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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 2)

 

(Mark One)

 

 Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021

 

or

 

 Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the transition period from ______________ to ______________

 

Commission File Number: 001-09974

 

Enzo Biochem, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

New York   13-2866202
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (IRS Employer
Identification Number)

 

527 Madison Ave., New York, New York 10022

(Address of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

(212) 538-0100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class   Trading Symbol   Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $.01 par value   ENZ   The New York Stock Exchange

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer  Accelerated filer ☐ 
Non-accelerated filer ☒  Smaller reporting Company   
    Emerging growth company 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act of 1934). Yes ☐ No

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $126,324,000 as of January 31, 2021.

 

The number of shares of the Company’s common stock, $.01 par value, outstanding at November 22, 2021 was 48,471,771.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

None

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Description   Page
Part III        
 
Item 10.   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance   1
Item 11.   Executive Compensation   9
Item 12.   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters   13
Item 13.   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence   14
Item 14.   Principal Accounting Fees and Services   16
 
Part IV        
 
Item 15.   Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules   17

 

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

Enzo Biochem, Inc. (the “Company”) is filing this Amendment No. 2 (this “Form 10-K/A”) to Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, that we originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 12, 2021, and as amended by the Amendment No. 1 to Form 10-K filed on November 29, 2021 (as so amended, the “original 10-K”).

 

This Form 10-K/A has been prepared and filed solely to (i) amend Item 10 of the original Form 10-K to reflect the current membership of the Board’s committees, (ii) amend Item 12 of the original Form 10-K to correct the inadvertent omission of Dov Perlysky from the table reflecting Beneficial Ownership of Principal Shareholders and Management, and (iii) to make other conforming changes.

 

Except as described above, no other changes have been made to the original Form 10-K. The original Form 10-K continues to speak as of October 12, 2021, the date the Company filed the original Form 10-K with the SEC, and other than as expressly indicated in the original Form 10-K or in this Form 10-K/A, the Company has not updated the disclosures contained therein to reflect any events that have occurred at a date subsequent to October 12, 2021.  Accordingly, this Form 10-K/A should be read in conjunction with the original Form 10-K and the Company’s other reports filed thereafter.

 

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FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Annual Report contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, the statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” are “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements may include the words “believes,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “continues” or other similar expressions. These statements are based on the Company’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. The Company assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law.

 

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Part III

 

ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. Directors

 

The Company’s Board has three staggered classes of Directors, each of which serves for a term of three years. The names of our directors, their ages and their positions with the Company are set forth below, followed by certain other information about them:

 

Class I Directors: Term to Expire in 2022:

 

Name   Year First Became A Director
Rebecca J. Fischer (age 53)   2019
Dov Perlysky (age 59)   2012
     
Class II Director: Term to Expire in 2023    
     
Name   Year First Became a Director
Mary Tagliaferri, M.D. (age 54)   2020
     
Class III Directors: Term to Expire in 2024    
     
Name   Year First Became a Director
Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D. (age 78)   1976
Ian Walters, M.D. (age 53)   2020

 

REBECCA J. FISCHER was appointed to the Board effective as of December 30, 2019. Ms. Fischer is currently chair of the Company’s Audit Committee and a member of the Company’s Compensation Committee. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Bellevue Hospital, the world-renowned flagship institution for New York City Health and Hospitals, with over 900 licensed beds and an operating budget of more than $950 million. She began her career at Bellevue as Associate Director in 2003, became Associate Executive Director in 2011, was promoted to Deputy CFO in 2016 and then promoted to CFO in 2017. In her role as CFO of Bellevue, Ms. Fischer is responsible for managing a team of financial managers and 400 other professionals. Her team oversees budgeting, revenue enhancement, utilization, financial reporting, cash management productivity improvement and affiliate relations with the NYU School of Medicine. She is also a key advisor to the hospital’s CEO and other members of the C-level team on strategic planning and resource allocation. In both her strategic and day-to-day responsibilities, Ms. Fischer is directly involved in guiding Bellevue and its leaders through complex government and private reimbursement practices. At Bellevue and throughout the HHC, she is viewed as a subject matter expert on optimal ways for hospitals to deliver the highest quality care at a time of enormous technological change and financial pressure. Ms. Fischer received her undergraduate degree cum laude from Cornell University and her Master of Public Administration in Health Policy and Management from New York University, where she was a recipient of the Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Fellowship.

 

We believe that Ms. Fischer’s qualifications to serve on the Board are demonstrated by her experience at Bellevue, her strengths at problem solving and her keen understanding of how to successfully navigate the intersection of investment spending with an unwavering commitment to science and innovation.

 

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DOV PERLYSKY has been a director of the Company since September 2012. He is currently a member of the Company’s Audit and Nominating/Governance Committees. Mr. Perlysky became the Lead Independent Director in December 2019. Mr. Perlysky has been a member of the Board of Directors of Pharma-Bio Serv, Inc. since 2004, and was a former Director of Highlands State Bank until their sale to Lakeland Bank. Mr. Perlysky has also been the managing member of Nesher, LLC, a private investment firm, since 2000 and was a director of Engex, Inc., a closed-end mutual fund and News Communications. Mr. Perlysky was a vice president in the private client group of Laidlaw Global Securities, a registered broker-dealer. Mr. Perlysky received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Illinois in 1985 and his Master of Management from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University in 1991.

 

We believe that Mr. Perlysky’s qualifications to serve on the Board are demonstrated by his professional background, experience in the healthcare field (including his director position at Pharma-Bio Serv, Inc.), other current and past board positions and finance background, making him well qualified as a member of our Board.

 

MARY TAGLIAFERRI, M.D., has been a director of the Company since November 17, 2020. Dr. Tagliaferri is currently chair of the Company’s Nominating/Governance Committee and a member of both the Company’s Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. Dr. Tagliaferri has been serving on the board of directors of RayzeBio, Inc., a biotechnology company, since October 2021. Dr. Tagliaferri has been serving as Senior Vice President and Executive Clinical Fellow for Nektar Therapeutics, a Nasdaq-listed company, since March 2020 and previously served as Chief Medical Officer from November 2017 to March 2020, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development from April 2017 to October 2017 and Vice President of Clinical Development from January 2015 to March 2017. Dr. Tagliaferri served as Consultant for InterMune from March 2014 to December 2014. Dr. Tagliaferri served as Chief Medical Officer of Kanglaite, Inc. from October 2012 to April 2014. Dr. Tagliaferri was the co-founder of Bionovo, Inc. and served as its Chief Medical Officer, Chief Regulatory Officer, Secretary and Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors from February 2002 to June 2012 and President from May 2007 to June 2012. Dr. Tagliaferri received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics and Business Management from Cornell University in 1988, Post Baccalaureate Degree in Science from Bryn Mawr College in 1996, Master of Science Degree, Oriental Medicine from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, San Francisco, California in 1995 and Medical Degree from the University of California, San Francisco in 2002. Dr. Tagliaferri completed her residency in internal medicine at Alameda County Medical Center, Oakland, California, in 2003 and a research fellowship in translational science at the University of California, San Francisco in 1999. She has contributed to approximately 70 publications.

