Director Attendance at Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Pursuant to our Principles of Corporate Governance, directors are expected to attend the annual meeting of stockholders absent unusual circumstances. Seven out of our eight then-serving directors attended the annual meeting of stockholders that we held in 2025.
Insider Trading Policy and Pledging and Hedging of Company Stock
We have adopted an insider trading policy governing the purchase, sale and other dispositions of our securities that applies to all company personnel, including directors, officers, employees, consultants and other insiders, as well as to the Company. We believe that our insider trading policy and repurchase procedures are reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and listing standards applicable to us.
Certain transactions in our securities (such as purchases and sales of publicly traded put and call options, and short sales) create a heightened compliance risk or could create the appearance of misalignment between management and stockholders. In addition, securities held in a margin account or pledged as collateral may be sold without consent if the owner fails to meet a margin call or defaults on the loan, thus creating the risk that a sale may occur at a time when an officer or director is aware of material, non-public information or otherwise is not permitted to trade in our securities. Our insider trading policy expressly prohibits short-term trading (selling our stock within six months following a purchase), short sales, derivative transactions of our stock and hedging transactions by our executive officers, directors, employees and consultants and contractors. Our insider trading policy expressly prohibits its directors and executive officers from pledging our securities.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
The Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics (the “Code of Conduct”). The Code of Conduct applies to all directors, officers and employees of the Company.
The Code of Conduct addresses, among other matters, compliance with laws and policies, conflicts of interest, corporate opportunities, regulatory reporting, external communications, confidentiality requirements, insider trading, proper use of assets and how to report compliance concerns. The provisions of the Code of Conduct are intended to reflect current best practices and enhance the Company’s personnel’s understanding of the Company’s standards of ethical business practices, promote awareness of ethical issues that may be encountered in carrying out an employee’s or director’s responsibilities and improve clarity as to how to address ethical issues that may arise.
The full text of the Code of Conduct is posted on the Company’s website at www.dianthustx.com. We intend to disclose any amendments to the Code of Conduct, or any waivers of its requirements, on our website to the extent required by applicable rules. Our Audit Committee is responsible for applying and interpreting the Code of Conduct in situations where questions are presented to it. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement and should not be considered to be a part hereof for any purpose.
Director Time Commitments
While Board members benefit from service on the boards of other companies and such service is encouraged, pursuant to our Principles of Corporate Governance, directors are expected to limit the number of other boards on which they serve so as not to interfere with their service as a director of the Company. As part of the annual director nomination process, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers directors’ adherence to these expectations.
Board Leadership Structure
Alison F. Lawton currently serves as the independent chair of our Board of Directors. We believe that separating the role of chair of our Board and Chief Executive Officer allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing the chair of our Board to lead our Board of Directors 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 chair of our Board, particularly as our Board of Directors’ oversight responsibilities continue to grow as we mature as a public company. While our By-laws and Principles of Corporate Governance do not require that we appoint a separate chair and Chief Executive Officer, our Board of Directors believes that having separate positions is the appropriate leadership structure for us at this time and demonstrates our commitment to good corporate governance.
At any time when the Chairman is not independent, the independent directors of the Board will designate an independent director to serve as lead independent director. The responsibilities of any such lead independent director may include: (a) presiding at meetings of the Board at which the Chair is not present, including executive sessions of the independent directors;