Company: CYTK
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0001140361-25-011212
Chunk: 43

Company: CYTOKINETICS INC
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 43
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 of our directors provide us with the competency and skills to effectively address our evolving needs and to represent the best interests of our stockholders. Board of Directors Functional Expertise Board of Directors Leadership Structure The Board of Directors may select, at its discretion, a Chairman. The Board of Directors’ current policy is that the roles of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO should be held by different individuals, except in unusual circumstances as determined by the Board of Directors. In cases where the Board of Directors determines it is in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders to combine the positions of Chairman and CEO or to otherwise designate a Chairman who is not an independent director, the Board of Directors shall appoint a lead independent director. The Board of Directors believes that its current leadership structure, with Mr. Blum serving as CEO and Dr. Henderson serving as Chairman, is appropriate for us at this time. Both leaders are actively engaged in significant matters affecting us, such as our long-term strategy. The CEO has overall responsibility for all aspects of our operations, while the Chairman has a greater focus on governance, including oversight of the Board of Directors. We believe this balance of shared leadership between the two positions is a strength for us. Stockholder Engagement Our Board of Directors is committed to an open dialogue with our stockholders regarding our corporate governance practices. In 2024, we met with stockholders holding approximately 55% of outstanding Common Stock, and contacted stockholders holding approximately 65%. These meetings provided our Board of Directors with useful feedback regarding the governance and compensation practices of our Company and how they would evaluate proposals to increase our shares of authorized common stock and the number of shares available for grant under our equity incentive plan. We plan to continue our outreach to stockholders in a systematic manner every year in advance of the preparation of our proxy statements for upcoming annual meetings of stockholders. Director Director Over-boarding : A number of our stockholders have expressed a concern regarding directors serving on the board of directors of too many public companies. Our Board of Directors believes that each of our directors has demonstrated the ability to

| 30 |     | Cytokinetics, Inc.|2025 Proxy Statement |

TABLE OF CONTENTS Board of Directors devote sufficient time and attention to their duties and to otherwise fulfill the responsibilities required of members of our Board of Directors. Prior to his resignation as Chief Executive Officer of Stoke Therapeutics in March 2025, certain institutional investors and proxy advisory firms had considered Dr. Kaye to be serving on too many public company boards of directors.