownership of our common stock.
(3)

As of December 31, 2018, Mr. Berenson held options to purchase a total of 82,508 shares of our common stock.

(4)

As of December 31, 2018, Mr. Hutt held options to purchase a total of 918,376 shares of our common stock.

(5)

As of December 31, 2018, Dr. Langer held options to purchase a total of 211,076 shares of our common stock.

(6)

The amount reported represents $20,000 in consulting fees for Dr. Langer’s service as a member of our Scientific Advisory Board (the “SAB”) pursuant to a Scientific Advisory Board Member Agreement by and between the Company and Dr. Langer, dated as of September 19, 2014. Under such agreement, Dr. Langer is provided with a quarterly consulting fee of $5,000 in exchange for his attendance at SAB meetings and guidance in the field of research, development and commercialization of products involving the use of RNA agnostics and/or modified nucleic acids to alter cellular physiology.

(7)

As of December 31, 2018, Dr. Nabel held options to purchase a total of 114,208 shares of our common stock.

(8)

As of December 31, 2018, Mr. Ruiz held options to purchase a total of 82,508 shares of our common stock.

(9)

Mr. Sagan was elected to our board of directors on June 13, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, Mr. Sagan held options to purchase a total of 36,759 shares of our common stock.

(10)

As of December 31, 2018, Dr. Slaoui held options to purchase a total of 82,508 shares of our common stock.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Other than the compensation agreements and other arrangements described under the sections entitled “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation” appearing above and the transactions described below, for the year ended December 31, 2018, there has not been and there is not currently proposed, any transaction or series of similar transactions to which we were, or will be, a party in which the amount involved exceeded, or will exceed, $120,000 and in which any director, executive officer, holder of five percent or more of any class of our capital stock or any member of the immediate family of, or entities affiliated with, any of the foregoing persons, had, or will have, a direct or indirect material interest.

Private placements of securities

Series G preferred stock financing

On January 30, 2018 and on February 15, 2018, respectively, the Company entered into Series G Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements, pursuant to which we issued and sold an aggregate of 55,666,004 shares of our Series G preferred stock at a price per share of $10.06, for an aggregate purchase price of $560 million. The following table sets forth the number of shares of our Series G preferred stock that we issued to our five percent stockholders and their affiliates in this transaction:

Name

  Shares of
Series G
Preferred Stock(1)
   Total
Purchase Price
 

OCHA LLC(2)

   50,000   $503,000 

Viking Global Investors LP and affiliated entities(3)

   745,526   $7,499,992 

(1)

Upon the closing of our initial public offering on December 11, 2018, all outstanding shares of our preferred stock, including all shares of Series G Preferred Stock, were converted into shares of common stock.

(2)

Stéphane Bancel, our Chief Executive Officer and one of our directors, is the managing member of OCHA LLC, which is a family investment vehicle that has no operations.

(3)

Consisted of (1) 279,160 shares of Series G preferred stock held by VGE III Portfolio Ltd.; (2) 148,974 shares of Series G preferred stock held by Viking Global Equities LP; (3) 8,737 shares of Series G preferred stock held by Viking Global Equities II LP; (4) 129,537 shares of Series G preferred stock held by Viking Global Opportunities Illiquid InvestmentsSub-Master LP; and (5) 179,118 shares of Series G preferred stock held by Viking Long Fund Master Ltd.

Agreements with our stockholders

ROFR and Voting Agreements

In connection with our preferred stock financings, we entered into an investor rights agreement, a right of first refusal andco-sale agreement, and voting agreement, in each case, with the purchasers of our preferred stock and certain holders of our common stock. Our second amended and restated right of first refusal andco-sale agreement (the “ROFR Agreement”) provided for rights of first refusal andco-sale and drag along rights in respect of sales by certain holders of our capital stock. Our second amended and restated voting agreement, as amended (the “Voting Agreement”) contained provisions with respect to the election of our board of directors and its composition. The rights under each of the ROFR Agreement and Voting Agreement terminated upon the closing of our initial public offering on December 11, 2018.

Investor Rights Agreement

Our second amended and restated investors’ rights agreement (the “Investor Rights Agreement”), provided certain holders of our preferred stock with a participation right to purchase their pro rata share of new securities

that we may have proposed to sell and issue, subject to certain exceptions. Such participation right terminated upon the closing of our initial public offering on December 11, 2018.

The Investor Rights Agreement further provides the holders of approximately 236.0 million shares of our common stock rightsand 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 taxes if they receive payments or benefits in connection with respecta 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.

Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code 

Section 409A of the Code imposes additional significant taxes in the event that an executive officer, director or service provider receives “deferred compensation” that does not satisfy the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Although we do not maintain a traditional nonqualified deferred compensation plan, Section 409A of the Code does apply to certain severance arrangements, bonus arrangements and equity awards. We structure all our severance arrangements, bonus arrangements and equity awards in a manner to either avoid the application of Section 409A or, to the registrationextent doing so is not possible, to comply with the applicable requirements of these sharesSection 409A of common stockthe Code.

2024 Proxy statement   72

Compensation and Talent Committee Report 

The information contained in this Compensation and Talent Committee Report shall not be deemed to be soliciting material or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, subject to Regulations 14A or 14C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. No portion of this Compensation and Talent Committee Report shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended including demand registration rights, short-form registration rights, and piggyback registration rights.

Demand registration rights

Following June 4, 2019,(the Securities Act) or the holders of approximately 236.0 million shares of our common stock will be entitledExchange Act, through any general statement incorporating by reference in its entirety the proxy statement in which this report appears, except to demand registration rights. We will be required, upon the written request of either (i) a majority of holders of these shares of our common stock or (ii) AstraZeneca and its affiliatesextent that in either case, would result in an aggregate offering price of at least $5.0 million, to file a registration statement and to use commercially reasonable efforts to effect the registration of allModerna specifically incorporates this report or a portion of these shares for public resale. We are required to effect only two registrations uponit by reference. In addition, this report shall not be deemed filed under either the request of a majority of holders and one registration uponSecurities Act or the request of AstraZeneca.Exchange Act.

Short-form registration rights

The holdersCompensation and Talent Committee has reviewed and discussed the section captioned “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” with management. Based on such review and discussions, the Compensation and Talent Committee recommended to the Board of approximately 236.0 million shares of our common stock are also entitled to short-form registration rights. If we are eligible to file a registration statement onForm S-3, upon the written request of 20% in interest of these holders to sell registrable securities at an aggregate price of at least $2.5 million, we willDirectors that this “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to effect a registration of such shares. We are required to effect only two registrations in any twelve-month period.

Piggyback registration rights

The holders of approximately 236.0 million shares of our common stock are entitled to piggyback registration rights. If we register any of our securities either for our own account or for the account of other security holders, the holders of these shares are entitled to include their shares in the registration. Subject to certain exceptions, we and the underwriters may limit the number of shares included in this proxy statement.

Respectfully submitted by the underwritten offering to the number of shares which we and the underwriters determine in our sole discretion will not jeopardize the successmembers of the offering.

Expiration of registration rights

The demand registration rightsCompensation and short-form registration rights granted under the Investor Rights Agreement will terminate on the earlier to occur of December 11, 2023 or, as to each holder, such earlier time at which such holder (i) can sell all shares held by it in compliance with SEC Rule 144(b)(1)(i) or (ii) holds 1% or less of our common stock and all registrable securities held by such holder can be sold in any three-month period without registration in compliance with SEC Rule 144.

Collaboration Agreement

In August 2016, October 2017, and April 2018, we, AstraZeneca PLC and AstraZeneca AB, or, collectively with their affiliates, AstraZeneca, which is a greater than five percent stockholder, entered into collaboration and license agreements, each described in the section of our Annual Report titled “Business—Third-Party Strategic Alliances.” We and AstraZeneca also entered into an amended and restated participation agreement in August 2016. Under the amended and restated participation agreement, AstraZeneca agreed, among other things, to certainlock-up obligations and restrictions on certain acquisitions of our equity interests.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into agreements to indemnify our directors and executive officers. These agreements will, among other things, require us to indemnify these individuals for certain expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and settlement amounts reasonably incurred by such person in any action or proceeding, including any action by or in our right, on account of any services undertaken by such person on behalf of our Company or that person’s status as a member of our board of directors to the maximum extent allowed under Delaware law.

