Anna Berkenblit
About Anna Berkenblit
Anna Berkenblit, M.D. (age 55) is an independent director of Surrozen, Inc., serving on the Board since August 2018; she holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and an M.M.S. from the Harvard/MIT Clinical Investigator Training Program, with deep clinical development leadership experience across oncology programs . She is currently the Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at ImmunoGen (2015–2023), as well as senior clinical leadership roles at H3 Biomedicine, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer (2007–2011) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| ImmunoGen, Inc. | Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer | Apr 2015 – Aug 2023 | Led clinical development oversight as CMO |
| H3 Biomedicine Inc. | Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development | 2013 – 2015 | Lead of targeted anti-cancer compound clinical programs |
| AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Head of Clinical Research | 2011 – 2013 | Led oncology programs from early testing to registration trials |
| Pfizer Inc. | Various increasing-responsibility positions | Jan 2007 – Sep 2011 | Progressive clinical development roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Type | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pancreatic Cancer Action Network | Non-profit | Chief Scientific & Medical Officer | Current | Scientific leadership |
| Nested Therapeutics, Inc. | Private biotech | Director | Current | Board member (no committee details disclosed) |
Board Governance
- Board class/tenure: Class I; nominated for re-election at the 2025 Annual Meeting for term expiring at the 2028 Annual Meeting; has served since August 2018 .
- Independence: Board determined all directors except the CEO are independent under Nasdaq standards; Berkenblit is independent .
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee; Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (appointed May 2024); no chair roles .
- Attendance: In 2024, each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings while serving, except Dr. Kutzkey; Berkenblit met the 75% threshold .
- Executive sessions: Non-management directors meet regularly, and independent directors meet in private at least twice a year .
- Board leadership: Separate Chair (David J. Woodhouse) and CEO roles; Chair is independent .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | 40,000 | Actual cash received in 2024 |
| Option Awards (grant-date fair value) | 11,004 | Annual nonstatutory stock option grant |
| Total | 51,004 | 2024 director compensation total |
| Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy | Amount ($) | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board Retainer | 35,000 | Cash, payable quarterly |
| Committee Member Fee – Compensation Committee (member) | 5,000 | Cash, payable quarterly |
| Committee Member Fee – Nominating & Corporate Governance (member) | 4,000 | Cash, payable quarterly |
| Annual Option Grant | 1,333 sh. | Granted at each Annual Meeting; vests fully at 1-year; 10-year term; strike = FMV at grant |
Additional 2024 grant specifics:
- June 2024 director options: 1,333 shares at $11.00 strike, vest on 1-year anniversary of grant .
Change-of-control provision for directors:
- All unvested director stock options vest in full immediately prior to closing of a Change of Control, subject to continuous service .
Performance Compensation
| Performance-linked element | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Performance-based cash or equity for directors | None | Policy provides fixed retainers and option grants; no performance metrics disclosed for director pay |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Public/Private | Role | Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nested Therapeutics, Inc. | Private | Director | None disclosed with SRZN stakeholders |
| Other public company boards | — | — | None disclosed for Berkenblit |
- Related-party transactions: 2024–2025 related-party items involve The Column Group (TCG) and Nura Bio; no transactions involve Berkenblit directly .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: M.D., Harvard Medical School; M.M.S. (Clinical Investigator Training Program), Harvard/MIT HST .
- Technical/industry expertise: Oncology clinical development leadership, spanning early testing to registration trials; executive-level biotech CMO and clinical leadership .
- Board qualifications: Clinical development and scientific leadership experience relevant to biopharma; independence and engagement .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Detail | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total Beneficial Ownership (shares) | 5,007 | <1% of outstanding; based on 3,281,169 shares outstanding at 3/19/2025 |
| Ownership % of Outstanding | <1% | As disclosed (“* less than 1%”) |
| Composition – Restricted Stock Awards | 2,341 sh. | Included in beneficial ownership |
| Composition – Options exercisable within 60 days | 2,666 sh. | Included in beneficial ownership |
| Options held (as of 12/31/2024) | 3,999 options | Outstanding director option awards count |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited | Insider policy prohibits hedging, short sales, options, margin accounts, pledges |
| Ownership guidelines | Not quantified | Governance guidelines address stock ownership, but no specific director multiples disclosed |
Governance Assessment
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Board effectiveness: Berkenblit adds seasoned clinical development leadership to SRZN’s governance, aligning with the company’s drug development profile; independence and regular participation meet governance norms .
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Committee service: Active member on Compensation and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees; no chair roles, reducing concentration of power; committee structures employ independent membership and charters .
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Compensation alignment: Director pay is conventional—fixed retainers plus modest annual options (no performance-linked pay), with standard change-of-control vesting; cash of $40,000 and option value $11,004 for 2024 appears consistent with policy and role mix (nominating committee appointment mid-year may explain fee proration vs. annual policy totals) .
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Ownership/skin-in-the-game: Beneficial ownership is small (<1%) with mix of RSAs and near-term exercisable options; hedging/pledging prohibited, supporting alignment policies though numerical ownership requirements are not disclosed .
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Conflicts and related-party exposure: No Berkenblit-specific related-party transactions disclosed; broader board-level related-party items (TCG, Nura Bio) are monitored via audit committee review and recusal protocols—Kutzkey recused where appropriate, suggesting controls; no RED FLAGS specific to Berkenblit .
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Executive sessions and leadership split: Independent executive sessions and split Chair/CEO structure support oversight quality; Chair (Woodhouse) independent .
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RED FLAGS: None identified specific to Berkenblit; no pledging/hedging, no related-party dealings, attendance threshold met; continue monitoring committee independence and any evolving interlocks across SRZN’s investor base .