UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
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FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
Appointment of Sanyogita Shamsunder as Chief Operating Officer
On May 7, 2024, NextNav Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), announced the appointment of Dr. Sanyogita Shamsunder as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, effective as of May 9, 2024 (the “Effective Date”). Dr. Shamsunder was appointed Chief Operating Officer by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company on April 19, 2024.
Dr. Shamsunder, age 58, has over 20 years of experience leading teams in start-ups and large companies, managing hundreds of employees with budgets up to $100 million in the telecommunications and technology space. Recently, Dr. Shamsunder served as the Head of Edge Networking for Cloud at Google, Inc., where she led a team of software and network engineers to build Google’s global edge network. Prior to her time at Google, Dr. Shamsunder worked at Verizon, Inc. holding various positions, starting as a Director of Wireless Device and Network Planning (June 2007-March 2011) and most recently serving as the Vice President of Product Strategy, Innovation and Operations (May 2017-December 2021). Dr. Shamsunder holds a BE in electronics and communications engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad India, an MS in electrical engineering from SUNY Stonybrook, a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and math from the University of Virginia, and an MBA with honors, from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Shamsunder has been awarded over 20 patents in wireless, telecommunications and networking.
In connection with Dr. Shamsunder’s appointment, the Company entered into an employment agreement (the “Employment Agreement”) with Dr. Shamsunder. Pursuant to the terms of the Employment Agreement, Dr. Shamsunder is entitled to receive an annual base salary of $425,000 and is eligible to earn an annual target bonus of 50% of her annual base salary. For the period beginning on the Effective Date through December 31, 2024, Dr. Shamsunder is eligible to earn a full year’s bonus (which will not be pro-rated), which at target would be $212,500 payable at the time and in the form of payment that is made to other Company executive officers. Dr. Shamsunder’s annual target bonus will be based 85% on Company performance and 15% on her individual performance.
Pursuant to the Employment Agreement, Dr. Shamsunder is entitled to receive a one-time equity grant with an aggregate value of $2,100,000, to be paid in the form of (a) restricted stock units (“RSUs”) of the Company with a grant value equal to $1,100,000 (the “Sign-on RSU Grant”) and (b) Company stock options (“Options”) with a grant value equal to $1,000,000 (the “Sign-on Option Grant”). The conversion of the value of the Sign-on RSU Grant and the Sign-on Option Grant into the amount of RSUs and Options, as applicable, will be calculated using a trailing twenty day average of the Company’s stock price from the date of grant. The exercise price of the Sign-on Option Grant will be equal to 110% of the trailing twenty day average of the Company’s stock price from the date of grant. The Sign-on RSU Grant and the Sign-on Option Grant will vest as follows: 30% shall vest 12 months from the grant date and, subject to Dr. Shamsunder’s continued employment, the remaining portion shall continue to vest in equal quarterly installments over the subsequent three years. The Sign-on RSU Grant and the Sign-on Option Grant will be made pursuant to the Company’s 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), as well as the Company’s form of RSU agreement and form of option agreement for employees, each of which are filed as Exhibits 10.4, 10.15 and 10.13, respectively, with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 13, 2024.
In addition, subject to approval of the Board or the Compensation Committee, in the first quarter of 2025, Dr. Shamsunder will be eligible for an annual long-term incentive grant consisting of RSUs (the “Annual RSU Grant”) and Company stock options (the “Annual Option Grant”), each valued at $500,000. The Annual RSU Grant and the Annual Option Grant will vest as follows: 1/4 shall vest on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining portion shall vest in equal installments at a rate of 1/12 per quarter thereafter. The exercise price of the Annual Option Grant is priced at 110% of the trailing twenty day average of the Company’s stock price from the date of grant. The conversion of the value of the Annual RSU Grant and the Annual Option Grant into the amount of RSUs and Options, respectively, will be calculated using a trailing twenty day average of the Company’s stock price from the date of grant. The Annual RSU Grant and the Annual Option Grant will also be made pursuant to the Plan, as well as the form of RSU agreement and form of option agreement for employees, as set forth above.
The Employment Agreement also contains certain severance terms. In the event Dr.Shamsunder is terminated by the Company without cause (which includes a non-renewal of the employment term by the Company) or due to Dr. Shamsunder’s resignation for good reason (each, a “Qualifying Termination Event”), then, subject to Dr. Shamsunder’s timely execution and non-revocation of a release of claims in the Company’s favor, Dr. Shamsunder will be entitled to the following: (i) a lump sum payment equal to her base salary; (ii) her earned but unpaid annual bonus with respect to any completed calendar year immediately preceding the termination date or, in the event that less than a full calendar year was completed, a pro-rated annual bonus; (iii) upon timely election, COBRA premiums for up to 12 months; (iv) all of Dr. Shamsunder’s then outstanding unvested time-based equity awards that would have become vested (but for such termination) during the 12-month period beginning on the termination date, will vest as of the date immediately prior to the termination date; and (v) subject to the following sentence, all of Dr. Shamsunder’s then outstanding unvested performance-based equity awards will vest in accordance with the applicable grant agreements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Dr. Shamsunder is terminated without cause during the first two years of her employment, all of her then outstanding unvested performance-based equity awards will vest as of the date immediately prior to her termination.
