Beth P. Hecht
About Beth P. Hecht
Beth P. Hecht, 61, is an independent director of Iterum Therapeutics plc, serving since March 2021. She is Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Xeris Biopharma Holdings Inc. (since Oct 2021) and previously served as SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2019–Oct 2021) and as Managing Director and Chief Legal & Administrative Officer at Auven Therapeutics Management L.L.P. (2012–2018). She holds a B.A. from Amherst College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is a Class II director; her term runs to the 2026 annual general meeting.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xeris Biopharma Holdings Inc. | Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary | Oct 2021–present | Senior legal leadership in specialty pharma (disclosed) |
| Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary | Jan 2019–Oct 2021 | Led legal/corporate secretary functions |
| Auven Therapeutics Management L.L.P. | Managing Director; Chief Legal & Administrative Officer | Oct 2012–Dec 2018 | Legal/admin leadership for biotech/PE platform |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher; Kirkland & Ellis (New York) | Attorney (IP and corporate transactions) | Early career (dates not specified) | IP/corporate transactions experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xeris Biopharma Holdings Inc. | Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary | Oct 2021–present | Executive role (not a directorship) |
| Neos Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | Sep 2015–Mar 2021 (acquired by Aytu) | Committee service not disclosed |
| Aytu BioScience/Aytu BioPharma Inc. | Director | Mar 2021–May 2021 | Committee service not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Board classification and term: Class II director; term expires at the 2026 AGM. Board currently has 5 directors across three staggered classes.
- Independence: Determined independent under Nasdaq Rule 5605(a)(2) (March 2025 review).
- Committee assignments:
- Audit Committee: Member (Chair: David G. Kelly).
- Compensation Committee: Chair (members: Hecht, Kelly, Whalen).
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: Member (Chair: David G. Kelly).
- Attendance and engagement:
- Board met 21 times in 2024; no incumbent directors attended less than 75% of board and applicable committee meetings. All directors attended the 2024 AGM.
- Board leadership: Independent chairman (David G. Kelly); independent directors meet in executive session per governance guidelines (at least two times per year).
- Compensation committee interlocks: During 2024, Hecht served on the compensation committee; no interlocks or insider participation disclosed.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Period/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total Director Cash Compensation (Hecht) | $88,500 | FY2024; includes annual retainers and a $40,000 cash payment in lieu of annual director equity award per board policy suspension |
| Director Retainer Policy (framework) | Base retainer: $35,000; Audit Chair: $15,000; Audit member: $7,500; Comp Chair: $12,000; Comp member: $6,000; N&G Chair: $8,000; N&G member: $4,000 | Policy terms; directors could elect equity in lieu of cash, but board suspended annual equity grants in May 2023 and paid $40,000 cash instead at 2023 and 2024 AGMs |
Notes: The company reports actual 2024 cash paid to each director; for Hecht this totaled $88,500 inclusive of $40,000 cash in lieu of the equity award under the suspended equity policy.
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based director compensation (no RSUs/PSUs or options granted to directors in 2024). The board suspended annual director equity awards and paid cash in lieu.
- Metrics table: Not applicable—no director performance metrics tied to pay were disclosed for 2024.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Overlap/Interlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Neos Therapeutics, Inc. | Director (prior) | No interlocks disclosed with Iterum executive officers; acquired by Aytu Mar 2021 |
| Aytu BioScience/Aytu BioPharma Inc. | Director (prior) | Brief service Mar–May 2021; no interlocks disclosed |
| Compensation Committee Interlocks (Iterum) | N/A | Committee members (2024): Ronald M. Hunt (Chair), Beth P. Hecht; no interlocks/insider participation disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Legal, IP, and corporate transactions expertise from top law firms and senior in-house roles (GC/CLO); deep pharmaceutical and biotech sector experience including private equity.
- Governance experience: chairs Iterum’s compensation committee; member of audit and nominating committees (audit financial expert designation is held by David Kelly, not Hecht).
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | As of/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 18,839 | As of July 1, 2025 |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | <1% | Based on 42,131,328 ordinary shares outstanding (July 1, 2025) |
| Options outstanding (director) | 0 | As of Dec 31, 2024, non-employee directors: Hecht held 0 options outstanding |
| RSUs outstanding (director) | 0 | As of Dec 31, 2024, no outstanding RSUs for non-employee directors |
| Pledged shares | None disclosed; company policy prohibits pledging/hedging | Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy adopted and applicable to directors |
Insider filings: The company noted certain late Form 4 filings in 2024 for other insiders; no delinquencies were attributed to Hecht.
Governance Assessment
- Positives:
- Independent director with multi-faceted governance scope—chairs compensation; serves on audit and nominating committees; independence reaffirmed in 2025.
- Strong attendance culture (no incumbent directors <75% in 2024) and separation of chair/CEO with an independent chairman.
- Clawback policy adopted (Oct 2023) in line with Nasdaq Rule 5608; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy strengthens alignment safeguards.
- No related-party transactions or Section 16 delinquencies disclosed for Hecht.
- Watch items / potential red flags:
- Board suspended director equity grants (May 2023), replacing with $40,000 cash per year (2023–2024), reducing equity alignment for non-employee directors, including Hecht.
- Personal share ownership is modest (<1%), typical for micro/small-cap biotech but offers limited direct equity exposure; options/RSUs were 0 outstanding as of year-end 2024.
- Concurrent executive role (CLO) at Xeris Biopharma increases time commitments; no related-party exposure disclosed between Iterum and Xeris.
Overall, Hecht brings relevant life-sciences legal and governance expertise, chairs a key committee, and meets independence and attendance expectations; equity alignment is partially constrained by the board’s cash-only approach to director compensation since 2023.