Policies for approval of related party transactions

We have adopted a written policy providing that our audit committee will be responsible for reviewing and overseeing related party transactions. For purposes of this policy, a related person is defined as (i) any director or executive officerTalent Committee of the Company, (ii) any director nominee, (iii) security holders known to the Company to beneficially own more than five percentBoard of any classDirectors:

François Nader (Chairperson)
Elizabeth Nabel
Elizabeth Tallett

2024 Proxy statement   73

Security Ownership of the Company’s voting securities, or (iv) the immediate family members of any of the persons listed in items (i)—(iii). In reviewing any related party transaction, our audit committee shall review the material facts. The audit committee will take into account, among other factors that it deems appropriate, whether the related party transactions is on terms no less favorable to the Company than terms generally available in a transaction with an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstancesCertain Beneficial Owners and the extent of the related person’s interest in the related party transactions.

Management 

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information known to us regarding beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 31, 2019,7, 2024, or as of the date otherwise set forth below, for:

 

each person or group of affiliated persons known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of our capital stock;

each person or group of affiliated persons known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of our capital stock;
each of our named executive officers;
each of our directors; and
all of our executive officers, directors, and director nominees as a group.

 

each of our named executive officers;

each of our directors; and

all of our executive officers and directors as a group.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Under those rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the individual or entity has sole or shared voting power or investment power. Except as noted by footnote, and subject to community property laws where applicable, we believe, based on the information provided to us, that the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all common stock shown as beneficially owned by them.

The percentage of beneficial ownership in the table below is based on 329,003,737382,879,612 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2019.

7, 2024. The table shown below and the calculated percentage of beneficial ownership includes both shares owned by each stockholdershareholder and all stock options held by such stockholdershareholder that are either currently vested or will be vested within 60 days of March 31, 2019.7, 2024. Further details are provided in the footnotes section below the table.

 

   Shares Beneficially Owned 
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)  Number   Percentage 

Named Executive Officers and Directors:

    

Stéphane Bancel,Chief Executive Officer(2)

   31,264,281    9.5

John Mendlein, Ph.D., J.D.,former President, Corporate and Product Strategy(3)

   1,454,865    *

Lorence Kim, M.D.,Chief Financial Officer(4)

   2,573,274    *

Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D.,Chairman(5) (see Flagship Pioneering and affiliated entities below)

   58,923,003    17.9

Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D.,Director(6)

   82,508    *

Peter Barton Hutt, LL.M.,Director(7)

   922,300    *

Robert Langer, Sc.D.,Director(8)

   11,720,433    3.6

Elizabeth Nabel, M.D.,Director(9)

   158,552    *

Israel Ruiz,Director(10)

   87,067    *

Stephen Berenson,Director(11)

   78,936    *

Paul Sagan,Director(12)

   461,429    *

All executive officers and directors as a group (15 persons)(13)

   113,569,324    34.5

Other 5% Stockholders:

    

Flagship Pioneering and affiliated entities(5)(see Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D.,Chairmanabove)

   58,923,003    17.9

AstraZeneca and affiliated entities(14)

   25,499,325    7.8

Viking Global Investors LP and affiliated entities(15)

   17,081,164    5.2
  Shares Beneficially Owned
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) Number Percentage
Named Executive Officers, Directors and Director Nominees:    
Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer and Director(2) 30,113,590 7.7%
Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D., Chairman(3)  12,017,153 3.1%
Robert Langer, Sc.D., Director(4) 11,808,993 3.1%
Stephen Hoge, M.D., President(5) 5,312,014 1.4%
Paul Sagan, Director(6) 587,832 *
Stephen Berenson, Director(7) 190,384 *
François Nader, M.D., Director(8) 89,016 *
Shannon Thyme Klinger, Chief Legal Officer(9) 51,355 *
Sandra Horning, M.D., Director(10) 51,114 *
Elizabeth Tallett, Director(11) 40,152 *
James Mock, Chief Financial Officer(12) 27,216 *
Arpa Garay, Former Chief Commercial Officer(13) 25,150 *
Elizabeth Nabel, M.D., Director(14) 15,987 *
All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (13 persons) 60,329,956 15.2%
Other 5% Shareholders:    
Baillie Gifford & Co(15) 45,654,527 11.9%
The Vanguard Group(16) 33,906,974 8.9%
BlackRock, Inc.(17) 25,301,057 6.6%

*

Represents beneficial ownership of less than one percent

(1)

2024 Proxy statement   

74
(1)Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each beneficial owner is c/o Moderna, Inc., 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139.

(2)

The shares reported herein consist of (a) 6,720,3685,460,224 shares held directly by Stéphane Bancel, (b) 7,974,6036,564,880 shares held by OCHA LLC (“OCHA”)(OCHA), (c) 9,249,9709,050,372 shares held by Boston Biotech Ventures, LLC (“BBV”)(BBV), and (d) 916,834 shares held by a trust for the benefit of Mr. Bancel’s family and of which the trustee is an independent institution and (e) 6,402,5069,038,114 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019.7, 2024. Mr. Bancel is the controlling unit holder and sole managing member of each of OCHA and BBV. Mr. Bancel disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held in the trust. OCHA or BBV, entities controlled by Mr. Bancel, purchased preferred shares in each of the Company’s Series A, B, C, D, E, F, and G preferred financings, on the same terms and conditions applicable to other investors. The total purchase cost for these preferred shares was approximately $3.9 million. These acquired shares represented approximately 4.6% of the total common shares of the Company outstanding on an as converted basis prior to our initial public offering.

(3)

Consists of (a) 806,1542,146,931 shares of common stock held by John Mendlein andNoubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D., (b) 648,711171,068 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options held by Dr. Afeyan that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 7, 2024, (c) 8,100,794 shares of common stock held by Flagship Ventures Fund IV, L.P. (Flagship Fund IV), (d) 1,561,320 shares of common stock held by Flagship Ventures Fund IV.Rx, L.P. (Flagship Fund IV.Rx, together with Flagship Fund IV collectively the Flagship Funds), (e) 3,924 shares of common stock held by Flagship Pioneering, Inc. (Flagship Pioneering), and (f) 33,116 shares of common stock underlying stock options held by Flagship Pioneering that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

(4)

Consists of (a) 1,147,327 shares held by Lorence Kim and (b) 1,425,947 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

(5)

Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed February 12, 2019, consists of (a) 11,460,435 shares of common stock held by Flagship VentureLabs IV, LLC (“VentureLabs IV”), (b) 3,924 shares of common stock held by Flagship Pioneering, Inc. (“Flagship Pioneering”), (c) 37,874,424 shares of common stock held by Flagship Ventures Fund IV, L.P. (“Flagship IV”), (d) 9,468,596 shares of common stock held by Flagship Ventures FundIV-Rx, L.P. (“FlagshipIV-Rx” and together with VentureLabs IV, Flagship Pioneering, and Flagship IV, the “Flagship Funds”), (e) 82,508 shares of common stock underlying stock options held by Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D. that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019, and (f) 33,116 shares of common stock underlying stock options held by the Flagship Funds that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019. Flagship IV is a member of VentureLabs IV and also serves as its manager. The General Partner of each of Flagship IV and FlagshipIV-Rx is7, 2024. Flagship Ventures Fund IV General Partner LLC (“(Flagship Fund IV GP”). Noubar B.GP) is the general partner of each of the Flagship Fund IV and Flagship Fund IV.Rx. Dr. Afeyan Ph.D. and Edwin M. Kania, Jr. areis the managerssole manager of Flagship Fund IV GP and eachCEO and sole shareholder of these individualsFlagship Pioneering and may be deemed to sharehave voting and investment power with respect to all shares held by the Flagship Funds. Neither Fund IV GP, Dr. Afeyan or Mr. Kania directly own any of the shares held by the Flagship Funds and each of Fund IV GP, Dr. Afeyan and Mr. Kania disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of its or his pecuniary interest therein. The mailing address of the Flagship Funds is 55 Cambridge Parkway, Suite 800E, Cambridge, MA 02142. Dr. Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D. is the CEO of Flagship Pioneering (formerly Flagship Ventures Management, Inc.). Dr. Afeyan has voting and investment power over the common stock options held by Flagship Pioneering. Dr. Afeyan disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

