Company: LENZ
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001193125-25-100630
Chunk: 18

Company: LENZ Therapeutics, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 18
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 responsibilities of a director. In addition, the Nasdaq listing rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of our audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees be independent.

Audit committee members must also satisfy the additional independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and Nasdaq listing rules applicable to audit committee members. Compensation committee members must also satisfy the additional independence criteria set forth in Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act and Nasdaq listing rules applicable to compensation committee members.

Our board of directors has undertaken a review of the independence of each of our directors. Our board of directors has determined that none of Ms. Thunen, Dr. Guerard, Dr. Scheiner, Ms. Drapkin, Mr. George and Mr. McCollum, representing six of our seven directors, has a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these directors is an “independent director” as defined under the listing standards of Nasdaq. Evert Schimmelpennink is not considered an independent director because of his position as our Chief Executive Officer, President, and Secretary.

In making these determinations, our board of directors considered the current and prior relationships that each non-employee director has with our company and all other facts and circumstances that our board of directors deemed relevant**

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in determining their independence, including the transactions involving them described in the section titled “ Related Person Transactions.” There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers. Board Leadership Structure Our corporate governance framework provides our board flexibility to determine the appropriate leadership structure for the Company, and whether the roles of chairperson and chief executive officer should be separated or combined. In making this determination, our board considers many factors, including the needs of the business, our board’s assessment of its leadership needs from time to time and the best interests of our stockholders. If the role of chairperson is filled by a director who does not qualify as an independent director, then our corporate governance guidelines provide that one of our independent directors may serve as our lead independent director. Our board believes that it is currently appropriate to separate the roles of chairperson and chief executive officer. The chief executive officer is responsible for day-to-dayleadership, while our chairperson, along with the rest of our independent directors, ensures that our board’s time and