Richard Margolin
About Richard Margolin
Richard Margolin (age 74) is an independent director of Reviva Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. and has served on the board since 2020. He has 30 years of pharmaceutical R&D experience, with an AB from Harvard College, an MD from the University of California, Irvine, and research training at the NIH . He is currently Chief Medical Officer of TauC3 Biologics Ltd. and previously served as CMO of Eikonizo Therapeutics, Founder/Principal at CNS Research Solutions LLC, Executive Director at Pfizer, and VP Clinical Development at CereSpir .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pfizer, Inc. | Executive Director, Internal Medicine Research Unit | Dec 2016 – Apr 2018 | Led internal medicine R&D initiatives |
| CereSpir, Inc. | Vice President, Clinical Development | Nov 2013 – Dec 2016 | Clinical development leadership for CNS programs |
| U.S. Medical Schools (two major) | Psychiatry department leadership roles | Earlier career (dates not specified) | Academic leadership in psychiatry |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TauC3 Biologics Ltd. (private, UK) | Chief Medical Officer | Aug 2023 – present | Previously SVP Translational Sciences & Clinical Development (Feb 2020 – Jul 2023) |
| Eikonizo Therapeutics, Inc. (biotech) | Chief Medical Officer | Jan 2020 – Dec 2023 | CNS therapeutics focus |
| CNS Research Solutions LLC | Founder & Principal Consultant | May 2018 – present | CNS R&D consulting |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined Margolin is independent under NASDAQ and SEC rules .
- Committees:
- Audit Committee: Member; chaired by Les Funtleyder; met 6 times in 2024 .
- Compensation Committee: Member; chaired by Purav Patel; met 5 times in 2024 .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: Not a member .
- Audit Committee Report signatory: Margolin signed the 2024 Audit Committee report (with Funtleyder and Patel) .
- Board activity and attendance: Board met 19 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings, and all directors attended the Dec 10, 2024 annual meeting .
- Indemnification: Company entered into indemnification agreements with each director; advancement of expenses subject to terms .
- Policies: Company has an Insider Trading Policy and an Anti-Hedging Policy noted in the proxy .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $32,500 | Non-employee director base retainer |
| Audit Committee member fee | $7,500 | Member (chair receives $15,000; Margolin is not chair) |
| Compensation Committee member fee | $5,000 | Member (chair receives $10,000; Margolin is not chair) |
| Meeting fees | $0 | No per-meeting fees |
| Cash fees actually paid (2024) | $45,000 | Matches base + committee fees |
| Payment cadence | Quarterly in arrears | As per policy |
Performance Compensation
| Instrument | 2024 Grant/Value | Quantity Outstanding | Vesting Terms | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options (annual director grant) | $17,109 grant-date fair value (ASC 718) | 29,600 shares underlying options outstanding as of 12/31/2024 | Annual grant: 8,200 options, cliff vest after 1 year | None disclosed for directors; equity awards are time-based options |
| Stock options (initial director grant) | N/A (initial policy) | — | Initial grant: 8,200 options, vest 33% per year over 3 years | None disclosed |
- Valuation methodology note: Option award fair values per ASC 718; refer to 2024 10-K Note 5 for assumptions .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Board Role | Committee Roles | Interlocks/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed (public companies) | — | — | No public company directorships disclosed for Margolin |
| Board-level related party context | — | Audit Committee reviews affiliated transactions | Vedanta R2 (affiliates of Chair Parag Saxena) purchased $3,000,000.75 of pre-funded and common warrants in Nov 2023; standard placement commission terms applied |
Expertise & Qualifications
- 30 years in pharma R&D; deep CNS therapeutics domain expertise .
- Education: AB Harvard College; MD UC Irvine; NIH research training .
- Senior roles at Pfizer and CereSpir underscore clinical development leadership .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership (shares) | Percent of Class | Vested vs. Unvested Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Margolin | 21,400 | <1% (asterisk in table) | 21,400 options exercisable within 60 days; 8,200 options not exercisable within 60 days | Aggregate options outstanding as of 12/31/2024: 29,600 |
- Shares pledged: Not disclosed.
- Ownership guidelines: Not disclosed for directors in proxy.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director; active committee service on Audit and Compensation; signed Audit Committee report; solid attendance; extensive CNS/pharma R&D expertise beneficial to a clinical-stage biotech .
- Alignment: Director compensation is modest cash plus time-based options; ownership is limited (<1%) with primarily option-based exposure, offering some alignment but modest “skin-in-the-game” .
- Conflicts: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Margolin; Audit Committee (including Margolin) oversees affiliate transactions, including the 2023 Vedanta-related purchase tied to the Board Chair’s affiliates .
- Policies: Indemnification and Insider Trading/Anti-Hedging policies in place; details of hedging/pledging restrictions not specified in the proxy excerpts .
- Red flags: None directly tied to Margolin in disclosed materials; monitor board-level related-party dynamics and continue assessing director ownership accumulation over time .