 

We believe that Dr. Tagliaferri’s qualifications to serve on the Board are demonstrated by her professional background, experience in the healthcare field and past board position, making her well qualified as a member of our Board.

 

ELAZAR RABBANI, Ph.D., is an Enzo Biochem founder and has served as the Company’s Chairman of the Board since its inception in 1976 and as Secretary since November 2009. Dr. Rabbani also served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer from 1976 until November 2021. Dr. Rabbani has authored numerous scientific publications in the field of molecular biology, in particular, nucleic acid labeling and detection. He is also the lead inventor of many of the Company’s pioneering patents covering a wide range of technologies and products.

 

Dr. Rabbani received his Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in Chemistry and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Columbia University. He is a member of the American Society for Microbiology.

 

We believe that Dr. Rabbani’s qualifications to serve on the Board are demonstrated by his extensive knowledge of our industry and his accomplishments over the last 44 years, including building our intellectual property estate and the commercialization of technology, which has generated significant revenues for the Company.

 

Ian B. Walters, M.D. has been a director of the Company since November 25, 2020. Mr. Walters is currently chair of the Company’s Compensation Committee and a member of the Company’s Nominating/ Governance Committee. Dr. Walters is an experienced entrepreneur and drug developer with leadership in the development of over 30 drugs in multiple therapeutic areas involving diverse technologies, leading to five new oncology drug approvals. His previous roles include Executive Director of Global Oncology Clinical Research, and Business Development for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medical Director at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Walters is currently CEO and Director of Portage Biotech, a publicly traded clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative portfolio of immuno-oncology assets. He is also founder of seven of Portage’s portfolio companies. Dr. Walters holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He received his MD at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed doctoral training in experimental medicine at The Rockefeller University. Dr. Walters has been the lead author or contributor to approximately 60 journal publications.

 

We believe that Dr. Walter’s qualifications to serve on the Board are demonstrated by his professional background, experience in the healthcare field, and other current and past board and management positions, making him well qualified as a member of our Board.

 

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Family Relationships

 

There are no family relationship of first cousins or closer, among the Company’s directors and executive officers, by blood, marriage or adoption, except that Dr. Elazar Rabbani and Barry W. Weiner are brothers-in-law.

 

Corporate Governance Policies and Practices

 

The Company has a variety of policies and practices to foster and maintain responsible corporate governance, including the following:

 

Corporate Governance Guidelines - The Board adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines, which collect in one document many of the corporate governance practices and procedures that had evolved over the years. These guidelines address the duties of the Board, director qualifications and selection process, Board operations, Board committee matters and continuing education. The guidelines also provide for annual self-evaluations by the Board and its committees. The Board reviews these guidelines on an annual basis. The guidelines are available on the Company’s website at www.enzo.com and in print by contacting Investor Relations at (212) 583-0100.

 

Corporate Code of Business Conduct and Ethics - The Company has a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of the Company’s employees, officers and members of the Board. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on the Company’s website at www.enzo.com and in print by contacting Investor Relations at (212) 583-0100.

 

Board Committee Charters - Each of the Company’s Audit, Compensation and Nominating/ Governance Committees has a written charter adopted by the Board that establishes practices and procedures for such committee in accordance with applicable corporate governance rules and regulations. The charters are available on the Company’s website at www.enzo.com and in print by contacting Investor Relations at (212) 583-0100.

 

Diversity Policy - As part of the Company’s commitment to improved governance and in connection with the Company’s shareholder engagement program, the Board adopted a diversity policy in 2019. The Nominating/Governance Committee shall consider diversity in its evaluation of candidates for Board membership in accordance with this policy. To reflect this policy, the Nominating/Governance Committee seeks to include diverse candidates in all director searches, taking into account diversity of age, gender, race, culture, business experience, education, skills, character and judgment, including by affirmatively instructing any search firm retained to assist the Nominating/Governance Committee in identifying director candidates, to seek to include diverse candidates from traditional and non-traditional candidate groups.

 

Director Term Limits - The total cumulative length of time an Outside Director may serve on the Board is limited to a maximum of three, three-year terms, whether consecutively or in total, plus any portion of an earlier three-year term that such Outside Director may have been appointed to serve. The term limit set forth above may be extended for a maximum of one additional term if such individual is re-nominated by the unanimous agreement of the Board.

 

Lead Independent Director Charter - As part of the Company’s ongoing commitment to improved governance and in connection with the Company’s shareholder engagement program, the Company amended the Lead Independent Director Charter in 2019 to strengthen the duties of the Lead Independent Director role. The duties of the Lead Independent Director, as set forth in the amended Lead Independent Director Charter, among other things, are to:

 

develop the agendas for and serve as chairman of the executive sessions of the independent directors of the Company;

 

serve as principal liaison between the independent directors of the Company and the Chairman of the Board and between the independent directors and senior management;

 

approve the agendas for Board meetings;

 

call meetings of the independent directors;

 

approve the appropriate schedule of Board meetings; advise the Chairman of the Board as to the quality, quantity and timeliness of the information submitted by the Company’s management that is necessary or appropriate for the independent directors to effectively and responsibly perform their duties;

 

ensure that independent directors have adequate opportunities to meet and discuss issues in executive sessions without management present; if the Chairman of the Board is unable to attend a Board meeting, act as chairman of such Board meeting;

 

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ensure that he or she may be available for consultation and direct communication with major shareholders, if deemed appropriate, and act as a contact for other interested persons, if other Company spokespersons are not available;

 

share with other directors, as he or she deems appropriate, letters and other communications and contact that he or she receives;

 

and perform such other duties as the Board shall from time to time delegate.

 

In addition, the Lead Independent Director may require information relating to any matter be distributed to the Board. Dov Perlysky has served as Lead Independent Director since December 2019. The Lead Independent Director role was established in October 2005.

 

The Lead Independent Director Charter, as amended, is available on the Company’s website at www.enzo.com, and in print by contacting Investor Relations at (212) 583-0100.

