Silexion Therapeutics Corp
Filed Oct 9, 2024.
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period unavailable · Filed Oct 9, 2024
Contents
Management
Management and Board of Directors
New Silexion’s board of directors (sometimes referred to as the “New Silexion Board”) is comprised of the six directors listed below.
Each director will hold office until his or her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified in accordance with applicable law or until his or her death, resignation or removal in accordance with law and New Silexion’s governing documents, including our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (the “Articles”), which went into effect upon the Closing of the Business Combination.
The following sets forth certain information known as of the date hereof concerning the persons who currently serve as directors and executive officers of New Silexion (who have served as such since the consummation of the Business Combination):
| Name | Age | Position(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Directors | ||
| Ilan Hadar | 55 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
| Dror J. Abramov | 63 | Director |
| Ruth Alon | 72 | Director |
| Ilan Levin | 58 | Director |
| Avner Lushi | 57 | Director |
| Shlomo Noy | 71 | Director |
| Executive Officers (who are not also directors) | ||
| Dr. Mitchell Shirvan | 70 | Chief Scientific and Development Officer |
| Mirit Horenshtein Hadar, CPA | 40 | EVP of Finance Affairs, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary |
Directors
Ilan Hadar, 55, was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of New Silexion, serving on a full-time basis, effective upon the Business Combination, and has served as our (previously, Silexion’s) Chairman of the Board since May 2024. Previously, he served as Managing Director of Silexion from April 2022 until the Business Combination. Mr. Hadar has over 20 years of multinational managerial and corporate experience with pharmaceutical and high-tech companies, as described below, over which time period he has acquired the experience and skills to serve as a valuable member of the board of directors of a company such as Biomotion Sciences. In addition to his current role at Silexion, Mr. Hadar has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Painreform Ltd (Nasdaq: PRFX) since November 2020, a position he will relinquish following the consummation of the Business Combination. Prior to joining Painreform and Silexion, Mr. Hadar served as Country Manager Israel and Chief Financial Officer at Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (currently, Nasdaq: VYNE) from 2014 until August 2020, where he was instrumental in building the organization and launching new innovative topical drugs in the U.S., and also focused on capital markets and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to his role at Foamix, Mr. Hadar was Finance Director at Pfizer PFR Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., where he oversaw all commercial, financial and operational activities of the local entity of the large pharmaceutical company. Before his tenure at Pfizer, Mr. Hadar served as Finance Manager at HP Indigo Ltd., a world-leading company in digital printing and, prior to that, served as Finance Director at BAE Systems, the third-largest defense company in the world, where he was responsible for all financial activities of BAE Systems Israel. From 1998 to 2006, Mr. Hadar was Chief Financial Officer at Mango DSP, a global leader of Intelligent Video Solutions. Mr. Hadar served on the board of directors of Kadimastem, a public Israeli biopharmaceutical company from 2019 to 2022. He received his MBA in Finance and Business Entrepreneurship and BA from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. We believe Mr. Hadar is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive knowledge as Silexion’s Managing Director, and his extensive commercial, financial and managerial experience with high-tech and pharmaceutical companies, both private and public.
Dror J. Abramov,63, was appointed as a director of New Silexion effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Mr. Abramov’s experience of over 15 years in multiple roles in changing and growing companies and markets within dynamic environments, and in particular his multi-disciplinary experience in R&D, consulting, taxes, sales, business development, finance and government, lend to his being an appropriate board member of Biomotion Sciences. Mr. Abramov has served as Managing Director of Hewlett Packard Inc. Israel since 2015. Mr. Abramov held several other management positions in Hewlett Packard Inc. Israel from 2006 to 2015, including finance director, general manager of imaging and printing divisions and general manager of printing and personal systems division. From 2002 through 2006, Mr. Abramov served as Chief Financial Officer of Applied Materials UK and Applied Materials Israel, both part of Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT), a nanomanufacturing company that supplies equipment, services and software for the manufacture of semiconductor chips for electronics. From 2000 through 2002, Mr. Abramov served as Vice President of business management at Avaya Communication, a cloud communications and workstream collaboration technology company. From 1997 until 2000, Mr. Abramov held positions in Mainsoft Corporation, first as director of finance and operations and later as general manager. From 1991 through 1997, Mr. Abramov served as consultant and manager at Maron, Sobel, Shor & Co., an Israeli CPA firm. Mr. Abramov is a licensed CPA and holds a Bachelor of Accounting, Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in physics and computer sciences, all three degrees from Tel Aviv University. We believe Mr. Abramov is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive financial and business management experience.
