Kitov’s management team is comprised of industry veterans with decades of expertise in drug research, development and commercialization – streamlining therapies through clinical trials and regulatory approval for physicians and patients.
Isaac Israel
Chief Executive Officer
Isaac Israel has served as Kitov’s Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board since 2012. Prior to joining Kitov, Mr. Israel founded BeeContact (formerly TASE: BCNT) and served as CEO from 2001 to 2007. Mr. Israel has served as owner and founding CEO of Uneri Capital, a capital market consulting firm specializing in healthcare, since 2008. He serves on the board of various public and private healthcare corporations, including chairman of the board of NextGen Biomed, which is traded on the TASE.
Gil Efron
Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer
Gil Efron has served as Kitov’s Chief Financial Officer since 2018. Mr. Efron brings to Kitov over 25 years of experience in financial management. Most recently, he served as Deputy CEO and CFO of Kamada, a NASDAQ and TASE dual-listed plasma-derived protein therapeutics company. Previously, he was CFO of RRsat Global Communications Network, where he led the company’s listing on NASDAQ. Prior to that, Mr. Efron served in various finance-related executive positions. Mr. Efron holds a BA in Economics and Accounting and an MBA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a licensed CPA in Israel.Bertrand Liang, MD, PhD, MBA, AMP
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Liang previously founded several biotechnology companies, including Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Coronado Biosciences (subsequently merged with Fortress Biotech) and Pfenex Inc. Earlier in his career, Dr. Liang was Site Head at Biogen Idec (now Biogen), leading pre-clinical and clinical development, and Vice President, New Ventures; managing member, Forward Medical Sciences (a venture capital firm). He also served as Vice President and Head of Hematology and Oncology at IDEC; and Global Development Leader at Amgen, where he led the development of various cytokines that received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, including Neulasta®. Dr. Liang has also held academic positions at the National Cancer Institute, University of Colorado and University of Vermont, where he headed Human Medical Genetics. He is an alumnus of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, the Institute of Materials Research and Innovation, University of Bolton, the Law School at University of London, Boston University, Regis University, and the MIT Sloan School of Management. Dr. Liang has authored over 75 peer-reviewed publications, chapters and books, and edited a number of volumes in the fields of Neurology and Oncology.
Michael Schickler, Ph.D
Head of Clinical Operations
Dr. Schickler has served as the Company’s Head of Clinical Operations since January 2020. Prior to assuming this role, Dr. Schickler served as the Chief Executive Officer of FameWave until the closing of the FameWave Acquisition. Dr. Schickler has also provided consulting services for medical device and healthcare companies since July 2018, advising on various matters pertaining to biopharmaceutical drug development, including as a consultant to the Company since March 2019. From May 2001 to July 2018, Dr. Schickler served as Chief Executive Officer of CureTech Ltd. (“CureTech”), a biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment and control of cancer. During his time at CureTech, Dr. Schickler led the company from the establishment of its operations through its development into a clinical-stage company with activities spanning basic research through GMP manufacturing and worldwide clinical operations. Dr. Schickler has served on the board of directors of CureTech since October 2018 and has served on the board of directors of Accellta Ltd. since March 2017. Dr. Schickler received his Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom, his Ph.D. in Biology from The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel and his M.Sc. in Immunology and his B.Sc. in Biology from The Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
Dr. Gil Ben-Menachem – MSc, MBA, PhD
Vice President - Business Development
Dr. Gil Ben-Menachem has served as Kitov's Vice President Business Development since 2016. Dr. Ben-Menachem has over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and venture capital industries. Most recently, he served as Head of Innovative Products at Dexcel Pharma, Israel’s second-largest pharmaceutical company. Prior to that, Dr. Ben-Menachem served as Director of Business Development at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, where he was responsible for business development efforts in connection with partnering and acquisition deals for late-stage innovative drug candidates. He also served as CEO of OphthaliX, a company that developed drugs in the ophthalmology space, and Director of Business Development at Paramount Biosciences, a New York-based merchant bank and biotechnology venture capital firm. Dr. Ben-Menachem received his PhD from the Hebrew University and an MBA from the University of Maryland. He concluded his postdoctoral training in immunology and microbiology at the National Institutes of Health.Hadas Reuveni, PhD
Vice President of Research and Development
Dr. Hadas Reuveni has served as Kitov’s Vice President Research and Development since 2017. Prior to joining Kitov, she co-invented the technology of TyrNovo, a biotech startup company. Dr. Reuveni has been engaged with the scientific projects in TyrNovo’s portfolio since 2005, and has nearly two decades of research and development experience in biotechnology. Dr. Reuveni founded and served as CEO of TyrNovo’s predecessor, NovoTyr, which developed small molecules for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. She also founded and served as a Director and Chief Science Officer of AngioB, a startup that developed GPCR-based agents for multiple indications, from 2006 to 2010. Prior to that, she was the Director of Research & Development at Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KRX) from 2001 to 2004. Dr. Reuveni also served as a scientific consultant for Integra Holdings, Campus Bio Management, and BioLineRX (NASDAQ/TASE: BLRX). Dr. Reuveni received her PhD from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.