Biopharma & Life Sciences
Akebia Therapeutics Executive Compensation (FY25)
AKBA · Executive and director compensation, fiscal 2023 to 2025
Data as of September 7, 2026Latest filing (8-K): June 22, 2026
173 figures on this page: 166 cited to the filing that reported them, 7 calculated from figures it prints. See the citations
John Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer, received $5,652,339 in total compensation for fiscal 2025, and Butler's total was 32.7% higher than the $4,260,114 reported for fiscal 2024. The disclosed chief executive pay ratio for fiscal 2025 is 21:1, against median employee compensation of $270,410. The say-on-pay proposal drew 63.7% of votes cast for or against in favor at the meeting held June 17, 2026 for fiscal 2025. The disclosed peer group includes Ardelyx, Inc., Coherus BioSciences, Inc., Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., among others.
What changed from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2025
The figures that moved, and by how much. Analysis of these figures is part of the Velarion platform.
Chief executive total compensation — John Butler: $4,260,114 → $5,652,339 (32.7% higher)
Say-on-pay support: 73.9% → 63.7% (10.2 points lower)
CEO pay ratio: 17.1:1 → 21:1 (22.8% higher)
Frequently asked questions
Answers drawn from the data on this page.
Who is Akebia Therapeutics' chief executive and what were they paid?
John Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer, received $5,652,339 in total compensation for fiscal 2025. Butler's total was 32.7% higher than the $4,260,114 reported for fiscal 2024.
What was Akebia Therapeutics' say-on-pay result?
The say-on-pay proposal drew 63.7% of votes cast for or against in favor at the meeting held June 17, 2026 for fiscal 2025.
Which companies are in Akebia Therapeutics' peer group?
The disclosed peer group includes Ardelyx, Inc., Coherus BioSciences, Inc., Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., among others.
What is Akebia Therapeutics' chief executive pay ratio?
The disclosed chief executive pay ratio for fiscal 2025 is 21:1, against median employee compensation of $270,410.
Executive compensation
Every element reported for each named executive officer, by fiscal year.
Fiscal 2023
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Butler President and Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Steven Burke Senior Vice President, Chief Research & Development and Medical Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Fiscal 2024
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Butler President and Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Nicholas Grund Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Steven Burke Senior Vice President, Chief Research & Development and Medical Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Erik Ostrowski Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Business Officer and Treasurer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Fiscal 2025
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Butler President and Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Steven Burke Senior Vice President, Chief Research & Development and Medical Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Erik Ostrowski Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Business Officer and Treasurer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Nicholas Grund Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. A negative change in pension value is shown but, as the company reports it, not included in the total.
Equity awards granted
Individual awards as disclosed: type, date, unit counts at each level, and grant date value.
Fiscal 2025
| Officer | Award | Grant date | Threshold units | Target units | Units granted | Maximum units | Exercise price | Grant date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik J. Ostrowski | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| John P. Butler | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Nicholas P. Grund | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Steven K. Burke | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. Threshold, target and maximum apply only to performance awards and are never shown for time-based or option awards.
Outstanding awards
Awards still held at fiscal year end.
As disclosed at fiscal 2025 year end
| Officer | Award | Unvested units | Market value of unvested units | Exercise price | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Grund | Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| Steven Burke | Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| John Butler | Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Erik Ostrowski | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | |
| Option | ◇ | — | ◇ | — |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.
Director compensation
What each non-employee director was paid.
Fiscal 2025
| Director | Fees earned in cash | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adrian Adams Board chair | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ |
Cynthia Smith | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ |
Ronald E. Frieson | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ |
Michael Rogers | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ |
LeAnne M. Zumwalt | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ |
Steven C. Gilman | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ |
John P. Butler, Philip J. Vickers and Myles Wolf served on the board in fiscal 2025 and received no compensation for board service. Executive directors are typically paid through their executive roles, shown above.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.
Director fee schedule
The standing retainers and premiums the board pays, as published.
| Board cash retainer | ◇ |
| Board equity retainer | ◇ |
| Total board retainer | ◇ |
| Board chair premium | ◇ |
| Audit committee chair | ◇ |
| Audit committee member | ◇ |
| Compensation committee chair | ◇ |
| Compensation committee member | ◇ |
| Nominating and governance chair | ◇ |
| Nominating and governance member | ◇ |
Equity is delivered as restricted stock units.