Ruth Alon, 72, became a director of New Silexion effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Ms. Alon’s international experience of over 30 years in the high-tech medical industry and with Israeli life sciences companies, in particular, make her a prospective valuable member of the board of directors of Biomotion Sciences. Ms. Alon is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medstrada, which was started in 2016. From 1997 until 2016, Ms. Alon served as a General Partner in Pitango Venture Capital, where she headed the life sciences activities and helped to facilitate the acquisition of several of the company’s portfolio companies. Currently, Ms. Alon also serves on the board of directors of a number of private and public companies as a member or chairperson, including Vascular Biogenics Ltd. (Nasdaq: VBLT), Brainsgate and KadimaStem. Ms. Alon previously worked on Wall Street where she held senior positions as a senior medical device analyst with Montgomery Securities (from 1981 to 1987) and Kidder Peabody & Co. (from 1987 to 1993). She also managed her own independent consulting business in San Francisco from 1995 to 1996, providing broad-based services to early-stage companies and venture capitalists in the medical devices industry. Ms. Alon was also instrumental in the establishment, in 2005, of Israel Life Science Industry (ILSI), a not-for-profit organization which represented, as of 2005, the mutual goals of approximately 700 Israeli life science companies. She is the Co-Founder of IATI, an umbrella organization established in 2012, representing Israel’s High Tech and Life Sciences industries. Ms. Alon holds a B.A. in Economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an M.B.A. from Boston University, and an M.Sc. from the Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons. We believe Ms. Alon is qualified to serve on our board of directors given her above-described extensive experience in the high-tech medical industry and with Israeli life sciences companies, in particular.
Ilan Levin, 58, who was the co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moringa, was appointed as a director of New Silexion after its formation in April 2024 and has continued as a director following the consummation of the Business Combination. Mr. Levin has been involved, for approximately 25 years, as an executive and venture capital/private equity investor in high-tech, Israel-related ventures. His experience as an executive and board member in managing growth companies that develop technology, and his knowledge of that industry in Israel in particular, suit him well to serve as a director of Biomotion Sciences. From 2000 to 2018, Mr. Levin was a member of the Board and Executive Committee of Objet Ltd., which as a result of a merger with Stratasys, Inc. in 2012, formed Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), the pioneer and global leader in 3D printing. During his tenure at Objet/Stratasys, Mr. Levin held various positions including President, Vice Chairman and from 2016 to 2018, Chief Executive Officer. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Levin was the Chief Executive Officer of CellGuide, a developer of software-based GPS for mobile devices. Since 1997, Mr. Levin has also served as a member of the board of directors and as an advisor for a wide variety of Israel-based technology-related companies, including currently serving as Chairman of Vision Sigma (TLV: VISN: IT), an Israel-based real estate and investment company. Early in his career, Mr. Levin was a practicing attorney focusing on corporate and securities related matters. In addition to his role as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Levin also serves as the sole director and sole equity owner of an Israeli company that serves as the sole general partner of the Sponsor. Mr. Levin earned an LL.B. from Tel Aviv University and a B.A.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto. We believe Mr. Levin is qualified to serve on our board of directors given his above-described experience in managing growth companies that develop technology, and his knowledge of that industry in Israel in particular.