 

Director Independence Requirements

 

The Board believes that a majority of its members should be independent, non-employee directors. The Board adopted the following “Director Independence Standards,” which are consistent with criteria established by the NYSE, to assist the Board in making these independence determinations:

 

No director can qualify as independent if he or she has a material relationship with the Company outside of his or her service as a director of the Company. A director is not independent if, within the preceding three years:

 

the director was an employee of the Company;

 

an immediate family member of the director was an executive officer of the Company;

 

the director was affiliated with or employed by a present or former internal or external auditor of the Company;

 

an immediate family member of the director was affiliated with or employed in a professional capacity by a present or former internal or external auditor of the Company;

 

the director, or an immediate family member of the director, received more than $120,000 per year in direct compensation from the Company, other than director and committee fees and pension or other forms of deferred compensation for prior services (provided such compensation is not contingent in any way on continued service);

 

the director, or an immediate family member of the director, was employed as an executive officer of another company where any of the Company’s executives served on that company’s compensation committee of the board of directors;

 

the director was an executive officer or employee, or an immediate family member of the director was an executive officer, of another company that made payments to, or received payments from, the Company for property or services in an amount which, in any single fiscal year, exceeded the greater of $1 million or two percent (2%) of such other company’s consolidated gross revenues;

 

the director, or an immediate family member of the director, was an executive officer of another company that was indebted to the Company, or to which the Company was indebted, where the total amount of either company’s indebtedness to the other was five percent (5%) or more of the total consolidated assets of the company he or she served as an executive officer; or

 

the director, or an immediate family member of the director, was an officer, director or trustee of a charitable organization where the Company’s annual discretionary charitable contributions to the charitable organization exceeded the greater of $1 million or two percent (2%) of that organization’s consolidated gross revenues.

 

The Board has reviewed all material transactions and relationships among each director, and any member of his or her immediate family, and the Company, its senior management and its independent auditors. Based on this review and in accordance with its independence standards outlined above, the Board has affirmatively determined that all of the non-employee directors are independent as such term is defined by the NYSE.

 

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Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

 

During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D., served as the Company’s Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Secretary. He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since the Company’s inception in 1976 and as Secretary since November 2009. On October 18, 2021, the Company announced the appointment of Hamid Erfanian to the position of Chief Executive Officer, which appointment commenced on November 8, 2021. Dr. Rabbani remains Chairman of the Board and Secretary. Dov Perlysky continues to serve as Lead Independent Director, a role that he has served in since December 2019.

 

The Company believes that this structure promotes effective oversight, strengthens our Board’s independent leadership, and supports our commitment to enhancing shareholder value and strong governance. In addition, re-electing Dr. Rabbani as Chairman of the Board, with his deep industry and executive management experience, his extensive knowledge of the operations of the Company and his own history of innovation and strategic thinking, while also appointing a separate Chief Executive Officer is the best leadership structure for the Company at this time.

 

As described above, four of the Company’s five directors are independent. In addition, all of the directors on each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominations and Corporate Governance Committee are independent directors and each of these committees is led by a committee chair. The committee chairs set the agendas for their committees and report to the full Board. All of the independent directors are highly accomplished and experienced business people in their respective fields, have demonstrated leadership in significant enterprises and are familiar with board processes. The Company’s independent directors bring experience, oversight and expertise from outside the Company and industry. Dr. Rabbani, as the Company’s Chairman of the Board and former Chief Executive Officer, brings Company-specific experience and expertise.

 

Additionally, the Company has had a Lead Independent Director since October 2005, whose duties, among other things, are to approve the agendas for all Board meetings, call and lead the executive sessions of the independent directors of the Company, be available for engagement with major shareholders, serve as liaison between the independent directors of the Company on one hand and the Chairman of the Board and senior management on the other hand, advise the Chairman of the Board as to the quality, quantity and timeliness of the information submitted by management to the independent directors; and perform such other duties as the Board shall from time to time delegate.

 

While the Board is responsible for overseeing the Company’s risk management, the Board has delegated many of these functions to the Audit Committee. Under its charter, the Audit Committee is responsible for discussing the Company’s major financial risk exposures, the guidelines and policies by which risk assessment and management is undertaken, and the steps management has taken to monitor and control risk exposure with management and the independent auditors. In addition to the Audit Committee’s work in overseeing risk management, the full Board regularly engages in discussions regarding the most significant risks that the Company is facing and how those risks are being managed. The Board also receives risk management updates directly from the Company’s senior management and from the chair of the Audit Committee. In addition, the Chairman of the Board’s extensive knowledge of the Company and experience in the industries in which we operate uniquely qualifies him to lead the Board in assessing the whole panoply of risks the Company faces. The Board believes that the work undertaken by the Audit Committee, the full Board and the Chairman of the Board, enables the Board to effectively oversee the Company’s risk management function.

 

Board Nomination Policies and Procedure

 

The Nominating/Governance Committee is responsible for identifying, evaluating and recommending candidates for election to the Board, with due consideration for recommendations made by other Board members, the Chief Executive Officer and other sources, including shareholders. The total cumulative length of time that any Outside Director may serve on the Board is limited to a maximum of three three-year terms, whether consecutively or in total, plus any portion of an earlier three-year term that such Outside Director may have been appointed to serve. The term limit set forth above may be extended for a maximum of one additional term if such individual is renominated by the unanimous agreement of the Board. The Nominating/Governance Committee also considers the appropriate balance of experience, skills and characteristics desirable among the members of the Board to maintain a diverse Board. The independent members of the Board review the Nominating/Governance Committee candidates and nominate candidates for election by the Company shareholders. The Nominating/Governance Committee will consider candidates for election to the Board recommended by shareholders of the Company. The procedures for submitting shareholder recommendations are explained below under “Shareholder Proposals.”

  

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Directors must also possess the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values and be committed to representing the long-term interests of all shareholders. Board members are expected to diligently prepare for, attend and participate in Board and applicable committee meetings. Each Board member is expected to ensure that other existing and future commitments do not materially interfere with the member’s service as a director.

 

The Nominating/Governance Committee also reviews whether a potential candidate will meet the Company’s independence standards and any other director or committee membership requirements imposed by law, regulation or NYSE rules.

 

The Nominating/Governance Committee will consider, among other factors, the following to evaluate recommended nominees:

 

  the Board’s current composition, including expertise, diversity, balance of management and non-management directors;

 

independence and other qualifications required or recommended by applicable laws, rules and regulations (including NYSE requirements) and the Company’s policies and procedures; and

 

the general qualifications of potential nominees, including, but not limited to: personal integrity, loyalty to the Company and concern for its success and welfare; experience with strategy and policy setting; high-level leadership experience in business; breadth of knowledge about issues affecting the Company; an ability to work effectively with others; sufficient time to devote to the Company; and freedom from conflicts of interest.

 

Director candidates recommended to the Nominating/Governance Committee are subject to full Board approval and subsequent election by the shareholders. The Board is also responsible for electing directors to fill vacancies on the Board that occur due to retirement, resignation, expansion of the Board or other reasons between the annual meetings of shareholders. The Nominating/Governance Committee may retain a recruitment firm, from time to time, to assist in identifying and evaluating director candidates. When a firm is used, the Nominating/Governance Committee provides specified criteria for director candidates, tailored to the needs of the Board at that time, and pays the firm a fee for these services. Suggestions for director candidates are also received from Board members, management, shareholders and may be solicited from professional associations as well.

