Irit Yaniv
About Irit Yaniv
Dr. Irit Yaniv (age 60) is an independent director of STRATA Skin Sciences (SSKN) and has served on the Board since 2023. She is a physician and venture investor with 25+ years across pharma and MedTech; she is a Partner at Accelmed Ventures (since 2012) and previously led Eximo from pre-clinical development through acquisition. She holds an MD from Ben-Gurion University and an MBA from Tel Aviv University’s Recanati Business School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelmed Ventures | Partner | Since 2012 | Led Eximo from pre-clinical through acquisition; served as Executive Director and Chairperson of Accelmed Innovation Hub portfolio companies (board leadership across multiple HealthTech ventures) . |
External Roles
| Organization | Type | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelmed Ventures | Venture capital | Partner | HealthTech-focused investing; background cited in SSKN proxy . |
| Public company directorships | Public boards | Not disclosed | No public company board roles for Dr. Yaniv are listed in SSKN’s proxies . |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Dr. Yaniv is independent under Nasdaq standards .
- Committee assignments (FY 2025): Member, Audit; Member, Compensation/Nominating & Governance (CNG). Chairs: Audit – Allgeier; CNG – Rubinstein .
- Committee assignments (FY 2024): Member, Audit; Member, CNG. Chairs: Audit – Cafran; CNG – Rubinstein .
- Attendance: The Board met 12 times; Audit 7; CNG 4; all directors attended at least 75% of meetings during the year .
- Years of service on SSKN Board: Since 2023 .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Component | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fees earned | $52,770 |
| 2024 | Stock awards | $0 |
| 2023 | Fees earned | $6,667 |
| 2023 | Stock awards (RSUs/options per plan) | $7,200 |
Director fee schedule disclosed for 2024 (company policy): Base Board fee $40,250 (member), $70,250 (chair); Audit member $8,000, chair $16,000; CNG member $6,000, chair $15,000 .
Performance Compensation
- One-time equity grant policy: New independent Board members receive a one-time grant of 20,000 stock options .
- Dr. Yaniv equity status:
- As of March 31, 2024: 20,000 unvested stock options (footnote for director holdings) .
- As of March 31, 2025: 2,000 shares beneficially owned, comprised of vested options (less than 1% of outstanding) .
No director performance metrics (e.g., TSR, revenue) linked to director compensation are disclosed in the proxy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity/Person | Relationship | Potential Interlock/Influence |
|---|---|---|
| Accelmed Partners LP | Largest SSKN shareholder (34.55% as of 3/31/2025) | Dr. Yaniv is a Partner at Accelmed Ventures (sister platform under Accelmed umbrella), and SSKN’s Chair (Uri Geiger) is Managing Partner at Accelmed Partners; related-party history via 2018 Accelmed Purchase Agreement . |
| Uri Geiger (SSKN Chair) | Accelmed Partners Managing Partner | Shared Accelmed affiliation with Dr. Yaniv (Ventures), indicating network ties at the board level . |
| John Gillings (SSKN CAO) | Formerly with Accelmed Partners | Additional linkage between SSKN management and Accelmed network . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Physician (MD) and MBA with extensive venture, pharmaceutical, and MedTech experience; senior manager and experienced board member .
- Healthcare/device transaction experience (led Eximo to acquisition) .
Equity Ownership
| Snapshot Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2025 | 2,000 | <1% | Comprised of vested options . |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 0 | <1% | Footnote indicates 20,000 unvested options at that time . |
No disclosures on pledged shares, hedging, or director stock ownership guidelines were found in the proxies .
Related-Party Exposure
- Accelmed Purchase Agreement: In 2018, SSKN sold stock to Accelmed Partners; Accelmed became the largest shareholder. Additional shares were issued under “Retained Risk” indemnity provisions (listed figures: initial $13.0M investment; extra 75,590 shares noted) .
- Current ownership: Accelmed Partners LP beneficially owned 1,211,262 shares (34.55%) as of March 31, 2025; Dr. Geiger (Accelmed) chairs SSKN’s Board .
- Governance controls: Audit Committee (including Dr. Yaniv) reviews and must approve related-person transactions; Audit charter oversight reiterated .
Insider Trading / Section 16
- Company reports all Section 16(a) filings by officers, directors, and 10% holders were timely for the year ended December 31, 2024 (and for 2023 in the prior proxy) .
- Insider Trading Policy: Prohibits transactions while in possession of MNPI or during blackout periods .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths
- Independent director with relevant MedTech and investment experience; sits on both Audit and CNG committees, enhancing oversight coverage .
- Attendance: Board reports at least 75% attendance by all directors; Board and key committees met regularly (12 Board; 7 Audit; 4 CNG), indicating active governance cadence .
- Related-party controls: Audit Committee (of which she is a member) is charged with vetting related-party transactions, important given the sponsor-shareholder context .
-
Watch items / potential red flags
- Accelmed affiliation: Dr. Yaniv (Accelmed Ventures) and Chair Uri Geiger (Accelmed Partners) share a sponsor ecosystem; Accelmed Partners is the largest SSKN holder. While the Board deems her independent, investors should monitor for potential perceived influence or conflicts in capital allocation, M&A, or director nominations .
- Director equity grants: New independent directors receive stock options (20,000), aligning interests; however, options can be out-of-the-money and may be repriced only subject to plan restrictions (Board/committee prohibited from repricing under plan policy), which mitigates some risk .
-
Compensation mix signals
- 2023 included equity (RSUs/options per plan changes), shifting to mostly cash in 2024 (no stock awards reported), which reduces equity alignment year-over-year for directors broadly and for Dr. Yaniv specifically (2024 stock awards $0) .
- Policy fee schedule in 2025 proxy clarifies cash retainers and committee fees, improving fee transparency .
Overall: Dr. Yaniv brings domain expertise and active committee participation. The principal governance sensitivity is Accelmed’s significant ownership and multi-point affiliations (Chair/management/VC arm). The presence of independent committee chairs and formal related-party oversight partially mitigates these concerns, but continued scrutiny of transactions and nominations is warranted .