(6) (4)

Consists of 82,508 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

(7)

Consists of (a) 3,924 shares held by Peter Barton Hutt and (b) 918,376 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

(8)

Consists of (a) 11,466,961 shares held by Robert Langer, (b) 14,132 shares held by Michael D. Langer Irrevocable Trust u/d/t dated 12/14/95, (c) 14,132 shares held by Susan K. Langer Irrevocable Trust u/d/t dated 12/14/95, (d) 14,132 shares held by Samuel A. Langer Irrevocable Trust u/d/t dated 12/14/95, and (e) 211,076299,636 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

7, 2024.
(9)(5)

Consists of (a) 44,3441,516,241 shares held by Elizabeth NabelStephen Hoge, (b) 151,933 shares held by a trust for the benefit of Dr. Hoge’s spouse and children, of which his spouse is a trustee, (c) 4,116 shares held by Valhalla LLC, and (d) 3,639,724 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options or unvested RSUs that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 7, 2024. Dr. Hoge disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held in the trust.

(6)Consists of (a) 703 shares held, by Paul Sagan (b) 114,208370,407 shares held by Paul Sagan Revocable Trust, (c) 76,452 shares held by The Chatham Trust, (d) 14,951 shares held by Erwin Park LLC by, and (e) 125,319 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

7, 2024.
(10)(7)

Consists of (a) 4,559 shares held by Israel Ruiz and (b) 82,508 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options that are or will be immediately exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

(11)

Consists of (a) 22,79821,471 shares held by Stephen Berenson and Louise Barzilay, Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship, and (b) 56,138168,913 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options or unvested RSUs held by Mr. Berenson that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

7, 2024.

(12)(8)

Consists of (a) 367,776 shares held by Paul Sagan Revocable Trust, (b) 76,452 shares held by The Chatham Trust, and (c) 17,201 shares held by Erwin Park LLC.

(13)

Consists of (a) 99,988,10320,607 shares held and (b) 13,581,22168,409 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options held by François Nader that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 31, 2019.

7, 2024.
(14)(9)

Based on a Schedule 13G filed January 30, 2019, consistsConsists of 25,499,325(a) 8,673 shares directlyheld and (b) 42,682 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options or unvested RSUs held by Zeneca Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiaryShannon Thyme Klinger that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of AstraZeneca PLC. AstraZeneca PLCMarch 7, 2024.

(10)Consists of (a) 1,373 shares held and Zeneca Inc. may each(b) 49,741 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options or unvested RSUs held by Sandra Horning that are or will be deemed to have sole votingimmediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 7, 2024.
(11)Consists of (a) 703 shares held and dispositive power over the shares. The mailing address(b) 39,449 shares of AstraZeneca PLC is 1 Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0AA, United Kingdom. The mailing addresscommon stock underlying outstanding stock options held by Elizabeth Tallett that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of Zeneca, Inc. is 1800 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Delaware 19803.

March 7, 2024.
(15)(12)

Consists of (a) 4,300 shares held and (b) 22,916 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options or unvested RSUs held by James Mock that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 7, 2024.

(13)Consists of (a) 4,931 shares held and (b) 20,219 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options or unvested RSUs held by Arpa Garay that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 7, 2024.
(14)Consists of (a) 1,373 shares held and (b) 14,614 shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options or unvested RSUs held by Elizabeth Nabel that are or will be immediately exercisable or vest within 60 days of March 7, 2024.
(15)Based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed January 10, 2019. Includes29, 2024 (the Baillie Gifford 13G/A). According to the Baillie Gifford 13G/A, includes sole voting power with respect to 37,518,682 shares, of common stock beneficially owned by Viking Global Investors LPshared voting power with respect to 0 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 45,654,527 shares and various affiliated entities and individuals.shared dispositive power with respect to 0 shares. The business address of eachBaillie Gifford & Co is Calton Square, 1 Greenside Row, Edinburgh EH1 3AN, Scotland, UK.
(16)Based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed February 13, 2024 (the Vanguard 13G/A). According to the Vanguard 13G/A, incudes sole voting power with respect to 0 shares, shared voting power with respect to 416,058 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 32,506,908 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 1,400,066 shares. The business address of The Vanguard Group is 100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355.
(17)Based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed January 29, 2024 (the BlackRock 13G/A). According to the Viking FundsBlackRock 13G/A, includes sole voting power with respect to 23,024,008 shares, shared voting power with respect to 0 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 25,301,057 shares, and shared dispositive power with respect to 0 shares. The business address of BlackRock, Inc. is c/o Viking Global Investors LP, 55 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830.50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001.

2024 Proxy statement   75
Back to Contents

Proposal No. 3: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

PROPOSAL NO. 2

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Our audit committeeAudit Committee has appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm to audit our consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2019.2024. Ernst & Young LLP has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since 2014.

At the Annual Meeting, stockholders are being asked to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019. Stockholder ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP is not required by our bylaws or other applicable legal requirements. However, our board of directors is submitting the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP to our stockholders for ratification as As a matter of good corporate governance. In the event thatgovernance, we are asking shareholders to ratify this appointment. If this appointment is not ratified by the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, and entitledthe Audit Committee may reevaluate the selection of our auditors, but is not required to vote, the audit committee may reconsider such appointment.do so. Even if shareholders ratify this appointment, the appointment is ratified, our audit committee,Audit Committee, in its sole discretion, may appoint another independent registered public accounting firm at any time duringif the year ending December 31, 2019 if our audit committee believes that such a change would be in the best interests of Moderna and its stockholders. shareholders.

A representative of Ernst & Young LLP is expected to be present atattend the Annual Meeting, will have an opportunity to make a statement if he or she wishes to do so, and is expected towill be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.shareholders.

Fees Paid to the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

During 2023, our organization continued to grow geographically, and a number of our foreign subsidiaries were subject to new audit requirements as they matured.  Additionally, the shift to a commercial market in the U.S. significantly increased the number of our customers and this, as well as other factors related to the growth of our business, as well as a reduced materiality threshold, increased the complexity of our annual audit. As a result, we experienced an increase in our year-over-year audit fees from Ernst & Young.

Our Audit Committee remains focused on ensuring the independence of Ernst & Young.  In 2023, we significantly reduced spending on tax fees versus 2022 as we continued to hire internal talent and other service providers to perform certain tax-related services for which we had previously engaged Ernst & Young.  As we have disclosed in prior years, Ernst & Young was engaged to perform certain tax-related services on a temporary basis during our rapid expansion into new jurisdictions during the pandemic, but over the last two years we have been focused on limiting these engagements.

The following table presents fees for professional audit services and other services rendered to us by Ernst & Young LLP for the years ended December 31, 20182023 and 2017:December 31, 2022: 

 

  2018   2017  2023 2022

Audit fees(1)

  $2,111,610   $325,944  $5,271,731  $3,733,808

Audit-related fees(2)

   125,000    216,000      

Tax fees(3)

   321,325    242,388   115,872   1,198,000

All other fees(4)

   —      —     23,464   6,325
  

 

   

 

 

Total Fees

  $2,557,935   $784,332  $5,411,067  $4,938,133
  

 

   

 

 

(1)

Audit fees in 20182023 and 2022 include fees for our annual audit, quarterly review procedures, statutory audits, comfort letters and consents, and assistance with and review of documents filed with the SEC.

(2)There were no audit-related fees incurred in 2023 or 2022. 
(3)Tax fees include tax advisory and transfer pricing services. As of 2023, Ernst & Young no longer provides tax return services to Moderna.
(4)All other fees in connection with our initial public offering. Audit fees in 2017 include2023 and 2022 consisted of subscription fees for our annual audit.

(2)

Audit-related fees paid in their respective years relate toErnst & Young’s online accounting consultations.

(3)

Tax fees paid in their respective years relate to tax return preparationresearch tool, and tax advisory services.

(4)

There were no other fees incurred in 2018 or 2017.

equal pay analysis for Moderna Switzerland.