Avner Lushi, 57, was appointed as a director of New Silexion effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination. His experience of over 20 years and skills acquired in his managing roles at an Israeli life sciences venture capital fund and in life sciences investment banking make him suitable to provide similar support as a member of the board of directors of Biomotion Sciences. Mr. Lushi co-founded Guangzhou Sino-Israel Bio-industry Investment Fund (GIBF), which currently includes two approximately $100 million funds focused on introducing Israeli and other foreign companies in the field of life sciences to the Chinese market, in which he also serves as a Managing Partner & CEO of the GP since 2016. From 2004 to 2015, Mr. Lushi served as a Partner and Managing Director of Israel Healthcare Ventures (IHCV), a prominent Israeli life sciences venture capital fund. Before joining IHCV, Mr. Lushi was the Co-Founder & CEO of Life Sciences Transaction Support Ltd. (LTS), a PwC subsidiary dealing with life sciences investment banking. Since 2005, Mr. Lushi has served as an independent director on the boards of nine public companies, including, currently, Brainsway Ltd. (Nasdaq: BWAY) and Ginegar Plastic Products Ltd. In addition, he serves as a board member of several private companies as part of his role at GIBF. From 1997 to 2001, prior to turning to the private sector, he held increasingly senior roles within the Israeli Prime Minister’s Chamber and the Israeli Supreme Court. Mr. Lushi holds an LLM in Law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, LLB in Law and a BA in Economics from the Haifa University. We believe Mr. Lushi is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive executive and board experience with life sciences companies.
Shlomo Noy, MD PhD, 71, was appointed as a director of New Silexion effective upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Professor Noy’s international-level expertise in healthcare management, tech transfer, building ecosystems and focusing hospitals on research and clinical trials will provide important knowledge to the Biomotion Sciences board of directors in the realm of Israeli research and clinical trial activities. Professor Noy has served as Chief Medical Officer of GIBF since January 2017. Professor Noy served as the Director of the Rehabilitation Hospital at Sheba Medical Center from 1993 to 2017 and Vice President of Research and Development and Academic Affairs at Sheba Medical Center from 2000 to 2017. Prof. Noy was a Professor at Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University from 1993 to 2016. Prof. Noy serves as a board member of several private companies as part of his role at GIBF. Prof. Noy possesses 25 years’ experience in health care management and is active in promoting research and education at an Israeli national level as well as at an international level. Prof. Noy received his MD from the Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel, and completed his MBA at the European School of Business Administration (INSEAD) Fontainebleau, France, and holds a PhD degree from Tel-Aviv University, Faculty of Medicine and Management. We believe Mr. Noy is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive medical and health care management experience.
Executive Officers
Mitchell Shirvan, 70, has served as the Chief Scientific and Development Officer of New Silexion since the Business Combination, and, before the Business Combination, of Silexion, since April 2022. Prior to joining Silexion, Dr. Shirvan served as the Senior Vice President of R&D and V.P. Innovation and Discovery at Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. from 2014 to 2019. Dr. Shirvan has over 25 years of industry experience, previously holding positions as Chief Executive Officer at Macrocure Ltd. from 2008 to 2012. From 1992 until 2008, Dr. Shirvan held various positions of increasing responsibility at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, including Senior Director, Strategic Business Planning and Senior Manager, Research & Development. Prior to his tenure at Teva, he was a research fellow at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Shirvan holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an MBA from the University of Bradford.
Mirit Horenshtein Hadar, 40, has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of New Silexion since the Business Combination, and served as the Executive Vice President of Finance Affairs at Silexion before the Business Combination, beginning in January 2024. From August 2023 to January 2024, Ms. Horenshtein Hadar served as a part-time consultant in a Strategy & Corporate Finance Advisory capacity. Ms. Horenshtein Hadar has over 15 years of corporate finance experience in senior financial positions of public companies and privately held companies, in the pharmaceutical and high-tech industries, where she has been instrumental in building financial infrastructures for growth, U.S. GAAP financial reporting and FP&A functions, and has led the accounting and reporting of complex M&A transactions, integration processes and public offerings. Prior to joining Silexion, from January 2021 to December 2022, Ms. Horenshtein Hadar served as VP of Finance and then CFO Israel of Gauzy Ltd. (currently, Nasdaq: GAUZ), a nanotechnology company that develops and markets smart glass and vision control technologies. Since December 2022, Ms. Horenshtein Hadar continues to serve as an external advisor to the finance department at Gauzy. Prior to Gauzy, Ms. Horenshtein Hadar served as Senior Director of Finance and Head of FP&A, Accounting and Financial Reporting at Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (currently, Nasdaq: VYNE) from July 2016 until December 2020. Prior to Foamix, Ms. Horenshtein Hadar was a Senior Manager at PwC Israel, as an external auditor, from 2008 to 2016. Ms. Horenshtein Hadar became a Qualified CPA in 2011 and received a BA in Accounting, Economics and Business Management from Tel Aviv University.
