Julian S. Gangolli
Krystal BiotechAbout Julian S. Gangolli
Independent director at Krystal Biotech (KRYS) since March 2019; age 67. Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; member of the Compensation and Audit Committees. Former President, North America at GW Pharmaceuticals’ Greenwich Biosciences and long-tenured Allergan executive; BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry & Business Studies from Kingston University (UK). Determined independent under Nasdaq standards; attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings in 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwich Biosciences (GW Pharmaceuticals PLC company) | President, North America | May 2015 – May 2019 | Led commercialization in North America |
| Allergan, Inc. | President, North American Pharmaceutical division | Jan 2004 – May 2015 (17 years at Allergan) | Commercial leadership across multiple product franchises |
| VIVUS; Syntex; Ortho-Cilag | Sales & Marketing positions | Not disclosed | Commercial operations experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status/Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlook Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OTLK) | Director | Current | Public company directorship |
| Revance Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RVNC) | Director | Prior to Feb 2025 | Company acquired by Crown Laboratories in Feb 2025 |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit (member), Compensation (member), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Chair) .
- Independence: Board affirmatively determined Gangolli is independent under Nasdaq standards .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 4 times in 2024; each director other than Ganorkar attended ≥75% of Board/committee meetings; non‑management executive sessions occur after each Board meeting .
- Committee activity: Audit (4 meetings, reviews related‑party transactions), Compensation (4 meetings), Nominating & Corporate Governance (4 meetings) .
- Anti-hedging/pledging: Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging, short sales, and pledging of Company securities by directors .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (FY 2024) | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer | $50,000 | Standard non‑employee director annual cash fee |
| Audit Committee (member) | $10,000 | Non‑chair member fee |
| Compensation Committee (member) | $10,000 | Non‑chair member fee |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance (Chair) | $10,000 | Chair fee |
| Total Fees Paid in Cash (reported) | $80,000 | FY 2024 director compensation table |
- Program changes approved effective March 1, 2025: Audit chair fee to $21,000; Audit member fee to $10,500; Lead independent director retainer to $30,000 (no change disclosed for Nominating chair) .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element (FY 2024 reporting) | Grant detail | Fair Value (FY 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Option awards | Annual program provides 5,000 options; initial director grant 10,000 options; monthly vesting over 12 months (annual) / 36 months (initial) | $590,194 (grant‑date fair value) |
- No director PSUs/RSUs disclosed; director equity uses stock options with time-based vesting. No performance metrics are tied to director compensation awards; skip metrics table (not disclosed) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Compensation Committee interlocks | None; no member (including Gangolli) was an officer/employee of KRYS or had relationships requiring disclosure; no KRYS executives served on boards/comp committees of other entities with reciprocal officer service at KRYS |
| Related-party transactions | Audit Committee oversees; no director-specific related-party transactions disclosed involving Gangolli in proxy |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Commercialization leadership across specialty pharma with Allergan and GW’s Greenwich Biosciences; deep market access and launch experience .
- Academic credentials: BSc (Hons) Applied Chemistry and Business Studies, Kingston University (UK) .
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (as of Mar 25, 2025) | 31,368 shares (via options exercisable within 60 days) |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | <1% (asterisk in proxy denotes <1%) |
| Outstanding director option awards (12/31/2024) | 32,200 options |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited by Company policy; no pledging disclosed |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and independence: Gangolli is a multi-committee contributor (Audit, Compensation) and chairs Nominating & Corporate Governance, supporting oversight of director selection, evaluations, and governance policies; independence affirmed .
- Attendance and engagement: Met KRYS benchmark (≥75% attendance) in 2024; committees active with 4 meetings each; non‑management executive sessions after every Board meeting improve oversight quality .
- Alignment and incentives: Director pay is majority equity via options ($590k grant-date fair value vs $80k cash), aligning with shareholder value creation, though actual share ownership remains <1% (typical for non‑employee directors at mid-cap biotech) .
- Conflicts/RED FLAGS: No related‑party transactions disclosed for Gangolli; Company prohibits hedging/pledging; compensation committee independence confirmed; no interlocks noted. No red flags identified in proxy for his role .
- Shareholder feedback context: KRYS’s say-on‑pay support was >96% in 2024, indicating broad investor approval of compensation governance; while focused on NEO pay, it signals overall governance stability supporting investor confidence .