2024 Proxy statement   76

Audit CommitteePre-Approval of Audit and PermissibleNon-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

During 20182023 and 2017,2022, all audit andnon-audit services by our independent registered public accounting firm werepre-approved by our audit committee. Pursuant to its charter, the audit committeeAudit Committee. The Audit Committee may establishpre-approval policies and procedures, subject to SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations, for such services. The Audit Committee may delegate authority to approve audit andpre-approve non-audit service. services to one or more members of the committee. Any decision to pre-approve an activity must be reported to the full Audit Committee at its first meeting following such decision.

Auditor Independence

In 2018, there were no other professional services provided by2023, Ernst & Young LLPdid not provide any services to Moderna that would have requiredcaused our audit committeeAudit Committee to consider their compatibility with maintaining the independence of Ernst & Young LLP.

reconsider that firm’s independence.

Vote Required

The ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon.votes properly cast. Abstentions will have no effect on the effectresults of a vote AGAINST the proposal.this vote.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2019.

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024.

2024 Proxy statement   77
Back to Contents

Audit Committee Report 

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The information contained in the following Audit Committee Report shall not be deemed to be soliciting material or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that Moderna Inc. (the “Company”) specifically incorporates it by reference in such filing.

The audit committeeAudit Committee serves as the representative of the Company’s boardModerna’s Board of directorsDirectors with respect to its oversight of:

 

the Company’s accounting and financial reporting processes and the audit of the Company’s financial statements;

Moderna’s accounting and financial reporting processes and the audit of Moderna’s financial statements;
the integrity of Moderna’s financial statements;
Moderna’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
significant risks, including cybersecurity risks, reviewing Moderna’s policies for risk assessment and risk management, and assessing the steps management has taken to control these risks;
the performance and responsibilities of Moderna’s internal audit function; and
the appointment, qualifications, and independence of the independent registered public accounting firm.

 

the integrity of the Company’s financial statements;

the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;

inquiring about significant risks, reviewing the Company’s policies for risk assessment and risk management, and assessing the steps management has taken to control these risks; and

the independent registered public accounting firm’s appointment, qualifications, and independence.

The audit committeeAudit Committee also reviews the performance of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP, in the annual audit of the Company’sModerna’s financial statements and in assignments unrelated to the audit, and reviews the independent registered public accounting firm’s fees.

The audit committeeAudit Committee is composed of threenon-employee directors, Israel Ruiz, Stephen Berenson and Paul Sagan. directors. The Company’s boardBoard of directorsDirectors has determined that each member of the audit committeeAudit Committee is independent and that Ms. Tallett, Mr. RuizBerenson and Mr. Sagan each qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)SEC rules.

The audit committeeAudit Committee provides the Company’s boardBoard of directorsDirectors such information and materials as it may deem necessary to makeapprise the boardBoard of directors awareDirectors of financial matters requiring the attention of the board of directors.its attention. The audit committeeAudit Committee reviews the Company’sModerna’s financial disclosures and meets privately, outside the presence of the Company’s management, with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.firm and Moderna’s internal auditors. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the audit committeeAudit Committee reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements in the Company’sModerna’s Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the “Annual Report”)2023, with management, Moderna’s internal auditors and Ernst & Young, including a discussion of the quality and substance of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments made in connection with the audited financial statements, and the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements. The audit committeeAudit Committee reports on these meetings to the Company’s boardBoard of directors.Directors.

The audit committee has reviewed and discussed the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements with management and Ernst & Young LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The audit committeeAudit Committee has discussed with Ernst & Young LLP the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”)(PCAOB) and the SEC.

The audit committee In addition, the Audit Committee has received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by the applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding Ernst & Young LLP’sthat firm’s communications with the audit committeeAudit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with Ernst & Young LLP its independence. In addition, the audit committee has discussed with Ernst & Young LLP its independence from management and the Company, including matters in the letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by PCAOB Rule 3526,Communication with Audit Committees Concerning Independence,Moderna, and considered the compatibility ofnon-audit services with Ernst & Young’s independence. In addition, the Audit Committee discussed Moderna’s internal controls over financial reporting and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of those controls with management, Moderna’s internal auditors and Ernst & Young. The Audit Committee reviewed with both Ernst & Young LLP’s independence.

and Moderna’s internal auditors their audit plans, audit scope and identification of audit risks. Based on the reviewthese reviews and discussions, referred to above, the audit committeeAudit Committee recommended to the Company’s boardBoard of directorsDirectors that the Company’sModerna’s audited consolidated financial statements be included in the Company’sModerna’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, for filing with the SEC.

The audit committee alsoAudit Committee has selected Ernst & Young LLP as theModerna’s independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the year ending December 31, 2019.2024. The Company’s boardBoard of directorsDirectors recommends that stockholdersshareholders ratify this selection at the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders.Meeting.

Respectfully submitted by the members of the audit committeeAudit Committee of the boardBoard of directors:Directors:

Israel Ruiz

Elizabeth Tallett (Chairperson)

Stephen Berenson

Paul Sagan

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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

Proposal No. 4: Amend Our Certificate of Incorporation to Provide Shareholders the Right to Call a Special Meeting

Background and Proposed Amendment

Stockholder RecommendationsThis management proposal seeks to provide to common shareholders owning at least 20% of Moderna’s outstanding stock the right to call a special meeting of shareholders, in accordance with, and subject to, the provisions that would be set forth in our governing documents.

As part of our continuous evaluation of our corporate governance practices, our Board regularly reviews our governing documents and considers feedback from investors concerning possible updates. Currently, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) provides that only the Board may call a special meeting of shareholders.  

In our engagement meetings with shareholders, we have received consistent feedback that shareholders would appreciate an expansion of certain shareholder rights. This feedback and engagement with shareholders informed the Board’s decision to amend our By-laws in February 2024 to implement majority voting for uncontested director elections, as well as proxy access on market standard terms, both as described elsewhere in this Proxy Statement. Additionally, the Board has decided that it is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders to permit shareholders that collectively hold a sufficiently large economic and voting interest in the Company to require that the Company call a special meeting of shareholders, subject to specified procedures, provisions and requirements. 

The Board, based on the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, has unanimously recommended that the Company’s shareholders vote “FOR” an amendment (the “Special Meeting Amendment”) to the Certificate of Incorporation to amend and revise Article V, Section 2 to read in its entirety as follows:

“2. Special Meetings.  Except as otherwise required by statute and subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any series of Undesignated Preferred Stock, special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by (i) the Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors then in office (whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships at the time any such resolution is presented to the Board of Directors for adoption), (ii) the chairman of the Board of Directors, or the chief executive officer or president (in the absence of a chief executive officer) or (iii) the secretary of the Corporation following the secretary’s receipt of signed written requests to call a meeting from the holders of at least 20% of the voting power of the capital stock of the Corporation issued and outstanding and entitled to vote. Except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may not be called by any other person or persons. Advance notice of stockholder nominations and business to be brought before any special meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the By-laws of the Corporation.” 

If the shareholders approve the Special Meeting Amendment at the Annual Meeting, the Company will file a Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation in the form attached hereto as Appendix A. In accordance with Delaware law, however, our Board may elect to abandon the Special Meeting Amendment without further action by the shareholders at any time prior to the effectiveness of the filing of the Special Meeting Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, notwithstanding shareholder approval of the amendment.

Reasons for the Amendment

The Board recognizes that providing a significant portion of the shareholders of a company the ability to call special meetings is viewed by many shareholders as an important shareholder right. However, the Board also recognizes the need for appropriate parameters given that special meetings of shareholders potentially can be disruptive to business operations and to long-term shareholder interests, can be misused and can cause the Company to incur substantial expenses. Accordingly, the Board believes that the proposed 20% threshold for calling special meetings of shareholders will balance these considerations, providing that special meetings can be called by shareholders with a significant interest in the Company, while minimizing the risk of disruption to the Company and its operations that calling a special meeting could entail.  The Board’s decision to set this threshold at 20% was informed by feedback from investors during outreach meetings over the last several months, and the Board believes this level of support strikes an appropriate balance based upon the views expressed during those meetings. 