 

Board Committees

 

All members of each of the Company’s three standing committees - Audit, Compensation and Nominating/Governance - are required to meet the Company’s Director Independence Standards as well as the independent director standards established by NYSE. See below for a description of the responsibilities of the Board’s standing committees.

 

Executive Sessions of Non-Management Directors

 

The Board periodically holds meetings of only the independent directors without management or other board members present.

 

Board Access to Independent Advisors

 

The Board as a whole, and each of the Board committees separately, has authority to retain and terminate such independent consultants, counselors or advisors to the Board as each shall deem necessary or appropriate.

 

Communications with the Board

 

Direct Communications - Any interested party desiring to communicate with the Board or with any director regarding the Company may write to the Board or the Secretary c/o Elazar Rabbani, Office of the Secretary, Enzo Biochem, Inc., 527 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022. The Office of the Secretary will forward all such communications to the director(s). Interested parties may also submit an email by filling out the email form on the Company’s website at www.enzo.com. Moreover, any interested party may contact the non-management directors of the Board by emailing the Lead Independent Director or asking the Chairman to share information with the non-management members.

 

Annual Meeting - The Company encourages its directors to attend the annual meeting of shareholders each year. All directors attended the Annual Meeting of Shareholders held in January 2021.

 

Meetings of the Board and its Committees

 

During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, there were eighteen formal meetings of the Board, and several informal meetings. None of the directors attended less than 75% of the meetings of the Board (including committee meetings).

  

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Currently, the Board has a Nominating/Governance Committee, an Audit Committee and a Compensation Committee. The Nominating/Governance Committee had one formal meeting, the Audit Committee had four formal meetings and the Compensation Committee had one formal meeting. Each of the committees also had informal meetings.

 

The Audit Committee was established by and among the Board for the purpose of overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Company and audits of the financial statements of the Company as defined in Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Audit Committee is authorized to review proposals of the Company’s auditors regarding the annual audit, recommend the engagement or discharge of the auditors, review recommendations of such auditors concerning accounting principles and the adequacy of internal controls and accounting procedures and practices, review the scope of the annual audit, approve or disapprove each professional service or type of service other than standard auditing services to be provided by the auditors, and review and discuss the audited financial statements with the auditors. The current members of the Audit Committee are Ms. Rebecca J. Fischer, Mr. Perlysky, and Dr. Tagliaferri. Ms. Fischer has been the Chairman since December 2019. The Board has determined that each of the Audit Committee members is independent, as defined in the NYSE’s listing standards and applicable SEC Rules. The Board has further determined that Ms. Fischer is an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined under Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Exchange Act, and that each director is financially literate as required under the NYSE listing standards.

 

The Compensation Committee has the power and authority to (i) establish a general compensation policy for the officers and employees of the Company, including to establish and at least annually review executive officers’ salaries and non-equity incentive compensation plan program and levels of officers’ participation in the benefit plans of the Company, (ii) prepare any reports that may be required by the regulations of the SEC or otherwise relating to officer compensation, (iii) approve any increases in directors’ fees, (iv) grant stock options and/or other equity instruments authorized by senior executives for non-executive officers and (v) exercise all other powers of the Board with respect to matters involving the compensation of employees and the employee benefits of the Company as shall be delegated by the Board to the Compensation Committee. The current members of the Compensation Committee are Ms. Fischer, Dr. Tagliaferri and Dr. Ian B. Walters. The Board has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is independent, as defined in the NYSE listing standards. Dr. Walters has been the Chairman of the Compensation Committee since January 2021.

 

The Nominating/Governance Committee has the power to recommend to the Board prior to each annual meeting of the shareholders of the Company: (i) the appropriate size and composition of the Board; and (ii) nominees: (1) for election to the Board for whom the Company should solicit proxies; (2) to serve as proxies in connection with the annual meeting of shareholders; and (3) for election to all committees of the Board other than the Nominating/Governance Committee. The Nominating/Governance Committee will consider nominations from the shareholders, provided that they are made in accordance with the By-Laws. When evaluating prospective director candidates, the Nominating/Governance Committee conducts individual evaluations against the criteria stated in the Nominating and Corporate Governance guidelines. All director candidates, regardless of the source of their nomination, are evaluated using the same criteria. The current members of the Nominating/Governance Committee are Mr. Perlysky, Dr. Walters and Dr. Tagliaferri, who has been Chair of the committee since January 2021.

 

Executive officers and key employees

 

Set forth below is the name, age and title of each executive officer and key employee of the Company followed by a summary of each executive’s and key employee’s background.

 

Name   Age   Year Became
a Director,
Executive Officer
or Key Employee
  Position
Hamid Erfanian(1)   52   2021   Chief Executive Officer*
Barry W. Weiner   71   1977   President and Treasurer
David Bench   48   2019   Chief Financial Officer
Dieter Schapfel, M.D.   58   2014   Chief Medical Director, Enzo Clinical Labs
Kara Cannon   53   2018   Chief Commercial Officer
Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D. (1)   78   1976   Chairman of the Board and Secretary
Dov Perlysky   59   2012   Director
Rebecca J. Fischer   53   2019   Director
Mary Tagliaferri, M.D.   54   2020   Director
Ian B. Walters, M.D.   53   2020   Director

 

(1)Mr. Erfanian started his tenure as our Chief Executive Officer on November 8, 2021.  Dr. Rabbani served as Chief Executive Officer during our entire fiscal year ended July 31, 2021.

 

7

 

 

Biographical Information Regarding Executive Officers and Key Employees

 

Hamid Erfanian has been the Company’s Chief Executive Officer since November 2021. Mr. Erfanian has over 28 years of experience as a seasoned healthcare executive specializing in the diagnostic, medical devices, and life sciences industry. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Mr. Erfanian was most recently Chief Commercial Officer of EUROIMMUN, a PerkinElmer Company. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of its US subsidiary, a position he held from June 2014 through August 2021. Prior to EUROIMMUN, Mr. Erfanian held executive and senior positions at several notable diagnostics companies including Diagnostica Stago, Beckman Coulter, and Abbott Laboratories. Earlier in his career, Mr. Erfanian worked at leading diagnostic laboratory testing companies, Quest Diagnostics and Laboratory Corporation of America. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Mathematics from North Dakota State University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.

 

BARRY W. WEINER is the Company’s President and Treasurer as well as founder of the Company. He has served as the Company’s President since 1996, and previously held the positions of Director, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President. Before his employment with Enzo Biochem, he worked in several managerial and marketing positions at the Colgate Palmolive Company. Mr. Weiner is a member of the New York Biotechnology Association. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from New York University and his Master of Business Administration in Finance from Boston University.

