Our leadership team
Dr. Stanley Hirsch
Chairman
Dr. Stanley Hirsch
Chairman
Dr. Hirsch joined OWCP as Chairman of our Board of Directors in July 2017. He has had extensive scientific, executive and board level experience for more than 25 years in private and publicly listed companies in biopharmaceutical and agricultural biotech industries, inter alia, including direct experience in raising capital and leading M&A activity. This experience, together with his multi-cultural management skills, having managed companies in Israel, Brazil, UK, China and the United States, is directly relevant to OWCP’s scientific and business development efforts.
Dr. Hirsch has served as Group CEO of FuturaGene Limited and its predecessor company, FuturaGene Plc., since 2007. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: FOMX), since 2016.
Dr. Hirsch holds a D. Phil (1982) in Cell Biology and Immunology from Oxford University, UK. His educational experience also includes a B.Sc. degree with Honors in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town, South Africa (1979) among other academic honors and awards from Oxford University and University of Cape Town.
Mr. Mordechai Bignitz
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Mr. Mordechai Bignitz
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Mr. Mordechai Bignitz is a seasoned financial manager, with over 30 years’ experience in operational and investment management, specializing in all aspects of the planning and execution of deals in private and public companies. Mr. Bignitz served as CEO of Advanced Paradigm Technology, Geffen Green Energy Ltd., as Chairman of the Investment Committee of Migdal Capital Trust Ltd. and as a director of Leader Capital Markets Ltd. (TASE: LDRC) and Leader Holdings & Investments Ltd. (TASE: LDER). He has extensive experience in the management of investments and financial systems, accounting and taxation and has been involved in economic and financial consulting to companies in the field of technology.
Mr. Bignitz is a CPA, with a BA in Accounting and Economics from Tel-Aviv University and completed the Executive Program in Management and Strategy in Retail at Babson College in Boston.
Dr. Oron Yacoby Zeevi
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
Dr. Oron Yacoby Zeevi
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
Dr. Yacoby Zeevi has more than 20 years of extensive scientific experience with both private and publicly listed companies in the biopharmaceutical industry. She joined Neuroderm (formerly Nasdaq: NDRM), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing next-generation treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders in 2008 as the Vice President of Research and was promoted to the position of VP R&D in 2010. From October 2016 until her departure January 2018, she served as Chief Scientific Officer. Neuroderm was sold to Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma for US $1.1 billion in July 2017.
Dr. Yacoby Zeevi is the inventor of over 50 issued patents and pending patents. Her expertise lies in industry-oriented innovation and scientific research, accelerating and orchestrating the evolution of new ideas through R&D proof of concept, intellectual property development, chemistry and manufacturing controls (CMC), early efficacy and safety trials, regulatory affairs and market landscape mapping in fields of unmet medical needs. She earned her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheva, Israel and holds a degree of Doctor in Veterinary Medicine from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Dr. Med. Yehuda Baruch
Chief Medical and Regulatory Officer
Dr. Med. Yehuda Baruch
Chief Medical and Regulatory Officer
Dr. Yehuda Baruch served as Head of the Israeli Ministry of Health’s Medical Marijuana Program from 2003 through 2013 where he spearheaded the efforts on regulation, chaired the indication committee, secured Helsinki Approvals for medical research, and managed regulation of patient licensing and dosage. He has extensive experience in researching medical cannabis, most notably for its effect on PTSD.
From 2004 until recently he served as CEO of Abarbanel Mental Health Center in Bat Yam, Israel. Prior to that, he was the director of Israel’s Ministry of Health medical management division, and director general of Be’er Yakov Mental Health Center. He has taught at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine.
Ms. Sigal Russo
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Ms. Sigal Russo
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Ms. Russo, aged 40, is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Israel. Ms. Russo served in various financial roles at Rosetta Genomics (NASDAQ: ROSG), a molecular diagnostics company, since 2008. Most recently, she served as Senior Director of Finance in which role she was responsible for all aspects of Rosetta Genomics’ finances, and reported to the chief financial officer. Prior to her tenure at Rosetta Genomics, Ms. Russo was an audit manager at Ernst & Young, Israel, from 2004 to 2008, specializing in audits of companies from various fields, both publicly traded and privately owned. Ms. Russo holds a BA in Economics and Accounting, from the Ruppin Academic College.
Mr. Alon Sinai
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Mr. Alon Sinai
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Mr. Alon Sinai is a retired Lieutenant-Colonel from the Medical Corps of IDF (1987-2013), and completed the NATO School Oberammergau program (NATO’s premier individual training and education facility at the operational level). Most recently he served as Head of the Doctrine, Instruction and Training Department, where he was responsible for commanding and developing emergency medical facilities, writing professional doctrine and literature for the IDF Medical Corps and working with foreign militaries.
Mr. Sinai is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Health Systems Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where he previously earned an MA in Health Systems Management and a B.EMS in Emergency Medicine.