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The Board further believes that the Special Meeting Amendment will further align the Company’s governance with prevailing market practices by granting the right call a special meeting of shareholders to the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, or the President (in the absence of a Chief Executive Officer).  

Effect of the Amendment

As described above, the Special Meeting Amendment would amend our Certificate of Incorporation to permit shareholders holding at least 20% of our outstanding stock to request that the Secretary of the Company call a special meeting of shareholders.  It would also grant the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, or the President (in the absence of a Chief Executive Officer), the right to call a special meeting of shareholders. Any business to be acted upon at a special meeting of shareholders would be subject to the applicable provisions of our By-laws. 

If the Special Meeting Amendment is approved, the Board will adopt corresponding changes to the By-laws (which do not require shareholder approval) that will include safeguards and requirements for calling special meetings, including the concepts outlined below and otherwise consistent with the newly-effective shareholder rights provided in the Certificate of Incorporation:

To specify the information required to be set forth in a written request to call a special meeting;
To specify the requirements for proponents to update and supplement information submitted in connection with a special meeting to ensure that information remains accurate in advance of the meeting;
To grant the Board the discretion to determine whether to hold a special meeting if written requests to hold a special meeting are revoked from holders and the relevant threshold is no longer met; 
To grant the Board the right to determine the place (if any), date and time of a special meeting and to set the record date for the special meeting, as well as to determine any other business to be transacted at the special meeting; and
To specify that a shareholder written request to call a special meeting shall not be valid if it (i) relates to an item of business that is not a proper subject for shareholder action under applicable law, (ii) relates to an item that is the same or substantially similar to an item that was voted upon at a shareholder meeting within 120 days prior to the receipt of shareholder requests, (iii) that is delivered during the period commencing 120 days prior to the anniversary of the last annual meeting and ending on the date of the next annual meeting, (iv) violates Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, or (v) does not otherwise comply with the by-law related to special meetings.  

Other than the revisions to Article V, Section 2 to reflect the text that appears above, the Special Meeting Amendment would not cause any changes to the Certificate of Incorporation. If the Special Meeting Amendment is approved by shareholders, the Special Meeting Amendment would become effective upon filing with the Delaware Secretary of State, which the Company would submit promptly following the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

 The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” this proposal, for the reasons outlined above. 

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Proposal No. 5: Amend Our Certificate of Incorporation to Reflect New Delaware Law Provisions Allowing for Officer Exculpation 

Background and Proposed Amendment

In August 2022, the State of Delaware, which is the Company’s state of incorporation, enacted legislation that enables Delaware companies to limit the liability of certain officers in limited circumstances. The amended Delaware law permits exculpation for direct claims brought by shareholders for breach of an officer’s fiduciary duty of care, but would not permit companies to eliminate officers’ monetary liability for breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by the company itself or for derivative claims brought by shareholders on behalf of the company. The new law also does not allow officers to be exculpated for breaches of the duty of loyalty, acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or any transaction in which an officer derived an improper personal benefit.

In light of this change in law, the Board, based on the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, has unanimously recommended that the Company’s shareholders vote “FOR” an amendment (the “Exculpation Amendment”) to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) to add a new Article VIII, which shall read in its entirety as follows:

“ARTICLE VIII. Limitation of Liability for Officers. An Officer (as defined below) of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of his or her fiduciary duty as an officer of the Corporation, except for liability (a) for any breach of the Officer’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (b) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (c) for any transaction from which the Officer derived an improper personal benefit, or (d) arising from any claim brought by or in the right of the Corporation. If the DGCL is amended after the effective date of this Certificate to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of Officers, then the liability of an Officer of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended. For purposes of this Article VIII, “Officer” shall mean an individual who has been duly appointed as an officer of the Corporation and who, at the time of an act or omission as to which liability is asserted, is deemed to have consented to service by the delivery of process to the registered agent of the Corporation as contemplated by 10 Del. C. § 3114(b).

Any amendment, repeal or modification of this Article VIII by either of (i) the stockholders of the Corporation or (ii) an amendment to the DGCL, shall not adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such amendment, repeal or modification with respect to any acts or omissions occurring before such amendment, repeal or modification of a person serving as a Director Nominationsat the time of such amendment, repeal or modification.”

Any stockholder wishing

The Exculpation Amendment also includes a corresponding renumbering of the subsequent Articles in the Certificate of Incorporation and a technical amendment in the (newly-renumbered) Article IX to recommendclarify that the Board may adopt (in addition to amend or repeal) the Bylaws. 

If the shareholders approve this proposal at the Annual Meeting, the Company will file a Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation substantially in the form attached hereto as Appendix B. In accordance with Delaware law, however, our Board may elect to abandon the Exculpation Amendment without further action by the shareholders at any time prior to the effectiveness of the filing of the Exculpation Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware notwithstanding shareholder approval of the amendment.

Reasons for the Amendment

The Board believes it is important to provide protection from certain liabilities and expenses that may discourage prospective or current officers from serving the Company. The Board believes it is appropriate for public companies in states that allow exculpation of officers to have exculpation clauses in their company charters. In the absence of such protection, qualified officers might be deterred from serving as officers due to exposure to personal liability and the risk that substantial expense will be incurred. Our Board and our shareholders expect our officers to effectively manage the Company’s challenges within a complex and ever-evolving environment. The Board recognizes that our officers are called upon to make critical decisions, and that in an increasingly litigious environment our executive team can be exposed to substantial personal liability from litigants seeking to impose liability on the basis of hindsight and regardless of merit. The Board believes that providing the protection permitted under Delaware law will provide comfort to and empower our officers to best exercise their business judgment in the interests of the Company and our shareholders, which

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will encourage agility and critical decision-making, while also enabling us to continue to attract and retain experienced and high-quality officers.  

To the extent our peers adopt similar exculpation clauses that limit the personal liability of officers, failing to adopt the Exculpation Amendment could negatively impact our recruitment of exceptional officer candidates and retention of current officers.

Our Certificate of Incorporation currently provides for the exculpation of directors but does not include a provision that allows for the exculpation of officers. The Exculpation Amendment would more generally align the protections available to our directors under our governing documents and Delaware law with those available to our officers, enabling them to exercise their business judgment in furtherance of the interests of the shareholders without the potential for distraction posed by the risk of personal liability. The Exculpation Amendment would also help to clarify the application of exculpation provisions to individuals serving as both a director nomineeand an officer. As is currently the case with directors under our Certificate of Incorporation, this provision would not exculpate officers from liability for consideration by the nominating and corporate governance committee should provide the following information to 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, (617)714-6500, Attention: Corporate Secretary: (i) the name, age, business address and residence addressbreach of the nominee, (ii)duty of loyalty, acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or any transaction in which the principal occupationofficer derived an improper personal benefit. Nor would this provision exculpate such officers from liability for claims brought by or employmentin the right of the nominee, (iii)Company, such as derivative claims.

The Exculpation Amendment is aimed at striking a balance between shareholders’ interest in accountability and their interest in the Company being able to attract and retain experienced and high-quality officers to work on its behalf. Accordingly, the Board believes that the Exculpation Amendment is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

Given the narrow class and numbertype of claims for which officers’ liability would be exculpated, the Board believes the Exculpation Amendment would not negatively impact shareholder rights.

The Exculpation Amendment may also reduce the Company’s future insurance needs and costs.

Effect of the Amendment

As described above, the Exculpation Amendment would limit the liability of certain officers of the Company in limited circumstances. Other than the addition of a new Article VIII with the text that appears above, and the renumbering of subsequent Articles of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Exculpation Amendment would not cause any changes to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation. If the Exculpation Amendment is approved by shareholders, the Exculpation Amendment would become effective upon a filing with the Delaware Secretary of State, which the Company would submit promptly following the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

 The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” this proposal, for the reasons outlined above. 

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Information about the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders 

To be held at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on May 6, 2024.

Why am I receiving these materials? 

Our Board of Directors is providing these proxy materials to you in connection with a solicitation of proxies for use at the Annual Meeting. You are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and we are asking you to vote on the proposals described in this proxy statement. All shareholders as of the close of business on March 7, 2024, will receive the proxy materials and have the ability to access them online at www.proxyvote.com.

Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting? 

Holders of our common stock at the close of business on March 7, 2024, the record date for the Annual Meeting (the Record Date), are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each share of our common stock held as of the Record Date for each matter addressed at the meeting. As of the Record Date, there were 382,879,612 shares of the Companycommon stock outstanding and entitled to vote. You are entitled to vote shares that are held of record directly in your name and shares held for you as the beneficial owner through a shareholder, bank, or are beneficially owned byother nominee. For more information, see “What is the nomineedifference between holding shares as a shareholder of record and any derivative positions held or beneficially held byas a beneficial owner?”

What business will be conducted at the nominee, (iv) whetherAnnual Meeting? 

The following table shows the proposals to be presented for a vote, the applicable voting requirements, and the extentBoard’s recommendations.  

ProposalVote required to pass Voting options Board’s 
recommendation
Effect of abstentions and broker non-votes*
Elect three Class III directors to hold office until the 2027 annual meeting of shareholdersEach director must receive an affirmative vote from a majority of the votes properly cast to be elected FOR, AGAINST or ABSTAIN (for each director nominee)FOR each nomineeNo effect
Approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officersA majority of the votes properly castFOR, AGAINST or ABSTAINFORNo effect
Ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024A majority of the votes properly castFOR, AGAINST or ABSTAINFORNo effect
Proposal to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to provide  shareholders the right to call a special meetingA majority of shares outstandingFOR, AGAINST or ABSTAINFORTreated as a vote AGAINST the proposal
Proposal to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to reflect new Delaware law provisions allowing for officer exculpationA majority of shares outstandingFOR, AGAINST or ABSTAINFORTreated as a vote AGAINST the proposal

*See “What if I do not specify how my shares are to be voted?” for an explanation of broker non-votes.

The Board of Directors knows of no other business to which any hedging or other transaction or series of transactions has been entered into by or on behalf ofbe brought before the nominee with respect to any securities of the Company, and a description ofAnnual Meeting. Should any other agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any short position or any borrowing or lending of shares),matters be presented, the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to, or to manage the risk or benefit of share price changes for, or to increase or decrease the voting power of the nominee, (v) a description of all arrangements or understandings between or among the stockholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nominations are to be made by the stockholder or concerning the nominee’s potential service on the board of directors, (vi) a written statement executed by the nominee acknowledging that as a director of the Company, the nominee will owe fiduciary duties under Delaware law with respect to the Company and its stockholders, and (vii) all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in an election contest, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act (including such person’s written consent to beingindividuals named in the proxy will have the authority to take action in regard to such matters as in their judgment seems advisable. If you hold shares through a broker, bank, or other nominee, they will not be able to vote your shares on any other business that comes before the Annual Meeting unless they receive instructions from you with respect to such matter.

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What is the difference between holding shares as a nomineeshareholder of record and to serving as a directorbeneficial owner? 

Shareholder of record 

If your shares are registered directly in your name with Computershare Trust Company, N.A., our transfer agent, then you are considered the shareholder of record with respect to those shares. As the shareholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the individuals listed on the proxy card or to vote online during the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial owner 

If your shares were held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee on your behalf, then you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name.” As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank, or other nominee how to vote your shares by following the voting instructions you receive. Your broker, bank, or other nominee has only limited authority to vote your shares without your instructions. For more information, see “What if elected).I do not specify how my shares are to be voted?”

How can I attend the Annual Meeting? 

Admission to the Annual Meeting 

We will host the Annual Meeting via the Internet. You will not be able to attend the meeting in person. Participation in the Annual Meeting as a shareholder, with the right to vote and submit questions, is limited to shareholders as of the close of business on the Record Date. The meeting can be accessed at: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MRNA2024.

Other shareholders and members of the public can also access the Annual Meeting at the URL above without a control number, but without the right to vote or submit a question.

The nominatingwebcast of the Annual Meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on May 6, 2024. Online access will begin at 7:45 a.m., Eastern Time, and corporate governance committee may seek further information fromwe encourage you to log into the Annual Meeting 5-15 minutes prior to the start time.

If you encounter difficulties accessing the Annual Meeting, please call the technical support number that will be posted on the registration page for the meeting website.

Shareholder of record 

If you were a shareholder of record at the close of business on the Record Date, you will need the 16-digit control number found on your Notice of Internet Availability, your proxy card or about the stockholder makinginstructions that accompany your proxy materials. You do not need to do anything in advance to access the recommendation, the director candidate, or any such otherAnnual Meeting.

Beneficial owner 

If you were a beneficial owner at the close of business on the Record Date, you may attend the Annual Meeting. You will need the 16-digit control number found on your Notice of Internet Availability, your proxy card or the instructions that accompany your proxy materials if you wish to attend the Annual Meeting with the right to vote and submit a question. Even if you do not have your control number or were not a shareholder as of the close of business on the Record Date, you can still access the meeting, but will not be able to vote at the meeting or submit a question.

How do I vote? 

Shareholder of record 

If you are a shareholder of record, you can vote in one of the following ways:

Internet. Go to www.proxyvote.com to complete an electronic proxy card. You will need the control number from the proxy card you receive. You will be responsible for any Internet access charges you incur. If you vote online, you do not need to return a proxy card by mail. Votes by internet must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, 2024, Eastern time, to be counted.

By telephone. Dial toll-free 1-800-690-6903 and follow the recorded instructions. You will need the control number from your proxy card. You will be responsible for any telephone charges you incur. If you vote by telephone, you do not need to return a proxy card by mail. Votes by telephone must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, 2024, Eastern time, to be counted.

By mail. Complete, date, and sign your proxy card and return it promptly by mail in the envelope provided. The people named in the proxy card will vote your shares in accordance with the instructions you provide. If you return the proxy card, but do not give voting instructions on a particular matter, the people named in the proxy card will vote your shares in accordance with the recommendations of our Board of Directors. Votes by mail must be received by the close of business on Friday, May 3, 2024, Eastern time, to be counted.

During the meeting. If you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, you may vote by following the instructions provided online during the meeting. However, even if you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, we encourage you to submit your vote ahead of time by one of the methods listed above.

Beneficial owner 

If your shares are held in street name, follow the voting instructions you receive from your broker, bank, or other nominee.

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Can I submit a question for the meeting? 

Shareholders as of the Record Date can submit questions in writing in advance of the meeting through www.proxyvote.com. Shareholders who attend the Annual Meeting and log in as a shareholder using their control number (as described above) will also have an opportunity to submit questions in writing during the meeting. We will try to answer as many submitted questions as time permits (whether submitted prior to or during the portion of the meeting when questions may be submitted). If we receive substantially similar questions, we will group such questions together and provide a single response to avoid repetition.

Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy? 

Shareholder of record 

If you are a shareholder of record, you may revoke your proxy or change your proxy instructions at any time before your proxy is voted at the Annual Meeting by:

entering a new vote by Internet or telephone;
signing and returning a new proxy card with a later date;
delivering a written revocation to our Corporate Secretary; or
accessing the Annual Meeting and voting in person.

Beneficial owner 

If you are a beneficial owner, you must contact the broker, bank, or other nominee holding your shares and follow their instructions to change your vote or revoke your proxy.

What if I do not specify how my shares are to be voted? 

Shareholder of record 

If you submit a proxy but do not provide voting instructions, your shares will be voted:

FOR the election of each of the nominees as Class III directors to serve for a three-year term (Proposal No. 1);
FOR approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of Moderna’s named executive officers (Proposal No. 2); 
FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024 (Proposal No. 3);
FOR the approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to provide shareholders the right to call a special meeting (Proposal No. 4); and 
FOR the approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to reflect new Delaware law provisions allowing for officer exculpation (Proposal No. 5).  
In the discretion of the named proxy holders regarding any other matters properly presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial owner 

If you do not provide voting instructions, then your broker, bank, or other nominee will only have authority to vote your shares with respect to Proposal No. 3 (ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm). Your shares will not be voted with respect to Proposals No. 1, 2, 4 and 5. This is known as a “broker non-vote.”

What is the quorum requirement for the Annual Meeting? 