 

DAVID BENCH has been the Chief Financial Officer for Enzo Biochem since December 2019. Mr. Bench has over 23 years of financial experience as a Chief Financial Officer, investment banker, research analyst, and financial advisor. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of ELLKAY, LLC, a healthcare information technology company servicing diagnostic laboratories, electronic medical record providers, payers, hospital/health systems and ambulatory practices. Mr. Bench was also Founder and President of DBC Group, Corp., an advisory and consulting firm based in New York City, where he assisted both public and private global corporations with cash flow management, operational performance, strategic growth planning, capital structure, valuation analysis, as well as budgeting and expense control. He previously held the position of senior investment banker at Arete Wealth Management, where he covered the telecommunications, media and technology industries. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bench was a Vice President of Institutional Equity Research at Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder in New York and in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group within the Investment Banking division of Lazard Fréres L.L.C. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Brandeis University and his Master’s degree in International Economics and Finance from the International Business School at Brandeis University. Mr. Bench received his Series 7, 63, 79, 86, and 87 securities licenses from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

 

DIETER SCHAPFEL, M.D. is the Chief Medical director for Enzo Clinical Labs and has been employed with the Company since 2012, initially as a consulting pathologist. Dr.Schapfel served as Medical Director of Pathology at Southside Hospital–North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System from 2006 to 2012. He served as a staff pathologist at Huntington Hospital from January 2004 to June 2006. Dr. Schapfel served as director of Pathology and Medical Affairs and the College of American Pathologists director of Pathology, Dublin, Ireland and Farmingdale, New York for Icon Laboratories from February 2002 to October 2003. Dr. Schapfel is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, College of Medicine, where he also served his residency. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Pathology with certification in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and is also a diplomat of The National Board of Medical Examiners.

 

KARA CANNON is Corporate Vice President of Commercial Operations and has been employed with the Company since 2011. She is responsible for strategic and tactical marketing, sales, manufacturing and general management of the operations. Ms. Cannon previously held executive positions at Pall Corporation, where she focused on commercial operations within the areas of diagnostics, biotechnology and biosciences. She has also held marketing and technical positions at Dynal Biotech (now ThermoFisher Scientific). She has had extensive experience in the marketing and selling of innovative platforms for the diagnostics markets, as well as, the development and execution of strategic plans for the growth and sustainability of diagnostic-related businesses. Ms. Cannon holds a BA from Franklin and Marshall College.

 

8

 

 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

 

The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (as such term is defined in Item 406 of Regulation S-K). The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on the Company’s website at www.enzo.com, and in print by contacting Investor Relations at (212) 583-0100. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applies to the Company’s employees, officers and members of the Board. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics has been designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:

 

Honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships;

 

Full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the SEC and in other public communications made by the Company;

 

Compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations;

 

The prompt internal reporting or violations of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to an appropriate person or persons identified in the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics; and

 

Accountability for adherence to the Code of Business and Conduct and Ethics.

 

ITEM 11. Executive Compensation.

 

Director Compensation

 

The following table sets forth the information concerning compensation earned during our fiscal year ended July 31, 2021 by all non-employee Directors (table format below):

 

Name  Fees Earned or Paid in Cash   Restricted Stock/Stock Options Awards(1)   Change in Pension Value and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings   All Other Compensation   Total 
Dov Perlysky
Lead Independent Director
  $90,000   $100,000           $190,000 
Rebecca J. Fischer
Director
  $85,000   $100,000           $185,000 
Mary Tagliaferri, M.D.  $80,400   $100,000           $180,400 
Director                         
Ian B. Walters, M.D.  $75,000   $100,000           $175,000 
Director                         

 

(1)Represents the grant fair value on the respective grant date for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, in accordance with accounting authoritative guidance. The assumptions used in calculating these amounts are set forth in Note 12 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on November 12, 2021.

 

9

 

 

Compensation of Executive Officers

 

Summary Compensation Table

 

The following table sets forth summary information concerning compensation awarded to, paid to or earned by each of our named executive officers for each of the fiscal years ended July 31, 2021 and 2020.

 

Name and Principal Position   Year   Base Pay
Salary(1)
    Option
Awards(2)
    Performance
Stock Units
Award(3)
    Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation(4)
    All Other
Compensation(5)
    Total  
Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D.   2021   $ 611,000     $ -     $ -     $ - (8)   $ 197,621     $ 808,621  
Chairman of the Board and Secretary,   2020   $ 611,000     $ 112,400     $ 69,740     $ 500,000 (9)   $ 194,661     $ 1,487,801  
Former Chief Executive Officer (6)                                                    
                                                   
Barry W. Weiner   2021   $ 542,000     $ -     $ -     $ - (8)   $ 181,518     $ 723,518  
President and Treasurer,
Former Chief Financial Officer (7)
  2020   $ 542,000     $ 101,000     $ 55,600     $ 375,000 (9)   $ 177,949     $ 1,251,607  
                                                   
Dieter Schapfel, M.D.   2021   $ 330,000     $ 72,131     $ -     $ - (8)   $ 14,032     $ 416,163  
Chief Medical Director,   2020   $ 330,000     $ 49,000     $ 29,260     $ 60,000     $ 13,532     $ 481,792  
Enzo Clinical Labs                                                    

 

(1)Base salaries set as of January 1 each year.

 

(2)Represent the fair market value of incentive stock option awards granted to Named Executive Officers and Key Employees on the date of grant, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 for all awards of stock options granted during the relevant fiscal year. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in Note 12 to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2021.

 

(3)Represents the grant date fair value of performance stock units granted in the applicable year, calculated in accordance with ASC 718. The amount included in 2020 for the performance stock unit awards are calculated based on the closing market price of the Company’s common stock and the probable satisfaction of the performance conditions for such awards as of the date of grant. Assuming the highest level of performance is achieved for the 2020 performance share unit awards, the maximum value of these awards at the grant date would be as follows: Dr. Rabbani-$104,610; Mr. Weiner-$83,490; and Dr. Schapfel-$43,890. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in Note 12 to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2021.

 

(4)Represents awards accrued under the Pay for Performance Plan for the years ended July 31, 2021 and 2020.

 

(5)See the “All Other Compensation” chart for additional information.

 

(6)Dr. Rabbani served as Chief Executive Officer during our entire fiscal year ended July 31, 2021 and until November 8, 2021 when Mr. Hamid Erfanian started his tenure as our Chief Executive Officer.

 

(7)Barry W. Weiner served as Chief Financial Officer during our fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 until December 2019 when Mr. David Bench started his tenure as our Chief Financial Officer.

 

(8) The fiscal year 2021 non-equity incentive plan compensation is not calculable at this time, as amounts remain subject to determination by our Board of Directors. Such amounts are expected to be determined in January 2022.