Disclosed peer group
The companies this board named as its compensation comparison group. The list is disclosure; the comparison is analysis.
Fiscal 2025
- Ardelyx, Inc. ARDX
- Coherus BioSciences, Inc. CHRS
- Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. COLL
- Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ENTA
- Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. ESPR
- Evolus, Inc. EOLS
- Heron Therapeutics, Inc. HRTX
- Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. KPTI
- MacroGenics, Inc. MGNX
- Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. MRNS
- Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. OCUL
- OptiNose, Inc. OPTN
- Puma Biotechnology, Inc. PBYI
- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. RIGL
- Theravance Biopharma, Inc. TBPH
- uniQure N.V. QURE
- UroGen Pharma Ltd. URGN
- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. VNDA
- Xeris Biopharma Holdings, Inc. XERS
- Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. YMAB
Say-on-pay history
Shareholder support for the compensation program, by year.
| Year | Meeting | Support | Votes for | Votes against | Abstentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | June 17, 2026 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2024 | June 10, 2025 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2023 | June 6, 2024 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2022 | June 6, 2023 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2021 | June 8, 2022 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2020 | June 2, 2021 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2019 | June 5, 2020 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
Chief executive pay ratio
As calculated and reported by the company.
Ratio
◇
Median employee compensation
◇
Chief executive total compensation
◇
What this page does not include
Everything above is a fact Akebia Therapeutics disclosed, and it is free. Everything below is our analysis of those facts, and it is not.
Peer benchmarking
Where Akebia Therapeutics sits against its disclosed peers — percentile position by role and by pay element, and the ranking behind it. The disclosed peer group is free; comparisons across it are part of the Velarion platform.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500Written compensation analysis
A read of the pay program as designed and as paid: incentive structure, goal rigor, the alignment between the committee's stated philosophy and what the numbers show.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500Board and governance analysis
Committee composition, independence, director pay positioning, and the governance provisions read together rather than listed.
Board Governance Report — $1,200Realizable pay
What the awards above are actually worth today against what they were valued at on grant, and what the gap says about the pay-for-performance link.
Velarion IntelligenceSay-on-pay responsiveness
Akebia Therapeutics recorded a low support level. The responsiveness analysis covers what the company said it would do, what it did, and how that compares with the companies that recovered their vote.
Responsiveness analysisAdviser switching and vote outcomes
Two datasets covering compensation-adviser changes and what followed a contested vote. Both are part of the Velarion platform.
Enquire about accessMultiple companies at once
Cross-company views, cohort screens, and data export across the industries we cover. This page is one company; the platform is all of them.
Velarion IntelligenceCitations
Every figure on this page is cited to the document that reported it. Select any figure to see its citation.
173 figures on this page: 166 cited to the filing that reported them, 7 calculated from figures it prints.
166 cited to the filing
7 calculated from the filing
Documents cited
- 0001517022-26-000043Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001517022-26-0000342025 Director Compensation · 2025 Summary Compensation Table · Chief Executive Officer Pay Ratio · DIRECTOR COMPENSATION · and 3 more sections
- 0001517022-25-000030Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001517022-25-0000232024 Summary Compensation Table
- 0001517022-24-000057Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001517022-24-0000452023 Summary Compensation Table
- 0001517022-23-000014Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-22-171529Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-21-180654Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-20-164639Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
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This page is free to cite. Attribution we ask for:
Velarion, “Akebia Therapeutics executive compensation, FY2023–FY2025.” https://intel.velarion.ai/comp/AKBA (accessed 2026).
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Biopharma & Life Sciences rankings
Peers Akebia Therapeutics discloses
The companies named in AKBA's own disclosed peer group.
Terms on this page
Cite this data
APA
Velarion Company Intelligence. (2026). Velarion database: executive and board compensation data (Version 2026Q3) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854
BibTeX
@misc{velarionData2026,
author = {{Velarion Company Intelligence}},
title = {Velarion database: executive and board compensation data},
year = {2026},
version = {2026Q3},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22283854},
publisher = {Zenodo},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854}
}