A majority of the shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote, in person or by proxy, constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. As of the Record Date, there were a total of 382,879,612 shares of common stock outstanding, which means that 191,439,807 shares of common stock must be represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting to have a quorum. If there is no quorum, a majority of the shares present at the Annual Meeting may adjourn the meeting to a later date. Votes withheld, abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of determining whether we have a quorum.

Who is soliciting my proxy? 

Proxies are solicited by and on behalf of our Board of Directors. The individuals named in the proxy have been designated as proxy holders by our Board of Directors. When you return a proxy that is properly dated and executed, your shares represented by the proxy will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give specific instructions on your proxy card, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our Board of Directors. If any matters not described in this proxy statement are properly presented at the Annual Meeting, the proxy holders will use their own judgment to determine how to vote your shares. If the Annual Meeting is postponed or adjourned, the proxy holders can vote your shares on the new meeting date, unless you have properly revoked your proxy, as described above.

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How are proxies solicited and who is paying for the solicitation? 

Moderna will bear the entire cost of this proxy solicitation, including the distribution of the proxy materials. Copies of solicitation materials will also be made available to brokers, banks, and other nominees to forward to beneficial owners. The original solicitation of proxies may be supplemented by solicitation by telephone, electronic communication, or other means by our directors, officers, employees, or agents. Morrow Sodali, LLC has been retained to assist in soliciting proxies for a fee of $10,000 plus distribution costs and other expenses.

Why did I receive more than one Notice of the Annual Meeting? 

If you receive more than one proxy card or voting instruction form for the Annual Meeting, your shares may be registered in more than one name or in more than one account. Please follow the voting instructions on each notice you received to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

I share an address with another shareholder, and we received only one paper copy of the proxy materials. How may I obtain an additional copy? 

Shareholders of Moderna common stock who share a single address may receive only one copy of this proxy statement and Annual Report, unless we have received contrary instructions from any shareholder at that address. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to reduce our printing and postage costs and the environmental impact of the Annual Meeting. Shareholders who participate in householding will continue to receive separate proxy cards if they received a paper copy of proxy materials in the mail. If your household received only a single set of our proxy materials and you would like a separate copy, or if your household received multiple copies of our proxy materials and you want only a single copy next year, please notify our Corporate Secretary at the address provided below. Shareholders who hold shares in street name may contact their brokerage firm, bank, or other nominee to request information about allhouseholding.

How can I find out the results of the voting at the Annual Meeting? 

Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. In addition, final voting results will be published in a current report on Form 8-K that we expect to file with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting. If final voting results are not available to us at that time, we intend to file a Form 8-K to publish preliminary results and, other relationships betweenwithin four business days after we know the director candidate andfinal results, file an amendment to the stockholder and betweenForm 8-K to publish those results.

What is the director candidate and any such other beneficial owner.

Deadlinesdeadline to propose actions for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations

Stockholders who wishconsideration at next year’s annual meeting of shareholders or to present proposals for inclusionnominate individuals to serve as directors? 

Proposal to include in our proxy materials for the 2020 Annual Meetingstatement 

Shareholders may do so by following the procedures prescribed inRule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and in our bylaws. Our Corporate Secretary must receive stockholderpresent proper proposals intended to be included in our proxy statement and formconsidered at the next annual meeting of proxy relatingshareholders by submitting their proposals in writing to our 2020Corporate Secretary. For a shareholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement for our 2025 annual meeting of shareholders (2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders made under Rule14a-8 by January 16, 2020,Meeting), our Corporate Secretary must receive the written proposal at our principal executive offices no later than November 21, 2024, unless the date of 2020our 2025 Annual Meeting is held more than 30 days before or after June 27, 2020,May 6, 2025, in which case the proposal must be received a reasonable time before we begin to print and send proxy materials for the 20202025 Annual Meeting. In addition, shareholder proposals must comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.

Under

Proposal that will not be included in our currentproxy statement 

Our bylaws proposalscontain an advance notice procedure for shareholders who wish to present a proposal before an annual meeting of business and nominationsshareholders but do not intend for directors other than thosethe proposal to be included in our proxy materials followingstatement. These matters may only be brought before the procedures described inRule 14a-8 may be madeannual meeting by stockholdersa shareholder of record entitled to vote at the annual meeting ifwho has delivered timely written notice, is timely given and if the notice containscontaining the information required by the bylaws.specified in our bylaws, to our Corporate Secretary. To be timely a notice with respect to the 2020for our 2025 Annual Meeting, of Stockholders must be delivered to our Corporate Secretary no earlier thangenerally must receive the written notice at our principal executive offices between January 6, 2025, and February 28, 2020 and no later than March 29, 2020 unless the date of the 20205, 2025. However, if we hold our 2025 Annual Meeting is advanced by more than 30 days before or delayed by more than 60 days after June 27, 2020,May 6, 2025, then notice of a shareholder proposal that is not intended to be included in which eventour proxy statement must be received no later than the bylaws provide different notice requirements.

Any proposalclose of business on the later of (a) the 90th day before our 2025 Annual Meeting and (b) the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of our 2025 Annual Meeting is first made.

Director nominations 

Our Nominating Committee is responsible for selecting and recommending nominees for election as directors to the Board. For information on how you can propose

2024 Proxy statement   86
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director candidates for consideration by our Nominating Committee, see “Governance—Composition of Our Board of Directors—Shareholder Recommendations for Director Candidates.”

In addition, a shareholder, or nomination shoulda group of up to 20 shareholders, that has owned continuously for at least three years shares of our common stock representing an aggregate of at least 3% of our outstanding shares, may nominate and include in our proxy materials the greater of two director nominees or the number of nominees constituting 20% of our Board, or if such amount is not a whole number, the closest whole number below 20%, provided that the shareholder(s) and nominee(s) satisfy the requirements in our By-laws.  Notice of director nominees pursuant to this proxy access by-law must be mailed to:received between November 21, 2024 and December 21, 2024. However, if we hold our 2025 Annual Meeting more than 30 days before or after May 6, 2025, then the proxy access notice must be received no earlier than the 120th day before our 2025 Annual Meeting and no later than the close of business on the later of (a) the 90th day before our 2025 Annual Meeting and (b) the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of our 2025 Annual Meeting is first made.

To directly nominate a director for election at an annual meeting of shareholders, an eligible shareholder must provide the information required by our bylaws, including, without limitation, the name and principal occupation or employment of the nominee, the number of shares of our capital stock owned by the nominee, a description of arrangements or understandings between the nominee and the appointing shareholder or shareholders concerning the nominee’s potential service on our Board of Directors and a completed questionnaire with respect to the nominee’s background and qualifications. In addition, the appointing shareholder must give notice to our Corporate Secretary in the time frame described above under “—Proposal that will not be included in our proxy statement.”

Furthermore, to comply with universal proxy rules, shareholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Company’s nominees must provide notice that sets forth the information required by Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act no later than February 5, 2025.

How can I get a copy of Moderna’s Bylaws? 

Our bylaws are part of our public filings on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also contact our Corporate Secretary as described immediately below for a copy of our bylaws.

How can I contact the Corporate Secretary? 

You can reach our Corporate Secretary at the following address and phone number: Moderna, Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139.

02139, (617) 714-6500, or via email at Corporate.Secretary@modernatx.com.

Where can I find more information about Moderna? 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, file reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. Reports, proxy statements, and other information areSEC, which is all publicly available on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’sSEC’s website, http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copyfind any document we file with the SEC (and more) on our website at http://www.modernatx.com under the “Investors” heading. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not intended to be incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.

You should rely on the information contained in this document to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting. Moderna has not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from what is contained in this document. This document is dated May 15, 2019.March 21, 2024. You should not assume that the information contained in this document is accurate as of any date other than thatlater date, and the mailing of this document to stockholdersshareholders at any time after that date does not create an implication to the contrary.suggest otherwise. This proxy statement does not constitute a solicitation of a proxy in any jurisdiction where, or to or from any person to whom, it is unlawful to make such proxy solicitations in such jurisdiction.