 

(9) The fiscal year 2020 non-equity incentive plan compensation for Elazar Rabbani and Barry Weiner of $500,000 and $375,000 respectively, was settled in the form of 190,114 and 142,586 shares of three year restricted common stock, respectively in lieu of cash on January 11, 2021, at the closing price of $2.63 per share.  

 

10

 

 

All Other Compensation

 

The following table contains information regarding each component of “All Other Compensation” in the Summary Compensation Table to the Named Executive Officers and Key Employees for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2021 and 2020.

 

    Year    401(k)(1)   Life
Insurance(2)(3)
  

Medical and
Disability
Insurance(4)

   Personal
Use of
Auto(5)
   Total All Other Compensation
                           
Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D.   2021   $13,000   $105,212   $56,499  $22,910  $ 197,621
    2020   $12,500   $105,212   $54,038  $22,910  $ 194,661
                           
Barry W. Weiner   2021   $13,000   $100,623   $40,625  $27,270  $ 181,518
    2020   $12,500   $100,623   $39,966  $24,860  $ 177,949
                           
Dieter Schapfel, M.D.   2021   $13,000   $1,032        $ 14,032
    2020   $12,500   $1,032        $ 13,532

 

(1)Represents Company matches under our 401(k) plan.

 

(2)Represents premiums of term policies of which the Named Executive Officers or other party is the beneficiary.

 

(3)Represents the contractual payment for life insurance reimbursement for Dr. Rabbani and Mr. Weiner.

 

(4)Represents supplemental medical and disability benefits costs.

 

(5)Represents the personal use of Company-provided auto or car allowance.

 

Employment Agreements

 

Mr. Barry Weiner and Dr. Elazar Rabbani (each, an “Executive”) are parties to employment agreements with the Company, effective May 4, 1994, as subsequently amended (the “Employment Agreements”). Each Executive also receives a non-equity incentive plan bonus - the amount of which shall be determined by the Compensation Committee and/or the Board based on approved financial and non-financial objectives. Each Employment Agreement provides that, in the event of termination of employment by the Executive for “good reason,” or a termination of employment by the Company without “cause”, change in control or nonrenewal, as such terms are defined in the Employment Agreement, each Executive shall be entitled to receive: (i) a lump sum in an amount equal to three years of the Executive’s base annual salary; (ii) a lump sum in an amount equal to the annual bonus paid by the Company to the Executive for the last fiscal year of the Company ending prior to the date of termination multiplied by three; (iii) insurance coverage for the Executive and his dependents, at the same level and at the same charges to the Executive as immediately prior to his termination, for a period of three (3) years following his termination from the Company; (iv) all accrued obligations, as defined therein; and (v) with respect to each incentive pay plan (other than stock option or other equity plans) of the Company in which the Executive participated at the time of termination, an amount equal to the amount the Executive would have earned if he had continued employment for three additional years. If the Executive is terminated by reason of his disability, he shall be entitled to receive, for three years after such termination, his base annual salary less any amounts received under a long-term disability plan. If the Executive’s employment with the Company is terminated by reason of his death, his legal representatives shall receive the balance of any remuneration due him under the terms of his Employment Agreement. The Employment Agreements were amended on January 5, 2017 and automatically renew for successive two-year periods unless notice is given to the Company within 180 days of the end of such successive term.

 

Dieter Schapfel, M.D. is an “at will” employee and not party to any employment agreement.

 

Benefits and All Other Compensation

 

We maintain broad-based benefits that are provided to all employees, including health and dental insurance, group life insurance and a 401(k) plan. Named Executive Officers and Key Employees are eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans. The annual Company match for our Named Executive Officers and other employees is up to $13,000 if over 50 years old, or limited to 50% of the maximum contribution made.

 

Certain of our Named Executive Officers may be entitled to benefits that are not otherwise available to all of our employees, including supplemental health, life insurance and disability benefits. We do not provide post-retirement health coverage to our Named Executive Officers or our employees. Our health and insurance plans are substantially the same among all management levels at the Company. Dr. Rabbani and Mr. Weiner are provided life insurance benefits in connection with their total compensation arrangements.

 

In particular circumstances, we may provide relocation allowances when executives first join us. The purpose of this program is to attract talented executives outside our geographic area. Certain Named Executives Officers and Key Employees are provided use of a Company-owned vehicle for business and personal use or provided a car allowance.

 

11

 

 

Severance and Change in Control Benefits

 

Pursuant to Employment Agreements entered into with Dr. Rabbani and Mr. Weiner, these executives are entitled to specified benefits in the event of the termination of their employment under specified circumstances, including termination for good reason, termination for cause, and termination following a change of control of our Company (as defined in each executive’s Employment Agreement). We have provided more information about these benefits in the description of the Employment Agreements above.

 

Dieter Schapfel, M.D. is an “at will” employee and not party to any agreement with the Company that provides for severance or change of control benefits other than certain equity award agreements that provide for the acceleration of unvested awards upon Dr. Schapfel’s termination after a change of control.

 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End—July 31, 2021

 

The following table sets forth summary information regarding the outstanding equity awards made to the Named Executive Officers and Key Employees at July 31, 2021.

 

    Options Awards   Performance Stock Awards  
Name   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Exercisable
    Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable(1)
    Option
Exercise
Price
    Options
Expiration
Date
  Equity
Incentive
Plan; Number
of Unearned Shares,
Units or Other
Rights That Have
Not Vested(2)
    Equity
Inventive
Plan Awards;
Market or Payout
Value of Unearned
Shares, Units or Other Rights That
Have Not Vested(3)
 
Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D.     75,000           $ 7.07     1/5/2022            
      90,000           $ 4.42     7/31/2023            
      128,000           $ 2.80     1/3/2024     25,000 (4)   $ 122,250  
      65,000       65,000     $ 2.20     2/24/2025     31,700 (5)   $ 155,013  
Barry W. Weiner     65,000           $ 7.07     1/5/2022            
      80,000           $ 4.42     7/31/2023            
      115,000           $ 2.80     1/3/2024     20,000 (4)   $ 97,800  
      58,450       58,450     $ 2.20     2/24/25     25,300 (5)   $ 123,717  
Dieter Schapfel, M.D.     27,000           $ 7.07     1/5/2022            
      35,000           $ 4.42     7/31/2023            
      17,333           $ 2.80     1/3/2024         $  
      18,467       36,933     $ 2.20     2/24/25     10,500 (4)   $ 51,345  
      18,467       36,933     $ 2.63     1/11/26     13,300 (5)   $ 65,037  

 

(1)Each option award vests in equal amounts on the first, second and third anniversaries of the award which was January 5, 2017 for the options granted at $7.07 per share, July 31, 2018 for the options granted at $4.42 per share, January 3, 2019 for the options granted at $2.80 per share, February 24, 2020 for the options granted at $2.20 per share, and January 11, 2021 for the options granted at $2.63 per share. For Dr. Rabbani and Mr. Weiner, options vest in equal amounts on the first and second anniversary dates.

