Company: WHWK
Filing Date: 2025-01-31
Form Type: DEFM14A
Source: 0001193125-25-018470
Chunk: 416

Company: Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-01-31
Form: DEFM14A
Chunk 416
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 be materially and adversely harmed. Risks Related to Employee Matters, Managing Our Growth and Other Risks Related to our Business Our success is highly dependent on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled executive officers, key scientific personnel and employees. To succeed, we must recruit, retain, manage and motivate qualified clinical, scientific, technical and management personnel, and we face significant competition for experienced personnel. We are highly dependent on the principal members of our management and scientific and medical staff. If we do not succeed in attracting and retaining qualified personnel, particularly at the management level, it could adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and harm our operating results. In particular, the loss of one or more of our executive officers or key scientific personnel could be detrimental to us if we cannot recruit suitable replacements in a timely manner. Any leadership transitions, as well as future other senior management changes, could disrupt and have a - 283 -

detrimental effect on our business. We may need to hire additional personnel in connection with future clinical development and commercial activities. We could in the future have difficulty
attracting and retaining experienced personnel and may be required to expend significant financial resources in our employee recruitment and retention efforts.

Many of the other biotechnology companies that we compete against for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles
and a longer history in the industry than us. They also may provide higher compensation, more diverse opportunities and better prospects for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high-quality candidates than what
we have to offer. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel, the rate and success at which we can discover, develop and commercialize our product candidates will be limited and the potential for successfully growing
our business will be harmed.

Additionally, we rely on our scientific and clinical advisors and consultants to assist us in formulating our research,
development and clinical strategies. These advisors and consultants are not our employees and may have commitments to, or consulting or advisory contracts with, other entities that may limit their availability to us. In addition, these advisors and
consultants typically will not enter into non-compete agreements with us. If a conflict of interest arises between their work for us and their work for another entity, we may lose their services. Furthermore,
our advisors may have arrangements with other companies to assist those companies in developing products or technologies that may compete with ours. In particular, if we are unable to maintain consulting relationships with these advisors or they
provide services to our competitors,