COMPANY WEBSITE

We maintain a website at www.modernatx.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not intended to be incorporated by reference into this proxy statement, and references to our website address in this proxy statement are inactive textual references only.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING DELIVERY OF STOCKHOLDER DOCUMENTS

Stockholders of Moderna common stock who share a single address may receive only one copy of this proxy statement and Annual Report, unless Moderna has received contrary instructions from any stockholder at that address. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to reduce the Company’s printing and postage costs. However, if any stockholder residing at such an address wishes to receive a separate copy of this proxy statement or our Annual Report, may contact Moderna, Inc., 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, (617)714-6500, Attention: Corporate Secretary, and Moderna will deliver those documents to such stockholder promptly upon receiving the request. Any such stockholder may also contact the Corporate Secretary using the above contact information if he or she would like to receive separate proxy statements and annual reports in the future. If you are receiving multiple copies of our annual reports and proxy statements, you may request householding in the future by contacting our Corporate Secretary.

OTHER BUSINESS

The board of directors knows of no business to be brought before the Annual Meeting which is not referred to in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting. Should any such matters be presented, the persons named in the proxy shall have the authority to take such action in regard to such matters as in their judgment seems advisable. If you hold shares through a broker, bank, or other nominee as described above, they will not be able to vote your shares on any other business that comes before the Annual Meeting unless they receive instructions from you with respect to such matter.

LOGO

ANNUAL MEETING OF MODERNA, INC.solicitations.

 

2024 Proxy statement   87

Date:

 

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Time:

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8:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)

Place:

200 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

Appendix A

Certificate of Amendment - Special Meeting Right

Please make your marks like this:    Certificate of Amendment 
  Use dark black pencil or pen onlyof

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
of
Moderna, Inc. 

The Board

Moderna, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of Directors Recommends a VoteFORthe nominees listed in proposal 1 andFOR proposal 2.State of Delaware pursuant to Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), hereby certifies as follows:

 

1.

1:

To elect threeThe Amended and Restated Certificate of our Class I director nominees set forthIncorporation of the Corporation, as heretofore amended, is hereby amended by replacing Article V – Stockholder Action, Section 2, which shall read in the proxy statement, each to serve for a three-year term expiring at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her respective successor is duly elected and qualified or such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal.

its entirety as follows:

Nominees:

01 Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D.

02 Stéphane Bancel

03 Peter Barton Hutt, LL.M.“ARTICLE V”

 

2.

Vote For

All Nominees

Withhold Vote From

All Nominees

Vote For

AllSpecial Meetings. Except

as otherwise required by statute and subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any series of Undesignated Preferred Stock, special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by (i) the Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors then in office (whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships at the time any such resolution is presented to the Board of Directors for adoption), (ii) the chairman of the Board of Directors, or the chief executive officer or president (in the absence of a chief executive officer) or (iii) the secretary of the Corporation following the secretary’s receipt of signed written requests to call a meeting from the holders of at least 20% of the voting power of the capital stock of the Corporation issued and outstanding and entitled to vote. Except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may not be called by any other person or persons. Advance notice of stockholder nominations and business to be brought before any special meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the By-laws of the Corporation.

 

2.The Board of Directors of the Corporation has adopted a resolution approving and declaring advisable the foregoing amendment set forth in this Certificate of Amendment in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the DGCL. 
INSTRUCTIONS:To withhold authority3.The stockholders of the Corporation, at a meeting duly called and held pursuant to vote for any nominee, markSection 222 of the “Exception” box and writeDGCL, duly adopted the number(s)amendments set forth in this Certificate of Amendment in accordance with the space provided toprovisions of Section 242 of the right.DGCL. 
4.

The foregoing amendments were duly adopted in accordance with Section 242 of the DGCL.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, as a duly authorized officer of the Corporation, has executed this Certificate of Amendment on           , 2024.

Moderna, Inc.
   
 ForName:
Title:
 

88

Against

Appendix B

Certificate of Amendment - Officer Exculpation

Certificate of Amendment
of
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
of 
Moderna, Inc.

Moderna, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware pursuant to Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), hereby certifies as follows:

1.The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, as heretofore amended, is hereby amended by adding a new Article VIII – Limitation of Liability for Officers, which shall read in its entirety as follows:

“ARTICLE VIII

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR OFFICERS

An Officer (as defined below) of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of his or her fiduciary duty as an officer of the Corporation, except for liability (a) for any breach of the Officer’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (b) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (c) for any transaction from which the Officer derived an improper personal benefit, or (d) arising from any claim brought by or in the right of the Corporation. If the DGCL is amended after the effective date of this Certificate to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of Officers, then the liability of an Officer of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended. For purposes of this Article VIII, “Officer” shall mean an individual who has been duly appointed as an officer of the Corporation and who, at the time of an act or omission as to which liability is asserted, is deemed to have consented to service by the delivery of process to the registered agent of the Corporation as contemplated by 10 Del. C. § 3114(b).

Any amendment, repeal or modification of this Article VIII by either of (i) the stockholders of the Corporation or (ii) an amendment to the DGCL, shall not adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such amendment, repeal or modification with respect to any acts or omissions occurring before such amendment, repeal or modification of a person serving as a Director at the time of such amendment, repeal or modification.”

2.The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, as heretofore amended, is hereby amended by retitling existing Articles VIII and IX as follows:

“ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS”

“ARTICLE X – AMENDMENT OF CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION”

3.The Board of Directors of the Corporation has adopted a resolution approving and declaring advisable the foregoing amendment set forth in this Certificate of Amendment in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the DGCL.
4.The stockholders of the Corporation, at a meeting duly called and held pursuant to Section 222 of the DGCL, duly adopted the amendments set forth in this Certificate of Amendment in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the DGCL.
5.The foregoing amendments were duly adopted in accordance with Section 242 of the DGCL.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, as a duly authorized officer of the Corporation, has executed this Certificate of Amendment on           , 2024.

Moderna, Inc. 
Abstain  

2:

To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019.
To attend the meeting and vote your shares in person, please mark this box.
Authorized Signatures - This section must be completed for your Instructions to be executed.Name:
Title:

 

89

Please Sign HerePlease Date Above

Please Sign HerePlease Date Above

Please sign exactly as your name(s) appears on this proxy. If shares are held in joint tenancy, all persons should sign. Trustees, administrators, etc., should include title and authority. Corporations should provide full name of corporation and title of authorized officer signing the proxy.

LOGO   Please separate carefully at the perforation and return just this portion in the envelope provided.  LOGO

LOGO

Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Moderna, Inc.

to be held on Thursday, June 27, 2019

for Stockholders as of April 29, 2019

This proxy is being solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors

VOTE BY:
              LOGO     INTERNET            LOGO     TELEPHONE

Go To

                Call

www.proxypush.com/MRNA

866-230-6330

Cast your vote online.

OR

Use any touch-tone telephone.

Have your Proxy Card/Voting Instructions Form ready.

OR


Have your Proxy Card/Voting Instruction Form ready.

Follow the simple recorded instructions.

View Meeting Documents.

LOGOMAIL

Mark, sign and date your Proxy Card/Voting Instruction Form.

Detach your Proxy Card/Voting Instruction Form.

Return your Proxy Card/Voting Instruction Form in the

postage-paid envelope provided.

The undersigned hereby appoints Stéphane Bancel, Lorence Kim, M.D. and Lori Henderson, J.D., and each of them, as the true and lawful attorneys of the undersigned, with full power of substitution and revocation, and authorizes them, and each of them, to vote all the shares of capital stock of Moderna, Inc. which the undersigned is entitled to vote at said meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof upon the matters specified and upon such other matters as may be properly brought before such meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, conferring authority upon such true and lawful attorneys to vote in their discretion on such other matters as may properly come before the meeting and revoking any proxy heretofore given.

THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, SHARES WILL BE VOTED FOR THE ELECTION OF THE DIRECTORS IN PROPOSAL 1, FOR PROPOSAL 2 AND IN THE DISCRETION OF THE PROXYHOLDERS ON ANY OTHER MATTER THAT PROPERLY COMES BEFORE THE MEETING.

PROXY TABULATOR FOR

MODERNA, INC.

c/o MEDIANT COMMUNICATIONS

P.O. BOX 8016

CARY, NC 27512-9903

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