If Dr. Shamsunder experiences a Qualifying Termination Event within the period beginning on the date the Company enters into a definitive agreement that, if consummated, would result in a change in control and ending on the 12-month anniversary of such change in control, Dr. Shamsunder will be entitled to all items specified in clauses (i) through (v) above, except that, in lieu of the amount in clause (i) above, Dr. Shamsunder will be entitled to receive a lump sum payment equal to 150% of the sum of (A) Dr. Shamsunder’s base salary and (B) Dr. Shamsunder’s target bonus for the year in which the termination date occurs. Further, the accelerated vesting outlined in clause (iv) above will occur without regard to the 12-month period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Dr. Shamsunder is terminated without cause during the first two years of her employment, all of her then outstanding unvested performance-based equity awards will vest as of the date immediately prior to her termination.
In connection with her appointment, Dr. Shamsunder also entered into (i) an indemnification agreement in the form previously approved by the Board, which form is filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 28, 2021 and (ii) a Confidentiality, Invention Assignment, and Non-Solicitation Agreement (the “Confidentiality Agreement”), which, among other things, prohibits her from competing with the Company, soliciting the Company’s employees and customers and disclosing confidential information during the term of her employment and for a specified time thereafter.
There are no arrangements or understandings between Dr. Shamsunder and any other persons pursuant to which Dr. Shamsunder was selected to be Chief Operating Officer of the Company. There are no family relationships between Dr. Shamsunder and any director or executive officer of the Company, and Dr. Shamsunder has no direct or indirect interest in any transaction or proposed transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
The foregoing description of the Employment Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Employment Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement, each of which will be filed with the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2024.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On May 7, 2024, the Company issued a press release announcing Dr. Shamsunder’s appointment as Chief Operating Officer of the Company. A copy of the press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press release dated May 7, 2024 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: May 7, 2024
| NEXTNAV INC. | |||
| By: | /s/ Christian D. Gates | ||
| Name: | Christian D. Gates | ||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Exhibit 99.1
NextNav Announces Sanyogita Shamsunder as Chief Operating Officer
Shamsunder brings extensive expertise in technology and innovation to lead NextNav’s strategic growth
MCLEAN, Va., May 7, 2024 — NextNav (Nasdaq: NN) (“NextNav” or the “Company”) a leader in next generation positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) and 3D geolocation, announced the appointment of Dr. Sanyogita Shamsunder as NextNav’s new Chief Operating Officer, effective May 9, 2024. In this newly created role, Sanyogita will be overseeing business development, strategy, product and software, program and operations, and IT.
“Sanyogita’s appointment as NextNav’s Chief Operating Officer heralds a new chapter of innovation and growth,” NextNav Chief Executive Officer Mariam Sorond said. “Her remarkable track record of operational excellence and deep-rooted telecom expertise will further advance our efforts to provide a 3D terrestrial positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solution as a complement and backup to GPS, while also unleashing much-needed spectrum for 5G broadband.”
Dr. Shamsunder joins NextNav with over 20 years of experience leveraging technology and innovation to scale growth at both large enterprises and start-up technology companies. Recently, she held the title of the Head of Edge Network Infrastructure at Google, where she led the team that developed and maintained Google’s multi-vendor Global Edge Network. Prior to that, Sanyogita led various network and product teams at Verizon, including as the Vice President of Product Strategy and Operations, where she led early 5G network technology development and trials. Earlier in her career, she launched the first 4G devices as well as led various spectrum initiatives in collaboration with government and industry groups. Sanyogita received her MBA from the Wharton School and Ph.D in electrical engineering and math from the University of Virginia.
“I am thrilled to join the NextNav team which is embarking on an exciting journey of innovation in PNT and 3D geolocation, ” Dr. Shamsunder stated. “NextNav’s commitment to mitigating national security risks, unleashing commercial opportunities, and helping public safety with its solutions aligns perfectly with my passion for leveraging technology to drive meaningful change. I look forward to collaborating with the talented team at NextNav to create more value and shape the future.”
About NextNav Inc.
NextNav Inc. (Nasdaq: NN) is a leader in next generation positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), enabling a whole new ecosystem of applications and services that rely upon 3D geolocation and PNT technology. Powered by low-band licensed spectrum, NextNav’s positioning and timing technologies deliver accurate, reliable, and resilient 3D PNT solutions for critical infrastructure, GPS resiliency and commercial use cases.
For more information, please visit https://nextnav.com/ or follow NextNav on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “aim,” “strive,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “will” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable and may also relate to NextNav’s future prospects, developments and business strategies. In particular, such forward-looking statements include the approval by the FCC of the transfer of the licenses, closing of the transactions described herein, the achievement of certain FCC-related milestones, the ability to realize the broader spectrum capacity and the advancement of NextNav’s terrestrial 3D PNT services, NextNav’s position to drive growth in its 3D geolocation business and expansion of its next generation terrestrial 3D PNT technologies, the business plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of NextNav, and NextNav’s estimated and future business strategies, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, revenue, expenses, and profitability. These statements are based on NextNav’s management’s current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events.
Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside NextNav’s control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, and NextNav undertakes no commitment to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For additional information regarding risk factors, see Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of the NextNav’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as those otherwise described or updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
Source: NN-FIN
Contact:
Gillian Smith