Family Relationships
Mirit Horenshtein Hadar and Ilan Hadar are married to one another. There are no other family relationships between the individuals who serve as directors and executive officers of the Company.
Corporate Governance Practices
Overall
The Company does not qualify as a “foreign private issuer” under U.S. securities laws and is therefore not currently eligible to exempt itself from any of the Nasdaq listing rule requirements in a manner that other non-U.S. issuers often do.
Composition of the New Silexion Board After the Business Combination
New Silexion’s business and affairs are managed under the direction of the New Silexion Board. Under the terms of the Articles, the New Silexion Board may be composed of between three and nine directors, as may be amended from time to time exclusively by ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being a resolution passed by a simple majority of the shareholders of New Silexion as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting (an “Ordinary Resolution”). The size of the New Silexion Board was set by our shareholders as seven members effective upon the Closing. Ilan Hadar serves as Chairman of the New Silexion Board. Subsequent to the Closing, Ilan Shiloah stepped down from the Board, citing competing demands on his time, thereby leaving the current size of the Board as six members.
Pursuant to the Articles, Silexion’s directors are appointed by an Ordinary Resolution at an annual general meeting. Unless the Board resolves that the election of nominees of the Board (referred to as “Nominees”) or of nominees of any shareholders entitled to present such nomination (referred to as “Alternate Nominees”) will be determined by plurality vote, the Nominees or Alternate Nominees shall be appointed by Ordinary Resolution at the annual general meeting at which they are proposed for election.
Officers
New Silexion’s Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the company’s day-to-day management. The Chief Executive Officer is appointed by, and serves at the discretion of, the New Silexion Board, subject to his employment agreement. All other executive officers are proposed for appointment by the Chief Executive Officer, subject to approval by the New Silexion Board, and will be subject to the terms of any applicable employment or consulting agreements that Silexion may enter into with them.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of the New Silexion Board be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person who has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the listed company) that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In making these determinations, the New Silexion Board considers the current and prior relationships that each non-employee director has with the Company and all other facts and circumstances the New Silexion Board deems relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our securities by each non-employee director and the transactions described in the section titled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
The New Silexion Board has determined that each of Messrs. Dror J. Abramov, Ilan Levin, Avner Lushi and Shlomo Noy, and Ms. Ruth Alon, meets the definition of “independent director” as defined in Nasdaq listing standards. For purposes of SEC rules applicable to members of the audit committee and compensation committee, each of Mr. Abramov and Ms. Alon are deemed independent.
Board Committees
The New Silexion Board has established an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee, each of which has the composition and the responsibilities described below. Each of these committees operates under a written charter, approved by the New Silexion Board and effective upon the Closing, that satisfies the applicable Nasdaq rules, copies of which are available on the investor relations portion of our website. Members will serve on these committees until their resignation or until otherwise determined by the New Silexion Board. The New Silexion Board may establish other committees as it deems necessary or appropriate from time to time.
Audit Committee
Our audit committee consists of Dror J. Abramov and Ruth Alon, with Mr. Abramov serving as chair. Ilan Shiloah had served as the third member of the audit committee from the Closing until his resignation from the New Silexion Board on September 16, 2024. Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and the Nasdaq listing standards require that our audit committee be composed entirely of independent members. The Nasdaq listing standards require that the audit committee be composed of at least three members. With the resignation of Mr. Siloah from the New Silexion Board and its audit committee, we will have until the earlier of our 2025 annual general meeting or one year after Mr. Shiloah’s resignation to restore the size of the audit committee to three members. The New Silexion Board has determined that each of Mr. Abramov and Ms. Alon meets the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on the audit committee under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and the Nasdaq listing standards and also meets the financial literacy requirements of the Nasdaq listing standards. In addition, the New Silexion Board has determined that Mr. Abramov qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of the SEC regulations.
