Item 3. Legal Proceedings
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we are involved in various legal proceedings, claims, investigations and litigation that arise in the ordinary course of our business. Litigation is inherently uncertain. Accordingly, we cannot predict with certainty the outcome of these matters. After considering a number of factors, including (but not limited to) the views of legal counsel, the nature of contingencies to which the Company is subject and prior experience, management believes that the ultimate disposition of these legal actions will not materially affect its consolidated financial position or results of operations.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
None.
Information about our Executive Officers
Our executive officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of our board of directors. The following table lists information about our executive officers:
Name Age Position
Asaf Danziger 55 Chief Executive Officer and Director
William Doyle 59 Executive Chairman
Ely Benaim 61 Chief Medical Officer
William Burke 67 Chief Human Resources Officer
Ashley Cordova 42 Chief Financial Officer
Wilhelmus Groenhuysen 64 Chief Operating Officer
Francis Leonard 42 Chief Development Officer
Todd Longsworth 47 General Counsel
Pritesh Shah 44 Chief Commercial Officer
Asaf Danziger has served as our Chief Executive Officer since 2002 and has been a director of NovoCure since 2012. From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Danziger was CEO of Cybro Medical, a subsidiary of Imagyn Medical Technologies, Inc. Mr. Danziger holds a B.Sc. in material engineering from Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
William Doyle has served as our Executive Chairman since 2016, as Chairman of the Board since 2009 and as a member of our Board of Directors since 2004. Mr. Doyle has been the managing director of WFD Ventures LLC, a private venture capital firm he co-founded, since 2002. Prior to 2002, Mr. Doyle was a member of Johnson & Johnson’s Medical Devices and Diagnostics Group Operating Committee and was Vice President, Licensing and Acquisitions. While at Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Doyle was also chairman of the Medical Devices Research and Development Council, and Worldwide president of Biosense-Webster, Inc. and a member of the board of directors of Cordis Corporation and Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Johnson & Johnson’s venture capital subsidiary. Earlier in his career, Mr. Doyle was a management consultant in the healthcare group of McKinsey & Company. Mr. Doyle is also a member of the Governing Board of the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance. From 2014 to 2016 he was a member of the investment team at Pershing Square Capital Management
47
L.P., a private investment firm and from November 2016 to January 2021, Mr.Doyle served as the Executive Chairman of BlinkHealth LLC, which has developed a pharmacy-as-a-service, e-commerce platform. Mr. Doyle has been a director of Elanco Animal Health, Inc. since 2020 and director of Minerva Neurosciences, Inc. since 2017. Mr. Doyle previously served as a director of Optinose, Inc., a commercial-stage specialty pharmaceuticals company, from 2004 to 2020. Mr. Doyle holds an S.B. in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Mr. Doyle serves on Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors and MIT’s Institute of Medical Engineering & Science Visiting Committee.
Ely Benaim has been our Chief Medical Officer since 2019. Dr. Benaim previously served as Chief Medical Officer for Rexahn Pharmaceuticals from 2015 to 2019, where he was responsible for leading clinical development programs and providing strategic and clinical guidance. Prior to joining Rexahn, he was chief medical officer and senior vice president of regulatory affairs at BERG Health from 2013 to 2015. From 2011 to 2013, Dr. Benaim was senior director, clinical research and global clinical lead for Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc./Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company. From 2007 to 2010, he was vice president, clinical affairs for Sangamo BioSciences. Dr. Benaim received his M.D. from the Universidad Central de Venazuela, Caracas, and completed his pediatric residency training at the University of South Florida. Dr. Benaim completed fellowships in pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplantation at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
William Burke has been our Chief Human Resources Officer since September 2021 and prior to that was our Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. Mr. Burke joined Novocure in 2014. Mr. Burke has had extensive experience as a human resources leader for companies such as Arrow Electronics, ThermoFisher Scientific, Novartis Consumer Health, Cadbury Schweppes and PepsiCo. Burke holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Industrial Relations from the University of Bridgeport, and he has attended management development programs at INSEAD and London Business School.
Ashley Cordova has been our Chief Financial Officer since September 2020. From October 2018 to August 2020, Ms. Cordova served as our Senior Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations. Ms. Cordova joined us in June 2014 as Director of Global Treasury. In March 2015, she became our Senior Director, Investor Relations and Global Treasury, and in July 2016, she became our Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations. Prior to joining us, Ms. Cordova served in various financial roles at Zoetis Inc. from 2012 to 2014 and Pfizer Inc. from 2005 to 2012. Ms. Cordova graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Music and Business from Furman University, and earned her International Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.
Wilhelmus Groenhuysen has been our Chief Operations Officer since September 2020 and prior to that was our Chief Financial Officer since 2012. He has served on the Board of Optinose Inc., a commercial-stage specialty pharmaceuticals company, since October 2017. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Groenhuysen worked for Cephalon, Inc., a U.S. biopharmaceutical company, last serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer, where he had responsibility for worldwide finance, commercial operations and risk management. From 1987 to 2007, Mr. Groenhuysen worked for Philips Group in various assignments in Europe, Asia and the United States, the latest of which started in 2002 when he was promoted to chief financial officer and senior vice president of Philips Electronics North America Corporation. Mr. Groenhuysen holds a Master’s Degree in Business Economics from VU University Amsterdam and graduated as a Registered Public Controller at VU University Amsterdam.
Frank Leonard has been our Chief Development Officer since September 2020. Mr. Leonard joined Novocure in 2010, and most recently served as the Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Health Policy. Prior to joining Novocure, Mr. Leonard was a venture capital investor focused on high-impact medical technologies. Mr. Leonard holds an A.B. from Harvard and an M.A. from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Todd Longsworth joined Novocure in 2012 and serves as General Counsel. Mr. Longsworth worked for Cephalon, Inc., a U.S. biopharmaceutical company, from 2005 to 2012, last serving as Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities and Corporate Governance Counsel. Prior to joining Cephalon, he was an associate at WilmerHale LLP, a global law firm from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Longsworth earned his B.A. from Duke University and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Pritesh Shah joined Novocure in November 2012 and serves as Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to joining Novocure, Mr. Shah had extensive experiences in leading oncology commercial and medical affairs functions at Roche, Genentech, Bristol-Myers Squibb, OSI Oncology and AVEO Oncology. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University.
48