 

(2)The number of unearned performance stock options (“PSUs”) in this column is based on awards made during the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years and equals the target number of PSUs that may be earned based on the Company’s Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA during the 2020 through 2022, and 2021 through 2023 fiscal year periods.

 

12

 

 

(3) Calculated using the closing market price of the Common Stock on July 31, 2021 of $3.26 per share after applying the maximum relative total shareholder return (TSR) modifier.

 

(4)Represents PSUs granted on January 3, 2019 that will vest, subject to the achievement of threshold performance goals for the fiscal years 2020-2022 performance period, on October 15, 2022, the third anniversary of the grant measurement date.

 

(5)Represents PSUs granted on February 24, 2020 that will vest, subject to the achievement of threshold performance goals for the fiscal years 2020-2023 performance period, on October 19, 2023, the third anniversary of the grant measurement date.

 

ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

 

Beneficial Ownership of Principal Shareholders and Management

 

Set forth below is information, as of November 22, 2021 concerning stock ownership of all persons known by the Company to own beneficially 5% or more of the shares of Common Stock of the Company, the executive officers named in the “Summary Compensation Table” as “Named Executive Officers,” all current directors, and all current directors, executive officers and key employees of the Company as a group, based upon the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as of the close of business on November 22, 2021.

 

The percentages in the “Percent of Class” column are calculated in accordance with the rules of the SEC, under which a person may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of shares if that person has or shares the power to vote or dispose of those shares or has the right to acquire beneficial ownership of those shares within 60 days (for example, through the exercise of an option or warrant). The shares shown in the table as beneficially owned by certain individuals may include shares owned by certain members of their respective families. Because of these rules, more than one person may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the same shares. The inclusion of the shares shown in the table is not necessarily an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by the person indicated. Except as otherwise indicated, each of the persons named has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares shown.

 

Title of Class  Name and Address of Beneficial Owner 

Amount and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership(1)

  

Percent of
Class(2)

 
Common Stock  Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D.   2,221,684(3)   4.5%
Common Stock  Barry W. Weiner   1,610,975(4)   3.3%
Common Stock  Dieter Schapfel, M.D.   174,225(5)   * 
Common Stock  Rebecca J. Fischer   80,217(6)   * 
Common Stock  Mary Tagliaferri, M.D.   38,551(7)   * 
Common Stock  Ian B. Walters, M.D.   38,551(8)   * 
Common Stock  Dov Perlysky   833,824(9)    1.7%
Common Stock  Harbert Management Corp   5,175,913(10)   10.7%
Common Stock  Bradley L. Radoff   3,615,000(11)   7.5%
Common Stock  Renaissance Technologies, LLC   3,210,064(12)   6.6%
Common Stock  James G. Wolf   3,262,500(13)   6.7%
Common Stock  Roumell Asset Management, LLC   2,886,771(14)   5.9%
Common Stock  All directors, executive officers and key employees as a group (10 persons)   5,197,717(15)   10.4%

 

*Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1%.

 

(1) Except as otherwise noted in the footnotes to the table, all shares of Common Stock are beneficially owned and the sole investment and voting power is held by the persons named, and such persons’ address is c/o Enzo Biochem, Inc., 527 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
   
(2) For directors, executive officers and key employees, based upon 48,471,771 shares of Common Stock of the Company considered outstanding as of the close of business on November 22, 2021. Common Stock not outstanding but deemed beneficially owned by virtue of the right of an individual to acquire shares within 60 days from November 22, 2021 is treated as outstanding when determining the amount and percentage of Common Stock owned by directors and executive officers individually and as a group.
   
(3) Includes (i) 358,050 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021, (ii) 5,308 shares of Common Stock held in the name of Dr. Rabbani as custodian for certain of his children, (iii) 18,794 shares of Common Stock held in the name of Dr. Rabbani’s wife as custodian for certain of their children, and (iv) 46,664 shares of Common Stock held in the Company’s 401(k) plan.
   
(4) Includes (i) 318,450 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021, (ii) 6,638 shares of Common Stock that Mr. Weiner holds as custodian for certain of his children, and (iii) 46,671 shares of Common Stock held in the Company’s 401(k) plan.

 

13

 

 

(5) Includes (i) 116,266 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021, and (ii) 22,124 shares of Common Stock held in the Company’s 401(k) plan. This individual is considered a key employee.
   
(6) Includes 80,217 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021.
   
(7) Includes 38,551 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021.
   
(8) Includes 38,551 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021.
   
(9) Includes (i) 253,316 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021, (ii) 30,000 shares owned by Laya Perlysky (Mr. Perlysky’s wife) in an IRA account of which Mr. Perlysky disclaims beneficial ownership, (iii) 18,250 shares owned by Irwin Perlysky IRA, (iv) 109,237 shares owned directly by RSD 2012 GRAT, of which Mr. Perlysky is the trustee of which Mr. Perlysky disclaims beneficial ownership; (v) 45,000 shares owned by Sky Ventures LLC, of which Mr. Perlysky is the manager, (vi) 38,353 shares owned directly by Mr. Perlysky, (vii) 325,875 shares owned by Kinder Investments LLP, (viii) 6,981 shares owned by Krovim LLC, (ix) 3,225 shares owned by MidAtlantic Capital LLC, (x) 3,139 shares owned directly by Laya Perlysky of which Mr. Perlysky disclaims beneficial ownership, and (xi) 448 shares owned by LDP Family Partnership LP of which Mr. Perlysky disclaims beneficial ownership.
   
(10) The address of Harbert Management Corp. is 2100 Third Avenue North, Suite 600, Birmingham, AL 35203. This information is based solely on a Schedule 13D filed on October 28, 2021.
   
(11) The address of Bradley L. Radoff is 2727 Kirby Drive Unit 29L Houston, Texas 77098. This information is based solely on a Schedule 13D filed on October 22, 2021.
   
(12) The address of Renaissance Technologies, LLC is 800 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022. This information is based solely on a Schedule 13F filed on September 30, 2019.
   
(13) The address of James G. Wolf is 105, Flyway Drive, Kiawah Island, SC 29455. This information is based solely on a Schedule 13D filed on November 15, 2021.
   
(14) The address of Roumell Asset Management, LLC is 2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700 Chevy Chase, MD 20815. This information is based solely on a Schedule 13D filed on September 30, 2021.
   
(15) Includes 1,384,267 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options which are exercisable within 60 days from November 22, 2021.

