Marc Yoskowitz
About Marc Yoskowitz
Marc Yoskowitz (age 50) has served as an independent, non‑executive director of Mereo BioPharma since November 2022. He is currently CEO of Evozyne, Inc. and a Non‑Executive Director of Endo, Inc.; prior roles include EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Life Sciences at Tempus, Chief Business Officer of Pfizer Essential Health, SVP Strategy & Corporate Development at Hospira (Executive Committee member), eight years at McKinsey (Associate Principal), and M&A lawyer at Davis Polk. He holds a BA magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis and a JD from Columbia Law School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure (as disclosed) | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tempus, Inc. | EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Life Sciences | Previously (dates not specified) | Strategic leadership in life sciences |
| Pfizer Essential Health | Chief Business Officer | Previously | Led corporate initiatives across Pfizer portfolio |
| Hospira | SVP, Strategy & Corporate Development | Previously | Member, Executive Committee |
| McKinsey & Company | Associate Principal | Earlier career (8 years at McKinsey) | Strategy consulting |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell | M&A Lawyer | Career start | Corporate/M&A legal experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Evozyne, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | Current |
| Endo, Inc. | Non‑Executive Director | Current |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Yoskowitz is an “independent director” under SEC and Nasdaq rules .
- Committee assignments: Member, Research & Development Committee (other members: Pierre Jacquet, Daniel Shames, Anders Ekblom; Chair: Anders Ekblom) .
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board met 5 times; Audit & Risk 6; Remuneration 5; Nomination & Corporate Governance 0; Research & Development 0. All directors attended at least 75% of meetings of the Board and applicable committees in 2024 .
- Board leadership: CEO and Chair roles are separated, with a non‑executive Chair leading the Board .
- Hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits officers and directors from hedging or short selling Company securities .
- Section 16 compliance: Company believes all directors complied with Section 16(a) filing requirements in 2024 .
- Service contracts: Non‑executive directors have service contracts with three‑month termination notice; no compensation is due upon early termination of appointments .
Fixed Compensation
Standard non‑executive director fee schedule (2024, USD equivalent at £1/$1.2546):
| Role/Committee | Member Annual Fee ($) | Chair Annual Fee ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Directors | 39,644 | 40,397 |
| Audit & Risk | 7,527 | 19,446 |
| Remuneration | 5,520 | 11,542 |
| Nomination & Corporate Governance | 4,391 | 8,782 |
| Research & Development | 5,018 | 10,036 |
Yoskowitz’s actual 2024 director compensation (election to defer cash into equity):
| Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Share Awards ($) | Option Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Yoskowitz | — | 54,718 | 127,512 | 182,230 |
Note: Directors could elect to convert annual cash fees into Deferred RSUs over ADSs; Deferred RSUs vest monthly over the plan year and are generally settled 180 days after separation .
Performance Compensation
Director equity is time‑based (no performance conditions on director awards in 2024).
| Award Type | Grant/Status | Quantity/Units | Exercise Price | Vesting | Performance Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market‑value stock options (annual director grant) | Granted Feb 8, 2024 | 45,000 | $3.87 | Monthly over 1 year; fully vested Feb 8, 2025 | None |
| Deferred RSUs (elected in lieu of cash fees) | 2024 plan year | 2,357 unvested at 12/31/24 | — | Monthly over plan year; fully vested Jan 2025; settlement generally 180 days post‑separation | N/A (fee‑equity conversion) |
Outstanding equity awards (as of 12/31/2024):
| Instrument | Exercisable | Unexercisable | Strike | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options | 9,167 | — | $0.79 | 12/01/2032 |
| Stock options | 55,000 | — | $0.94 | 02/01/2033 |
| Stock options (2024 grant) | 37,500 | 7,500 | $3.87 | 02/08/2034 |
| Deferred RSUs | 2,357 not vested | — | — | Vested fully Jan 2025 |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Non‑Executive Director: Endo, Inc. .
- Shareholder cooperation agreement: In October 2022, Mereo entered a Cooperation Agreement with its largest shareholder, Rubric Capital; four directors including Yoskowitz were appointed pursuant to the agreement, and at least one Rubric nominee must sit on each Board committee; the agreement’s term was extended to conclude after the 2025 AGM .
- Board independence review still determined Yoskowitz independent under SEC/Nasdaq rules .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Legal and transaction expertise (JD, Columbia; M&A at Davis Polk) .
- Strategy and corporate development leadership across biotech/pharma (Hospira Executive Committee; Pfizer Essential Health CBO; Tempus CSO Life Sciences) .
- Operating CEO experience (Evozyne) .
- Education: BA magna cum laude, Washington University in St. Louis; JD, Columbia Law School .
Equity Ownership
Beneficial ownership (as of April 1, 2025):
| Holder | Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Marc Yoskowitz | 614,585 | 0.1% |
Footnote detail: For Yoskowitz, “All holdings are ADSs underlying share awards exercisable within 60 days of April 1, 2025” (i.e., comprised of equity awards rather than directly held ADSs) . Company policy prohibits hedging/short sales by directors . Company reports Section 16(a) compliance for directors in 2024 .
Governance Assessment
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Signals supporting investor confidence:
- Board‑affirmed independence and separation of Chair/CEO roles .
- High equity alignment: Yoskowitz elected to take director fees as Deferred RSUs and received time‑vested options; his 2024 director compensation was entirely equity‑based ($54,718 Deferred RSUs; $127,512 options; total $182,230) .
- No director‑specific related‑party transactions disclosed beyond the 2022 Cooperation Agreement context; non‑exec director contracts have only a three‑month termination notice and no early termination payouts .
-
Risk indicators and potential concerns:
- Shareholder influence: The 2022 Cooperation Agreement with Rubric (largest shareholder) placed four directors including Yoskowitz on the Board and requires at least one Rubric nominee on each committee—this can concentrate shareholder influence in committee work despite formal independence determinations .
- Committee engagement: The Research & Development Committee (of which Yoskowitz is a member) held no meetings in 2024, which limits observable committee‑level oversight activity for the year; however, Board‑level and other committee activity remained active, and all directors met 75%+ attendance thresholds .
- Director equity awards carry no performance conditions (time‑based vesting for options; fee‑to‑RSU elections), which is standard for directors but provides less performance linkage than PSU structures .