Daniel Rabinovitsj
About Daniel Rabinovitsj
Independent Class II director at Absci since November 2022; age 60. Currently Vice President at Meta Platforms (parent company of Facebook) since August 2018, with prior executive roles in networking and semiconductors. Education: M.A. in Asian Studies and B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. Board-determined independent; current term expires at the 2026 annual meeting.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms (Facebook) | Vice President | Aug 2018 – present | Executive operations and technical leadership |
| Ruckus Wireless, Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | Oct 2014 – Dec 2017 | Led operations through sale to ARRIS |
| Qualcomm Atheros, Inc. | Senior Vice President | 2011 – Sep 2014 | Led wired/wireless networking & small cell businesses |
| Atheros Communications | Executive management (unspecified) | Not disclosed | Operations/technical leadership |
| NXP Semiconductors | Executive management (unspecified) | Not disclosed | Operations/technical leadership |
| ST‑Ericsson | Executive management (unspecified) | Not disclosed | Operations/technical leadership |
| Silicon Labs | Executive management (unspecified) | Not disclosed | Operations/technical leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickLogic Corporation | Board Member (prior) | Not disclosed | Prior public company board experience |
| Private ML IP Company (unnamed) | Board Member (prior) | Not disclosed | Board oversight of machine learning IP ventures |
Board Governance
- Class II director; term expires 2026; board chair is Frans van Houten (roles of CEO and chair separated)
- Independence: Board determined all directors except the CEO (Sean McClain) are independent; Daniel is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules
- Committee assignments:
- Audit Committee member (chair: Karen McGinnis); four meetings in 2024
- Compensation Committee chair (members: McGinnis, Pangalos); five meetings in 2024
- Not on Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
- Attendance: Each director attended at least 75% of aggregate board and applicable committee meetings in 2024; board met nine times
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board annual cash retainer | $40,000 | Non‑employee director cash policy |
| Audit Committee member retainer | $10,000 | Member (other than chairperson) |
| Compensation Committee chair retainer | $15,000 | Chair retainer (not additive with member retainer) |
| Total cash paid (reported) | $65,000 | Matches component sum |
| All other compensation | $0 | No perquisites reported for Daniel |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant details | Shares/Units | Grant-date fair value (USD) | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSUs (June 2024) | Director annual grant | 8,820 | $43,747 | Vests in full on earlier of 1-year anniversary or next annual meeting |
| Annual Options (June 2024) | Director annual grant | 36,274 options | $127,272 | Vests in full on earlier of 1-year anniversary or next annual meeting |
| Outstanding holdings (as of 12/31/2024) | Aggregate options held | 124,649 options | N/A | Plan terms apply; not all exercisable within 60 days |
| Outstanding holdings (as of 12/31/2024) | Aggregate RSUs held | 8,820 RSUs | N/A | Time-based vesting per annual grant policy |
Performance metric framework for director compensation:
- No performance metrics disclosed for director equity; grants are time-based per amended director compensation policy effective March 28, 2024.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company directorships: None disclosed beyond Absci
- Prior public board: QuickLogic Corporation
- Interlocks/conflicts: No related-party transactions involving Daniel disclosed; audit committee reviews and must approve related person transactions; policy prohibits conflicts and requires disclosure
Expertise & Qualifications
- Executive leadership, public company operating experience, international operations, business development, operational scaling of high-growth companies, AI technology development expertise (skills matrix)
- Education: M.A. Asian Studies and B.A. Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin
- Technical operations background across networking, semiconductors, and wireless systems
Equity Ownership
| Category | Shares | Percent of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of 3/31/2025) | 78,808 | <1% (asterisk in proxy) | Options exercisable within 60 days included |
| Options held (as of 12/31/2024) | 124,649 | N/A | Total options (not all within 60 days) |
| RSUs held (as of 12/31/2024) | 8,820 | N/A | Annual RSU grant |
- Hedging and pledging: Prohibited for directors under Absci’s Insider Trading Policy (no pledging collateral; no hedging transactions).
Governance Assessment
- Committee leadership and workload: Chairs Compensation Committee and serves on Audit Committee—strong involvement in pay design and financial oversight; both committees met regularly in 2024 (5 and 4 times, respectively).
- Independence and attendance: Board-designated independent; attended ≥75% of meetings; indicates baseline engagement and availability.
- Compensation alignment: Director pay combines cash retainer with equity (75% options/25% RSUs annually); time-based vesting adds retention but limited direct pay-for-performance linkage for directors.
- Clawback and controls: Compensation recovery policy adopted in 2023; audit committee oversight of related party transactions and enterprise risks—supports governance quality.
- Potential conflicts: Current executive role at Meta; no disclosed related-party transactions with Absci; board’s independence determination suggests no impairment to independent judgment.
- Say-on-pay context: As an emerging growth company, Absci does not hold say-on-pay votes—reduces shareholder feedback mechanism on compensation, though director compensation is modest and standardized.
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Daniel—no related-party transactions, no hedging/pledging, no tax gross-ups, and no delinquent Section 16 filings reported for him in 2024.
Insider Filings and Trades
- Delinquent Section 16(a) reports (2024): None reported for Daniel; the proxy identifies delinquencies only for Phoenix Venture Partners II L.P. and Zachariah Jonasson.