 

ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

 

It is the responsibility of the Nominating/Governance Committee to consider questions of possible conflicts of interest of directors and of the Company’s senior executives, which includes the consideration of all transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to the SEC’s related person disclosure requirements. In addition, the Board has a Related Persons Policy which states that all related person transactions shall be in the best interests of the Company and, unless different terms are specifically approved or ratified by disinterested members of the Board, must be on terms that are (i) no less favorable to the Company than would be obtained in a similar transaction with an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances, or (ii) generally available to substantially all employees of the Company. In addition, if any non-material or material related person transaction relates to any executive officer or director, it must be reviewed by the Nominating/Governance Committee who shall determine whether the transaction is in compliance with the Company’s Related Person Policy.

 

Enzo Clinical Labs, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company (“Enzo Lab”), leases a facility located in Farmingdale, New York from Pari Management Corporation (“Pari”). Pari is owned equally by Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D., the Chairman and Secretary of the Company; Shahram K. Rabbani, a former officer and former director of the Company; and Barry Weiner, the President and Treasurer of the Company, and his wife. The lease originally commenced on December 20, 1989, was amended and extended in October 2015 and now terminates on March 31, 2027. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, Enzo Labs paid approximately $1,815,000 to Pari with respect to such facility and future payments are subject to cost of living adjustments.

 

The non-interested members of the Board, at the time of the execution of the lease and each extension, reviewed and approved the transaction in accordance with the Company’s procedures for reviewing related party transactions. The Nominating/Governance Committee obtained a third-party appraisal to determine the value of the lease. Based on that appraisal, the Company, which has guaranteed Enzo Lab’s obligations to Pari under the lease, believes that the existing lease terms are as favorable to the Company as it would be to an unaffiliated party.

 

14

 

 

Director Independence

 

Requirements—The Board believes that a majority of its members should be independent, non-employee directors. The Board adopted the following “Director Independence Standards,” which are consistent with criteria established by the NYSE, to assist the Board in making these independence determinations:

 

No director can qualify as independent if he or she has a material relationship with the Company outside of his or her service as a director of the Company. A director is not independent if, within the preceding three years:

 

The director was an employee of the Company;

 

An immediate family member of the director was an executive officer of the Company;

 

A director was affiliated with or employed by a present or former internal or external auditor of the Company;

 

An immediate family member of a director was affiliated with or employed in a professional capacity by a present or former internal or external auditor of the Company;

 

A director, or an immediate family member of the director, received more than $120,000 per year in direct compensation from the Company, other than director and committee fees and pension or other forms of deferred compensation for prior services (provided such compensation is not contingent in any way on continued service);

 

The director, or an immediate family member of the director, was employed as an executive officer of another company where any of the Company’s executives served on that company’s compensation committee of the board of directors;

 

The director was an executive officer or employee, or an immediate family member of the director was an executive officer, of another company that made payments to, or received payments from, the Company for property or services in an amount which, in any single fiscal year, exceeded the greater of $1 million or two percent (2%) of such other company’s consolidated gross revenues;

 

The director, or an immediate family member of the director, was an executive officer of another company that was indebted to the Company, or to which the Company was indebted, where the total amount of either company’s indebtedness to the other was five percent (5%) or more of the total consolidated assets of the Company he or she served as an executive officer; or

 

The director, or an immediate family member of the director, was an officer, director or trustee of a charitable organization where the Company’s annual discretionary charitable contributions to the charitable organization exceeded the greater of $1 million or two percent (2%) of that organization’s consolidated gross revenues.

 

The Board has reviewed all material transactions and relationships among each director, and any member of his or her immediate family, and the Company, its senior management and its independent auditors. Based on this review and in accordance with its independence standards outlined above, the Board has affirmatively determined that all of the non-employee directors are independent as such term is defined by the NYSE. The Board has determined that each member of the Compensation and Nominating Committees is independent, as defined in the NYSE listing standards. The Board has determined that each of the Audit Committee members is independent, as defined in the NYSE’s listing standards and applicable SEC Rules. The Board has further determined that Ms. Fischer is an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined under Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Exchange Act, and that each director is financially literate as required under the NYSE listing standards.

 

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ITEM 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

 

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

EisnerAmper billed the Company for services for fiscal 2021 and 2020, as set forth in the table below. The fees listed are aggregate fees for services performed for the year—regardless of when the fee was actually billed.

 

   FY 2021   FY 2020 
Audit Fees  $465,000   $519,000 
Audit-related Fees   95,900    40,040 
Tax Fees   -    - 
All Other Fees   -    - 
Total  $560,900   $559,040 

 

Audit Fees—Consists of fees for professional services necessary to perform an audit or review in accordance with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, including services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements (including services incurred with rendering an opinion under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) and quarterly reviews of the Company’s interim financial statement.

 

Audit-Related Fees—EisnerAmper performed certain Audit services for an employee benefit plan for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, for which the Company is the plan sponsor; these fees were $41,600 and $40,040, respectively. EisnerAmper performed other Audit-Related services during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021; the fees for these services were $54,000.

 

Tax Fees—There were no tax fees for fiscal years 2021 and 2020.

 

All Other Fees—There were no other fees for fiscal years 2021 and 2020.

 

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures—The Audit Committee has adopted a policy that requires advance approval of all audit, audit-related, tax services and other services performed by the independent registered public accounting firm. The policy provides for pre-approval by the Audit Committee of specifically defined audit and non-audit services.

 

Unless the specific service has been previously pre-approved with respect to that year, the Audit Committee must approve the permitted service before the independent auditor is engaged to perform it. The Audit Committee has delegated to the Chair of the Audit Committee authority to approve permitted services, provided that the Chair reports any decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

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Part IV

 

Exhibit 15. Exhibit, Financial Statement Schedules

 

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:

 

3. Exhibits:

 

The exhibits listed in the exhibit index of the original Form 10-K filing which was filed with the SEC on October 12, 2021, and the exhibits listed in the exhibit index of this Amendment are filed with, or incorporated by reference in, this report.

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.   Description  
31.1*   Certification of CEO Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2*   Certification of CFO Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

*Filed herewith

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  ENZO BIOCHEM, INC.
   
Date: December 1, 2021 /s/ David Bench
 

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Accounting Officer)

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By: /s/ Hamid Erfanian   December 1, 2021
Hamid Erfanian    
Chief Executive Officer    
(Principal Executive Officer)    
     
By: /s/ David Bench   December 1, 2021
David Bench    
Chief Financial Officer    
(Principal Accounting Officer)    
     
By: /s/ Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D.   December 1, 2021
Elazar Rabbani, Ph.D.    
Chairman of Board of Directors and Secretary    
     
By: /s/ Rebecca J. Fischer   December 1, 2021
Rebecca J. Fischer, Director    
     
By: /s/ Dov Perlysky   December 1, 2021
Dov Perlysky, Director    
     
By: /s/ Ian B. Walters, M.D.   December 1, 2021
Ian B. Walters, M.D., Director    

 

 

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