Kristine Ball
About Kristine Ball
Kristine Ball, 53, serves as an independent Class III director of Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. (ORKA), joining the Pre‑Merger Oruka board in May 2024 and continuing post‑merger; she is President and Chief Executive Officer of Antiva Biosciences, Inc. since April 2023 and holds a B.S. from Babson College . She is the Audit Committee Chair and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee member, and the Board has determined she qualifies as an audit committee financial expert and is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antiva Biosciences, Inc. (private) | President & CEO | Apr 2023–present | Senior operating leadership in biopharma |
| Soteria Biotherapeutics, Inc. (private) | Chief Executive Officer | Sep 2020–Aug 2022 | Led company through early development |
| Menlo Therapeutics, Inc. (later VYNE Therapeutics Inc.) | SVP, Corporate Strategy & CFO | Sep 2017–Mar 2020 | Led all non‑R&D functions (strategy, BD, commercial, HR, legal, finance, IT) |
| Relypsa, Inc. (Nasdaq; acquired) | CFO & SVP | Nov 2012–Oct 2016 | Public company CFO through sale to Galenica Group |
| KAI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (private) | SVP Finance & Administration; CFO | Prior to 2012 | Senior finance leadership in biotech |
| Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) | VP of Finance | Prior to KAI | Public biotech finance leadership |
| Ernst & Young LLP | Senior Manager, Life Sciences Audit | Early career | Big 4 audit leadership in life sciences |
External Roles
| Organization | Type | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atreca, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCEL) | Public | Director | 2020–2024 | Former public board service |
| Forty Seven, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTSV; acquired by Gilead) | Public | Director | 2018–2020 | Former public board service |
| Soteria Biotherapeutics, Inc. | Private | Director | 2020–2022 | Former private board |
Board Governance
- Class and term: Class III director; term expires at the 2027 annual meeting .
- Independence: Board determined Ms. Ball is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committee assignments and roles:
- Audit Committee: Chair; designated “financial expert”; committee met 3 times since merger .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: Member; committee met once since merger .
- Attendance: Following the merger through end of 2024, each Board member attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
- Board leadership: Chair is an independent director; independent directors hold executive sessions at every regular Board meeting .
- Compensation Committee independence: Uses Alpine Rewards LLC as independent consultant; no conflicts identified .
Fixed Compensation
| Item | Amount | Period/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | $20,548 | FY 2024 (partial year after merger) |
| Option Awards | — | FY 2024 (none recorded in 2024 for Ms. Ball) |
| Total | $20,548 | FY 2024 |
| Standard Annual Board Cash Retainer | $40,000 | Current program (post‑merger) |
| Audit Committee Chair Retainer | $15,000 | Current program (post‑merger) |
| Nominating Committee Member Retainer | $5,000 | Current program (post‑merger) |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Grant Size | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Director Stock Options | 17,500 shares | Vest monthly over 12 months | For directors who joined before Jan 1 of meeting year |
| Initial Director Stock Options | 35,000 shares | Vest monthly over 36 months | Granted upon initial appointment |
| Performance metrics tied to director equity | None disclosed | — | Director equity awards are time‑based, no performance conditions |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Potential Interlock/Exposure | Evidence | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Related‑party transactions (Fairmount, Venrock, Paragon/Paruka) | Multiple financing and licensing arrangements disclosed; Audit Committee oversees related‑party review | Ms. Ball is not identified as a beneficiary; as Audit Chair, she oversees approval/ratification controls—mitigates conflict risk |
| Antiva Biosciences (CEO role) | External operating role | No ORKA transactions disclosed with Antiva; low direct‑party conflict risk based on filings |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit committee financial expert; all Audit Committee members financially literate .
- Deep finance, accounting, capital markets and corporate strategy experience as public company CFO and senior finance executive (Menlo/VYNE, Relypsa, Exelixis, KAI) .
- Biopharma operating leadership (CEO roles at Antiva and Soteria) and board experience at multiple public companies .
- Education: B.S., Babson College .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Element | Amount | As‑of Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (shares) | — (less than 1%) | Feb 15, 2025 | No shares or options exercisable within 60 days reported; “*” denotes <1% |
| Outstanding Options/Compensatory Warrants | 94,282 shares | Dec 31, 2024 | Assumed in merger; not necessarily exercisable within 60 days of ownership table |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited by company insider trading policy | Policy in effect | Short sales, options, hedging, margin, pledges prohibited |
Insider Trading Compliance
| Item | Status/Detail | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Section 16(a) filing compliance (directors/officers/10% holders) | All required Forms 3, 4, 5 timely filed; no delinquencies reported | FY 2024 |
| Policy constraints | Prohibits short sales, derivative transactions, hedging, margin accounts, pledges | Ongoing |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent director; Audit Committee Chair with SEC‑defined “financial expert” credential—enhances financial reporting oversight and related‑party transaction scrutiny .
- Sufficient engagement: ≥75% attendance post‑merger and participation across two committees; board holds regular executive sessions reinforcing independent oversight .
- Director pay structure balanced: modest cash retainers and standardized time‑vested equity; no performance‑linked director awards that might bias short‑term decisions .
- Watchpoints:
- Low reported beneficial share ownership as of Feb 15, 2025 (no shares/options within 60 days), though she holds longer‑dated options/warrants (94,282) from the merger—monitor alignment as annual director grants accrue .
- Company’s significant related‑party footprint (Fairmount/Venrock financings; Paragon/Paruka licensing and milestone obligations) requires robust Audit Committee oversight; Ms. Ball’s role and the formal related‑person transactions policy mitigate risk but concentration among major holders remains a governance sensitivity .