The primary purpose of the audit committee is to discharge the responsibilities of the New Silexion Board with respect to our corporate accounting and financial reporting processes, systems of internal control and financial statement audits and to oversee our independent registered public accounting firm. The principal functions of the audit committee include, among other things:
| ● | helping the New Silexion Board oversee our corporate accounting and financial reporting processes; |
| ● | managing the selection, engagement, qualifications, independence, and performance of a qualified firm to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements; |
| ● | reviewing and discussing the scope and results of the audit with the independent registered public accounting firm, and reviewing, with management and the independent accountants, our interim and year-end operating results; |
| ● | obtaining and reviewing a report by the independent registered public accounting firm at least annually that describes our internal quality control procedures, any material issues with such procedures and any steps taken to deal with such issues when required by applicable law; |
| ● | establishing procedures for employees to submit concerns anonymously about questionable accounting or audit matters; |
| ● | overseeing our policies on risk assessment and risk management; |
| ● | overseeing compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics; |
| ● | reviewing related person transactions; and |
| ● | approving or, as required, pre-approving audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm. |
Compensation Committee
Our compensation committee consists of Dror J. Abramov and Ruth Alon. The chair of the compensation committee will be chosen from among the committee’s members. The New Silexion Board has determined that each of Mr. Abramov and Ms. Alon meets the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on the compensation committee under the Nasdaq listing standards, including the heightened independence standards for members of a compensation committee.
The primary purpose of our compensation committee is to discharge the responsibilities of the New Silexion Board in overseeing our compensation policies, plans and programs and to review and determine the compensation to be paid to our executive officers, directors and other senior management, as appropriate. The principal functions of the compensation committee include, among other things:
| ● | reviewing, approving and determining, or making recommendations to the New Silexion Board regarding the compensation of our chief executive officer, other executive officers and senior management; |
| ● | reviewing, evaluating and recommending to the New Silexion Board succession plans for our executive officers; |
| ● | reviewing and recommending to the New Silexion Board the compensation paid to our non-employee directors; |
| ● | administering our equity incentive plans and other benefit programs; |
| ● | reviewing, adopting, amending and terminating incentive compensation and equity plans, severance agreements, profit sharing plans, bonus plans, change-of-control protections and any other compensatory arrangements for our executive officers and other senior management; and |
| ● | reviewing and establishing general policies relating to compensation and benefits of our employees, including our overall compensation philosophy. |
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
We have appointed a corporate governance and nominating committee that currently consists of Dror J. Abramov, Ilan Levin and Ruth Alon. The chair of the committee will be chosen from among the committee’s members. The New Silexion Board has determined that each of Messrs. Abramov and Levin, and Ms. Alon, meets the definition of “independent director” under the Nasdaq listing standards.
Our corporate governance and nominating committee is responsible for, among other things:
| ● | identifying and evaluating candidates, including the nomination of incumbent directors for reelection and nominees recommended by shareholders, to serve on the New Silexion Board; |
| ● | considering and making recommendations to the New Silexion Board regarding the composition and chairmanship of the committees of the New Silexion Board; |
| ● | instituting plans or programs for the continuing education of the New Silexion Board and the orientation of new directors; |
| ● | developing and making recommendations to the New Silexion Board regarding corporate governance guidelines and matters; |
| ● | overseeing our corporate governance practices; |
| ● | overseeing periodic evaluations of the New Silexion Board’s performance, including committees of the New Silexion Board; and |
| ● | contributing to succession planning. |
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of the members of Silexion’s compensation committee is currently, or has been at any time, one of Silexion’s, Moringa’s or Silexion’s executive officers or employees. None of our executive officers serves as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee (or other committee performing equivalent functions) of any entity that had one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors or compensation committee during 2023.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Prior to the completion of the Business Combination, we adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of the code is posted on the investor relations portion of our website. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or Nasdaq listing standards concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code.
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